Chop, Chop, Hopestersan!

When Hope was wandering around making trouble this week out of (I suspect) boredom with non-choke-hazard toys, I played one of my aces in the hole - a wrapped present preserved from Christmas, trotted out with much ceremony. The gift in question was a wooden sushi set from Auntie Ellen - something we tucked away for a rainy day, which is exactly what we faced on Thursday. "A present to Hope!" - she shrieked with delight. I patted myself on the back.

The sushi set is ingenious and hilarious - faux tuna and california rolls, various nigiri complete with detachable nori wrapper, some ginger and wasabi (which Hope calls salami and pickle), a bowl of soy sauce, a santuko knife, and of course, chopsticks. It's all held together with velcro, which the santuko does a neat job "slicing" with a satisfying rrrrrip. The chopstick ends are velcro hook on one, loop on the other, requiring about as much skill to handle as a real pair, but without the mess.

The one rule we have with the toy, which she self-enforces quite dramatically, is that sushi belongs on the table, not on the floor where Zane can get it. The ginger (salami) took flight while she was playing today, resulting in a sudden outburst, clamber off her chair, and quick repossession, all the while saying "No No No No Zane not get it!" Arigato, Auntie Ellen!