News Flash about new building in Shikaoi

So we had a little party last night - very unofficial - for the opening of Shikaoi's new tourist/commerce center. It only opened this week with the start of the Japanese financial year but won't officially open until summer - whenever they finish paving the parking lot. There were only seven people but I was invited because I helped with the mural painted on the upper story. The phrase, "Celebrating Stony Plain and Shikaoi's continuing friendship since 1985." That's mine. It was great fun getting it just right from the Japanese. I was glad to help lest they just run the thing through an internet translator and paint it up there for the rest of eternity.



I probably should have mentioned the party earlier but I go to so many work related dinners that they all start to blend togather after a while. All the people I had dinner with had been to Stony Plain before at one time or another so that was nice. I'm also surprised how raukus Japanese can party even when it ends at 9 o'clock. I am feeling about guility about my diet. Everything but two of the courses were fried. The salad was good. What is the best of a chicken? The skin of course, and that was the part that we had, so one doesn't save any calories there. I also learned for the first time it isn't chicken skin but skin taken from a cute baby chick. After seeing my shock they tried to convince me that the chick survived and was released after this process which was nice of them. Two of the courses were tempura, two others simply pan-fried, the rest were breaded and deep fired. It's interesting to ponder where Japanese food's reputation for being healthy comes from.