Live from Japan!

A few weeks ago the Future Homemakers of Japan (FHJ) club hosted an event where they were teaching how to make a french pastry. It only cost 50 yen to participate, so I jumped right in.

I didn’t know what the French pastry was, they just kept calling it a Madorenu. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out the English translation. Even though I didn’t know what it was called, I showed up on the day of the event ready to get cooking.

As soon as I entered the room I realized I was ill-prepared. All of the girls and boys had aprons on, and most of the girls had these little handkerchiefs on their heads.

No one seemed too put off, they did chuckle a bit though. I was paired up with four other girls and we set about making our treats. For the most part, I was able to understand what was going on and it was a good learning experience for the students in my group. They would explain the instructions in Japanese using gestures, and I would tell them in English what it was that we were doing. A great way to learn!

Then, the best part. Once we were finished making the treats, we were able to eat them!

Both of the boys groups (they were in their own separate groups without any girls) finished making theirs first. They were much less careful than the girls, but they still seemed to turn out fine.

Now, the photos of me and my Madorenu are hanging in the hallway. I have also figured out what a Madorenu is, it is a Madeline!! Mystery solved!