I can’t believe that my ex-student became so popular in Japan and am so proud of this kid! Arthur is now a very famous English teacher in Japan. Back in the day when I used to be in undergrad in Salem Mass, I met him and started teaching Japanese as a volunteer. It was a great opportunity to teach my first language to an American high school kid back then. Of course, we hung out together, and I introduced many Japanese friends to him. After my undergrad graduation, I moved to Boston, and he became a college student and went to Japan to study abroad. A few years ago, we saw each other at his wedding reception in his hometown. By the time I saw his family, I had not seen anyone of his family. I was told by everybody, “Last time I saw you was like… you were about to go to Brazil!!“. That is right! After I finish school, I went to Brazil to train BJJ and MMA back in 2009. Time flies, huh!?

Now we saw each other again! I accidentally found out that he and his wife were coming back to Mass for holidays, so I asked them to stop by my place. What a huge surprise! Now he has 250K subscribers on Youtube, and his English teaching platform IU-Connect is doing well. Once again, I am so proud of this kid!

So what did we have? Well, I thought he must miss some hometown taste! Lobster is Bostonian’s favorite, as you know, and I remember he likes lamb because of his family background. For dessert, the best New England famous fruit is apples, so I baked them with my “go-to“ homemade ice cream. My line up was like this. Aromatic herb salads with sauerkraut (by the way Arthur is German too, so I added German taste to appetizer) boost our appetite, and then strong lobster flavor pasta with diabolo sauce(a bit spicy), and the most flavorful, buttery, and fork-tender piece of lamb meat makes the main dish. Finally, we finish with New England's favorite apple for dessert. How does it sound?

For the appetizer, I learned a beautiful appetite boost salad at VIP dinner for Biohacker Summit Helsinki. Aromatic mixtures of herbs and spices, with appetizing flavors and vital health benefits. Adding spice and bitter to a salad increases antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are precious allies to healthy living: they protect the body from free radicals’ attack, responsible for cardiovascular diseases, tumors, and aging. Fruits and vegetables contain such protective substances in abundance.

Here is an all-time favorite pasta dish that everyone can agree on, especially in New England. I love the flavor the shells give to this pasta dish, so I make lobsters half cooked and took all meat out for preparation. As preparing for the entire pasta dish, I make rich and thick broth from lobster shells. You know I have zero waste. “Fra Diavolo” is a fiery sauce that plays well with others: especially seafood and pasta. All I used was shallots and strained san Marzano tomatoes. Vodka was just for flambé. While large amounts of alcohol tend to trap other volatile molecules in the food, small traces boost their volatility and so intensify the aroma. You cannot get full at this point!

Cooking in a red wine and tomato sauce with vegetables, aromatics, and fresh herbs is a critical process for cooking lamb meat because when it comes to lamb or mutton, It is a very distinctive taste; it's one that we all recognize. It's one that some people love, and some people don't like it. But what it all comes down to is its fat and a particular type of fatty acid that lambs have that beef doesn't. It's what gives lamb this gamy, more earthy taste than beef. If you prepare it well and cook with love and lots of time, it comes out nice. Arthur loved my main dish!

Baked apples are like fireworks of fall flavor. I didn’t tell Arthur a story that his Mom introduced apple pie with ice cream to my wife and me. We didn’t know that American people eat apple pies with ice cream back then. I remember when I had the first bite of “American dessert, “I felt like I was in heaven, but after the third bite, my stomach refused to keep eating… Yes, it was too heavy for me. I modified my style, and everyone enjoyed it even though we were almost full.

Food is a gift when it comes to bringing people together and creating conversation. Both are essential things. Food is the key to happiness and helps build happier lives, so why not invite all your friends and family out to dinner to share a meal. Once again, I was so pleased about and inspired by what he has been doing in Japan. Well, I got energy from him and work hard to achieve my goal! It was a great time.