About

(or, lots of sentences that begin with “I”…)

I’m Rick Elizaga. I was born in 1971 in Morton, Washington. I live in Kyoto with my wife, Mari.

I started “Son of Soy” in 2004 after moving to Kyoto from San Francisco. I wanted to document bits of my daily life in a strange new country and share that record with friends and family. I originally subtitled “Son of Soy” something like, “Many-flavored blog of Kyoto,” but it isn’t really about Kyoto or Japan, but about whatever is in front of me.

A friend told me, “I like your blog! But I only really look at the pictures and just skim the text.” I admit that I write mainly to fill in the space around the photos. Writing is a big chore for me, though, so over time I’ve written less and less. As of July 2009, I’ve changed Son of Soy’s format to emphasize one large photo for each post.

Why the name “Son of Soy?” I like the sound, the color and the flavor. Tofu, soy milk, edamame, miso, soy sauce — white, creamy white, green, ochre, deep brown. Why food? Japan is a wonderland of beautiful and delicious meals, and I’ve made those a common subject of my photos and posts. I also like the incongruous drama in the name. “Son of…” borrows a title convention from movie westerns or adventure serials, but what can be less dramatic than tofu? But in a new country, or with new eyes, the mundane becomes extraordinary. I think that’s what I was trying to get at.

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