Tonight the Japanese youth group made zenzai, a traditional Japanese dessert made from azuki beans and mochi. Mochi is sweet rice pounded into a paste and then molded into shapes. The soup is served hot and is very sweet!
In ancient Japan it was believed that zenzai had the power to dispel evil and diseases. However mochi is made from polished rice which removes thiamine (vitamin b1) from the grain. In the 1880s, many Japanese sailors whose diet consisted almost exclusively of polished rice contracted a disease called beriberi, which is an impairment of the nervous system caused by a lack of thiamine. Once the sailors were put on a diet that included thiamine, they stopped dying of beriberi. So I'm not so sure zenzai has the power to dispel disease, but it sure is delicious!
Also, notice the beautiful origami crane.
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