Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Friendship and Raw Fish

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Friendship and Raw Fish

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Friendship and Raw Fish

(snips)

Eela tapped the tips of her chopsticks to her lips and smirked. “No, you don’t have to bring anything except your lovely self.” First a real smile and then a laugh. Goodness, this was fascinating! “And care to share with the class?” she teased.

~Eela

He shrugged slightly and said looked down as he started preparing another dish. “I was thinking that if a purist saw me teaching you to dip your food, they would lose their minds. And then I thought how it was interesting when practicality and experience override tradition and ceremony. And that led me to think that the closest person who would take umbrage to you dipping was billions of kilometers from here; and besides…” and he paused and looked at her, his black eyes filled with amusement, “… I’m the Governor. I can do what I want.” and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he went back to making the next dish.

Kenzo

She laughed. “Yes, you can! We both can, with obvious caveats and the possible need for protective gear. We really should enquire with a designer about making something fashionable.” This time, unlike others before, Eela was entirely joking. Even if they were remotely serious, she might as well have opted for the full torso brace Jal’na had shown her that first day and then she could waddle about awkwardly. No thanks.

“You know, some days I really miss Halii, but it’s the planet of my childhood. I don’t get back there very often and the thing I’ve observed is that through all my travels I became content to weave bits and pieces of my culture into everything around me. It also helped I think that I was raising mixed-species children. We wanted them to feel grounded in their roots, so it became less about following exact dictates and about how it made them, and me, feel. I can still feel Haliian and connected to my culture even though I have no one on my life who has that specific cultural upbringing.” With her parents and all her grandparents gone there were no elders to learn from- not of her family anyway, it was just her.

~Eela

Kenzo took a drink and said “The first time we left Japan, I was homesick even though I had not been born there. My father, although strict, was very wise and open to discussions of emotions. He sat me down when I was particularly unhappy and said something that has always stayed with me. He said ‘Japan is not a place. Japanese is not an ethnicity. Both are states of being. Japan is our soul, so we are never without it. Japanese is when we are in synchronization with that soul. If you are comfortable and proud when you say to yourself ‘I am Japanese.’ then you are in Japan, and you are home. If you do not feel that way, seek solace in your traditions and you will return home.’

Kenzo