Rakkyo Day

When I was a kid, my mom would occasionally pick up a little bag of pickled scallions (rakkyo) from the wet market, and we’d eat a few before dinner. Sometimes she’d just buy a whole jar... but back then, I never thought of how they were made, let alone imagined that I’d be pickling them myself one day! Fast forward to a few years ago at a supermarket in Japan—I discovered that right around the beginning of summer every year, they sell fresh, unpickled rakkyo. I was so excited the moment I saw them! I immediately bought a bag to try making them at home. When I looked closely at the packaging, I realized they came all the way from Tottori Prefecture. I’ve always had this subconscious soft spot for Tottori. The very first time I heard of the place was when I watched the J-drama adaptation of The Drifting Classroom. I was so amazed to find out that Japan actually has a desert! Later on, when autumn rolled around, I noticed the crystal pears (Nijisseiki pears) in stores were also from Tottori, which made me feel a bit closer to the place. And then, I found out Tottori is also super famous for producing rakkyo! I was thrilled. It’s definitely on my bucket list of places to visit. This year marks my third time pickling rakkyo myself. I follow the instructions on the package—it takes a few steps, but it’s actually pretty simple. Plus, knowing exactly what ingredients are going into it makes eating them so much yummy and safer. People in Japan always pair their curry with a few pieces of rakkyo. Since moving here, I've adopted the "when in Rome" mindset and picked up the exact same habit over the last few years (I never used to eat them with curry before!). Have you picked up any new food habits lately?