Last night, Kate and I attended our second cooking class with Miaki Habuka through Duluth Community Education.

Miaki is a Continuing Education instructor at UW-Superior who teaches cooking two or three times a year via the Duluth Public Schools Community Education. (For UWS, she teaches courses in Japanese language and culture.)

Her cooking classes have been spectacular. Held in Denfeld, the gist is: she brings enough for food to be made in groups of four. So you partner up with strangers to make a meal for the four of you — fun, mostly. We have made potato salad, ginger pork, teriyaki chicken, and daikon radish salads, among other cool foods. The event is social and sociable, costs less than eating out, and is considerably more entertaining.

Along the way, Miaki peppers in tidbits about Japanese culture — the significance of colors in diet, for example. Fascinating. She is a gifted teacher of her culture.

Her husband serves as an enforcer (collecting fees before we begin), an occasional thesaurus, and support in helping us cook.

It’s a fun time, overall, and a reminder that it is force of will that makes Duluth awesome. Miaki has made a decision to make Japanese food and culture part of our lives in Duluth-Superior, and we are grateful for it!

See you at Japanese New Year Celebration
When: Jan 29, 2012 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Celebrate the Japanese New Year from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday January 29 in the Yellowjacket Union Atrium. This fun and educational community event is FREE for anyone to attend.

Activities Include:

Japanese New Year’s Games
Japanese Trivia Quiz
Sushi Demonstration
Info Booths
Kimono Photo Opportunity
Calligraphy
Tea Ceremony Demonstration
AND MORE!
Special thanks to the following organizations: Continuing Education, Office of International Programs, World Student Association, Superior Sister City Commission, Duluth Sister Cities International, Zen House of Duluth.