My Culinary Journey: From Sushi in Japan to Western Cuisine Abroad
If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?
If I were to embark on the venture of opening a shop, my heart inevitably leans towards establishing a restaurant. This choice stems from my rich background in the culinary sector, where I have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and experience. My culinary journey is a tale of two worlds – having worked in sushi and traditional Japanese restaurants in my homeland of Japan and in establishments serving both Japanese cuisine and Western food abroad.
If I were to set up shop in Japan, my inclination would be towards Western cuisine, drawing from my experiences overseas. However, in a foreign land, I would proudly showcase the depth and intricacy of traditional Japanese dishes.
While I have a soft spot for quaint, intimate eateries, there’s an undeniable allure in managing a larger establishment and interacting with a multitude of people. Witnessing the joy and satisfaction on the faces of my customers, as they savor each dish, brings unparalleled happiness to my heart.
Thank you for joining me on this gastronomic journey through my article. I hope it has inspired or resonated with some aspect of your own culinary dreams.
Nice
Thank you 🙏
I think you would be very good at that 🥘
I hope your dream comes true one day 🙏😊
I think I wouldn’t like the pressure of being a chef? I like to take my time and make with love? And that can’t be rushed 😉✌️ I think the fast pace with that I wouldn’t like.
I like cooking for my family – seeing them healthy, happy and full… but I think to please many would stress me?
Although – if was gonna do anything to sell with food – my pick would be desserts 🍨 ❤️ or chocolates 🍫 ❤️ if I was going to do anything with food, that would be my direction
Otherwise I don’t know what kinda shop I would have 🤷♀️
I don’t have anything to sell 🤷♀️ my skills are more human connection
I deeply resonate with what you’re saying. Speed is indeed paramount for chefs.👨🏻🍳
After all, you don’t want to keep your customers waiting.
Because of this, most dishes are 70-80% prepped in advance🥘.
Yet, a chef often has to handle many steps on their own.
Additionally, utmost care is taken for those with allergies.🥜🦐
It does become more challenging as you age.
I too love cooking for my family the most❤️.
You can create as you like and enjoy the process. It also serves as a stress-reliever.
I believe that what you offer doesn’t always have to be a tangible item. The most important thing is doing something that brings joy to people🫶. And the reward doesn’t necessarily have to be in the form of money🙆.
Yes – I don’t think I would do well as a chef – for family yes, or friends yes, but as a chef – too much pressure to me
My job is also fast pace, but in an area I am comfortable with.
Yes I agree with your last paragraph 😊 ❤️
Yes, I can imagine that once your ceremonies begin, the pace becomes very fast. There must be tension until it’s over. I believe preparation for that moment is crucial, and the aftercare once it’s finished is also important. 😊.
Oh yes – this week and next week are crazy! And more come in.
We juggle – we make you feel like you are the only family we have, while we juggle several… communication, communication, communication (lol) and timing is essential
I have many group texts with funeral people so I can have that communication and make sure all needs are met
It is never over lol … over for one family – but every day there are others
But it is very important to make sure EACH family has had the peace and comfort to grieve in their own way during their loss
We hope to give a little peace to the heart and mind during raw emotional moments
And yes – during all of it we also want to make sure people are ok as we walk them through the valley of death.
And many I see are elderly and lose spouse and then what? They be alone
I have a little flock like that – just so I make sure they ok … we go for walks on the weekends ✌️
Exercise and Vitamin D – for boosting mood… as well as – friends and laughter… can help you through some pretty dark moments ✌️
Death ☠️ – it’s a wide array of things all the time
I see homicides, suicides, accidents, children, elderly, disabled, sick, etc
I have to keep my own composure during one’s that hit me hard 😮
I have many resources to help those who struggle
There are a lot of important things with death and giving someone closure or peace… or at least help with that.
Death doesn’t take holidays or birthdays, or even weekends – it does not care what day it is.
Definitely takes a dedication to caring for people.
Even though we know that death will eventually come for all of us, it’s always a deeply sad moment when it actually happens. The closer the person is to us, the more shocking it can be. Fortunately, both of my parents are still in good health, but it’s something that I need to prepare for, as it’s inevitable.🥹
Funerals rarely happen by appointment, so it’s likely that you’d have to handle multiple events in a single day. It’s a very demanding job, but as long as people exist, it will never disappear. Even so, for the family involved, it’s a unique day, so the emotional care provided by funeral staff is crucial.☺️
Out of curiosity, have you ever experienced anything strange or unusual during a funeral?🫣
Yes, it is demanding – but like you say “for the family involved” it’s everything – and everyone deserves to be able to grieve, feel at ease while doing so, and feel cared for.
