It's My Birthday and I'll Eat Ice Cream if I Want To

You know how one can tell if she is really, truly, 23?

The age changed automatically in her blogger profile. On a blue note, grad apps have made me so wound-up that several months ago, my friend and I figured out that I was having my quarter-life crisis (there was a point that I was considering to screw academia and go to law school, which for my friend was a troubling reaction to see from me, considering I never said a peep about law school before). I have always been a bit mature for my age (so people tell me) so I wasn't surprised that it came at 22 as opposed to 25.

I am 23. Hmm. Interesting. It has a nice ring to it. 22 is still too close to 21, the "Yeah! I'm finally legal! LET'S PARTY!" age.

Life is like wine - it gets better with age.

And I truly mean that. I am still in my early 20's but 20-22 was awkward. I'm looking forward to my mid and late 20s.

For my birthday, I celebrated twice. Last Friday, I went with Waiyee for Indian food, and to the Light-Up at Kiyomizu-Dera. Kiyo is very famous for it's fall foliage. So famous that the place is crowded with tourists and the temple extends it's hours till 9:30pm with strategic lighting displays. For all its touristyness, it was very pretty. That white stick in the third picture is Kyoto Tower. It's downright ghastly close-up, but gorgeous at night. The view of the city from Kiyo is amazing (I have been there once before when Justine came in June).

The Indian food? DELICIOUS. I have had a craving for Indian food for while. It's a chain, and they opened a branch in mine and Waiyee's neighborhood. Reason number 13454 why I love my neighborhood. Affordable (1300yen for a dinner set), AUTHENTIC (it's run by Indians) and tasty (with 5 different levels of spicy; I had level 3) Indian food.

After Kiyomizu, we walked up back to Shijo and had cake, to which Waiyee treated me at Lipton. I had a waffle with bananas, vanilla and chocolate mousse ice cream and chocolate syrup and English Breakfast tea. I was stuffed.

Today, I went to Very Berry on Nijo-Kawaramachi with some girls from the study abroad class that I became friends with. Very Berry is an institution, with American style sundaes. I always make it a point to have ice cream on my birthday; as a winter baby I never really had ice cream cakes as a kid. Now, I make sure I have ice cream every year.

Most of them had not been to the Nijo-Kawaramachi branch (it is a chain, I have been to the one in Teramachi). Alisa and I went to it the first time in September, and loved it. It was in a restored machiya which adds a lot of charm to the place.

Yum! Emily and I split a club sandwich of cream cheese, avocado and salsa - on my way back home, I stopped at the supermarket and got the ingredients for it, hmm, might make one again! We also split a raspberry sundae.

I had a lot of fun. I also got some cute gifts which they really, truly didn't have to, but it was very nice of them. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of the sundaes, but don't worry. Very Berry won't be going anywhere and I KNOW I am going back. Again. Many. more. times. In the meantime, you can drool over their menu.

When I got back home, I actually wanted to listen to some classical music, but I deleted some stuff off my iTunes in a deleting frenzy (I still have the CDs back home). So I browsed on iTunes and picked out Yo-Yo Ma's "Bach: The Cello Suites." Amazing, relaxing music to listen too. I heard some other stuff which was good, but for now a solo cello is good for concentration. I might get this Renaissance chorale CD in a week or two, once my mind is not so frazzled anymore.

I submitted School E, aka the application from hell. Thank god that one is done.
Tomorrow: School D. By the end of this week is Schools B and H for sure (I want to mail out my supplementary materials, THEN click the "submit" button.)

By the end of this weekend, I will have Schools A and G done. All that is left are essays for this fellowship (since I had to submit SOMETHING for that for School E, I have it like 90% done) and financial aid application, which all the schools don't require.

I Wonder How Turkeys Say "Gobble Gobble" in Japanese

Or in my case, Turkish.

In lieu of a turkey dinner, Ingram, Alisa, Ted and myself went to have Turkish food. For Thanksgiving. According to Alisa, she put in "turkey" and "Kyoto" into the Google searchbar, and a Turkish restaurant is what she got.

For it certainly turned out to be an expedition. We got to the restaurant, only to realize that we needed reservations, even though the place was crowded. Japan is very weird in this respect - there are certain rules and even the Japanese don't get them.

So Alisa gave the lady her cell number and we trooped back outside, in search of a replacement. Thing is, this is the busiest weekend in Kyoto and all the tourists were out in force. Again, it's momiji madness - the autumn leaves. Pfft. My inner New Yorker says "Go away, tourists! Shoo! How can you NOT hear my bicycle bell!"

