Bread is Better Than the Songs of Birds

I don’t know if that expression would mean much to non-Japanese speakers but it is supposed to be a translation of our idiom “hana yori dango”, literally “sweet dumplings over flowers (i.e. cherry blossoms)”.  We typically sit around cherry trees in the spring to party and the partying becomes the main thing while the reason for our gathering is supposed to be appreciating the cherry blossoms.

Anyway, I happened to walk through a shrine in my neighborhood today because it was a short cut and found the place to be swarming with people.  Food stalls that would normally not be there were set up on occasion of the “Hydrangea Festival” at the Hakusan Shrine and I took full advantage as the seafood seemed irresistibly good.

The menu

Scallops and ayu, clear water fish in season now.

Cooking

My scallops, surprisingly good.

There were just too many people for me to enjoy the hydrangeas and they (the flowers, not people) looked dried up as well from today’s sun, a brief break from the rainy season.