Changing preferences...

Interests and preferences tend to change "all of sudden", or "out of nowhere" in another term if external factors such as relationships, jobs, locations of living and so on affect internal factors such as our emotions, thoughts and faiths. 

While working as a tour escort, I learnt somehow about Wine because I traveled a lot in European Wine producing countries and needed to introduce the dietary food cultures of each country to my clients. 

Each country has its own country's dietary food culture which is suitably adopted to the natural features of regions. I'm not going to write blah, blah, blah in details about wines, but I always find what I learnt a consistency in the history, grapes, locations of producing countries, ingredients and effects and so on. 

I've noticed recently that my dietary foods are becoming simpler and healthier as it is gradually shifting my previous eastern dietary to our Japanese one in its style. It, of course, still has a blending taste between Eastern and Western. 

One recent big change for me is my drinking preference change from Wine to ”日本酒” (Nihonshu /Japanese Sake).

If I ever try to find a common point between Wine and ”日本酒” (Nihonshu /Japanese Sake), it can be a similarity of the positive effects of White Wine and Japanese Sake. They both go well with fish and vegetable cuisine with an effect of sterilization.

And so I eat more mercies from oceans, mountains, and trees which is our simple and healthier foods going well with Sake.

I used to have a big crave for Red Wine before. Especially for the last several years of my tour escort's career, it must've been more than I was supposed to from a healthy condition point of the views. And while in Ishigaki, I changed my preference from Red to While in addition to Beer. And suddenly to Japanese Sake in my current life. 

Even after moving to this town, I kept drinking White wine for a while, but I don't feel like drinking it any more. It is very interesting to me. Just wondering what is the exact external factor which must've affected my internal factors that I mentioned earlier. 

In Christianity, Jesus left a message to 12 apostles at a table of the famous last supper. 

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins..." -Matthew 26:27

As Red Wine and Wine itself is very important in Christianity and the countries with its beliefs, Japanese Sake is very important for one of backbones of our Japanese culture, "Shinto" as a harvest from the mother Earth which is made from rice.

"What you take makes what you are."

It's been a while I set up my private Shito alter at home, make it a habit to offer a cup of Japanese Sake and receive it back for a supper almost every day. My life at this moment may be shifting from Western to Japanese in life style.

And my dietary foods and drinkings as well.

Masami