To understand the taste of shiso leaf, you have to try it yourself. Herbaceous? Citrusy? A hint of mint? Or is that basil? I might say cilantro, but haters of cilantro aren’t necessarily opposed to shiso. The taste is an interesting and unique one. A friend introduced me to it, and even gave me a potted plant of my own, which I promptly killed. Or so I thought. You can see the the remains of the shiso pot in the photo above and, interestingly enough, a shiso plant growing beside it.

When I moved from a college dorm into an apartment, my mother helped me stock my kitchen, allowing me to use precious Greenbax Stamps to purchase a sleek white hand mixer. When she saw it, she asked to trade, offering me her Iona avocado green mixer, a wedding gift from my father’s college friend English McCutchen. The mixer was only 20 years old then, and in fine condition.  My parents were married on June 5th, 1971. It was a beautiful day and the marriage was a good one.