Okawari: Parenting with Sake

Sake On Air

In last week’s episode I interviewed Elliot Faber of Sake Central in Hong Kong If you missed that conversation, I encourage you to hit pause, go back, and check that out.

We had a very lengthy conversation, some of which wound up on the cutting room floor.

There was one topic, however, that after cutting it from the initial interview, after going back, I started thinking that maybe we ought to put out into the world.

Being a newly minted father himself, our conversation naturally shifted to the topic of parenting while working in the drinks business, and more specifically, the sake business.

As a father of two myself, it’s something that I think about regularly, struggle with frequently, and live with daily.

The thoughts and experiences that Elliot and I shared are by no means meant to be advice, suggestions, or rules to live by. We fully recognize that peoples’ relationship with sake – and alcoholic drinks in general – are uniquely influenced by many factors, that they’re nuanced, and occasionally sensitive.

More than anything, following our discussion, I just felt that it addressed an important topic that touches both people working in the drinks industry, as well as their families, but doesn’t often get discussed as part of the regular conversation around “drinks” all that often. In the case of sake and shochu specifically, we’re on a mission to not only bring these fantastic and inspiring beverages to more people, but to hopefully do it in a way that makes their lives better as a result. As people with children make up a massive part of the global population, maybe taking a moment to have these kinds of conversations – and then think about how we can be a beverage category that supports families of all definitions – might be a meaningful path forward for everyone.

If you have your own thoughts and experiences related to how you’ve managed drinks and parenting in your own life that you’re keen to share with us, be those sake-specific or otherwise, please do. We’d love to hear them. You can share stories with us @sakeonair over on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or send us something directly to [e-mail].

Thanks so much for tuning in this week. We’ll be back again very soon with more Sake On Air. Until then, kampai!

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.