Sweetness & Lightning Volume 8

The girls are growing up in Sweetness & Lightning volume 8. Kotori has to start thinking about what she’ll do after school, while Tsumugi has begun elementary school.

Tsumugi has well learned the pleasure of sharing food with others, but when she tries to share her school lunch, her motivations are misunderstood. That’s ok, because she and her father and Kotori can make their own version at home.

More serious is how Kotori has learned that some people don’t want to be her friend, and what she can do to repair thoughtless words spoken in the past. Of course, this involves food, specifically, a make-your-own-sandwich party for a few of her classmates. Kotori even gets to make her very own dish, while I was entertained (having spent years in Texas) by how guacamole is introduced. It’s considered a sandwich filling, put on buttered bread, instead of a dip, which made me giggle.

Another story is also about thinking more carefully about the needs and wants of others, as Kotori wants to get her father a birthday gift he really likes, instead of one he likes just because she gave it to him. Meanwhile, Kotori is surprised her parents aren’t more pleased with her interest in continuing the family business. She is being encouraged to think deliberately about her options instead of making easy choices. Once she gets past her dismay at their initial reactions, she better understands the sensible advice.

The standout recipes for me came from a chapter where they dug their own clams at the beach and used them in miso soup and shellfish rice. It was so simple but sounded so tasty. Plus, it was a welcome reminder that summer will come eventually.

Sweetness & Lightning is a comfortable, heart-warming series that is always a pleasant read.