This Thanksgiving, I didn't need to take the bus down to Kyoto Station. It took me an hour last year!

But it took about an hour's wait for the Turkey - I mean, Turkish food. Good things come to those who wait because we were traipsing from place to place only to find they were full when Alisa's phone rang. Mmmm...Turkish food! Almost like Greek so I was really happy.

Lamb and chicken souvlaki, hummus, yogurt dip, the works. Not exactly turkey and gravy and mashed potatoes, but the company was the most important thing. To be around friends and have a good time, even if you are in a foreign country, where the largest oven to cook the smallest turkey is practically non-existent. For that I was thankful. We all had laughs and shared memories and overall had a great time.

This Thanksgiving was quite different from last year. Last year I spend it with friends and their mothers and had both turkey and then blowfish the next day - quite different experiences, but being with them was like being with family, and reminded me how mine wasn't there. Add that I was barely two months in Japan and I actually cried from all the emotion surrounding the holiday and being away as I walked home from the bus back to the house that I lived when I first got here. I actually felt very much alone then, and lost.

But now, while I miss my family - and thankful for their support in me being here - it doesn't hurt so much. I am not being cold, but rather thinking that I have changed and grown up a lot during my time here. Being away from family during the holidays does suck, but it happens. I think I am better at dealing with things like that, as if I have gained my footing on my own in this world, and can stand up by myself.

I am also thankful for living in this city and having the opportunity to live here; if it weren't for the scholarship, I would most certainly not be here. Kyoto is great for students and wonderful overall; it's not like Osaka or Tokyo, this big fancy metropolises. There are so many things happening and even though the tourists are annoying I know they are crucial to keep the vibe going. This place is not just filled with little old ladies in kimono. It's a thriving city with a distinct heartbeat.

And because I live in this city, I get to see things that I normally do not see on a regular basis since I grew up in a major metropolis. There are lights everywhere in NYC even in the quiet neighborhoods such as mine and you really can't see the stars, save for Venus and the moon. Lately, on my bike rides back home at night, I noticed that on clear nights, the sky glittered.

When I was in high school I had to prepare for this one event at the science competition, which involved my partner and I memorizing the constellations. I was pretty good at it; I forgot most of them, but when I looked up at the sky tonight, I recognized the Big Dipper.

I had seen it several times before in the past few weeks, but this was the first time that it was as clear as day. Not a cloud in the sky, and the moon was particularly bright. I never get to see a lot of stars, but tonight was spectacular.

It may sound silly, but for that I am also thankful.

O-Yasumi, Yo.

It's late and I need to get to bed. Random stuff:

1) I want the Phildar patterns for the swing jacket, the sailor sweater and the Cabo Marine. And I want them now. (^_~).

2) Red sangria is good. Red sangria with grapefruit is even better. Red sangria, with grapefruit that emits a crapload of more sangria when you bite down on it and is indicative that the fruit was not put in for show, and has properly soaked up the sangria is the best.

3) Vanilla gelato with fresh espresso poured over it from a REAL espresso machine (not that Starbucks crap - not to knock Starbucks overall, but the stuff in Japan is so bad!) is beautiful.

4) I had the best cheeseburger and bite of french toast in my life.

5) Going out to dinner is fun. Going with a friend who loves to eat is even better. Going with a friend who loves to eat in great places that are mere steps away in our neighborhood (we both live in the same 'hood, but different parts of it) is bloody AWESOME.

6) My sister compares the possible neighborhood that she might get an apartment in Rome for next semester as "Flatiron, but close to Chelsea." The other option is in "Chelsea." I turn around and describe my neighborhood as "Park Slope, with a university attached," or "Morningside Heights, but the more residential area, west of Broadway."

O-yasumi, yo*.

(*"Good night!")

Ladies & Gentelmen, I Give You...Itaria-Don

It's fusion, I tell you, fusion! East-West fusion food is not just limited to fancy chefs on the Food Network and over-hip, hispter restaurants!

When one only has ONE stove-top burner, NO oven, a small grill and a rice cooker you either tend to get boring or creative.

Well, today marks the start of my creative streak. Behold!

The Cooking Technique: Asian Stir-Fry

The Cuisine Inspiration: Italian

The Presentation Inspiration: Japanese "Donburi" (something over rice)

The Main Ingredients: rice, chicken, olive oil, tomato, dried oregano, red wine vinegar and a bit of salt. (Don't ask me about amounts, but I did use 1 tomato and enough chicken for one person, so basic rule of thumb is 1 person gets one tomato and the rest is up to you.)

