FUN, FESTIVITY, AND FRIENDSHIP - 2021 NEW YEAR'S OZONI, ZENZAI, AND MOCHI DRIVE BY AND PICK UP
Refusing to be stymied by the Covid lockdown, the Florin JACL-Sacramento Valley Chapter organized a fun socially distanced New Year’s Day Ozoni, Zenzai, and Mochi Drive By and Pickup for about two dozen families on a member’s sidewalk.
Tasty Ozoni (New Year’s soup with mochi, kamaboko, shitake, napa, and spinach), Zenzai (sweet azuki red bean soup with mochi), and Mochi (sweet rice cakes) are traditionally enjoyed in the Japanese American community that day. The dishes symbolize prosperity, strength, community, and hope for the coming year. Boy, don’t we need that for 2021!
Without the traditional large gatherings for Oshogatsu New Year’s, several participants said they got a real lift from being able to see friends at the Drive By, even if for a short visit. Other’s picking up mochi treats, said they were dropping it off at friends who couldn’t get their New Year’s “fix”.
Just 3 days before New Year’s, Fumie Shimada (Chapter Chef), Sam Shimada, Christine and Stan Umeda, Donna, Titus, and Kaitlin Toyama, Andy Noguchi, and Twila Tomita formed an ad hoc committee to hurriedly pull off the event.
The Florin JACL Chapter customarily organizes a New Year’s “Mochi Madness” Hand-Pounding Workshop, Treat-Tasting, and Community Potluck with about 150 people. Since that wasn’t possible this year, it came up with a creative Drive By work-around.
See photos of the New Year’s Drive By taken by Chapter Treasurer Titus Toyama.
Tasty Ozoni (New Year’s soup with mochi, kamaboko, shitake, napa, and spinach), Zenzai (sweet azuki red bean soup with mochi), and Mochi (sweet rice cakes) are traditionally enjoyed in the Japanese American community that day. The dishes symbolize prosperity, strength, community, and hope for the coming year. Boy, don’t we need that for 2021!
Without the traditional large gatherings for Oshogatsu New Year’s, several participants said they got a real lift from being able to see friends at the Drive By, even if for a short visit. Other’s picking up mochi treats, said they were dropping it off at friends who couldn’t get their New Year’s “fix”.
Just 3 days before New Year’s, Fumie Shimada (Chapter Chef), Sam Shimada, Christine and Stan Umeda, Donna, Titus, and Kaitlin Toyama, Andy Noguchi, and Twila Tomita formed an ad hoc committee to hurriedly pull off the event.
The Florin JACL Chapter customarily organizes a New Year’s “Mochi Madness” Hand-Pounding Workshop, Treat-Tasting, and Community Potluck with about 150 people. Since that wasn’t possible this year, it came up with a creative Drive By work-around.
See photos of the New Year’s Drive By taken by Chapter Treasurer Titus Toyama.