Here is the second part of the interview with Elizabeth of the USA 2009 pair:

Question: WCS 2008 Osaka representatives Yui and Mino were invited out to NYAF when you won, did you get a chance to meet them? What was your impression if you did?

Liz: Oh yeah, they were really nice. We hung out with them after the NYAF masquerade. I really loved their performance. They move so well, and they’re really expressive. After the con we were hanging out, and I asked them if there were any new series I should be reading, and they suggested I check out Kuroshitsuji, so I owe them a debt of gratitude.

Q: How was the reaction of your family when you won the competition?

L: They were very excited. My mom said she cried. My husband said he teared up a little, but that’s probably because he was like, “Oh no! I thought Yuuko would be the end of it.” I prefer to work in a constant state of distressed anxiety. I think that was the main lesson I took from working in theater: If you aren’t crying, you aren’t working hard enough. So when I’m in the middle of a costume, my house is covered in shredded fabric, sequins, balls of wig hair, and I’m constantly going, “Oh no, oh no! I ruined it! What’s going on? Is this fabric wrong? Oh no! I made it too big! Now it’s too small! Oh no!” That’s just how I like to work, but it’s pretty stressful to watch.

Q: What do you find fascinating about Japan?

L: I love Japanese theater, particularly kabuki and kyogen. I adore Nomura Mansai so much. I saw him perform at Meiji Shrine a few summers ago, and I saw him in San Francisco in Kyogen of Errors, which everyone should try to see. Japanese puppets are amazing, of course. I’m also a big fan of Takarazuka, except my favorite actress just retired and now I need to pick someone new to fan.
I’m particularly interested in theatre fan culture. I did my master’s thesis on shini-e, which are “death prints” or memorial woodblock prints of kabuki actors. Specifically, I looked at depictions of the fans themselves in the prints, which was a little unusual. It’s an interesting way of celebrating one’s own fandom by memorializing the actor’s celebrity.
Also, turn-of-the-century Japanese theater offers a remarkable opportunity for looking at the performance of gender, both on-stage and off, because there were such distinct approaches going on simultaneously. And everyone was talking about it, so there’s a wealth of available contemporary literature on the subject. It’s fascinating.

Q: What do you hope or expect to find once you have arrived in Japan?

L: Mos Burger! Now that I say that, I want Mos Burger so badly.
I have some friends living in Japan whom it will be good to see again. I hope to go see some shows, do some print club, and do a lot of shopping.
I’m excited to meet the other WCS teams, too. They seem really cool from what little I know of them from online. I can’t wait to meet them for real.

Q: Do you like Japanese food? If so, what do you like?

L: Of course! I write about food for a living, so I pretty much have to be open to eating anything at least twice. Fish eyes, foie gras, lobster pancreas. Actually, I’m in a club in New York called Gastronauts, where we just go around once a month and eat whatever the club founder tells us to eat. Like insects or live shrimp and octopus. It’s pretty delicious, actually. My coworker says live shrimp taste better because “the will to live is made of umami.” I wish she wouldn’t talk like that! She makes us sound totally crazy.
As far as Japanese food goes, I really like wagashi and kaiseki. Of course, there’s nothing better than sushi and beer.

Q: Could you please provide a comment to your fans and readers of this blog?

L: I’m pretty sure all my fans are just my mom’s different sockpuppet accounts. I hope people are enjoying reading all this. If there’s anything you’d like to know, please don’t hesitate to ask! I love to talk and don’t like secrets, so I'm an open book. And I really appreciate everyone’s support. I’m working really hard, and I’ll do my best to put on a good show for everyone. Thanks, everyone!

Thank you for the effort you put into the answers Liz, tomorrow we will have India of USA 2009.