Whether you go to a convenience store or a supermarket, there are lots of osechi(special dishes for the New Year’s Day) advertisements.  Every ad looks really tasty.  Suddenly I remember the old days.  After the 25th of the year, you can hear the sound of making mochi(rice cakes) from all over the neighborhood.  When the mochi-tsuki is finished, it’s time to prepare osechi dishes.  Go to the market over and over again in a day to buy materials.  Prepare for simmering by taking out all the pots in the kitchen.  They’re busy with vinegared food, steamed food, grilled fish and simmered food.  Since the family is also large, there are a lot of ingredients to prepare.  Of course, it was my childhood, so I wasn’t involved in it.  As I recall, it didn’t look as good as the osechi in supermarkets and department stores.  But they were delicious.  It’s a retrospective that many old people often do.

コンビニに行ってもスーパーに行ってもお節広告が満載です。どの広告を見ても実に美味しそう。ふと昔を思い出します。年末も25日を過ぎると、近所のあちこちから餅つきの音が聞こえてきます。餅つきが終わるとお節料理の準備です。１日に何度も何度も市場に行って材料の買い付け。台所中の鍋を総動員して煮付けの準備。酢の物、蒸し物、焼き魚に煮物、大忙しです。家族も大人数だから準備する食材も大量です。もちろん子供時代のことですから、自分が携わったわけではありません。思い出しても、スーパーやデパートのお節に比べたら、見た目には敵いません。でも美味しかったなあ。例に漏れない老人の呟きです。