Having Her Say - Preferences of a Toddler

Personality. Everyone has one, for better or worse, and Mimi is no exception.  Of course, being under two years old, Mimi's personality is not yet fully developed.  Each day a little bit more of who she'll be shines through.  It's an amazing process and we're not quite sure how she'll end up: shy or out-going, sweet or scrappy, serious or giggly.  One trait, however, is not in question.  The girl is, and will always be, fiercely independent. 

This "my way" approach is beginning to make some of the simple things in life - such as getting dressed - rather difficult.  I have nothing against Mimi having preferences for what she wants to wear that day, but I do take exception to her changing her mind every 47 seconds.  Given that it takes me at least this long to get a onesie on her, our "clothing on!" morning routine seems to take forever.  Sometimes it's a good half hour after the new diaper goes on until she finally settles on the pair of pants to team with it. 

Here's a case in point.  Several mornings ago, Mimi decided that she'd face the cold in my BMW knit cap. 

Unfortunately, it didn't quite fit.  This infuriated Mimi, who immediately decided that the cap must be punished.  She began flinging the innocent cap across the room, only to pick it up again immediately so that she could shake the living daylights out of it.  Eventually, believing the cap had finally learned its lesson, she tried it on again.  Of course, it still didn't fit.  This meant war.  Mimi sprinted to the kitchen where she retrieved a small plastic bag.  She placed the hat into the bag and then began slamming it against the kitchen cupboards.  7 minutes later, the hat assuredly in a daze, Mimi seemed satisfied.  The next day, still disdaining the obstinate BMW cap, she decided she'd wear a onesie on her head.  Personally, I think the BMW cap fit better, but Mimi seemed pleased. 

Shoes have been another item of contention.  In Japan we bought her a pair of pink galoshes speckled with strawberries.  They were, unfortunately, several sizes too large, which meant they were constantly falling off and causing Mimi to trip.  This didn't phase my little girl, though.  Given a choice between the perfect fitting yellow galoshes (the ones she'd actually chosen at the store), her adorable ruby patent leather shoes, and the strawberry "accidents waiting to happen," Mimi would chose the dangerous, easily lose-able pair every time.  To get around this I've taken to hiding all pairs of shoes I don't want Mimi to wear.  When she comes downstairs to put her shoes on, she'll only find one or two pairs waiting for her.  This was working quite well until...

Mimi decided that she wanted to wear my shoes.  I'm still not sure how to get around this one.

Food has been another item of developing preferences and, of course, contention.  The other night, though it was just Mimi and me, I made a special dinner of pan-fried tilapia with butter-miso pasta.  Naturally, Mimi just wanted to eat her applesauce.  Lunch the next day was the exact opposite, with Mimi refusing the applesauce in favor of day-old pasta.  It's hard to figure out your child's favorites when even she doesn't know what they are. 

Thankfully, Mimi has yet to show a preference for Japanese or American food.  She loves them both.  I think the picture below sums up the situation quite well.  In one hand is a sausage roll.  In the other, a salmon rice ball. 

I wonder where Mimi's preferences and personality will take her when she grows up.  I hope she uses that independent spirit of hers to explore both her cultures and both her countries.  I also hope Mimi someday realizes that putting a hat in a bag and beating the crap out of it simply because it doesn't fit is, while funny for Papa, a bit counterproductive. 

Perfect Fried Chicken, Perfect Weekend

We all look forward to weekends.  It's just how we work.  But, far too often, those two days we look forward to all week are either squandered in a binge of TV or packed so full of errands and events that by the time Sunday comes again we're even more tired than when we started.  This last weekend, though, Sumie, Mimi, and I managed to strike a perfect balance of family, fun, and getting things done. 

Thanks to Mimi, Saturday started off early.  Despite our initial groggy objections, we were glad Mimi set her alarm for 7:30.  We had family coming that evening and a lot to get through before they arrived. 

After pancakes - cooked by Papa - we headed out to get groceries.  We were putting together a pot-luck and Sumie and I were in charge of the Japanese fried chicken, our specialty.  Between our shopping stops we checked in at the Salvation Army store on Geary, a virtual must for me at least once a week.  There we found a beautiful, Japanese-style coffee table.  Low and relatively square (3ft x 4ft), with space underneath for your legs, Sumie couldn't do without it.  She'd humored me and my American-style coffee table long enough.  Luckily, the table was priced right and the store was having a 50% off sale.  I snapped it up and asked them to set it aside for a few hours.  We finished up our shopping with a stop at Safeway, and then I jumped into the BMW wagon to pick up our purchase.  I love that wagon.  It took only a few minutes to get the car ready and, once the seats were down, the table fit without a hitch. 

