Father's Day Celebration Dinner

Tetsuro/Sakae came from California, one week after coming home from Los Cabos, Mexico. They were planning to stay at the home of Dan-san/Hiroko and one of her friends because of not bothering newly Wed-Home. However, Amanda called to say she would like to hold the celebration of Father’s Day BBQ family dinner at the house of Amanda/Steven, and that Tetsuro/Sakae to stay until the last day of Chicago vacation. Sakae did not expect the invitation, so she was puzzled, but very happy Amanda’s thoughtful invitation. Tetsuro/Sakae accepted Amanda’s offer to have a family dinner and staying of their home. It has always been some difficulties between in-laws. With their good hearts Sakae and Amanda will be having good relationship.

Well, we all were invited to the home of Amanda/Steven for the family BBQ dinner.

The dishes of the dinner:

BBQ, hot dogs and hamburgers

Condiments

Ribs and homemade Pizza roll

Seven layer salad and Somen salad

Potato salad and Deviled eggs

Onigiri and Spam Musubi

Did you notice something wrong of these photos? Yes, it is. Hiroko forgot to take any photos before eating, so all these photos were taken after we had finished eating.


Lady of the House, Amanda

Enjoying the games


Talking, drinking, talking, drinking
Dog and Hiroko – this dog chased and barked after the fire-fly, so the dog was put in his cage.

Enjoying the Tequila
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Tequila is a distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, in the highlands (Los Altos) of the western Mexican state of Jalisco.

Tequila is most often made at a 38–40% alcohol content (76–80 proof), but can be produced between 35–55% alcohol content (70–110 proof).
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Production
Planting, tending, and harvesting the agave plant remains a manual effort, largely unchanged by modern farm machinery and relying on centuries-old know-how. The men who harvest it, the jimadores, have intimate knowledge of how the plants should be cultivated, passed down from generation to generation.


By regularly trimming any quiotes (a several-meter high stalk that grows from the center of the plant), the jimadores prevent the agave from flowering and dying early, allowing it to fully ripen. The jimadores must be able to tell when each plant is ready to be harvested, and using a special knife called a coa (with a circular blade on a long pole), carefully cut away the leaves from the piña (the succulent core of the plant).

After harvesting, the piñas are transported to ovens where they are slowly baked in order to break down their complex starches into simple sugars. Then the baked piñas are either shredded or mashed under a large stone wheel called a tahona. Some producers like to add a small amount of bagazo back into their fermentation tanks for a stronger agave flavor in the final product.

The extracted agave juice is then poured into either large wood or stainless steel vats for several days to ferment, resulting in awort, or mosto, with low alcohol content. This wort is then distilled once to produce what is called "ordinario," and then a second time to produce clear "silver tequila." A few producers distill the product a third time, but several connoisseurs consider this third distillation a mistake because it removes too much flavor from the tequila. From there the tequila is either bottled as "silver tequila", or it is pumped into wooden barrels to age, where it develops a mellower flavor and amber color.
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There are two basic categories of tequila: mixtos and 100% agave. Mixtos use no less than 51% agave, with other sugars making up the remainder. Mixtos use both glucose and fructose sugars.
With 100% agave tequila, blanco or plata is harsher with the bold flavors of the distilled agave up front, while reposado and añejo are smoother, subtler, and more complex. As with other spirits that are aged in casks, tequila takes on the flavors of the wood, while the harshness of the alcohol mellows. The major flavor distinction with 100% agave tequila is the base ingredient, which is more vegetal than grain spirits (and often more complex).
Tequila is usually bottled in one of five categories:


From the these photo it is hard to see, left one is clear (white or silver) tequila, and left are clear and light brown (young or gold) on the top of store shelf, Hiroko found in OSCO.
Blanco ("white") or plata ("silver"): white spirit, un-aged and bottled or stored immediately after distillation, or aged less than two months in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels;
Joven ("young") or oro ("gold"): a mixture of blanco tequila and reposado tequila;
Reposado ("rested"): aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels of any size;
Añejo ("aged" or "vintage"): aged a minimum of one year, but less than three years in small oak barrels;
Extra Añejo ("extra aged" or "ultra aged"): aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels. This category was established in March 2006.

Brands:
There are many brands of tequila; the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (Tequila Regulatory Council) reported 901 registered brands from 128 producers for the year 2008.[31]

Ways to drink
In Mexico, the most traditional way to drink tequila is straight (i.e., without lime and salt). It is popular in some regions to drink fine tequila with a side of sangrita—-a sweet, sour and spicy drink typically made from orange juice, grenadine (or tomato juice), and hot chillies. Equal-sized shots of tequila and sangrita are sipped alternately, without salt or lime. Another popular drink in Mexico is the "bandera" (Flag, in Spanish), named after the Flag of Mexico, it consists of three shot glasses, filled with lime juice (for the green), white tequila, and sangrita (for the red). They can be sipped or drunk straight.

Outside Mexico, a single shot of tequila is often served with salt and a slice of lime. This is called "tequila cruda" and is sometimes referred to as "training wheels", "lick-sip-suck", or "lick-shoot-suck" (referring to the way in which the combination of ingredients is imbibed). The drinker moistens the back of their hand below the index finger (usually by licking) and pours on the salt. Then the salt is licked off the hand, the tequila is drunk, and the fruit slice is quickly bitten. Groups of drinkers often do this simultaneously. Drinking tequila in this way is often erroneously called a Tequila Slammer, which is in fact a mix of tequila and carbonated drink.

Hiroko enjoyed attending the Tequila Tasting at the Los Cabos, Mexico. We heard the most of the stories mentioned above. However, Hiroko needs to confirm her memories, so looked at the Free Encyclopedia of “Wikipedia.” Please go to “Wikipedia” to read and fulfill your satisfaction of the further information about Tequila. Someone asked me about the Tequila worms. There is explanation of Tequila worms.

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Here is what Bible talks about drinking alcohol. If you have any opinion or comments, please click “comment” and write your thoughts.

There is no rules or commandments saying “Thou shall not drink any alcohol (wine)” in the Bible. However, there are some restrictions to drinking alcohol.

I Timothy 3:3 “…not given to drunkenness,… “
I Timothy 3:8 “…not indulging in much wine,…”
and
Tithes 2:3 “…or addicted to much wine,…”

Many verses are in the Old Testaments. It is interesting to know some verses mentioned the wine is blessing from God.

Paul who wrote many letters in the New Testaments mentioned in his letter to Timothy with caring heart to Timothy’s sickness, “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.“ I Timothy 5:23.

It is interesting to read that Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana is changing the water to wine.
John 2:1-11 “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.