In our weekly interview on objects, the Insight host tells us about the importance of a staring pet rock, and the toys that follow her into her 30s
Since 2021, Taguchi Kumi has been the host of SBS mainstay Insight, providing insight into current affairs.This year’s show delves into everything from catfish fishing to conspiracy theories and the aftermath of an unexpected end-of-life confession.Next Tuesday at 8.30pm, the show will explore what it’s like to see your biological family later in life.Guests included Australians who found half-siblings as adults and Australians who were in contact with their biological parents for the first time.
For Taguchi, this episode was a particularly resonant episode.”I don’t have a life experience of not knowing my parents, but it really moved me because I didn’t really grow up with my dad,” she said.”I only reconnected with him in my 20s.
“We had a guest in our studio who always felt a little different from his siblings and didn’t feel like he belonged too much. I felt that way at home too – my mum was very similar to my sister, and I was a little bit different about the news and Sports interests are always different.
“Then, when I reconnected with my Japanese father, we started talking in his broken English about football, politics, gambling and the ethics of X, Y, Z. I remember feeling this incredible for the first time in my life, Oh, and I could see where I came from, where these parts of me came from. It made me realize how strong the genetic code was.”
Decades later, Taguchi considers family memorabilia her most prized possession.Here, the veteran reporter tells the story of why she rushed to rescue a small but sad stone from a fire, as well as two other important personal effects.
I’ll save a little stone.It’s small and smooth, with two squishy little eyes.It was one of the few things my father had.I remember when I was very young, looking at rocks sitting on shelves of magazines and dictionaries.Then it moved to a spot in Dad’s car under the handbrake, where it was carefully stuck with the Blu-Tack.It stayed there until his father died at the age of 84.
I was in Kyoto when I found out.My sister called me and said that because of the way Dad died, most of his property had to be destroyed.The first thing that came to my mind was the stone.I burst into tears and asked if she had survived.I still find it odd that at that moment I was back as a little girl yearning for something from my childhood.
Gosh, this is hard.On a purely practical level, my phone is my most useful object.My rice cooker works because I can’t cook rice any other way – but I don’t use it much.So I’m going to choose my coffee grinder.
It’s similar to a pepper grinder, which I bought during the 2021 lockdown.I feel the need to simulate as much as possible.I think it’s an instinctive thing – knowing that I need to stay still, create rituals and feel a sense of connection to something tangible.
It is a pleasure to use it.It’s heavy and feels just right in my hands.I like to fill it with beans, click the gear to adjust the grind settings and wind the lever.The sound is contemplative, the smell and taste are great – but the real gift is the process.I even like to clean it.I disassembled all the parts and used a small brush to remove dust from the springs, washers, cone grinder and gears.
piggy.He was my first plush toy.I was born three months early and the piggy sat in my wet crib.He was made of dark blue corduroy and embroidered on his stomach with two flowers, one yellow and one red.His ears were stuffed with red silk.
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He and I went through multiple moves with me in my 20s and 30s.To be honest, it’s more about keeping him than because I really love him.Or so I thought.During a move, who knows when and where, he disappeared.Another (favorite) toy of mine made it, but not the piggy.I don’t know what happened to him, and every now and then I think of him out there somewhere, wondering where I am, and I still feel the deep pain in my chest.I didn’t take good care of him enough and it really broke my heart.
Post time: May-25-2022