July 4

In the past, we’d thrown a party on July 4. First year, we humbly grilled on the fire escape by the kitchen window—a semi barbecue party. Our building roof peeked through other buildings and surprisingly had a really good view of Macy’s firework. The next year, our super informed us that he wouldn’t be able to open the roof. Apparently, some idiots threw bottles from the roof previous year. It must have been at another building our landlord owned. We told our guests about the news and still ended up having over 30 people in our tiny apartment. Our signature chili-rubbed beef tenderloin was sold out in less than five minutes! There's no better feelings than cooking for people and seeing the dishes all empty at the end of the party.

To most NY residents, July 4 isn’t all about firework. It’s about gathering with friends. Plus, to me, firework in the states is nothing compared to what we have in Japan where it is a traditional craft. This year, we were invited to our friend’s high-rise mid-town apartment. Although the “Spider Man” building blocked the view, we enjoyed the food and friends—and that’s all you need.