Table brought up the stairs, it was time to rearrange the living room.  This also lead to swapping out the hope chest from the library side of the living room with the old coffee table, repositioning the old Coney Island pinball, moving the hope chest to the bedroom, shifting the dresser in the bedroom to the other wall, and finishing it all off with a nice cold Coke.  It's amazing how one relatively small table can result in a complete re-assessment of all the household furniture.  We're genuinely happy with the changes, though.  By the time Mimi was napping, we felt the house had become a little bit more our very own. 

Sumie's brother and sister came over with their families around 6:30 or so.  I'd already finished off the first go on a batch of double-fried french fries and was in the midst of our chicken karage (Japanese fried chicken).  Sumie and I have been making these delicious chicken nuggets for years.  We're famous for it and while it always got rave reviews, we never felt we'd really nailed it.  The flavor had always been there, but the texture was never quite right.  I'm happy to say that this weekend we had a chicken breakthrough.  Here's how we did it.  This is my first time sharing this recipe, but I finally feel I can because I think we've finally gotten it right!

Ingredients:

• 2lbs of chicken thighs (Boneless.  Skin on is preferable, but not necessary)
• Cooking Sake
• Garlic
• Ginger (if you wish)
• Soy Sauce
• Salt and Pepper
• Cornstarch

Not that much, huh?  And here's how you put it together.  The measurements aren't exact - we've always done this by sight - so it may take a few batches until you get a feel for it.

1. Cut thigh meat into chunks roughly 1x1x2; place into a glass bowl
2. Wet chicken with cooking sake; fill bowl until sake height reaches about 2/3 of the chicken
3. Medium chop 5-6 cloves of garlic; add to bowl
4. Add a dash of soy sauce (about a table spoon)
5. Add several pinches of salt and pepper
6. Set bowl aside at let sit for an hour or two
7. After chicken has marinated, drain off any excess/standing marinade and add several table spoons of cornstarch.  Mix by hand until chicken is evenly and lightly coated.  Mixture will still be wet.
8. Now, in the past I'd fry right then and there.  But here's the trick that really made it come out.
9. Take a large plate and cover it liberally with cornstarch; mix in some significant pinches of salt and pepper for flavor.
10. Remove the chicken from the bowl piece by piece and lay out on the cornstarch plate with plenty of room between pieces.  Coat each piece with cornstarch and then shake off any excess.  Set pieces aside.  Each piece should look relatively dry, though we spots can still show through.  You don't want too much dried cornstarch on there.  
11. Bring a deep pan of oil up to fry temperature.  I think this is around 325 or 350 degrees, but I'm not really sure.  I've always used cheap wooden chopsticks to test.  Dip the end of the chopsticks in and press against the bottom of the pan.  If you see bubbles coming up from the chopsticks, the temp is just about right.  Put the stove on medium to medium high heat and get ready to fry.
12. Add some of the chicken to the oil.  Don't try to fry it all at once.  The oil temp will drop.  Stir chicken occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick.  Fry time will be about 5-8 minutes.  Pull out the largest piece and cut in half to check if the batch is done.  
13. Remove chicken from oil and set on a rack, paper towel, or lettuce.  
14. Serve hot to friends.  It will not last.  

This is the recipe and process I followed and, for the first time, our chicken had not only the taste, but also the look and texture of our favorite Japanese restaurants.  Hooray!

OK, that was a major digression.  Back to the party.  Shu and his wife brought a wonderful salad while Kae and Eddie brought pasta, cake, and the makings for California Rolls.  These Eddie made from scratch.  They were fantastic.  Here's a full view of the spread. 

The kids were excited to be together again, but the food was so good that they were still able to gather round the table.  At least for a few minutes. 

They were soon joined by their parents. 

Haruki, Kae and Eddie's newest addition, was the star of the night.  A perfect gentleman, he did nothing more than whimper.  He's the opposite of Mimi at that age.

The kids made the most of their playtime together.  We read...

we played pinball...

and there were many spontaneous games of ring around the rosie. 

Everyone stayed up until almost 11:00.  Mimi finally collapsed around midnight, Sumie and I a few minutes after.  So, it's no surprise that we all slept in until 10:00 on Sunday. 

And that sleeping in set the stage for the perfect second half of our weekend.  We balanced our busy Saturday with a quiet Sunday.  A friend of mine came by for a visit - we went out for burgers - and Mimi and Sumie hit the park for an hour or so.  We topped off our strenuous Sunday outings with afternoon naps.

By the time Sumie and I headed for bed that Sunday night, we knew we'd had a wonderful weekend.  The house was clean, we'd spent time with family and friends, and we were ready for the week ahead.  You can't really ask for more. 

