It is now the middle of July.
We have been working almost nonstop since the start of An An Cafe's 10th anniversary event.
First, let me start with a report.
Thank you very much for participating in the 4-day wagashi workshop that started on June 14. A total of 16 people participated. Everyone seemed to enjoy the event and the response was great.
Next, we are planning a junior wagashi workshop for summer vacation.
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We cooked a lot of Takoyaki on the Takoyaki & Okonomiyaki buffet to eat octopus on June 20, the summer solstice.
And here are some photos from the event. (Photo from a customer. Thanks.)
Jumbo okonomiyaki with a diameter of 30 cm... but it doesn't look so big on the griddle💦.
This is the centerpiece of the day, omu-soba...although it lost its shape quickly.
I threw in a few stones for the Ghibli Week coming up later this month.
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And on my 21st birthday, I had a birthday party inviting staff and friends from 27Boundary road. Some of the staff had already gone back to Japan and some friends had lost touch with them, but a lot of people came and we had a lot of great conversations. (Here are also photos from customers and staff. A big thank you!}
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We took a week off to recharge our batteries here.
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After that, I got to sell Japanese sweets at the Japanese Language Club of Brighton's Open Day on the 29th,
A week later, on July 6, I sold Japanese sweets at a used book sale at a Japanese language supplementary school in Croydon, and yesterday, July 13, I sold Japanese sweets at the Maeda Gakuen summer festival.
In a return to my original intention, I participated in three consecutive events involving children.
First love?
What is it now? Some of you may be thinking, "What's that?" But it is what I always have in mind when I make wagashi.
It is to introduce traditional and true wagashi, wagashi with meaning, to the land of England.
In particular, to let children and young people, who are said to be losing interest in anko (red bean paste), taste the true taste of anko.
We have been making anko from dried azuki and dried white beans in England for 16 years.
Anko is cooked with only beans, water, and good quality sugar.
Children who have tasted my wagashi since they were in their mother's tummy are now old enough to come to the cafe alone to buy them. I am very happy.
Wagashi have meanings.
For example, "wakayu" (young sweetfish) is a wagashi that imitates the shape of a sweetfish that climbs up a stream in May and is a prayer for strength and good health, and "mizunashi" (waterless moon), eaten on June 30, a day exactly halfway through the year, is a gairo with a triangle shape to keep bad luck away and red colored azuki beans on top to drive away evil spirits. It is very delicious when eaten cold.
The very popular sanshoku dango also has a meaning.
It is a wish for everyone to live a long and healthy life.
We have sold many Japanese sweets with such wishes.
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Now, for a change of pace, I am currently hard at work with Miss N, our baking staff, on an event to close out our 10th anniversary.
It is the Ghibli Rice and Ghibli World Afternoon Tea, which has been requested for a long time.
Our usual Japanese afternoon tea has only a plant-based menu, but this time we have two kinds, a pescatorian version and a plant-based version, as fish is inevitable.
Both are equally Ghibli's world!
We'll leave the details for a bit until the day of the event.
Limited to 10 people per day for 5 days. You can purchase tickets at this link.
https://fienta.com/cafe-an-an-ghibili-afternoon-tea
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It's almost... Have fun and do my best!
