A Heartwarming Family from New York

Today I welcomed a lovely family from New York—a cheerful mom, dad, and their son Sebastian, who is currently studying Japanese at a university here in Tokyo. His parents are visiting him, and thanks to Cathy’s request, they joined my ramen cooking class together.

We prepared two types of ramen and gyoza today: a regular version and a fully vegetarian version, as one family member is vegetarian and another has a nut allergy. They were so thoughtful toward each other, and it was a joy to create dishes that everyone could enjoy safely.

One thing that really stood out was their knife work. Their thinly cut noodles looked just like something from a professional ramen shop!

While cooking together, we also talked about the differences between the U.S. and Japan. I already knew that the U.S. doesn’t have a universal health-care system like Japan, but hearing directly from Americans made the reality feel much more vivid. People have to buy private insurance individually, and the cost is so high that many simply can’t afford it. Listening to their personal experiences gave me a much deeper understanding.

And of course, our conversation wasn’t only serious—we also talked about food we love.

That’s when I learned that Henri, the father, is a huge curry lover. He usually makes Japanese curry with S&B blocks back home in the U.S., so I recommended one of my favorites: Java Curry – Spice curry. He looked excited to try it next time.

After enjoying their handmade ramen

, I suggested a relaxing walk through the beautiful autumn colors of Shinjuku Gyoen.

Cooking with them was warm, fun, and full of discovery. I hope today becomes a wonderful memory from their family trip to Japan.