| | MHJCA held their Mochitsuki event on Sunday, December 15th, in the Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room. This was the second Mochitsuki in MHJCA history, repeated thanks to its popularity last year. It seemed like it might snow on the day but luckily the weather cooperated, much to the relief of the planning team.
When the event started at noon, there were already many people who had eagerly arrived early. In order to have enough fresh mochi for everyone attending, we prepared four mochi maker machines which were used in rotation. The first batch was quickly delivered to the first group of guests while the others patiently waited for the next batch to be ready.
The fresh mochi was served with several sweet and savory toppings, including homemade natto (fermented soybeans), kinako (roasted soybean flour), sweetened soy sauce, nori with soy sauce, and anko (sweet red bean paste). As a special treat, we also prepared ozoni, a dashi-based soup with mochi traditionally served for New Year’s.
Like last year, we also prepared a big batch of kiri mochi (sliced hardened pieces of mochi) which were available for purchase during the event and sold out quickly.
A total of 36 members and non-members came out to enjoy the different flavors of fresh mochi and engage in conversation with old friends and new.
This was the final MHJCA event of 2019 and we’re pleased that it was a success. Based on the enthusiastic response, the Mochitsuki will likely become a classic within MHJCA’s event program. We hope to make several improvements for next year so it’s even more enjoyable for all attendees.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!
Atsuko Shimojo and all MHJCA volunteers. | | 12月15日（日曜日）に、餅つきイベントがポケプシー、ギャラリアモール内のコミュニティールームで開催された。
今回が２度目の催しである。当日は危ぶまれた天気も回復し、担当者たちはホッとして準備を進めた。
開催時間の12時前に、すでに多くの参加者が集まり、餅のつき上がりを待っていた。つきたてを味わってもらうために
４台の餅つき機を時間差で作動させたが、最初の餅はすぐになくなり、次の餅が出来上がるまで行列した参加者たちを待たせてしまった。
会員手作りの納豆、大根おろし、きな粉、砂糖醤油、海苔、餡、さらに今回は雑煮風のスープまで用意された。親睦を深めながら
つきたての餅をいろいろな味で楽しめるとあって、ゲストを含めた総勢３６人の参加者たちは大満足のようであった。
用意された切り餅も完売し、暮の最後のイベントも大盛況のうちに終わった。もうこの餅つきは恒例行事となりつつある。
反省点もいくつかあるが、それを踏まえて次回はより良い餅つきイベントにしたいと思う。
皆様良いお年をお迎えください。
下條篤子（ボランティア代表） | |
