When you place your next order with us, look for a new face smiling at you from the packing slip! Who is this little character?
Masami, our manager of web orders, came to the US from Okinawa, Japan back in 1990, but she continues to stay in touch with the news of her homeland. As the pandemic began spreading, Masami read about a folklore creature Amabie, pronounced “a-ma-bee-ay,” appearing across Japanese Twitter. This scaly three-legged sea creature with a bird-like head and long waves of hair is fabled to have appeared out of the waves of Japan in the 19th century, telling those who saw it, “Should an epidemic come, draw me and show me to the people.”
Amabie has become a bit of a Japanese good luck charm during times of pandemic, including during COVID-19, having been tweeted and retweeted many thousands of times over.
Though there’s no substitute for frequent and consistent hand-washing, social distancing and wearing a mask—practices we take very seriously at Michele’s Granola—Masami will be sharing her own drawing of Amabie on every packing slip to wish all our customers good health and safety.
We invite you read more about Amabie via The New Yorker HERE.