The class was at the Jonan Community Center, and we were the only foreigners to attend, as well as the youngest of the participants. Because of Aoyama-sensei's position in the local International Association, he has made a lot of friends in the city, and the instructor was one of them. We were told to put on head scarves to prevent hair from getting in the food, and washing our hands all the way down to the elbows.
Making soba, as it turns out, is a labor intensive process. First there's the sorting of the actual buckwheat using a strainer. A very fine white powder comes out of the strainer while the darker particulates stay in it. Then, when the straining is complete, the remaining contents are dumped...into the same bowl as the powder.
Next is the addition of hot water, followed by lots of mixing. Cold water is also involved in the mixing process. Soon, the mixing turns into kneading, and a single slab of dough is produced.
The next part is flattening it. White flower is sprinkled onto the flattening surface and dough, and then flattened first by hand in a circular formation. The roller is added in, first to make it flatter, and then to make it square, with occasional pinches of flower thrown in.
When the dough is flattened enough, it's folded into quarter-size, and then it's time to bring out...the knife.
The knife had to be held a certain way. Imagine making the metal symbol (\m/) with your hand. The handle goes in between the two fingers that are folded in, and the remaining two fingers are pressed against the side of the blade. The knife goes up against a guide board, and the trick is to push down and out into the dough, then lean the knife to the left to advance the guide board. The result is about 7-8 servings of soba, which are then boiled, cooled, and strained to become edible. (It's also possible to eat them hot, but not in August.)
We all took turns at the different stages of the whole process. Everyone was knocking each other over making mistakes in the process, and on their turn, they'd make the same mistakes. Our noodles were especially thicker than the others', mainly because of our collective inability to use the knife properly. There was also the issue of keeping the dough free of cracks and tears.
Some of the other participants put aside their portions to take home, but everyone got to eat some of their creation today. Another gentleman from the group brought watermelon with him. It had lots of seeds, but considering that Japan's watermelons are a third of the size but three times the price of American ones, it's not a good idea to be picky.
I hadn't really had a chance to go to activities like this, mainly because I didn't know about what was going on in the local community as much. I try to read the monthly city bulletins, which are provided by the city and come in English, but I usually don't have time as a lot of those events are during the week, when I have other things to do. But now, with my time at Aizu (and Japan unless I figure something out in that department) winding down towards the end, and my budget otherwise limited for travel, I need to experience more in the area as much as I still can. Time is a much more precious commodity this case.
I missed the Iwaki Fireworks Festival due to the drinking party, but I'll still be going to the festival in Yanaizu this Thursday. All of the fireworks festivals are happening at around the same time, which sucks because I can't possibly go to all of them. There will be, however, other festivals in the region for August. Here's hoping I can go to them all.
-wp
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