O Mochi

Last Saturday was "O mochi" time at Mia's kindergarten. Mochi is a popular treat in Japan. It can be sweet or savory. You make it by steaming white rice and then pounding the heck out of it. At the end you get a sticky, smooth, globby white mass. Sounds weird, but it's great. It's a common food eaten on New Year's Day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochi




Everyone got a change to pummel the rice into mochi.




Here's Mia's class taking turns.



Here are some moms preparing the end product: mochi in a sweet peanut-powdery confection.

After the mochi was made, the classes had a mochi-extravaganza-lunch together. We love Mia's kindergarten because we learn so much about Japanese tradition and culture. I wonder what's next?