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MA: What were some holidays or special celebrations that you did with your family?

MM: Oh, it was always, I think the biggest one was New Year's, you know. And my mom would do so much cooking, and I'll have to tell you this first thing, this one thing. You know, I tried, I tried to do things the way she did, but you know, I'm just not that way. So she wanted me to cut the vegetables a certain way, and to put in nishime. And so I started cutting it, and I was cutting just the plain old way, just chop it like this. And she said, "Nani shoru no?" And I says, "Mama, I'm cutting this." My dad is sitting right there, my dad would always get a big kick out of me. He'd never let my mother know that, though. I'd always tell him, "Gee whiz, Mama gets so mad at me." I says, "Papa, I can't do it like Mama does. Mama's okichinto and I'm not." Well, anyway, I was cutting it, and she said, "Nani shoru no?" I said, "Mama, I'm cutting your vegetables. "Anna koto shitara, nanka mucha," or something, I don't know what she's saying. But so she's teaching me how. Well, after she taught me how, then it was... but I, I didn't know those things. But I had a good lesson that day, but my sisters, I told them, "From now on, you two cut 'em. She doesn't like the way I cut 'em." [Laughs]

MA: So for the New Year's celebration --

MM: New Year.

MA: -- did your whole family get together and celebrate?

MM: Invite some people. But that was, I think, our biggest -- 'cause even Christmas wasn't as elaborate as the New Year's. I think it was like that in all Nihonjin no families.

MA: But you did celebrate Christmas, too?

MM: Oh, yes, uh-huh. We had to, 'cause Ridgie was a baby, and they got all excited all the time for his birthday and his Christmas, the only boy. Only baby, in fact, but yeah, those are the good old days. And he loved to serve everybody.

MA: Who was this, your brother?

MM: No, my son, Ridgie. He was just... oh, how old was he? Must have been about six years old, and we were sitting in the front room with the big tables, and the food was all in the dining room on the big table. And he would love to get Grandpa's plate and ask Grandpa what he wanted, and my dad would tell him what he wanted. So he'd go over there and he'd get it. He loved to do things like that. But he's a big boy now, so he can get his own food. [Laughs]

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.