The Long Road to French Toast and Milkshakes

There's no doubt about it: my daughter is growing up.  Day by day she takes a few steps forward, and the occasional step back, on her way to full toddlerdom.  But these steps are so small, so subtle, that it can be hard to recognize on any given day just how far Mimi has come.  I decided to take a look at an average day now to see just how far my little girl has come since we left New York and came to San Francisco.

Mimi normally wakes up sometime between 7:30 and 8:30.  The time isn't so different from 8 months ago, but the way she welcomes the morning certainly is.  In the past, Mimi would just cry when she woke up.  She still does that from time to time now, but most mornings Sumie and I will hear giggles coming from her room.  We'll call out Mimi's name and get even more giggles.  As soon as I enter the room, Mimi will present me with her baby doll and kitty, both by name.  The she'll hand me her blanket (Ba!) and lastly lift up her arms and yell out "Mimi!  Mimi!"  One unfortunate change, though, has been the massive amount of milk Mimi can take in before bed and the limitations of even the most robust modern diapers.  This morning I woke to find a very damp, very smelly, but still very happy little girl.  Laundry day came early.

After a quick change, it's usually time for breakfast.  But sometimes Mimi likes to take the morning a bit more slowly, and jumps back into bed - this time, Mama and Papa's. 

Once breakfast time does come, it's no longer a bottle and dry Cheerios.  I try to cook for Mimi whenever I can, and at the very least provide her with fresh fruit each morning.  Strawberries, blueberries, and grapes, in particular, have been favorites.  Usually Mimi will tell me it's time to eat by pointing to her plate or pulling out her high chair. 

The other day I went beyond the usual cereal or scrambled eggs and made french toast. 

Unfortunately, with increased age has come increased pickiness.  The french toast intrigued Mimi not so much as a breakfast item but as a sticky slab that makes excellent "thunking" sounds on kitchen tile.  Argh.

Mimi's newfound independence really shows after breakfast.  She's getting better and better when it comes to playing on her own.  This is great for me because I can finally get the occasional chore done when she's still in sight.  Some of this new independent spirit must come from her Mimi's developing language skills.  Rather than just waiting for things to happen, or screaming until what she wants occurs, Mimi can usually get what she wants with a few key words.  For instance, if her father forgets that she's thirsty in the morning, rather than yelling, she'll just ask for juice. 

If Mimi wants a story, she knows to bring me a book.

When it comes to reading, it's not just Mimi's choice of books that has changed.  Back in New York we were lucky to get through one book without Mimi abandoning ship, but now she'll often bring me two or three and sit through them all.  She's also starting to interact with the stories, calling out character names and pointing out objects.  I'm very proud that Mimi loves books and is still almost completely uninterested in TV (except for Thomas and Top Gear). 

Of course, Mimi likes to play with her toys during the day.  As I mentioned before, she's getting better and better at independent play, but she still likes having a playmate around.  On non-daycare days, that's me.  Mimi can be rather demanding at times, which puts me in the occasional compromising position.  Being a stay-at-home dad definitely has its dangers.

Perhaps the biggest change we've seen in Mimi's daily routine has been her approach to daycare.  As I've shared before, Mimi never really took to daycare in NYC, so it's with tremendous relief that Sumie and I see Mimi loving her daycare now.  On daycare days we tell Mimi, shortly after she wakes up, that she's going to see Maya (one of her daycare providers).  Mimi will then yell out "Mai!" and run for the safety gate blocking the stairs where she'll jump up and down shouting "Go! Go!"  I cannot begin to explain just how relieved Sumie and I are that Mimi's found confidence and comfort away from home. 

When it comes time to pick Mimi up from daycare she's still glad to see me.  I'm happy for that.  But sometimes the full day with friends makes her a bit cranky.  And very stubborn.  Mimi's taken to carrying her own daycare bag.  It's part of her new independent spirit.  Sometimes, though, her bag's a bit much for her to carry.  It takes about 3 or 4 minutes of serious struggle for Mimi to finally relent and hand the bag over to Papa. 

Dinner time has also changed; not so much for Mimi but definitely for me and Sumie.  In NYC we'd eat out or order in two to three nights a week.  Here in SF, we cook at home almost every day.  It's helped with the finances and it's been healthier for Mimi.  Still, we do need to get out every once in a while.  Tired from a long week, Mimi, Sumie, and I hit Mel's Diner over on Geary for burgers and fish and chips.  Not the healthiest dinner, but well deserved.  I even topped the meal off with a milkshake, which was served traditionally with both the glass and tin mixing cup.  I got the glass, Mimi the tin cup. 

She loved it.  And this was no ordinary milkshake Mimi enjoyed.  It was a malt.  I've always been a malt guy, but it's getting harder and harder to find a good one these days.   So, I'm very proud to report that it looks like Mimi is a malt fan.  Learning to enjoy a good malt: yet another sign that Mimi is on the right track...  at least in my mind.