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Soba and the town office
Mrs. Saito rolls out the soba dough. Getting it thin and even is quite a task. 99.12.03/ Temperature: 0C/ Weather: Snow/ Wind Direction: W
Current Location: Ogunimachi 38 03 42 N 139 45 33 E
Distance Traveled: 0 km (Wisdom Point)Do you know how your grandparents secured and prepared their food? Though I'm sure there are some exceptions, it is my guess that many of us might answer 'no' to this. I spent the day with Mr. Abe of the Oguni Town Office learning about his vision and concerns about passing on the food culture of Oguni.
Snow has already accumulated close to 30 centimeters alongside the road leading to Kaname Soba House. The narrow road twists by the white capped rice paddies and local houses up in the mountains of Oguni. One might find it hard to believe that there is a Soba (noodles made from buckwheat) Shop this deep in the mountains.
Driving along Mr. Abe explained to me about Kaname Soba. "Kaname is a very small village of only 16 households. As rice used to be difficult to grow in the cold and mountainous area of Oguni, many people chose the more reliable soba, which is better suited to the weather. Soba was planted because it grows easily with little maintenance and because the villagers could not afford to have a bad rice crop. This is how people came to make soba. Until new stronger species of rice were developed the art of soba making was passed down through families for generations. No longer a necessity, the art of soba making hit a decline."
Chopping thin soba noodles, Mrs. Saito. Only over the past 25 years have the citizens of Oguni begun to re-introduce the art of soba making. The Kaname Soba House is a joint effort between locals and local government to maintain the tradition of Kaname soba. "With government funding we managed to build a facility which would employ locals for several hours of the day, provide some income, and still leave them time to tend their fields and go into the mountains for edible plants. The soba house also creates a place for people to learn about and enjoy the taste of soba and an environment conducive to passing on the skills and flavor of soba."
Freshly served soba. MMmm. Nestled in a snow-covered forest, set slightly back from the road, was the Kaname Soba House. Entering the soba shop, we were greeted by three cheerful women. Sooner than I knew it, Mrs. Saito had prepared soba flour in a large wooden bowl. "The trick is start out by adding hot water," she said as she mixed water in with the flour. Revealing one of Kaname's secrets, Mrs. Saito said, "If you use cold water, the dough will not stick properly." Before the water had cooled, Mrs. Saito had a smooth ball of dough and spread it out thinly with a rolling pin. She folded the dough and cut strings of noodles into thin even strips. She moved gracefully and quickly making the entire process appear very easy. Once boiled, the noodles were placed in a strainer with ice and we were ready to taste test. Slurping up the cool fragrant noodles I could taste the simple flavor of years of tradition.
Mr. Abe at a local shop selling local foods. The three Saito's (all of different families) stretch across three different generations. Sitting down with us as we ate, each of them told me how long they have been making soba. "Ten year," "five," "three," said each of them. Similar to other elders I have spoken with about food, the two elder Saitos thought back on their childhood. "We used to only eat directly from nature. It was quite harsh." Neither of them miss the hardships they faced, however one of the things they said they missed most was the flavor and joy of eating a plum. Perhaps this joy can't be easily replaced but now the three women have a supplementary income from the soba shop and still have time to collect and make some the food that they have grown-up on.
Freshly cut soba. Can you tell which I made and which the pros at Kaname made? Mr. Abe spoke to me about his intentions. "The food culture of soba in Oguni has made it this far. If something is not done to help this continue, people may forget the impoverished origins of soba, its flavor, and the skills necessary to make it. With Kaname Soba House as well as other local government endeavors being set up we are trying to establish a new system for the traditions to be passed on."
Kaname Soba House is a new example of the town's efforts to carry on food traditions. However, it is apparent that all of the food culture of the area (soba, edible plants, mushrooms, pickles, etc.) isn't being passed on completely. Mr. Abe took me to a local supermarket to have a look for myself. As Mr. Abe and I walked down alongside the frozen fish, by the sweets section, looked at the selection of fish, and finally inspected the limited selection of local foods, one can see that the shopping environment does little to promote local flavor.
What for some time has been a subject of embarrassment is recently beginning remembered and re-evaluated concerning the lifestyles of mountain villages. The future of Oguni's food culture still remains in question but students at Hokubu Elementary (see Wisdom report#079) as well as local officials in the town office have begun efforts, which shed light on possibilities in re-evaluating the history of food culture and passing them on to the next generation.
Greg
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