Food education starts with a 'dareyame'. A dad's evening drink tasting is the world's best food education class | Dareyame Tales

Tonight, too, the sound of ice rings in the kitchen.

“Good job, me.”

Clink, the sound of ice dancing in the glass. This is the 'punctuation mark' of my day. When I'm working outside, I inevitably spend all my time being 'myself for someone else.' Working as a middle manager, I'm pressured for numbers from above and have to soak up complaints from below. By the time I get home, my heart is as dry as a piece of dried fish.

At times like that, the best remedy is an evening drink. In the Kagoshima dialect, it's called 'dareyame.' A magical time to 'stop' (yame) the 'fatigue' (dare).

I love this time more than anything. And it would be a waste to just sit and drink. I stand in the kitchen, grab my favorite knife, and tap-tap-tap on the cutting board. While making snacks for myself, I also make some side dishes to stock up on.

At times like that, I suddenly think, 'Ah, I've smelled this somewhere before.'

An unconscious elite education called 'Mother's taste.'

My mother was the type who would 'make it herself' rather than 'go out to eat.'

Whether it was a rare dish she saw on TV or a passing comment from a family member saying, 'I want to eat that,' even in situations where you'd normally say, 'Let's go eat at a restaurant!', my mother would naturally stand in the kitchen and turn it into a surprisingly delicious dish.

It wasn't about efficiency or cost-performance like the current trends, but my mother poured her passion into 'making it delicious with her own hands.' What filled our home was the memory of the happy scent drifting from my mother's magical home cooking.

“Want a taste?”

That one bite my mother would give me while cooking was always so special and delicious. I think that original experience of 'Yum!' is what made me the foodie I am today.

Thinking about it now, that was the best kind of food education. I wasn't made to read textbooks, nor was I made to memorize charts of the five major nutrients. It was just the sight of someone enjoying cooking, the scent of freshly made food filling the room, and the excitement of getting to taste it.

Even without being taught recipes, as long as you have those 'scents of memory,' you can learn to make food that satisfies your heart when you grow up. I feel deeply now that my mother was cultivating the soil of my food life with her back, not her words.

“Dad, a taste!” is the world's gentlest food education class.

Now, about my own home. While I'm sipping shochu in the kitchen and frying some agedashi tofu, I hear small footsteps going 'pitter-patter...' from the living room.

“Dad, what are you making?” “Oh, that looks delicious! Can I have a taste?”

The little hyenas have arrived. My evening snacks are basically seasoned strongly to go well with alcohol. Yet, for some reason, the kids want that the most.

“This is a little spicy, but it's good!” “Dad's cooking is delicious!”

Saying things like that, they empty more than half of the plate that was supposed to be just for Dad. Seeing that, as a parent, I'm proud. But you know, there's a little sting in the corner of my heart here.

"…Isn't this a bit too salty for a child?"
"Is it really good health education to feed them things that only a heavy drinker would like?"

Such inner conflict.
I'm sure any serious dad has felt this at least once.

I, old man, did a little research on "food education."
The definition put forth by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries includes not just nutritional balance, but also
terms like "gratitude for food" and "communication through food."

In other words, taking out a salt meter and saying "No!" to keep them away isn't the only right answer. It's when a child takes an interest in what their dad is working hard on (and having fun doing himself), and they laugh together saying, "This is delicious."
That in itself is a wonderful benefit that nurtures a child's sensibilities.

I want to deliver memories of "deliciousness" more than knowledge.

Of course, the children's health is important.
I, too, secretly adjust things in my own "tege-tege" (casual/easygoing) way, like diluting the flavor or adding more vegetables when I share it with the kids.

But what I want to value even more than that is
engraving the memory that "eating is such a fun and happy thing" into their hearts.

The world is overflowing with difficult knowledge about food.
This is good for the body, that is bad.
It has to be organic, additives are poison.
Of course, knowing those things is important, but before filling their heads with knowledge, a child who knows the "warmth of a meal someone made for them" will surely be able to walk through life more strongly.

In the future, when they become adults and hit a major wall at work.
If they suddenly remember the sight of their dad laughing while drinking in the kitchen and the smell of that dashi broth, and think, "Alright, I'll go home, eat something good, and do my best again tomorrow"...

That, I think, might be the greatest gift I can pass on to the children through my current "dareyame" (evening drink).
I find myself thinking about it quite seriously while tilting my glass of shochu.

So that we can gather around the table and laugh again tomorrow.

Today, my kitchen was lively again.
In the end, most of my snacks disappeared into the kids' stomachs, and I ended up drinking my alcohol with just pickles.
Well, that's fine too.

If there is a dad reading this right now who is worried,
"I'm bad at cooking, and I can't do anything as grand as food education," I want to tell you this.

It's okay, don't worry.
Just plating some store-bought deli food is fine.
Say, "This is the most delicious fried chicken Dad picked out!" while you all laugh and eat it together as a family.

That alone is perfectly good food education.

"Tege-tege" (easygoing) is fine.
Rather than a parent getting stressed out aiming for perfect nutritional balance, a dining table where you can laugh and say "This is delicious" together, even if the flavor is a bit strong, is much more nutritious for a child.

Now, I'll have one last drink tonight with the leftover broth.
Maybe tomorrow, I'll prepare a secret ingredient that's even more delicious to surprise the kids.

For today, thank you for your hard work (Oyattosaa).
May tomorrow be a good day.

Cheers.

Instagram (@oichan_dareyame) for "Evening Drink Recipes" updated

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