Holiday Greetings 2018

Since two years ago, we stopped going to holiday parties, mainly due to our dog and a health reason but we found a pleasure making dishes that we like and spending peaceful time at home.

Last year, we decided that we would not make a dry turkey but pick something else that we can actually enjoy eating. After a little dispute over the ham, which was on sale online but wasn't at the Whole Foods store, we decided to go with a pheasant, a little bird that is more tasteful than a turkey. Also, taking an inspiration from our friends' Thanksgiving party in the past years, we added a king crab to the menu. And, no more gravy from scratch, which we always had a meltdown, not being able to extract right sauce. Carmel potatoes came out better this year.

What is equally enjoyable to eating Thanksgiving dinner is a table setting. This is what I learned from my Danish mother-in-law, who is an expert in preparing beautiful and festive table settings. Now we have collected some dishes, glasses, candle holders over the past few years, it has become my role to demonstrate some table setting skills.

These are my favorite items. The glasses are from Eva Solo. It's angled at the top so it's easy to drink. The dishes and candle holders (they are a christmas version) are from Royal Copenhagen. I like that their design stay classic but can fit well into a modern decor. The table mat is from Georg Jensen, and designed by our friend, Rika Kawato. All of these are simple, elegant, and timeless, which truly represents Scandinavian design.

Here's the picture from our last Christmas. We are usually in Denmark around this time but Uni was still a puppy and we could not leave her alone. The silver candle holder is a long seller product from Georg Jensen. Not much was done except for adding these bundles of christmas tree branches and tying them with ribbons. Neutralness of the Danish design items makes the table setting consistent and integrated. Most of it is not due to my table setting skill but the thoughtful good design made by Danish designers.

I was trying to make Uni's first Christmas as memorable as possible but only thing she found a joy in was to mess up with the Christmas tree. I had to put a fence around so that we wouldn't end up spending Christmas without a Christmas tree.

Northern California has chilly and rainy winter. Uni has been going through her second shedding season, so I made her a knitted scarf while she is growing her winter coat. Last time I ever knitted was in high-school when I was boarding and had to spend the nights without any TV or a cellphone. It was truly a good peaceful time not being glued to a smartphone all the time.

It was so nice to eat and sleep, eat and sleep during the Thanksgiving week. Snuggling into the bed in the cold morning is the best thing. Especially after we changed our mattress to a memory foam, Uni loves to be in bed, making a nest and curling up like a little foxy in the winter snow.

Happy Holidays to you all!!

Greetings in Japanese

ベイエリアも本格的に寒くなってきましたね。東京のドライで極寒の冬と違い、こちらは雨がたくさん降り寒々しいという感じです。アメリカには１１月から１２月に渡って、サンクスギビングとクリスマスがあり、街中がホリデーカラー一色になります。

ウニちゃんが来てから、ホリデーは家で過ごすことが多くなりました。今年のサンクスギビングディナーも去年に引き続いて、すべて自分たちで作りました。年に一回くらいドライなターキーもグレイビーと一緒に悪くないなとは思うのですが、巨大なターキーをエンドレスに食べるよりも、小さい鳥を買って二人で分けた方がエコロジカルかなと思い、なんとスーパーでターキーと並んで売っていたキジを調理することにしました。（実はキジだと知ったのはこのブログを書いている途中！！）。恒例のタラバガニも添えて、けっこう華やかなサンクスギビングディナーとなりました。

ホリデーディナーの楽しみは料理だけではなく、テーブルセッティングにもあると思います。数年かけて集めたデンマーク製の食器やグラス、キャンドルホルダーなどを、特別な日だけ使うことにしています。テーブルセッティングはデンマークの義理の母が上手で、見ながら学んだという感じですが、今回も頑張ってみましたよ。といっても、デザイン製の高い食器を使うと並べるだけで絵になるので、あとはキャンドルホルダーの配置やテーブルマットの色などを組み合わせるだけでなかなかに見えます。北欧スタイルのテーブルセッティングに興味のある方はぜひお手本にどうぞ。