Ganga Ram Pant
Leader, SF Everest, Kathmandu, Nepal

Suginami Event of the Taste Education and the Slow Sake evening on the 16th of September had been a great success. The observation of slow farmyard of Mr Karube on the 17th September was another important event to inspire the slow lovers. Mr Shigeyuki Narita�fs Soba preparation class at Suginami Daiyong(No.4) Elementary School remained unforgettable. Involvement of large number of SF members and other slow food lovers from Japan and Asia Pacific countries shows the success of the Suginami Event-07. All the success is due to the effective leadership of Mr. Toshiya Sasaki, Leader of SF Suginami and Leader of Taste Education Committee of Slow Food Japan and Mrs. Noriko Sasaki.

AI- 308 landed on the Narita Airport almost 2 hrs. after the scheduled time, which made Mr. Sasaki wait for two longest hours to receive me. Since it was my first visit to the grand country Japan, I would have got lost without Mr. Sasaki.

It was almost one pm. When Mr. Sasaki and me reached Suginami Daiyong Elementary School (SDES) where the Taste Education was due to start.

I was wondering in the dreamland- Japan. Moreover, the warm welcome, the obeisance of the great Japanese people was just enough to melt my heart. I remembered the saying of my teachers- �gAll the branches fully contained with fruits bow down to the earth. Others do not.�h

Suginami Daiyong School has around 200 children. However, only around 25 children of grade 4 were involved in the Taste Education class. Demonstration of Soba making and Soba preparation by the Japanese Slow specialist Mr. Shigeyuki Narita was something spell bounding.
In the class there was participation of around 25 students, 5/6 teachers including the Principal of SDES, Slow leaders from Hong Kong, Hawaii, Singapore, and Nepal and, a dozen of slow lovers, Leaders from Japan. After the demonstration by Mr Narita we were divided into four groups- A, B, C, and D. It was a just coincidence that we slow members from outside Japan were in group A while performing the Soba Preparation. And, the Japanese children of grade 4 were far better than the group A! Any way we learnt it! Even Tested the Japanese Soba with traditional Soya Sauce, which was prepared by Mr. Narita Himself. M. Narita had been to Nepal 15 years ago and found red flowering Soba (Buckwheat), which he introduced into Japan. He has learnt different food items of the Soba prepared in Nepal too.

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