on the planet

My son told me about a man named "Sukeshichiro Okuda" and a ship called the "Rosetta Maru." Intrigued, I looked into them and discovered that Okuda was a civil engineer who led the difficult construction to open the Port of Nagoya in 1907. A year before the opening, amidst strong opposition to the project’s massive budget, he brought the large vessel "Rosetta Maru" into the port. This act demonstrated the port's true potential and silenced the critics. Without this engineer’s passion, the Port of Nagoya as we know it today—and the economic development of the city—might not exist.
As we discussed this history, my wife and son were busy making dorayaki together. My wife’s recipe for the batter consists of flour, eggs, water, beet sugar, mirin, and honey. The filling is a chunky red bean paste made from azuki beans, cane sugar, salt, and honey. My son was griddling the batter, and my wife was filling them with the paste. The aroma of the golden-brown cakes was incredibly inviting.
While the origins of dorayaki vary, the modern version is said to be influenced by Western pancakes. We are taking these to my wife’s family home tomorrow, on New Year’s Eve. Though the shape has evolved from square to round over time, I can easily imagine people from long ago also gathered as a family, enjoying dorayaki just as we are now.

On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT

息子から『奥田 助七郎』と『ろせった丸』について教えてもらった。 気になって調べてみると、土木技師であった奥田は1907年、難工事の末に名古屋港を開港させた人物だった。開港の前年、築港への強い反対運動が起きるなか、彼は大型船『ろせった丸』を入港させ、その実力を示すことで反対論を鎮めたという。一人の技術者の情熱がなければ、今の名古屋港も、この街の経済発展もなかったのかもしれない。

そんな話を息子としながら、妻と息子がどら焼きを作ってくれている。 妻のどら焼きは生地が『薄力粉』『卵』『水』『てんさい糖』『みりん』『はちみつ』、餡が『小豆』『きび砂糖』『塩』『はちみつ』の粒あんから出来ている。 息子が生地を焼いて、妻が餡を詰める。キツネ色に焼けた生地の香りが、食欲を誘った。

どら焼きの由来は諸説あるようだが、今の形は西洋のホットケーキやパンケーキの影響を受けているらしい。 明日の大晦日、妻の実家に持っていく。 四角から丸になり形は変わったが、昔の人もこうして家族団らんでどら焼きを食べていたことが目に浮かぶ。

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On the planet. MT

on the planet

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