We recently held our second children’s wagashi workshop. Due to the popularity of the previous one, were many people interested in participating, so we increased the capacity from last time. A total of six families (13 people including children) joined, and one of them was from England.
After Halloween last time, we immediately started planning our next lesson and decided to focus on designs related to Christmas. We used nerikiri again this time to create two types of wagashi: Santa and a Christmas tree. Santa was filled with red bean paste, and the tree contained a milk-flavored white bean paste.
Similar to last time, we divided the ingredients for each person upon arrival, but then I realized I forgot to bring black sesame seeds. These were intended for Santa’s eyes, and Santa’s face wouldn’t be complete without them. Panic mode activated!
I hurriedly searched at a nearby convenience store but couldn’t find any (this was 5 minutes before the start time). I was panicking and thinking, “What should I do… what should I do?”
After taking a deep breath and calming down a bit, I looked at the ingredients I had brought once again. I had some colored powdered rice (similar to sprinkles) for the Christmas tree, and I decided to use it as a substitute for Santa’s eyes.
They were yellow in color, but somehow it seemed like they could replace the black sesame seeds. I quickly replaced the sample’s eyes with the yellow grains. Maybe not ideal, but not bad at all.
I reflected that I really need to double-check the list of things to bring.
With that little mishap, the lesson began. Taking into account the things I learned last time, I consciously spoke louder and demonstrated closer to the students so they could see clearly. I walked around each table, checking everyone’s progress and giving advice or answering questions.
Midway, I realized I forgot to prepare the orange nerikiri for Santa’s nose, so I quickly distributed it. And then we ran short of white nerikiri for the beard, but we had plenty, so I passed out some more to everyone. It was a bit chaotic, but in the end, everything turned out as planned.
Everyone made their wagashi treats and seemed to enjoy it a lot. Seeing them enjoying the wagashi they made along with tea and chatting happily, made me feel really fulfilled.
Next time, I plan to make wagashi related to the New Year. To everyone who participated this time, thank you very much. Let’s have another enjoyable time making wagashi.