The Fusion Process:

1) Put rice in rice cooker - or cook rice however you cook it. I'm in Japan and Mel is Filipino, so rule of thumb in either Kyoto or NYC is rice cooker. Turn on.

2) Put olive oil into saucepan, and when hot, put chicken in. Put a lot of oregano (so that you can actually smell it, I like oregano, however to each their own, you can put whatever spice but I have oregano and basil on a regular basis). Start stir-frying on medium-low heat level. If you have too much olive oil drain a bit, but keep enough to prevent chicken from burning and to help make the sauce.

3) That's where the tomatoes come in. Dice them beforehand, and when the chicken is 99% done cooking, drop them in. Add more oregano, a bit of salt and red wine vinegar to your liking - its like stir-frying a chicken salad! (I came up with the red wine vinegar at the last minute, I like a little zing).

4) At this point, the juices in the tomato will make the stir-fry more like a boil/sautee - that's what happened to me, since I have a really small pan. Don't worry about it - FUSION! Keep boiling/sauteeing/stir-frying the whole lot (make sure there is liquid enough for some sauce, you don't want a dry pan) till the rice is done - purpose is to keep it all piping hot and to finish cooking hte chicken. But you don't want your tomatoes boiled into a pulp. Taste sauce, add more oregano, red wine vinegar, etc. to your liking.

5) Put rice in bowl, add stir-fry + sauce ON TOP of rice. This is important - putting it on top puts the "don" in "donburi." Mix as you like, to get the taste spread throughout the rice.

Presto! Some sort of twist on Italian food with a further Japanese twist! I call it "Itaria-don." In Japanese, "Italy" is "Itaria" so I just add "don" to indicate that this is a "donburi" or "something over rice." Yum, yum!

If there are leftovers, place in tupperware, put in fridge and select your favorite bento box for lunch the next day. Put the rice in the top part (with the tupperware-ish top) and the chicken/tomato stir fry in the bottom. Add some kalamata olives and warm feta cheese and it becomes..."Girisha-don." ("Greece" is "girisha.")

Hmm...need to get more chicken. And have to wait till I get home for the feta cheese.

Cafe Lovin'

Everyone has their local hangout. Back home, Kathy found Waltz-Astoria which is a great cafe and hangout place; they have wine parties, comedy, etc. etc. If you register, internet is $1 an hour (used to be free but because prices went up they had to charge). it's small, intimate and a great palce to while aawy the hours. More importantly, its not Starbucks and its not crowded. There are people, but its not like crazy crowded Starbucks.

I am writing this blog RIGHT NOW from Rue Ergo, the cafe that I have mentioned many, many times before. I have internet access!!! All the more reason to study here. I can just imagine in the future if I have to come back to Japan for research and writing my dissertation, if I have to write it in Japan, I want to write it here. They are even playing Jack Johnson in the background.

So in Astoria, I have Waltz. In Kyoto, I have Rue Ergo. I definitely do not have to go to every-single-cafe in Kyoto to find out which one is "mine" - I already have.

Ooo, La La! Le Food C'est Magnifique!

I never took a French class in my life, hence the lack of the French word for "food" in the title and my possible mispelling.

As I have said before, Kyoto is overrun with bakeries that try to liken themselves as boulangeries and patissieries. With French names to boot. I frequent one enough to get a points card. But let me tell you, Kyotoites know how to make a good pastry, dessert and coffee. Why else do I worship Rue-Ergo?

Today, I went to "Le Institute Francais Japonaise du Kansai" - The French Institute of Japan in Kansai, if my translation is correct with Colleen and Charlie (I might have to take German or French in grad school and even my German and French classmates said that French is more useful). Le mission? To eat French food. Colleen said that there is a really good lunch set for only 700yen there so I was totally game. Even better, it is right across the street from Kyodai, so it's in le 'hood.

(I took that picture with my cell phone, since I forgot to bring my regular camera, but all the more reason to go back!)

