Last weekend Yoko’s parents visited us from Kyoto. Naturally they came to see all of us but in particular they came to see Syd and partake in a ceremony for him. The ceremony, known as ‘Kuizome’, is a weaning ceremony. Kuizome marks the first time for a baby to taste solid food. It is custom to hold it when the baby has become 100 days old.
Yoko’s parents had very kindly prepared all the food for the ceremony. Syd’s first meal comprised of seafood (tako octopus, tai sea bream & sazae shellfish), boiled vegetables, beans & sekihan red beans in rice. Quite a meal for the little guy!
There was one last ingredient required before we could conduct the Kuizome ceremony. We needed a small stone. This is a symbol for Syd’s teeth to become strong. (Unlike mine that have multiple fillings. 
). I’d promised Yoko that I’d collect a stone for the occasion but on the day of the ceremony I’d yet to get one.
Typhoon 4 was approaching on the day, bringing with it gale-force winds and slanting, driving rain. After dropping Yoko’s parents at the supermarket I headed to the nearby beach to find a suitable stone. Not surprisingly the beach was deserted when I arrived. After briefly wandering around with the wind and rain and wet sand battering me, I was relieved to discover an attractive stone. What a mission!
That evening we celebrated Syd’s first 100 days on the planet and his first taste of food. Syd’s dinner was served on the attractive lacquerware dishes we received on ‘Omiya-mairi’, his first visit to a shrine. (See the Awa Life article on the right, “Bless Reni” , for more on that custom.)
So the first solid food ever put to Syd’s lips was octopus. I’m not sure exactly what the significance of this marine mollusc is. I asked some of the teachers at work and they’d never heard of it before. It must be a Kyoto tradition I guess. Unlike Reni who seemed to savor the salty suckers, Syd didn’t really care much for his first taste of tentacle. He was perhaps a little more receptive to the sea bream.
(Curiously, many Japanese seem to think westerners have an aversion to octopus since it’s also known as the ‘devil-fish’ and that we would never eat it. This is not so in Australia however where octopus figures promininently in Greek cuisine.)
Anyhow, needless to say, without a hint of a tooth to be seen, Syd couldn’t complete his dinner. For now, Yoko is the appetizer, main and dessert for his every meal. Judging by the way he’s growing so strong and healthy, that seems to be suiting him just fine.
