Harvesting Bamboo Shoots
When I received an invitation to a Sunday barbecue, in my western-mindset, I envisioned a group of people mingling in a backyard as burgers and hot-dog simmered on the coals. I couldn't have been more mistaken! As the following pictures will illustrate, a Japanese barbecue is far more interesting!
Another ALT and myself were picked up by our hosts (the Takaoka's, one of my Japanese English teachers) and whisked away into the bamboo forest in the back of a pick-up truck. Hanging on for dear life, we ventured down the precariously narrow road to their forest. At this point, we really didn't have a clue where or what we would be doing, but it turned out, we were about to partake in the annual bamboo harvest. There were bamboo shoots poking out of the ground in every direction, and our job was to chop them down and toss them into buckets.
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In all, there were about 15 of us chopping down the bamboo. Because bamboo grows so quickly (about 1 meter a day) the Takaoka's had invited many of their friends to help out. When she told me that the trees will grow up in about a week, I didn't believe her. How could a tree grow so quickly? But, after researching bamboo on the net, it really does grow this fast. Unbelievable, eh! You could practically see the shoot springing upwards if you sat and watched it for the day!
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Rather than potato salad and burgers in a backyard, we munched on chiraizushi, bamboo shoots, and corn in a bamboo forest!
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Once we finished lunch, we carted the freshly chopped bamboo back to the Takaoka's where they run a huge bamboo packaging industry.
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The shoots were boiled, and we carefully removed the tough outer layers. Then, the Takaoka's bagged up the entire day's harvest and sent all the shoots home with the guests! So much for helping contribute to their business - they gave it all away! I will never cease to be amazed by the generosity of my Japanese friends!
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