<Begin Segment 7>

TI: So, Betty, I have another question. Earlier you mentioned, as a child, you were very curious, and you would go to, like the tofu-ya shop and just watch. Can you describe to me what you would see? I'm curious what, how they made tofu and how things, what you saw.

BK: It kind of, yeah, the only thing I remember is how he used to squeeze the beans in a gauze, and then I remember after it gelled into tofu, he would float it on this, like a little raft, and then it kind of reminded me of our furo. Because our furo had metal bottom, so, to heat up the water, Dad would cut wood and burn it from the outside, so it had a metal bottom. And then on top of that, it had this little wooden rack so we wouldn't get burned. And then so when I used to watch Mr. Shusho make tofu, I said it's just like us taking the tofu, that's taking a bath. [Laughs]

TI: And so do you remember ever eating the fresh tofu as it was warm?

BK: Yeah, uh-huh.

TI: And how would that compare to tofu today that you'd get? What was the difference?

BK: I don't think you can compare it. I have a friend that still makes the tofu. She lived out in the farm, and then they moved into town a few years ago. And I said, you know, "The store's right there in your backyard," and she said the kids got, growing up, ate what she made. So she still makes it. But it's interesting because all my girlfriends, I said, "Don't you go talk to," you know, like my girlfriend's father was a shoe repairman, I said, "don't you talk to him?" And they said, "No," and I said, gee, I used to go and just sit and talk to him and watch how he fix shoes and put taps on our shoes so it won't wear out so fast.

JS: What was the name of the shoe repair?

BK: Mr. Washizu.

JS: Washizu?

BK: Uh-huh.

JS: And what would you talk about?

BK: He used to talk about his gambling, which his wife didn't like. And it was funny 'cause one time I was sitting on the counter talking to him, and some hakujin came in to pick up their shoes. And then I guess she thought I was a needy child or something, 'cause she gave me a nickel, and she said to go buy some ice cream. But I met different kinds of people and I didn't know who they were.

JS: So he had customers that weren't just Japanese.

BK: Everybody.

JS: Townspeople would come.

BK: Uh-huh.

JS: So was there much interaction like that for the townspeople to come to the Japanese section?

BK: No.

JS: No. Just at the shoe repair.

BK: Yeah. Because, like I said, in Japantown, we had from a volunteer fire department to furoya. 'Cause I didn't know people didn't have showers or bath. I thought everybody in town had it like we did. So, for me, it was interesting to find out who had. And if I had to go a friend's house and had to go to the bathroom, I didn't want to use the outhouse, so I would come home. [Laughs]

<End Segment 7> - Copyright (c) 2009 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.