“Communicating the diversity of Japanese food and spirituality to the world through the perspectives of mindfulness and food”Part2 Momoe, Founder of ZenEating
Table of Contents
▶Continued from Part 1
●Introduction of future activities, the Momoe Channel, and the Kitchen Challenge
●How to spend the time during the new corona epidemic
●What will happen to the world after corona?
●Momoe’s thoughts on “the future of ____ in Japan (and the world)
▶ Video of the dialogue
▶Continued from Part 1
●Introduction of future activities, the Momoe Channel, and the Kitchen Challenge
Miki: I’d like to continue talking about the adventures you took at zenschool. What kind of business are you actually planning to develop?
Momoe: I don’t really have a definite business plan at the moment, but I have a vague idea that I’d like to try making traditional Japanese food culture myself, such as making miso, soy sauce, mirin, and koji. I’d like to have a place where we can get together and create something together, whether it’s online or offline. I’d like to have events where people can rediscover old things and find them interesting. I think it would be great if it could become a community.
Miki: Can you share the Momoe Channel now?
Momoe: Yes. Yes, you can.
Miki: You can also share the latest work of Momoe Channel.
Momoe: Latest work. So, for example…
Momoe: It’s like this.
Miki: That’s good. Now it’s like a series for foreigners to introduce Japanese food culture?
Momoe: Yes, that’s right. At first, the English version was intended for foreigners, but surprisingly, I’ve gotten more responses from Japanese people, and I think most Japanese people have never made various kinds of miso or natto…
I’ve recently realized that even Japanese people can find it interesting from the perspective of rediscovering Japan. I’ve also been asked to introduce the delicious golden eggs of free-range chickens here, and I hope that I can introduce some wonderful things that I don’t know about.
Miki: That’s great. Before the current two videos, there was a video about hiding in the mountains. Can you introduce it to us?
Momoe: The Yamagomori video has been uploaded to a different channel, so please wait a moment. We had to postpone the Yamagoromori event at Corona, but we were going to have an event in Yamagata where everyone could get together and do Yamagoromori(mountain holing).
Momoe: This is what it looks like. This is my grandpa’s cabin.
Miki: This is amazing, isn’t it? This picture.
Momoe: Thank you very much. Is it a mountain?
Miki: The mountain lodge…
Momoe: I can stay here and stay in the mountain.
Miki: Grandpa is a mountain priest, isn’t he?
Momoe: He is also a mountain priest. He’s an unusual person who knows about poisonous mushrooms and edible wild plants, so I’m hoping that he can teach me a lot and help me become more knowledgeable about mountains.
Miki: I think the current world view is wonderful.
Momoe: Thank you very much.
Miki: It would be great if you could spread the food culture and mountain culture to the world from places like this.
Momoe: I would love to do this after Corona settles down. I would love to do this when the corona outbreak is over.
●How to spend the time during the new corona epidemic
Miki: It’s the time of the year for Corona, but Momoe, what do you think is the best way to spend this time of year?
Momoe: I find many things to do at home that I enjoy during this time of the year, such as growing fermented foods or cooking something I’ve never done before, and I learned how to cook Egyptian food while connecting with an Egyptian friend online the other day.
Miki: You’re doing it this Friday, right?
Momoe: Yes, on Friday. Miki: Yes, we do. I’d like to start doing online cooking sessions, too, so I think it would be fun to playfully take on small challenges that I normally wouldn’t have time for.
Miki: It’s true that there are many chores at home, such as cleaning, cooking meals, and house maintenance. The house is really shining now, isn’t it?
Momoe: That’s wonderful.
Miki: I clean the house a lot. I think it’s a good time to do things that are not work-related, but are more about living a proper life.
Momoe: I can relate to that.
MIKI: Momoe, are you doing a lot of things around the house this time of year?
Momoe: Yes, I do. I cook more slowly than usual, and while I call it mindful cooking, I haven’t been able to do it every day, so I take time for that. I’m also planning to start a group called “Zen Eating” where we eat together quietly. When we eat quietly, we feel gratitude and that alone makes us happy.
Miki: What is the concept behind Zen Eating?
Momoe: When we hold Zen Eating for foreigners, we introduce the spiritual aspects of Japanese food and careful eating, such as the five chants of the Buddha’s teachings.
Miki: Do you also chant the Gokkan chant in English?
Momoe: Yes, we are planning to do that. We are planning to do that.
Miki: This is the time of year when it is really important to appreciate each ingredient and savor it slowly, isn’t it?
