[Written while in Japan. Likely in March 2010, our final year there.]Today I arrived at work and DH's assistant, A-san, had a small glass of water on her desk in which was a single stem of something I could not identify. She was so very pleased with it, though, and told me it was quite"natsukashii" (nostalgic) and brought back happy childhood memories. The plant is called "tsukushi". I kept thinking she was calling it beautiful (which is a letter/sound or two away: "utsukushii"). She would say, "Tsukushi." and I would nod, "Yes, it's nice.", thinking "beautiful" was a little over the top on this one. "Delicate" maybe, but "beautiful"? It's always a lovely adventure in mis-communication, shall be to the end, it seems.
Soon O-san, the lady at the next desk, came around the cubicle and began making over the little stem in similar ways. "Ooooo. Ahhh. Natsukashii, na?" [Ooooo. Ahhh. Nostalgic, isn't it?] So, apparently it's a big hit here. Also, edible, once properly prepared.
The thing was so small, no more than five inches long, I can hardly imagine prepping for cooking without destroying it altogether. I was told the plant
appears in the Spring of the year and is generally cooked, being seasoned with soy sauce and sugar, then served over rice. My web search brought me to find that it is called "horsetail" in English. So, we DO have it. Who knew? Well, I direct you to another's blog for more of the lowdown and a more natural setting for the photo shoot, than A-san's desk. .... but....Before you head out...look a little closer and see if you agree, my mistaken hearing was not SUCH a mistake after all...
The tip of the plant in this macro shot (same plant as above) looks like something outside the Rockefeller Center in a different season, don't you think?
Do I plan to go horsetail gathering later today? Ummmh. I think I'll pass on that. But you let me know if you visit down by the freight yard and run across any. ;o)
