Do you know the concept of mottainai? Have you ever made kombu or tasted nori? Thanks to the Wa-Shokuiku Program, CHAH's Food Ambassadors have had the opportunity to experience and learn about all of these elements of Japanese food education.

Wa-shokuiku comes from the Japanese words "washoku" for Japanese food and "shokuiku" for food education. The project, developed by nonprofit Table for Two USA, chose CHAH to help pilot their cooking class series.

While healthy cooking is familiar territory for Food Ambassadors, Japanese cuisine and values are new and exciting to learn. Students count to ten in Japanese as they wash their hands before cooking. They are taught about staple ingredients such as rice, seaweed, and fish. They prepare beautiful and wholesome bento boxes with a variety of colors, flavors, and textures, eager for the moment that they get to say "Ittadakimasu" (a polite way of saying, "Let's eat!") and enjoy their creations.

We are grateful for the Wa-Shokuiku Program for expanding our culinary horizons!

For more information on the program or the classes they provide, check out wa-shokuiku.org