Lunch at Ayako's

Last Friday I caught up with Ayako at her house. She had spent a great deal of time abroad in China. I was really impressed by how much Chinese she knew in so little time! I suppose knowing Chinese characters aids on in learning, however, I do believe she has an innate ability to learn a language. Her English is truly excellent, almost on par with that of a native speaker!

This is a delightful she whipped up in what seems like seconds. It has shiso leaves, bonito flakes, tuna, and more...a very tasty Japanese-style spaghetti dish. The photo does not really do it justice. She also served a marvelous lasagna which I did not get a shot of. It was interesting because it was the first time I had lasagna with a marinara sauce base and cream sauce inside, too! How interesting. I will have to try it sometime.

Ricotta cheese (for mascarpone, tiramisu, lasagna...etc) is as hard to find here as gold leaves on trees...so for now I'll have to continue making lasagna with a mix of drained silk tofu and egg.