Food and Life Studies Babahera Ice

Food and Life Studies
Babahera Ice

Lecturers: Everyone at Chigama Reika

Lecturers
Everyone at Chigama Reika

Contents

Written by Fumiko YABUKI

Editor; former designer. Born and raised in Akita, she is a hardcore Akita native! She is Deputy Chief Editor for the free magazine “non-biri”.

Photographs by Yoma FUNABASHI

4Challenge! Baramori

I was so impressed by the way these elderly ladies handled their
spatulas as they served out the ice cream.
I really wanted to try doing it myself! I asked Chigama-san if I could
have a go at it myself, and he set me the challenge of making a
baramori!

CHIGAMA
You’ll be fine at this. When junior high school students come here for a factory visit, they can all do it without any problems.
YABUKI
In that case, I can’t be seen to fail at this! (laughs). Right, I’ve got my headscarf on to give me strength. Wish me luck!
CHIGAMA
If the ice cream is too soft, it will end up very thick and not looking like a rose. But it can’t be too hard either. It just needs to be starting to melt. Like this…
YABUKI
Cool! So you make the sides of the flower stand up vertically, right? As you keep doing this, I can see the rose gradually appearing… Ha ha…I think Emiko might be better at this than you, Chigama-san (Laughs).
CHIGAMA
Yep, she really knows what she’s doing!
YABUKI
Is there a knack to holding the spatula as you do this?
CHIGAMA
You scrape the side of the tub with the spatula like this. You want to try?
YABUKI
Ah, I get it! Round the inside edges like this, right? I don’t think I’ve picked it up yet. I still don’t really know what I’m doing. Anyway this is just a practice. I’m just having a go! So I just dab at the sides like this.
CHIGAMA
You have to fill the middle of the cone right up.
YABUKI
Slowly, slowly…it’s coming up… Emiko-san said to keep your left hand soft, didn’t she? It’s so difficult! Do all the ladies get a training session like this to learn what to do?
CHIGAMA
They’ve all learned how to do themselves. Watch it! You can’t redo it. You have to get it right first time. If you don’t get the right shape for each petal with the spatula with one go, you won’t be able to make the rose.
YABUKI
What’s going on now! You should’ve told me that earlier! Oh dear! It doesn’t look anything like a rose!
CHIGAMA
You’re getting there. Don’t worry!
YABUKI
It looks like a square… Emiko-san keeps the yellow and pink separate so it looks really pretty. But my one’s really messy!
CHIGAMA
I think this is really good for your first time.
YABUKI
You think it’s OK?
CHIGAMA
Good, good, good.
YABUKI
The old ladies are so good at this aren’t they?
Frustrating! It’s a clumsy effort but it still tastes
delicious!
CHIGAMA
Do it for another three days and you’ll really get the hang of it.
YABUKI
Well, I can’t really compete with someone who’s been doing it for over 10 years can I? (laughs) Anyway, when the weather’s hot we’re really grateful to see these ladies selling their ice cream aren’t we?
CHIGAMA
It’s actually surprisingly cool underneath those parasols. But having said that, they’re quite expensive.
YABUKI
Ha ha!
CHIGAMA
They are different to ordinary parasols. Last year, we had 20 parasols and we had to replace all of them.
YABUKI
You have to have the right kit to do the job properly, I suppose. Chigama-san, is there someone who will take over the business after you?
CHIGAMA
It’s going to be my son, but it’s tough to make a living out of this. Our sales in the prefecture are a third of what they used to be.
YABUKI
What’s the reason for that?
CHIGAMA
People are used to it.
YABUKI
You mean people think they’ve tried it already so no need to try it again?
CHIGAMA
That’s right.
YABUKI
So maybe you have to go outside the prefecture now, I suppose.
CHIGAMA
The ice cream sells really well in the Kanto area. In restaurants there for example. I think they might start getting a bit bored of it soon though.
YABUKI
Oh dear. I don’t think that’s true. How do you feel then, having done this for 40 years?
CHIGAMA
Well, I’m glad to have come this far without quitting.
YABUKI
If you spend the summer selling ice cream, what do you do in wintertime?
CHIGAMA
When October comes I go off to Hachirogata to go fishing for whitebait. Then from December, I’m fishing for hatahata (sandfish) in Oga. Then from January, I’m clearing away snow in Akita.
YABUKI
Busy, eh? There’s lots of jobs out there, but the job of a babahera always carries on doesn’t it?
CHIGAMA
Yep. I feel I can’t stop now. These ladies have been working for a very long time. When I went through tough times, they did all they could to help me and to keep me going. I can’t just quit whenever I feel like it.
YABUKI
I see.
CHIGAMA
Up until last year we had an 84 year old lady working here. I couldn’t say to her, “It’s time for you to quit.” It’s up to the person themselves to say, “I’m too old to do this anymore.”
YABUKI
Right, right. What would you say if a younger person came in and wanted to do this?
CHIGAMA
I’d hire them.
YABUKI
So you wouldn’t refuse anyone who asked for a job, and you’d never tell them to quit either…!
CHIGAMA
That’s right. If you want part-time work, then that’s great.
YABUKI
Oh! What’s your standard for hiring?
CHIGAMA
Nothing.
YABUKI
But once you start, it’s completely up to me to decide when to quit right? Do you pay by the hour?
CHIGAMA
It’s a daily rate. And you get a commission if you sell a lot. So if you do well you can make about 20,000 yen a day.
YABUKI
Oh! That’s pretty good!
CHIGAMA
Wherever you sell during Obon you’ll make at least 10,000 yen. That’s because everyone else who sells ice cream is at home spending time with their families.
YABUKI
On the other hand, I suppose people who return home to visit feel like having an ice cream for a bit of nostalgia? Right then, I’ll come here for some part-time work at Obon. Okay? (laughs).

(In the evening, the ladies return one after the other when their sales for the day are done).

YABUKI
Emiko-san, welcome back! How did you get on after I left?
EMIKO
A group of around 30 people turned up afterwards.
YABUKI
Really?! 30 people?! You had to serve 30 in one go?
EMIKO
Yes. That’s right.
YABUKI
Amazing! However, given the speed you work at I bet it hardly took any time at all. Chigama-san was showing me how to make a baramori earlier, but it didn’t look anything like your roses!
EMIKO
It’s quite difficult doing it with the spatula isn’t it? You have to do a lot of them to get the hang of it.
YABUKI
Yes…I need to come back for a part-time job.
EMIKO
Ha! Ha! In that case, you’ve done well.
YABUKI
Thank you very much everyone for letting me spend time with you today! It looks like it will be hot again tomorrow, so it’ll be another good day for sales I think!
Ice cream ladies
Yes. We’ll do it all again tomorrow!

I realize now how much of the delicious taste and cuteness of this ice cream is down to the hard work of the elderly ladies who sell it. I feel even prouder now when I see one of their parasols by the side of the road.

Finally, why not take a look at this video of Emiko Funabashi making her stunning “baramori”.

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