Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1740/

Food preparations for Keirokai

They have months planning of it, and they say to the smallest details who's going to decorate the room, and for example, they serve an ozoni, or some soup. I think maybe it's miso, maybe it's just miso but it has what they call a mitsuba that they put a little leaf that has the three petals, there are three leaves, and they have to be tied in a ribbon. And so before... I think it needs to be planted, or trimmed, I don't know 15 days before so when the leaves are the right size to be harvested, and served in the soup.

So stuff like that logistically, they've been working about who's buying the shiitake that goes in the stew, or the seaweed for the wraps, whatever it is they work months, and they have a spreadsheet already, and the list of tasks, and everything. But that is usually organized, the food is cooked by the fujin-bu, it's a group of females. And that's what they pride themselves that they're serving them food that specially all Japanese, or as Japanese as we can make it with whatever we have available in Colombia.


Colombia communities events food Japanese Colombians Keiro (organization)

Date: September 22, 2019

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Yoko Nishimura

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Monica Teisher was born in Cali, Colombia in 1974 to an Issei father and Nisei mother. She and her large extended family were active in the Cali Japanese community, the largest in Colombia. She moved to the United States after marrying a U.S. citizen of Eastern European Jewish descent. They and their daughters spend vacation time in Colombia, participating in community events. (May 2020)

Biller,Francesca Yukari

What Nikkei means to her

Jewish Japanese American journalist

Wakayama,Tamio

Re-examining Identity

(1941-2018) Japanese Canadian photojournalist and activist

Biller,Francesca Yukari

Culture is an important part of one's identity

Jewish Japanese American journalist

Takei,George

Father's Influence

(b. 1937) Actor, Activist

Hirano,Paulo Issamu

The difference between Nikkei community in Oizumi and Brazil (Japanese)

(b. 1979) Sansei Nikkei Brazilian who lives in Oizumi-machi in Gunma prefecture. He runs his own design studio.

Toyoshima,Toshiaki

Difficulty of spreading authentic sushi (Japanese)

(b. 1949) Sushi chef. Owner of Sushi Gen restaurant in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo.

Toyoshima,Toshiaki

Teaching how to eat sushi (Japanese)

(b. 1949) Sushi chef. Owner of Sushi Gen restaurant in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo.

Yamashiro,Michelle

Okinawan Americans

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

Yuki,Tom

Mochitsuki tradition

(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.

Yamashiro,Michelle

General reasons why people left Japan for Peru

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

Matsumoto,Juan Alberto

Changes in the Nikkei Community in Japan (Japanese)

(b. 1962) Nisei Japanese Argentinian, currently residing in Japan

Naganuma,Jimmy

First meal at Crystal City

(b. 1936) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City

Yamamoto,Mia

Cofounding the Asian Pacific Islander Law Student Association

(b. 1943) Japanese American transgender attorney

Yamamoto,Mia

Understanding anti black racism in high school

(b. 1943) Japanese American transgender attorney

Yamamoto,Mia

Standing up for social justice

(b. 1943) Japanese American transgender attorney