CSSD Annual Winter Mizutaki Dinner !

You know it's cold out there this time of year, so come on in for some hot food!

The annual Mizutaki dinner is a fun evening, typically scheduled when a special guest is at the hombu dojo or following an important event. 

The dinner routine is roughly as follows. 

The dojo is prepared with many low lying 8 foot tables, around each of which sit eight to ten people on the cushions they brought.  On each table are set two gas burners (one at each end for a group of 4-5) with a cooking pot on each.  To get started, each pot is filled with a prepared Konbu & chicken stock and heated.  Into this is added the chicken which is then cooked.  When the chicken is almost done, you add in the pre-cut vegetables and simmer until ready.  Put the veggies in by thickness, the thicker they are the longer they take to cook!

Below is a great 3 minute video showing how Mizutaki is done:

http://www.japanesefoodreport.com/2009/09/video-chicken-mizutaki-hot-pot.html

On the long side wall of the dojo by the shoji screens are several rice cookers with both white and brown rice.  You can fill your rice bowl to about half or two thirds and then onto this you place some items out of the cooking pot.  Just pull out a few pieces of chicken and some of the vegetables and place them on your rice.  Remember this isn't soup...You are just using the stock to cook in.  On the table next to your bowl, you will have a small side dish with pickles in.  These are usually salted/spiced cucumber, carrot or daikon radish, and help stimulate your appetite.  When done with the pickles, use this plate for your soy sauce or Ponzu, this is a citrus soy mixture and is used as a dipping sauce for the meat and veggies.

Dinning etiquette:

• It is considered bad etiquette to eat directly from the mizutaki cook pot...use the tongs to put the food in your bowl first and then eat from there.  If you can't find the tongs, it is okay to use the wide ends of your chopsticks to pull something out of the pot to put in your bowl. 
• Place your chopsticks (hashi) on the chopstick rests (hashi oki) or on the side plate when you are not using them.  Cash is shown choosing his hashioki from the handmade rests made by Dr. Chamberlain.  Don't stick your chopsticks in your rice bowl (this is done when a rice offering is made at a funeral).
• Pour beer or sake for your friends and table guests.  It is considered polite to do this with two hands, as it is also considered polite to accept with two hands (one holding the cup/glass with the other supporting).  Juniors pour for seniors, younger for older, etc.  Pay attention to the needs of your friends around you!
• Have fun cooking dinner!  This is a slow process (slow-food at its best) and a perfect opportunity to visit with friends and see what they have in their cook pot!

Here is a good demonstration of chopstick use and etiquette:  http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-use-chopsticks-5

The Winter 2010 dinner was held on Saturday, February 6th from 7-10pm. 

The dinner was in honor of several events:

• our special guest Shihan Kiyoshi Takeuchi, the US representative for Fuji Ryu Tai Jutsu,
• in recognition of those testing for ranks in Gasan Ryu Kenpo earlier the same day, especially for Kellyn and Kris testing for Shodan, first degree Black Belt.
• in memory of Warren Hutcheson as we move his name-board over to Shodan
• and for our out of town guests and instructors.

The night was a lot of fun with a tasty dinner.  Below are some pictures from the night.

JIm Hutcheson and his wife Sarah were in attendance for the moving of their son Warren's name board over to Black Belt	Jamie Campbell played classical guitar for us.  He is studying music and classical guitar at UNT and did a beautiful job!	Sensei Rollend with some of the evenings table servers wearing their hachimaki!

Partway through the dinner, the new Black Belts, Kellyn Laurinski and Kris Galbreath were recognized and moved their name boards under the Shodan rank.	Half-Time entertainment was provided  by Jim Adcox and Sean Griffith with their rendition of "Broken Kata Blues"
Senseis Rollend Nery with Bill Parker and Kiyoshi Takeuchi	Shihan with the new Black Belt Kellyn Laurinski flanked by senseis Rollend and Danny

There is a lot of work that goes into these dinners...  If you would like to help at the next one, we would appreciate it very much, call and let Shihan know and we will get you going on a job, from flowers to table prep, vegetable chopping, shopping, table set up, tea making, rice cooking... and the list goes on!!

And lastly a quick recap of things to bring:

• Cushion to sit on (if you are unable to sit on a cushion on the floor we have some picnic tables at the front with regular height seating, just let us know your needs.
   
• We provide a dinner of chicken, tofu and vegetables, but bring anything extra you would like in your pot (in the past people have brought fish, lobster, shrimp, kobe beef and other mixed seafood, etc.
   
• BYOB.  Beer, wine, sake, etc...
   
• 10-12 inch, lidded cook pot, to go on gas burner, watch the video above!
   
• Rice cooker (call first, we may have enough)

See you there, come hungry!