Momoe: I think so. I think it’s because we have the time to do so that we can relax our minds. I think it’s the same for Japanese people, so I used to be very conscious of whether I was targeting Japanese people or foreigners, but I don’t think there will be much of a barrier in the future. The only difference is whether it’s held in English or Japanese, but I don’t think there will be any difference because we are Japanese. I feel that there are many things that Japanese people can learn from Japanese culture as well.
Miki: You are right. Recently, I have been helping a monk from the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism to hold online Zen meditation sessions, and since the monk is good at English, people from the U.S. and Europe also attend the sessions. The monk is good at English, so people from the U.S. and Europe attend the meetings.
Momoe: So it is like morning there?
Miki: It’s very early. In the U.S., it is like 5 o’clock. When we sit together with people from Europe, we don’t really feel the difference in language…
Momoe: That’s right, isn’t it?
Miki: In this age of corona, people who are living together now are connecting online, and it is a very good activity, but I think something similar to that will also happen in the Zen Eating that Momoe describes.
Momoe: I hope it will.
●What will happen to the world after corona?
Miki: Now that we are in the middle of Corona, do you have any thoughts on After Corona?
Momoe: What I think about After Corona, or rather about the future, is that I feel more keenly what I’ve been told for the past few years about being honest about what you want to do. I feel it myself, and I also feel that my friends of the same generation around me are thinking about how they can enrich their lives, and Miki’s zenschool has helped me to become more honest about the idea of adventure and challenge. I feel that this will become even more important in the future. When I think of mindfulness and Zen, I have always had the image that I need to be quiet and clever, and I’ve been pretty faithful to that image. When I hold workshops on mindful eating and mindful cooking, I always say, “Well, let’s observe quietly. What does the carrot look like? What temperature is it? or “Let’s feel the connection. Spending time quietly is a wonderful time in itself, but lately I’ve been thinking that it’s okay to play a little more. Miki-san, you were dancing earlier, and I thought that mindfulness, including that kind of playfulness, could also mean enjoying the present moment.
Miki: Professor Stephen often said that.
Momoe: That’s right, isn’t it? I am interested in food, so I enjoy food in that way… So I don’t just observe carrots because someone tells me to. So I don’t just observe carrots because someone tells me to.
Miki: I think the way you spend your time during this Corona will probably determine the rest of your life. People who haven’t paid much attention to their inner selves in this world until now are forced to do so, but they don’t want to face it, so they drink alcohol, and in the world there are things like domestic violence. Or rather, realize it. After the turmoil is over, I want people who have realized their true nature to start innovative activities, and that’s why I’m helping with the online zazen meetings.
Momoe: So that’s why you’re doing it. That’s wonderful.
Miki: Some people say it will take several months or a year to complete the process, not just a month. I wonder how we will spend the next few months to prepare for the new earth to come. Cooking is one of the most important…
Momoe: Cooking and food?
MIKI: It’s like training…
Momoe: I think so.
Miki: I will definitely continue to support your activities.
Momoe: Thank you very much. I look forward to working with you.
●Momoe’s thoughts on “the future of ____ in Japan (and the world)
Miki: Lastly, Momoe, what do you think is the future of ____?
Momoe: I would like to put “mindfulness” and “food” in “○○.” As for my thoughts on the future of mindfulness and food, I often talk with people from other countries, and I have the feeling that Japanese culture and the long-lasting spirituality of Japan are in great demand from the world. Since we are already in Japan in the sense of experiencing Japanese spirituality, I feel that if we look at it again from an outside perspective, we will have a very different and significant insight, and I would like to explore this with you. I’d like to explore this with you, and if there are people who want to share this with the rest of the world, I’d be happy to work with them. I’m also moving to online now, so I’d be very happy if we could stay connected in the future.
Miki: Thank you very much. Thank you very much for sharing your wonderful time with us. I will continue to support you.
Momoe: Thank you very much, can I let you know that you should check out our YouTube channel?
Miki: Please do. Please let me know.
Momoe: Thank you very much, we also have a social networking site, but I would like to invite you to check out our YouTube channel, Momoe Channel, which is currently showing the Great Indian Adventure in Japanese. I’m also doing a social networking site, but I’d like you to check out my YouTube channel.
Miki: Thank you very much.
Momoe: Also, the channel you saw earlier with the miso shop is called Kitchen Challenge, and it explores Japanese food culture. If you’re looking for something to cheer you up, this channel will give you the energy you need to take on new challenges.
Miki: I look forward to receiving more information from you. Today we have Momoe from Momoe cooking. Thank you very much for your time today.
Momoe: Thank you very much.