In the end it was 1000yen because I had the cake. I felt like I was in that restaurant in the final episode of SATC where Carrie meets Aleksandr's ex-wife - all white, clean and modern, sans rain and being up high in a building. Tres chic. And the chocolate mousse cake was delicious. The coffee? Excellent. I have figured out that the coffee in Japan (at least the really good stuff and from Ogawa) does not have that processed taste like that in the US - it still tastes a bit oily, but thats from the natural coffee bean (which just adds to the flavor) and it isn't overpowering, but very strong. Delicious. Now I have to find a way to bring about several kilos of Ogawa coffee back home, or find a really good equivalent in the States (and get a coffee grinder too).

The Art of the Lunch Box

In Japan, anything can be considered a work of art. Take flower arranging for example. There is a special word for it: ikebana. I have not done it myself, but there is a particular way how to arrange flowers. There are a lot of aesthetic elements to pay attention to in Japan and it can be quite overwhelming.

One type of "art" you can say that I sort of take part of on a mundane, daily basis is making a "bento" or boxed lunch. Stay-at-home moms make it int an art form, sometimes making Mozart's face out of vegetables on a bed of rice. Me? I am a bit more basic. though I do want those special molds that make rice into the shape of a heart, star and teddy bear head.

Bento box lunches are 4 parts rice, 3 parts veggies and 2 parts meat. I really don't pay attention to the rules, but I always have rice, veggies and meat. It beats a sandwhich and its way healthier. And because of the rice, I am happily full.

The boxes themselves come in all different shapes and sizes. I myself got a more traditional looking one that is very nice for about 1000yen - some of them can get quite fancy, even with airlock seals to bring soup. I once tried to bring tofu with kimchi and ended up with kimchi juice all over my Jack Spade messenger bag. Luckily for me, the interior of the bag is bright orange as well. So here is a bunch of photos with the bento that I have made.

This was my first bento - the small pink bottle has soy sauce in it. Usually I boil frozen veggies in the morning since it's quicker - they cook while I get ready - and sprinkle oregano on it. Once I put basil on my fish and it was delicious. I always grill my fish in my oven, no oil.

Most of the time, I just shove my rice into the top container that has a tupperware like lid. But if I have time, I use this rice mold to make small rice balls, and on occasion I wrap each one with nori (seaweed). Since plain rice with soy sauce is messy, I usually flavor my rice with furikake, which is flavored seaweed and spices for the rice.

And this is how the rice balls come out - 1/2 cup rice gives me 5 rice balls. I always make my rice the night before since I make one cup and divide it - half for dinner and half for lunch. Also saves time in the morning. Like the fish, I put my shumai in the grill, so like the boiling vegetables, everything is cooking while I get ready.

Bento boxes have an elastic that holds all the pieces together so that it doesn't fall apart in transit. I have my chopsticks (which are traditional looking, a small cherry carved into the top of each chopstick) in a Hello Kitty case.

Finally, you wrap the whole thing in a furoshiki - a large handkerchief. I once used my silk Burberry neck scarf, but after I got some soy sauce on it (which actually disappeared on its own) I just use this old headscarf that I brought with me.

And then - you put the whole thing in its own bag, just like a lunch box. Luckily for me, I have a very stylish one - my mini Herve handbag. Now I use it as my lunch bag - hold my bento, a bottle of water and maybe a piece of fruit. Sure beats using one of those small handled shopping bags, like from Bath and Body Works.

Yum!

Making these things are a lot of fun. When I get back home and have access to a bigger, better kitchen and more types of food (its just tricky for my here since I have something that barely qualifies as a kitchen) I can use my box to bring leftovers or make really good stuff. Just like Japanese umbrellas, I am going to come back home with a bunch of bento box sets.

Hristos Anesti!

Kalo Pascha, Happy Easter!

Normally, I go with my family to the local Greek Orthodox church (we have our pick of um, 4 within a 10 block radius) for midnight mass. We stand outside, freeze our butts off when the weather decides to be evil (as it was the case this year for them) and then go over to one of our family friends houses to play the egg game and eat mayiritsa. This year, Greek Orthodox easter falls on the same day as the "Everyone Else Easter," so everyone in the NYC area that celebrates Easter froze their butts together.

When I was in London, I found a Greek Orthodox church - since I was on my own, I didn't go to midnight mass. Instead, I went to the Easter Sunday mass, lit a candle and sat down for a bit.

One would think that living in Japan - especially Kyoto which is not really considered a "major" city for international stuff - I wouldn't be able to celebrate Easter in one form or another. However, the people back in the 19th century had other things in mind - a Russian Orthodox church (pretty much the same thing except for the language and the architecture to a degree) was built in Kyoto and actually considered to be architecturally significant. I found it in a Japanese book about significant architectural sites in Kyoto.

