Rice Balls for the Reunion: Showing How Characters Respond

Wet Hands, Gentle Press

1On the morning of our family reunion, Grandma and I stood at her kitchen counter with a giant pot of warm rice between us. Forty relatives were coming to her house that afternoon, and our job was to make the rice balls.

2Grandma scooped rice into her palms, pressed a small pickled plum into the middle and turned it three times. In a few seconds, she held a perfect triangle. "Your turn, Mika," she said.

3I grabbed a handful of rice. It stuck to my fingers like glue. I squeezed, and grains squished out between my knuckles. When I opened my hands, my rice ball crumbled onto the counter in a lumpy pile.

4"This is impossible!" I groaned, flicking rice off my thumb. "Mine looks like a snowbank that fell over."

5Grandma didn't laugh. She filled a small bowl with cool water and sprinkled a pinch of salt into it. "Dip your hands first," she said quietly. "Wet hands, gentle press. Rice is like people. If you squeeze too hard, it falls apart."

6I dipped my fingers, took a deep breath and tried again. This time I cupped the rice loosely and pressed softly, turning it the way Grandma had. The grains held together. My triangle was a little lopsided, but it stayed in one piece.

7"Look, Grandma!" I cried, holding my rice ball up high. Grandma's eyes crinkled at the corners, and she nodded once. "Now you can teach your cousins," she said.

8By noon, we had filled three trays. At the reunion, my uncle bit into a lopsided rice ball and asked who had made it. I didn't say a word. I just smiled and reached for another one.