This Is How I Roll: Chapters 8–15

by Debbi Michiko Florence
The daughter of a sushi chef whose Californian restaurant has been featured in magazines, twelve-year-old Susannah Mikami wants to prove to her father that she is worthy of a place in his kitchen.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–27, Chapter 28–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    But Dad had
been reluctant to agree to be interviewed and featured. Despite
being an über-popular chef with a packed restaurant, Dad was
pretty humble.
  2. arrogant
    having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance
    “It’s overpriced sushi made by an arrogant chef.”
  3. attribute
    credit to
    Arrogant was the last adjective I’d ever attribute to
my dad.
  4. incompetent
    showing lack of skill or aptitude
    I was
sure he didn’t teach me anymore because he didn’t want me to
cook at all. Maybe he thought I was too incompetent or unfocused. That was what he had shouted at me when I’d messed up the curry recipe, that I wasn’t paying attention.
  5. orientation
    a course introducing a new situation or environment
    The
program starts next Monday, but orientation is this Thursday
and Friday.
  6. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    “This is the tricky part,” she said, beckoning me closer.
  7. giddy
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
    But when I was done and
ready to cook the eggs, I was giddy. I was finally going to make
tamago on my own!
  8. miso
    a fermented soybean paste used in Japanese food
    Mrs. Yamada placed our sliced tamago on the table, along
with bowls of rice, Japanese pickles, and miso soup.
  9. tamp
    keep in check or under control
    I tried to tamp down the joy I felt, not wanting to be too obvious.
  10. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    I gazed at all the lush greenery, impressed. “Your garden is really pretty. We have a very sad
yard. Brown grass and patches of dirt, pretty much.”
  11. misshapen
    so badly formed or distorted as to be ugly
    Because I was distracted, I ended up with a misshapen rice
ball.
  12. bento
    a box with several sections containing Japanese lunch
    I cleaned up and then packed up the rest of the kawaii omusubi into a bento box, giddy to be able to share my creations with
Koji.
  13. appropriate
    suitable for a particular person, place, or situation
    The tee had a picture of a kawaii sushi roll
with the words THIS IS HOW I ROLL on it. Appropriate for the
occasion!
  14. bask
    derive or receive pleasure from
    I basked in the warmth of her praise.
  15. snag
    obtain by acting quickly or smartly
    Yuri snagged the plate and took it to the table.
  16. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
    When I finally came downstairs, she was sitting at the
kitchen table, perusing catalogs while sipping coffee, still in her
running clothes.
  17. scrutiny
    a prolonged intense look
    “You look cute today. Where are you off to?”
    I tried not to fidget under her scrutiny.
  18. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    “You are going to fix the door?” I asked.
    Mom laughed at my incredulous tone.
  19. leisurely
    not hurried or forced
    “Won’t you be lonesome this summer without Charli? Do you
want me to see if there are any fun camps around Piper Bay?”
    I shook my head so hard, my neck cracked. “No! I mean, it’s
nice, being able to be leisurely and all.”
  20. vigilant
    carefully observant or attentive
    “But I have to be vigilant. That’s pretty
exhausting.”
  21. glare
    an angry stare
    She shot me a glare that shocked me.
    “We don’t say that name in this house.”
  22. savor
    taste appreciatively
    I picked up another nigiri and ate it. “Wow.
These are really good!” My appetite roared back as I chewed
and savored.
  23. alimony
    support paid by one spouse to another after separation
    “Our dad has beaucoup
bucks. He pays child support and alimony, but Mom won’t use
any of it for herself. Anything left over after stuff for us, mortgage, or whatever, goes into our college funds.”
  24. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    The rice vinegar seasoning was subtle and there
was some other ingredient I couldn’t quite identify.
  25. reel
    be dizzy, disoriented, or bewildered
    I was glad for the loud music because I was still reeling from the shock of how Dad’s business had caused Mrs.
Yamada to lose her job.
  26. logistics
    supplying an operation with labor and materials as needed
    “Before you start, I guess we
should talk logistics.”
  27. pry
    inquire in an uninvited or presumptuous manner
    All of Yuri’s comments
filled me with questions, but Koji’s reaction kept me from prying.
  28. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    He puffed up, strutting around like a peacock, and
we both laughed.
  29. casual
    natural and unstudied
    Koji picked up his phone to record and said, “I can
edit in an opening and voice-over, so go ahead and describe what
you’re doing. Don’t worry about making mistakes or anything.
We can keep this casual.”
  30. sliver
    a thin fragment or slice that has been shaved from something
    “I’m using black
olives to make my lamb.” I sliced an olive, using half for the face
and slivers for the ears, tail, and legs.
  31. sidle
    move sideways
    She sidled up
next to him, leaning against his arm.
  32. seamless
    perfectly consistent and coherent
    And he’d edited the footage of our “cooking
show” into a seamless how-to video.
  33. squelch
    suppress or crush completely
    I couldn’t squelch the happiness bubbling up in me.
  34. wield
    handle effectively
    I found my mom wielding some kind of machine against the floor.
  35. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    I eyed the floor warily. “Does that mean I have to help you
install them?”
  36. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    On the way to the tile place, I asked Mom, “What does Dad
think of your new hobby?”
    “He’s just as skeptical as you are.”
  37. vain
    having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
    Let me be clear, I’m not typically a vain person. I mean, I
like to look decent, but unlike my friend Esme, I’m not up on
the latest fashion or in love with designer labels.
  38. steep
    set at a high angle (of a slope)
    I dashed down the steep stairs, squealing as I spotted Liv
and Alana, and wrapped them up in a big group hug.
  39. suave
    having a sophisticated charm
    “Who cares about the
food? The boy! His voice! Super suave.”
    “Suave?” I burst out laughing.
    “Make fun all you want,” Alana said, swatting me, “but he
could be, like, a voice-over actor for commercials or audiobooks.
He has a swoony voice.”
  40. gush
    praise enthusiastically
    “You were awesome, Sana!” Alana gushed.
Created on Sun May 19 16:32:40 EDT 2024 (updated Mon May 20 15:22:57 EDT 2024)

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