Merry Christmas

Well, a very Merry Xmas to everyone at ELC and beyond the English school umbrella.
We had a great dinner this year, with roast Pheasant, Duck & Pork. I spent a good 6 hours in the kitchen, slaving over the range to bring it all together. I had to cut out a few items from the menu, as it had taken on a life of it's own, due to the unexpected arrival of our poultry friends.
The pheasant was complete with the head still intact. It looked very impressive with it's colourful wattles. Both birds were quite easy to prepare, as they had been well cleaned by the huntsman.
I wanted to enjoy the full flavour of each, so I only stuffed them with onion, then covered the breast areas with bacon to protect them. This seemed to work well, as the meat was moist and tender upon serving. Everyone enjoyed the Pheasant most, as it's quite a rarity in Japan.
The Yorkshire Puddings were also great, as my new recipe includes a dash of Coopers Pale Ale.It really helps bring the batter to life and gives it a fluffy texture. The final serving was my homemade chocolate mocha cake. A heavy, stodgy monster of a dessert, which is quite simple to make.
Two of my young students came over to wish me a merry xmas, so they stayed for a bit and helped make the cakes. They hung around all afternoon waiting for them to cool, so I gave them a whole cake to take home to their family. Big thanks to Haruki & Mitsusa for their handmade Xmas card and helping with the dessert.

Best Wishes,

Roy Dunn.

Awaji

Yesterday morning, I and the Ferry-meister travelled over to Awaji on the infamous Tako-Ferry, to visit a friend. Despite my many years in Kansai, this was my first adventure to the Island. Our friend and spiritual advisor Callaghan-Sensei picked us up at the port and took us on a magical mystery tour of his new home. After a short stop at the Bear's new abode, we packed up all the fishing gear and headed to the port, for a spot of angling.
In my youth, I spent many a day fishing at the mouth of the river Don in Aberdeen, with my brothers. But, almost all my knowledge of knots and tackle from those days had been erased over time. Luckily, the Bear is a dab hand with knots and quickly pointed me in the right direction. Over a few hours we caught and landed an aquarium sized array of sea beasts, including Whiting 鱚 and sea Bream鯛. I gutted and prepared the fish this afternoon, and will deep fry them tonight for dinner.




Cheers,

Roy Dunn.