<Begin Segment 17>

MK: Has it been a happy life so far?

CE: Yes, it has.

MK: You worked very hard.

CE: Yes. It is a happy life. I don't know how long I will be around. I don't want to put a burden on my children or grandchildren, but I cannot just die. [Laughs] There is nothing I can do about it.

MK: I hope you will be with us for a long time.

CE: You do?

MK: I really do.

CE: Our family has longevity genes. My grandmother who married into another family lived to be 100 years old. [Laughs] We have a family history.

MK: What is the secret for longevity?

CE: What is it?

MK: Natto fermented beans?

CE: Natto. [Laughs] Natto and pickled plums. [Laughs]

MK: And eating rice.

CE: Eating rice.

MK: Do you mix in any wheat when you cook rice?

CE: I did in Japan but don't do it here. I cooked rice with wheat in Japan.

MK: It is good for you, isn't it?

CE: It is. We mixed in some wheat when we grated yams to put over the rice.

MK: What do you eat for breakfast?

CE: I don't have breakfast. They don't serve breakfast here.

MK: How about lunch?

CE: Anything like sandwiches and others for lunch. I eat anything that is served.

MK: Do you eat downstairs?

CE: Yes.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.