My dad retired from the Navy in 1974.  I’ve had little to do with the Navy since that time.  But for the first 17 years of my life I was a dependent of someone serving his country in the United States Navy.  And for that reason I always will be a Navy Brat.  For two years (’72-’73) I lived in Japan as a Navy dependent.  It was two years that I will never forget.  For those two years I forged a kinship with a bunch of other kids.  There’s a bond that Navy dependent children form when they are living in a foreign country that lasts for a life time.

It’s a bond with each other and it’s a bond with the country where they are stationed.  In my case that country was Japan.  I live in Navy House Area II in Yokohoma.  I rode school bus Y-8 to and from Yokuska every day.  (Often times with Deep Purple’s Machine Head blasting over the street noise).  To this day, almost 40 years later I still have a connection with the country and all my fellow DoD dependents that went to school at Nile C. Kinnick High School.  Affectionately known as Yo-Hi.

Anyway, I love Japan.  I know I can trace my love of Asian fusion cooking to the time I spent there.  There can be no other explanation.  So because of this connection I have been deeply saddened by what this great country has experienced over the past couple of weeks.  I have old friends who still live there or have they have family of their own there.  And other than sitting by and sending a few dollars to the Red Cross or other charities, there isn’t much I can do.  So I’m stepping out of my BBQ Grail box and promoting something that has very little, if anything to do with BBQ.  It’s an online Bake Sale For Japan.

Over at The Tomato Tart they are hosting an online bake sale.  Over 90 bakers, from all over, are donating their time and talents with baked goods.  Please take a few minutes and visit The Tomato Tart and take a look at what they are doing.  The Food Blog community is a wonderful group of people.  Take a few minutes and bid on something on March 30th.

Thank- you.

Larry

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This year we will conducting various polls about grilling/barbecuing/smoking.  If you have ideas or suggestions about polls please drop me a line or two by using the “Ask The BBQ Grail” link at the top of the page.

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