Possibly some exposure to Japanese language and
culture stateside; less than likely having lived
in Japan, as it was traditionally a completely
closed society with no trade except for the
Missionary kids?
Missionaries I'm not so sure about, but there
weren't many of them before the war, with the
biggest presence from Russia.
transient shipborne bartering; even in the last
century most if not all of the American residents
in Japan were of Japanese descent.
IIRC, Perry opened up Japan to the outside trade world some time in the 1850s.
That's what I was taught, too, but it's a vast
oversimplification. What Perry did was defy the
preexisting restriction of westerners to one
city - Nagasaki, I seem to recall; he expanded
the US privilege to two other cities, I don't
recall which. It was Townsend Harris who opened
the country, and though his terms were probably
less harsh than Perry's would have been, his
focus was more on short-term profit than cultural
exchange, and as far as I am aware, there was
no incentive for a trader to bring family to
raise, especially in Japan.
The oveseas mercantile trade was a seasoning part
of a young man's career. Back in the 19th century,
when the Japanese weren't in a position to fuss,
there may have been a few who made a longer
sojourn, but few would have had a family to bring
along, and if they did, wouldn't have been
foolish enough to subject it to the difficulties.
In the 20th century, the country strengthened to
the degree that it was calling the shots again in
the trade relationship, and in the period I'm
(vaguely) interested in the western presence was
again very restricted.
I knew a guy who became fluent in Arabic;
he was a towering intellect with amazing
stick-to-it-iveness in the face of difficulty.
Had to be really stick to it and have an aptitutde for languages to
learn Arabic in the DLI condensed course.
Hopefully he didn't look like he was from the Middle East. While in HI,
He looked pretty Semitic (being of mixed Jewish
heritage).
for our church's Christmas canata one year, we had to dress in costume appropriate to the area. A friend loaned Steve and me Kurdish outfits;
after the program Steve commented that he'd best change before going
back on post. (Somewhere around, I've got a picture that was taken of
the 2 of us in costume.)
Amusing - perhaps you should bring it to a
picnic. Perhaps we can have a nonfood activity
where we all bring pictures of ourselves in
incongruous settings.
Phyllo (Fillo) Dough
categories: vegan, g/f, possibly KfP
yield: 1 batch
3 1/2 c all-purpose gluten-free flour, plus
- more for sprinkling (I used Better Batter)
3/4 c Expandex modified tapioca starch
1 ts kosher salt
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
1 md lemon, juice only
1 1/2 c lukewarm water
In a large bowl whisk the flour, Expandex
and salt together. Create a well in the
center of the dry ingredients and add the
olive oil, lemon juice and water, and mix
to combine. The dough will come together
and be thick. Press into a ball, cover
with a moist tea towel, and allow to sit
for about 20 min. The dough will stiffen
a bit as it absorbs the water.
Pull off golf ball-sized pieces (about 3 oz
by weight) of the dough, and press into a
disk with your fingers. Place the dough on a
clean, flat surface and roll into a rough
rectangle about 8" long. Sprinkle lightly
with flour, and roll into a rectangle about
12" x 10". Using a sharp knife, pizza wheel
or pastry cutter, trim the rough edges of
the rectangle into a neat rectangle that
is about 10" x 8". Dust both sides of the
dough generously with more flour, and set
aside on a piece of parchment paper. Gather
the scraps and return them to the remaining
dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough,
layering the pieces of rolled-out dough on
top of one another, each dusted generously
with flour to prevent sticking. The dough
can be frozen for later use, then thawed at
room temperature before using.
Nicole Hunn
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