14 Years of Food History #16 High schooler, I made shiso syrup🎐

Hello☀️

In the heat of midsummer,
under the piercing, intense sun,
I went shopping with Mommy yesterday.

What I found there was red shiso.

Usually I would have just walked past it,
but I remembered that the
shiso ciderI was given to drink at my part-time job the other day was delicious,
so I looked up how to make it
and had Mommy buy it for me.

I looked up the recipe in the car,
and as soon as I got home, I filled a pot with water and put it on the stove,
putting over 300 grams of red shiso
into the boiling water.

It gradually turned color,
and the scent of shiso spread throughout the room✨

I strained the liquid using a colander,
and added plenty of sugar.

And when I added apple cider vinegar,
it suddenlychanged to a vibrant color.

The apple cider vinegar added a tartness,
and on a summer afternoon, I mixed it with cold carbonated water,
and drank it from a glass tumbler.

It is a moment where I can feel therefreshing sensationof the shiso and thewarmthof people✨

Since it would be a waste to throw away the shiso leaves,
I think I will dry them and make furikake.

That said, our house doesn't have
modern conveniences like
a microwave, oven, or rice cooker,so for now, I'll let them air dry to remove the moisture,
and then I'm thinking of dry-roasting them in a frying pan.

It takes time and effort,
but it seems fun, and for me, that iswhat makes it valuable.

I'll write an article about it when it's done,
so please come read it if you'd like🫶

Trying something like this on my own for the first time,
handiworkis also interesting.

Incorporating seasonal items,
carefully making things with my own hands,
from one person's perspective,
why would you go to the trouble of doing that?they might wonder,
but from another person's perspective,
it looks like a luxurious and rich life.

Everyone has their own way of looking at things,
and I don't know what the right answer is,
but for me,
it was a luxurious and beautiful spice of daily life.

Things I would have passed by without doing if I hadn't moved to Nagano Prefecture.
Things I would never have known about—seasonal local cuisine or seasonal handiwork—if I hadn't met my current part-time job.

Thanks to that, I have come to
feel the four seasonseven more deeply🎐

Even though 60 or 70 percent of my daily life is already food,
I am nowdominated by the seasons, by food, and by ingredients
lol

And also, today is,
the main reason why I made shiso syrup
before my part-time job yesterday,
the World Cup final🇪🇸🇦🇷

It was a great match, and every time I watch,
I understand more about the characteristics of each country's play,
my favorite playing styles,
and various other things,
so compared to when I was in elementary and junior high school,
it has become
much more interesting to me⚽️

I realized that my own perspective has broadened.

See you in another 4 years.
By then, I will surely be
21 years old in Taiwan and a junior in university.

(I am currently shocked that I will be over 20 by the time of the next match lol)
This might be the last time I cheer with my family on TV,

but someday I want to watch the World Cup
in person with my family.
One of my youth experiences that comes once every four years
has come to an end🌸

Thank you for reading
until the end🫶🫶

Seasonal handiwork isa world I still don't know much aboutso
I would be happy if you could teach me in the comments✨