Japan

Mom called the night before our first lunch date to let me know that dad was all ready to go!  He had picked out PF Chang for lunch and would just wait to hear from me as to what time I would pick him up.  I had such a busy day at work and wasn't able to touch bases with dad so he beat me to it :)  I got a call from him around 12:30 asking me what time I would be there and that he would be waiting on the porch for me.  I knew he was excited and so was I.  I got to the house around 1:30 and my oldest son, Kyle, was in the mood to visit, so, of course I had to stop and chat with him for a bit.  Dad patiently waited for me and I was grateful.  I don't get to see or talk to Kyle a lot so it was good to catch up a bit.

Somehow dad and I landed on Tepanyaki for lunch.  I don't know how we went from PF Chang's to Yoshino's but we did and it was a good choice!  We were seated quickly and only had to share our table with 4 other people.  We went late enough that the lunch crowd had gone.  We studied the menu briefly and we both knew what we wanted right away...

I don't want our lunch dates to seem like an "interview" but I really want them to be about my dad.  And, what I really want is, to share who he was and is with the generations to come.  So...my first question, I thought, was a great lead in to learning more about him.

"Dad, where was the first place you tried Tepanyaki?"
"Kamakura, Japan" he replied. 
"Wow! Really?"
"Yep"
"And, was it good?  I mean...was it like Americanized Tepanyaki?"
"It was...different...we ate Tepanyaki in someone's home.  They all have open flames in the middle of the home and everyone sits around them to keep warm.  It gets really cold in Japan at times.  The families cooked over the open flame and they had mats on the floor that kept the heat contained so everyone stayed really warm."
"That is interesting, dad ...I never knew that.  I'm glad you're sharing this with me.  I can't wait to share it with the kids and put it on my blog." 

Our conversation went on and I learned alot more about my dad's time in Japan.  Dad was in the Navy from 1954-1956.  He said at that time they did 2-year tours.  His tour to Japan was in between WWII and the Korean War.  It was a time when we were policing the borders and making our presence known.  It was moslty peaceful but always a bit uneasy.

Dad said he missed my mom terribly while he was away.  He told me he was "crazy" about her and still is...she wrote him letters almost every day while he was gone.  He smiled and then jumped into memories of my mom and how he used to court her before he left for Japan, but that's a story for a future blog.  Our food came shortly after and it was delicious.  Dad got the special...Shrimp and Calamari...and I got Filet Mignon...my fave :)  My dad always has my mom in the recesses of his mind and never fails to think about her wherever he is...as soon as he finished he said "I'd like to box that up for your mother...she'd like to eat the rest."  I told him I thought that was a great idea.

I had such a nice time with my dad, and although the food was excellent...the company was the best!