<Begin Segment 35>

SY: No, but I was just curious, after the war, when you settled here, when you were in this area of West L.A., were there a lot of Japanese Americans?

NS: Yes, yes.

SY: So what kinds of social activities did you have?

NS: Well, mostly church activities with the women's group.

SY: So everything revolved around church.

NS: Yes.

SY: Socially. So you would go to church, but then you'd also have other activities.

NS: Yes, like JACL had a women's group, too.

SY: And you were involved with them?

NS: Uh-huh. Not too much, they don't do too much, but we had some things, most of the time some kind of dinner project and stuff like that, money making project.

SY: So you were more involved in the church, then?

NS: Yes, yes.

SY: That kind of activity, did it take up a lot of your time?

NS: Well, yes, sometimes, because you had to make things. You had to say that you're gonna make money, then you had to do baking, you got to bring knitting, things like that. Now they're asking us to knit again, I said, "Oh, no, eyes are bad now," I told 'em. [Laughs] After all, I'm getting to be old, you know, don't forget. "I know, I know, but can't you make it?" "I don't know about that," I said.

SY: So did you continue cooking for the groups that you were in?

NS: Yeah, well, whenever they need that, potlucks, they always do. I'd make a big pot of onishime, now they're asking for me to make it again. I said, "Oh, no, come on. Get somebody else," I tell 'em. [Laughs]

SY: But when you were raising your family and going after... and working as a diet tech, did you do a lot of cooking for everybody then?

NS: Well, like I say, if it's a group thing, yes. I had to make potlucks, yes. They want me to make a lot of things, baking. Lately, they haven't been asking too much 'cause they got a younger group nowadays, so not too much. Just once in a while. We had to do it four times a year, though. That's a lot for me now. [Laughs] We just had a meeting yesterday and they said we have to do it again. Said, "Oh, no, Nancy, you got to do it, don't forget now." Says, "Nancy, you got to do it." I said, "Oh, no, not anymore." Said, "No, you got to do it, you got to help us." I said, okay, okay.

<End Segment 35> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.