Unfortunately, the church was locked and I couldn't go inside to light a candle. I saw a sign outside and turns out that they had mass the night before from 11:30pm to 3:30am and no mass the following day. Oh well. maybe I will go some other Sunday, if only to belatedly light a candle and check out the inside and see whether or not the service is done in Russian, Japanese or a mix of both. Back home, depending on the priest, everything is either in Greek, or a little English is included for the crucial parts. Kind of helps the Sunday school kids, especially when most of the stuff is in Byzantine Greek.

Afterwards, I was riding my bike along Marutamachi to head back towards the river, thinking that I was going to go chill out at Starbucks. To be quite honest, I am quite tired of Starbucks and there are so many cafes in Kyoto that I want to try, but never really have enough money for it since I can get a helluva lot more coffee (Tall regular in a Venti cup - I figured out how to say that in Japanese) for my money. I think when I want to do my schoolwork I will go there, but for "hanging out" I will go to the actual cafes.

Today was such a nice day, and there is a cafe that has outdoor seating right along the river and on Marutamachi. After perusing the menu, which was in Japanese for a bit, I decided to check it out and see how their coffee was. I ordered a Brunch Set which was a snadhwich and coffee, but I paid a little extra for the strong blend. The sandwhich was a tuna nicoise, and DELICIOUS. It was quite big, and well worth the money, even though I am flat broke. That with the ambiance of sitting outside (62 today, 64 on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday and 68 on Thursday! Woot!) it was a very nice experience. I read my book, brushed off crumbs occasionally and enjoyed the quiet afternoon. Then I went to the Kamo River, read a bit more, then came back, did some grocery shopping and the $1 supermarket (aka "QQ") and then went to the gym, did laundry and cleaned my apartment. All in all, a rather mundane, yet gorgeous day.

Tomorrow is the first day of class. I am kinda excited in a way - tomorrow is also the Miyako Odori.

Oh Man...Pizzaaaaaa....

I really have a craving for pizza right now.

A huge, greasy slice with crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside pizza from a local pizzeria in Astoria. Thin, but not too thin and the cheese and tomato sauce is just right.

Dammit!

I am on my diet too and there is no way in hell I can find a slice like they way they make them in NYC. I have either Pizza Hut, Dominoes or the all you can eat at Shakeys, which I hear is not that tasty (depends on the person, I can eat almost anything).

Maybe when Ingram comes back we can go to Shakey's. And then I will do a kick-ass aerobics workout. So long as I am good for the rest of March with the diet and exercise.

I REALLY REALLY want pizza.

:::hangs head in shame:::

My Dad's Potatoes

It was a while since I had really good Greek food. When Deena told me that there was a Greek restaurant aptly named Santorini in Itaewon, I was totally game and ready to pig out ever since I landed. But we waited till after the DMZ.

Itaewon is the forienger's district in Seoul, kind of like Roppongi in Tokyo. But Itaewon as mega dirty and I told Deena that compared to Roppongi (I have seen pictures and heard stories, but of course this is a empty opinion since I won't be there till June) this place was worse in terms of the "creepy gaijin/ickiness" factor, and she said that some of her coworkers that just went to Tokyo said the same thing. Guess my opinion wasn't that off. Again, will confirm in June.

Deena has been to Santorini before, and I was eagerly awaiting the yumminess that was Greek food. Oh, taramasalata. After many hills and stairs (Itaewon is actually above Seoul, yikes) we finally reached our destination. When I walked in, I felt like I was in Taverna Kyklades, one of the best Greek restaurants in Astoria. Of all the Greek restaurants in New York City, 80-90% of them are in Astoria. Oh, HEAVEN!

The decor was perfect. Deena said that unlike some other foriegn restuarants that take the foriegn food and "Korean-ize" it and then make it worse, this place was practically untouched. I totally agreed. The menu was not only in Korean and English, but also in Greek. I think the owner must be Greek - how else would it be as good as a place in Astoria? Never asked though.

Have to say it was a wee bit expensive - then again, even when I go to the restaurants back home, I never order the feta cheese or spreads appetizers because it's such a rip off even there. Since we arrived during lunch time, we got the lunch specials - SOUVLAKI! And even better, the potatoes that they had were like the ones that my dad makes. You heat up a pot of olive oil, put the potatoes cut into french-fry size and make them like french fries; when done sprinkle parmesan and basil on top. Yum, yum. I love my dad's potatoes, though these weren't cut french-fry style but rather in small round slices. Still delicious and you can tell that they used olive oil - french fries cooked in olive oil tend to be a wee bit soggier than those in regular cooking oil, but the flavor is great. You just have to be a bit more careful and not keep the french fries in the pot too long.

