四叶草

八月的第一个星期，我回到了在Johor的家。在家旁边的院子，爸妈种了很多花。常常都会找时间呆在那里。院子里长了很多三叶草（clover）,常常都会在那里寻找那只有万分之一机率可能找到的四叶草（lucky clover/ four-leafed clover）。

那天，我在我的家院子找到了四叶草。这已经不是第一次找到了。在我的人生中，在这里--我的家，我已经见到第三次了。有一次是爸爸找到给我的，所以很珍惜把它压成干花后，用相框镶了起来。^ ^

不过，因为没有压花的知识，所以，变成了黄色。。。

这是在8月找到的，正在压花过程中。

那天，只是心里惦记着四叶草，然后，它就出现在我面前了。我突然想起吸引力法则。^ ^ 内心的想法反射于表面世界。我很喜欢四叶草，就算它是三叶草都一样很喜欢。所以，常常可以见到它们。

以前，就一直很相信四叶草是代表幸运的。所以，到网上去找了一些资料, 然后发现。。。^ ^

四叶草是车轴草属植物（包括三叶草属和苜蓿草）的稀有变种，也有五叶以上，至多是十八叶。在西方认为能找到四叶草是幸运的表现，在日本则认为会得到幸福，所以又称幸运草。四叶草会被赋予这些意义是因为非常其珍罕性。大概一万株三叶草中只会有一株是四叶的（一说为十万株才有一株）。




传说中幸运草的四片叶子所代表的意思，有以下两种讲法：

　　1．第一片叶子代表希望（hope）、第二片叶子表示信心（faith）、第三片叶子是爱情（love）、而多出来的第四片叶子则是幸运（luck）的象征。这种说法与基督教的望德、信德和爱德思想相配。

　　2．第一片叶子代表真爱（love）、第二片叶子代表健康（health）、第三片叶子代表名誉（glory）、第四片叶子代表财富（riches）。


爱尔兰民在传统的爱尔兰婚礼上，新娘的花束，新郎的胸花，都必须包含幸运草。幸运草被认为婚礼上必不可少的第三个人。
在瑞士，每年圣诞节，都能在商场买到真正的四叶幸运草盆栽，幸运草被认为是最有创意的圣诞礼物，幸运草的好运气，送给亲人，受赠人会从此开始幸福，在这个世界上一切顺利。

picture by Akiyeo

在德国，在1190年发现了真正的四叶草，幸运草被认为是自由，统一，团结，和平的象征。 他们认为，没有什么不好的可能发生，如果他们拥有一个四叶的三叶草。


这是个多么奇妙的生物呢！^ ^
而我是多么的被上天眷属着，一直都找得到四叶草。所以，我相信很多很美好的是会发生在我的身上！^ ^


感恩着。。。我在梦想成真的过程中。　

Wagashi-Japanese Sweets おいしい！＾＾

 I'm a Japanese food lover especially the Japenese Sweet which call Wagashi
Wagashi (和菓子) is a traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea, especially the types made mochi,  azuki bean paste(red bean paste), and fruits.Wagashi is typically made from natural (mainly plant) ingredients. The names used for wagashi commonly fit a formula—a natural beauty and a word from ancient literature.Japanese sweets has over twelve-hundred history, it originated from the Chinese elixir of life.

In Edo period, it had incorporated the technique of the western sweets. After over hundreds years' harmonizing of both sweets, Japanese sweets had established as one of the Japanese own cultures. 

Japanese sweets is full of seasonal taste and consisted of aesthetic sense and colors of four seasons, such as a pink colored rice cake rolled with cherry leaf in spring, as a sweet jellied bean paste in summer. Most of names of Japanese sweets are based with the beauties and scenes of the nature, traditional Japanese poetries, literature, local history, name of the place and etc.

And also, Japanese sweets is very important fact on various cultural events of Japanese people's life, such from a birth to entry to school to marriage to funeral. 

Wagashi are classified according to the production method and moisture content. Moisture content is very important since it affects the best-before date.

• Namagashi
 (生菓子) (wet confectionery)—contains 30% or more moisture.

• Jō namagashi
 (上生菓子), very soft and delicate seasonally varying namagashi, in various, often elaborate, shapes and colors, often reflecting seasonal plants. Some stores will have many dozens over the course of a year.

