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Event Description
Mochitsuki
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.
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