This week's episode begins with a discussion of Chicago's favorite season, "Fake Spring". We discuss some of the finer points of Florida dining such as Publix and the best restaurants at Florida State. Ashley tells us about Obachan (and tells me to put the emphasis on the "ba") and her love for Pokemon Go. Obachan - who has lived a hell of a life - is a monster in the kitchen and Ashley talks about some of her favorites including miso soup and gyoza. We talk about some great Japanese foods Ashley learned to love outside of Obachan's kitchen including okonomiyaki - which is one of my favorite foods - and how she made sushi for Obachan for the first time when she was home this winter. Over the course of the show Ashley and I talk about some places in Chicago she loves to eat and her preferences around noodles and soup. Ashley talks about introducing her boyfriend, Eddie, to Obachan's food, and Eddie fell in love with it. We learn that Obachan makes her Japanese curry from scratch which was a big relevation for me as I had been told for a while that everyone uses the curry cubes in a box. We get deep into what it means to be Japanese and Japanese-American, and Ashley shares her story to answer the question "Who am I?" as she dives deep into her family tree. We end the show with some favorite Obachan memories.