• Mochi
mono (もち物)

• Mushi
mono (蒸し物)

• Yaki
mono (焼き物)

• Hiranabe
mono (平なべ物)

• Ōbun
mono (オーブン物)

• Nagashi
mono (流し物)

• Neri
mono (練り物)

• Age mono
 (揚げ物)

• Han namagashi
 (半生菓子) (half-wet confectionery)—contains 10%–30% moisture.

• An mono
 (あん物)

• Oka
mono (おか物)

• Yaki
mono (焼き物)

• Hiranabe
mono (平なべ物)

• Ōbun
mono (オーブン物)

• Nagashi
mono (流し物)

• Neri
mono (練り物)

• Higashi
(干菓子) (dry confectionery)—contains 10% or less moisture.

• Uchi
mono (打ち物)

• Oshi
mono (押し物)

• Kake
mono (掛け物)

• Yaki
mono (焼き物)

• Ame mono
 (あめ物)

After a trip to Japan last year in 2010, I totally fall in love with Wagashi.  It is the ultimate intersection with food and art which I respect very much! ^ ^ 

It is an invitation to indulge all five sense:-

Taste

Appearance

Scent

Texture

  

Sound

Japanese cuisine- 日本料理 has it unique inner philosophy. The food look simple, but it does not simply just food. From ingredients to technique, the Japanese always demanding for perfection.Japanese cuisine is simple but difficult. Because the steps are simple, therefore, every details must have a certain quality and standard, that any short cuts is not allowed. Just like the calligraphy, simple but not easy！ (简单，不简单) The Japanese will always hold  with their philosophy of ' I'm with my sincere heart to make the best food for you!' and very importantly, they take care of the food hygiene as well. This is actually part of the philosophy too. (GKP -good kitchen practice, 厨德 )

They are so lovely and is very hard to eat them! ^ ^

          My Wagashi learning experiences:-

My first experience of doing wagashi is with Ikuko san (郁子), she taught me how to make dango丸子. It really look simple initially. With very simple ingredients(only 2 ingredients for foaming the dango, and 3 ingredient for the seasoning) and steps, you can make dango.  

So, when I try to make it on my own at home, I fail for more then 5 times and started to think whether I had brought the wrong ingredient?? The dango that I made couldn't float in the boiling water, it was so sticky and taste like uncooked. 

Hoho! And then comes one day, I was struggling because couldn't sleep for the whole night, even though I have tried many ways. Then, I told myself 'why not go and do dango?' ^ ^ Eventually, I had made it after a few tries!! とても　嬉しかった！(^ ^)v  It actually taste like our Chinese traditional food Tang Yuan, 汤圆.  

これは　いちご大福.(ichigo daifuku) This was the second experience of learning to make wagashi. My sensei is Hiromi san (宏実)，she have been teaching wagashi in Japan for many years and yet she is still doing it after she moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!   ^ ^  

I got to know her from my Mandarin class. She made lots of wonderful Japanese sweets and she have her website at http://yorokombu.exblog.jp/ (in Japanese) 

Daifuku mean happiness. Again, very less ingredients needed, but I had tried many times, it doesn't really work out. =_= Taste, appearance, texture... ぜんぜん　だめ.  

A dull edge utensil use for tasting wagashi. Beautiful!

My last try was on last Sunday, had shown little progress of improvement. ^ ^ Finally, able to share some with friends. 

I really wish that the person who ate them, felt the happiness. This was my wish when made this Daifuku. For me, food represent the heart of a person who made it. Therefore, I always believe that, if I put in the spirit of love, then, the person who ate them can get the love and felt lucky for the whole day. ^ ^ 

Butter and milk is rarely used in the wagashi cooking, therefore, it is suitable for everybody. It can also be pretty sweet which goes well with strong green tea. 

When I learn to make daifuku with Hiromi san, I have got a chance to see the tea ceremony. These are all the utensils(chawan-tea bowl, natsume-green tea powder container, chasen-the bamboo tea-whisk, chashaku-green tea macha scoop,etc) that needed during the tea ceremony. Amazing! seeing her making the macha green tea. 

She took the Chasen in the right hand and hold the Chawan with the left hand to make sure it doesn’t tumble over when whisking. Whisk the Oyu and Macha to froth with about half of the Chawan covered with foam.  When the green-tea froth is well mixed, finish by drawing a の (No) shape in the Chawan so that the foam floats in the center.  

WAU! ^ ^ とても　おいしかった。。。