Hahaha!! There is ALWAYS strange and unusual lol 🤷♀️😄 – not necessarily with every case … but my answer to that question is yes lol … we absolutely do experience some strange and unusual things 😮
Does encountering strange and unusual things frequently make them become the norm? Is it like an astronaut not finding it odd to see a UFO🛸?
I rarely attend funerals, so I’m quite curious about this😅.
Hmm 🤔
No, it doesn’t make it the norm, because there really isn’t a norm – you just never know until it comes in …
It does make you see humanity though … we see the lives that people lived, their families, their wishes – many stories
Humbles you to see just how precious life truly is, and how in humanity- we are all the same
As far as funerals, depends on culture… those are unique to who they are
And then in terms of last wishes – usually those are fine and normal – but once in awhile I have to go through legal lol – last wishes can sometimes be crazy. Lol
I do this everyday so in a sense it has become normal – instead death freezing and severely upsetting me … I see the other side of it – the background and it makes you realize death, like birth is a part of life.
Some people say “I could never do your job”
For me has helped me process my own losses to see the behind the scenes and to help others – I know how death is emotionally – I’m very familiar unfortunately
I pick up the pieces once a loss occurs – and that can be in many ways because people are all different
It is an event in someone’s life they will always remember – so we want that to be as comforting and peaceful as we can, and then also we are fully aware – that “we” do this everyday …and normally (hopefully) people do not.
We see ALOT – not just a lot of death but also types of death
It’s a unique industry – we all speak to one another – no matter the state or country (we work with other funeral locations all over the world) … and any funeral person knows what we go through, and the general public doesn’t really
My industry is one that people only want to know about, usually when they need us
People always make a face when I say what I do lol … and then they become curious and ask me all kinds of questions lol ❤️
There can be a lot of strangeness and unusual in many areas lol
Certainly, there’s no such thing as a “typical” death. Funerals can differ significantly depending on culture, religion, and denomination.
You probably conduct different types of funerals almost every day.🥹
I’m not sure if it’s okay to ask, but when are legal procedures necessary?
And what kind of situations fall under “strange and unusual”?
Feel free to answer within the scope you’re comfortable with.🙏
Some people request that their bones be turned into powder and returned to the sea. 🏝️
My mother mentioned wanting something similar in the past.🤔
Yes – I have experienced many funerals in different cultures and denominations…
My area currently is a lot of Catholic, Protestant, non-denominational, Hispanic and Jewish
Each area is different … I have funeral homes that handle everything and we all specialize in certain areas
My old funeral home used to be Catholic, Greek, and Italian … but I worked with Jewish and Muslim, and also Asian funerals (mostly Chinese)
We have funeral homes and staff that cater to the areas they are in.
You learn a lot – and see a lot
Legal comes into play when people request things out of the ordinary or if the circumstances would have any questions or issues
We sometimes will have our legal department make us a form customized to the circumstances
Like for example with a homicide or accident – if the family wants to view – we warn them severely … it can cause emotional trauma and haunt you … we have to have a form that says they release us from liability if they insist … they fully understand the implications, conditions and the emotion trauma it can cause – things like that
Once I had someone who wanted a private jet to a far away location- full body transport … but the private jet could not fit a casket or a travel tray… so would only have been a body bag… my legal department was not willing to allow that – so we helped the family with everything else and then handed them to our competitor, who was able to do that, so the family may have the way they wish
It depends on how strict your legal department is – mine is very careful
But we are there to serve the family – so we do what we can, and when we can’t – all funeral people know each other competitor or not – so we help each other if would help the family with their wishes – we want the best for our families … I don’t call them clients or customers – that is too cold … they are OUR families ❤️ so we treat them as our family
We work with some pretty deep circumstances sometimes
Strange and unusual? Lol omg you don’t even know… people wanna be shot from cannons or some other wild things
Homicides and accidents are always unusual with their circumstances – you just never know
We are not allowed to cremate flags, money, drugs, anything that explodes, metal etc … pacemakers and such are removed
We can have some pretty wild things on occasion
I once had a man who wanted his pockets filled with his money… but we can’t cremate money… so… the daughter wrote him a check and stuffed it in his pocket lol – he did not specify cash directly lol 😄❤️ I thought that was brilliant … followed wishes but uniquely ❤️
Oh yes many want to be scattered – either in air or sea … some to areas they loved the most or are connected to the most
We can try to do many things for you… we can even turn someone into a diamond or make you part of a coral reef … we can also send you to space if you desire that lol
We are able to do many unique things
There are so many details you have to work with and consider – it’s all in the details ✌️
We do what we can to honor what people want or their last wishes
It’s an interesting and unique industry
It takes a special type – not everyone cut out for this business.