Baking an Apple Pie in a Moven

Movens are Japan's solution for the oven shortage. Personally, I would think that in a cold and damp country that does not believe in insulation OR central heating, having ovens come standard in the kitchen would be a no-brainer. You can bake delicious things AND be warm. But no, instead, we have movens. What is a moven you ask? A moven is like the confused love-child of a microwave and a convection oven. Is it a microwave? Yes. Is it an oven? Yes. And there you have it, the beauty of the moven.

We decided to put my friend Katy's moven to the test last weekend and bake a pie to bring to the Thanksgiving potluck in the Noto Pennisula. As we put the foil pie pan in to pre-bake the crust, I think my heart may have stopped for a moment. I mean, FOIL?! In a microwave?! You have got to be kidding, right?! Nope, the crust came out just barely browned and delicious. No sparks, no fires, no explosions. Just one awesome moven.

After my nerves were calmed, we went at the pie baking with enthusiasm that can only be explained by 4 months sans oven. I piled the filling as high as physics would allow, and we crossed our fingers as we set the timer on the moven. About 30 minutes later, we opened the door. It smelled like apple pie. In fact, it smelled like really GOOD apple pie. The top was slightly singed, but considering that we had just baked a pie in a tin foil pan in a microwave, I would say that it was a glorious success.
I need a moven.

Karen and Katy














a very multicultural Thanksgiving around the kotatsu (heated coffee table)














eating chili and mashed pumpkin with chopsticks (Katy, Rachel, Sarah, Karen, and Chris - the host)


















the cutest Japanese blur I have ever met

It was not the most traditional Thanksgiving that I have ever had. After all, the closest thing we came to poultry was some incredible fried chicken, and eating chili with chopsticks just doesn't scream "Thanksgiving!". But at the same time, (forgive me as I get a smidge philosophical here) maybe it was more traditional than any turkey and cranberries Thanksgiving can ever be. What is Thanksgiving really? It is a day to gather together, to share food, and to be thankful. And that is exactly what we did.

I did miss the fake cranberry sauce though. :)

Sweet Shrimp and Moonlit Baths

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

I spent this year's festival of gluttony at a conference for Ishikawa ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) in Hakui, a small city about an hour north of Kanazawa. The conference ran from Thursday to Friday, so Thursday night (Thanksgiving night) found me on the floor, contorted into the most uncomfortable position, trying to squeeze my legs under an individual sized floor table. (Note to 6' women every where: pencil skirts are not made for dining on the floor if you have any desire to retain a semblance of grace and/or dignity.) As the blood flow trickled to a bare minimum and my right foot began to look positively vampiric, I eyeballed the dinner they had prepared for us.

It eyeballed me back.

Nestled cozily amongst other slices of raw fish flesh was a whole raw shrimp, in all of it's raw translucent glory. It's eyeballs were an eerie bluish gray. And they were looking at me. In the spirit of adventure, I had previously eaten one of said Japanese delicacies (called "amai ebi", literally "sweet shrimp" a winter delicacy in Ishikawa, lucky me) and found it palatable. However, I am not particularly interested in shrimp even when it is breaded and fried, so raw and leggy is not on my list of favorites. I traded it for a clementine and enjoyed the rest of my meal... well, except for the fishy custard.

Later that night I had my first onsen experience. (Click on the word "onsen" for an excellent Wikipedia article detailing the history, etiquette, etc. of onsens.) Though there was a little akwardness as we attempted to maintain normal conversation all the while getting naked under fluorescent lights, once we entered the steamy shower room and were presented with the prospect of relaxing in an outdoor bath under the moonlight, the awkwardness drifted away with the steam. It was lovely.

More later on baking apple pie in a microwave and trying to approximate Thanksgiving in Japan. For now, check out my latest Facebook album: Senmaida Wedding