Happy Moo Year!

As we say goodbye to the year of the rat and usher in the year of the ox, I hope you don’t mind if I reflect back on 2008 and then wax a bit philosophical about 2009.

2008
2008 was a big year for the Fuji family. I could say much, but to keep it simple I think 2008 can be distilled down into 2 words: CHANGE and FOOD.

CHANGE
– Little Squirrel embodied the word change this year as she went from a 1-year old to a 2-year old, always changing and surprising us, sometimes frustrating us, but constantly filling our lives with joy.
– The Fuji family made the big move across the pond from Tokyo, Japan, to Southern California.

– I chopped off (a lot) of my hair.

– We said goodbye to Mr. Fuji’s dear sweet grandmother.

– The Fuji family went from a tiny rented Japanese apartment to buying a more spacious home.

– The Fuji family discovered they would be welcoming a new Fuji into the family!

FOOD
– The Fujis embraced culinary adventurism and tried all kinds of interesting and unusual foods: from hachinoko and zazamushi (black wasp larvae and stonefly larvae) to sakuraniku (horse sashimi) and fugu (pufferfish), to crocodile, python and yak.
– I joined the Daring Bakers with my first challenge in February 2008 (baking a French Baguette using Julia Child’s recipe).
February 2008: French Baguette
March 2008: The Perfect Party Cake
April 2008: Little Fuji Cheesecake Pops
May 2008: Opéra Cake
June 2008: Danish Braid–was not able to participate in this challenge due to a butter shortage in Japan (no joke!)
July 2008: Pecan Gateau with Praline Buttercream
August 2008: Pierre Hermé Chocolate Eclairs
September 2008: Lavash Crackers & Mango Salsa
October 2008: Pizza
November 2008: Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting
December 2008: Buche de Noel–a growing belly and too much travel prohibited this month’s participation!

– This blog morphed into a blog that is now primarily a food blog. I’ve had a blast doing things like exploring the joys of cooking with pumpkin, learning more about theobroma cacao, committing to baking more bread, meeting Sandra Lee, and appreciating my culinary heritage.

– In September 2008 I joined the Foodbuzz community as a Featured Publisher. I have loved being connected to a community of fellow gourmands and have received much inspiration and encouragement from new foodie friends over the past few months.
– The most popular post of the year here on LFM was: Chocolat Chaud–Hot Chocolate the French Way

2009
Now how about 2009? I love the start of a new year, the chance to start fresh with a new beginning. I recently stumbled across an idea of Alie Edwards on her blog–the idea of One Little Word. She explains that “the idea behind the one little word concept is to give yourself something to focus on throughout the year.” In her newsletter back in January 2007 she wrote, “A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow.” She went on to challenge her readers to identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009. She explained that the word “can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you.” As I look forward into 2009 this idea really resonates with me.

My word for 2009? LIVE.

verb {intr.}
-to be alive; exist
-to maintain or support one’s existence; provide for oneself

verb {trans.}
-to go through, to experience or enjoy life to the full

adjective
-full of life, energy or activity
-vivid or bright, as color

I find this word appropriate as we look forward to welcoming new life into our family this month. I also find it particularly appropriate to this blog, as we depend on food to nurture and maintain life. I love the quote by Henry David Thoreau:

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience …”

So here’s to 2009–to living life deliberately and not passively, to welcoming new life, and to nurturing life.