Sake It To Me

After the Ceramide conference in California, a former visiting post-doc, Hiro, returned to Charleston for a week or two to tidy up some experiments for a manuscript that he and a couple of others had written based on the work he had done in Charleston. Hiro works for the National Brewing Institute in Japan and, as a consequence, is very interested in yeast research - particularly with regards to lipid metabolism within various strains of yeast. Anyway, being from Japan and being a scientist means that Hiro is used to working long hours (they say it's even worse there than here in the US). However, with only having a limited time in Charleston before he had to go back home, it meant that he worked even longer hours than normal. Thus, it was no surprise for me to stroll in at my usual 7-7.30 am (I prefer to be in the lab early and leave a bit earlier if i can) and find Hiro there, nor for me to walk past his temporary desk to see him slumped over asleep.

Anyway, today was his last day in Charleston - he is flying back to Japan tomorrow - and so a group of us (20, no less) went out for a dinner at a local Chinese restaurant - Palais De Jade (I may have mentioned it before). The last few times we've been there, they didn't have an alcohol licence and so we couldnt have a beer or glass of wine with dinner. This time, though, it's different and they do, and they also has SAKE, much to Hiro's delight. Suffice to say, it was the drink of the evening and lots of interesting discussion was had on sake, the process of making it, the ways they're trying to produce different flavours and a lot of Japanese customs and traditions. Such as, if your employers (or, indeed, anyone of a higher status) buys you a drink, it is rude to refuse it. Now this sounds like a place i could live! Anyway, here's to you Hiro! Long may you continue producing sake.