Since the lunch was pretty cheap, Deena and I split a platter of spreads with warm pieces of bread, from left to right: Tzatziki (cucumber/yogurt), Taramasalata (caviar), Eggplant Spread and Skordalia (garlic):

And to top it off, I had a FRAPPE as a dessert. It was about 6 bucks, but it was big, light and sweet just how I like it and best of all, the straw was sticking straight up in the center of the foamy part of the frappe. That's how you know whether or not a frappe is well made. Totally worth it, as I forgot to bring Nescafe and a frappe shaker back to Japan with me.

A Heart of Jam

Happy Valentines Day!

Chen came by since I had invited her over for brunch and I made pancakes. We both realized that it was Valentine's Day; since we had not chocolate, just syrup, butter, and strawberry jam, we improvised:



And just like chocolate, the pancake was very yummy.

Valentine's Day is done a bit differently in Japan. For starters, it's not really a couple's holiday in the sense that both partners take part in buying gifts for one another, going out to dinner etc. etc. There are actual, prescribed rules for Japan Valentine's Day:



1) If you are single and female you give chocolate that is not too expensive (i.e. Kit-Kat, Snickers, M&M's, 100yen chocolate from QQ Shop) to give to your guy friends, and other men in your life. This can range from your father, your boss or your advisor.
2) If you are single, female and you like a particular guy then you give him a little special chocolate in addition to the Kit-Kats that everyone gets - or is it just that special guy? I am thinking the latter, bit fuzzy here.
3) If you are female and in a relationship, then you give the one you love VERY expensive, VERY special chocolate.

Said chocolate is the type that you get at department stores, in the special events floor. Alisa had gone to one of the department stores in Osaka and gorged on the free samples. On her advice (and good one at that!) I went to the JR Isetan after the kimono taiken and got my chocolate fix. There were hundreds of women going crazy for little bitty pieces of overpriced chocolate from around the world, apparently.

But on February 14, it's all the women that go gaga and shop for all the chocolate that is to be found in Japan. What do the guys do?

Here we enter the world of "Funky Holidays That Only The Japanese Could Make Up." It totally trumps the American greeting card industry and their penchant for designating my birthday as "Happy Peanut Day" or something of the sort.

Enter White Day, Marc h 14. Exactly one month later, all the guys who got chocolate are required to reciprocate back to the ladies. As to how mandatory this is, I don't know. If the guy who got chocolate from a girl who like him and wants to tell her the same thing, then chocolate of the same grade is given back. How sweet - they then become sweeties over sweets.

Beef: It's What's for Tabehodai

Japanese Lesson #12 (I think):

1) Tabehodai: ALL.YOU.CAN.EAT.

Other than the nice, juicy steaks that I had back when I was home for Christmas - prompting my mother to comment that I am eating too much red meat, but there isn't much to be had on this side of the sea regardless - I don't and haven't had the chance to eat red meat ever since I left for Japan. Like beef for example. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Yum yum. My "farewell" dinner cooked by Mel back in October was a steak, potatoes au gratin, corn and A-1 steak sauce.

Of course a lot of red meat is bad for you, and it's really expensive here so I don't bother. It's chicken and fish for me, with the occasional meatballs.

On Saturday, the day before the "my bathroom is flooded" fiasco, I went to Prof. S.'s house in Gion (I love that house) for a presentation on a course that he is preparing for next fall: Kyoto's Modern History. When he told me about it, I had the following reactions (internally of course):

1) My mouth dropped.
2) I began to hate those future KCJS kids, damn lucky people.
3) "PLEASE PLEASE can I just at least sit in on the class? I will be quiet, not say a peep and do all the readings and the homework!"

Just as I was getting the balls to ask if I can sit in the back corner of the J-pod next fall, he turns around and says, "You know, since you are doing this exact thing, you could be my TA, help out with the students, etc...."

So my internal reactions changed to the following:

"HOLY CRAP, REALLY?!?! Thank you so much this is such an awesome opportunity!!!"

First off, I'll get more hands-on-force-me-to-think in depth study. Secondly, I would get paid (not that it matters, hell I would have done it for free since it's such a great oppoortunity). Thirdly, its nice "shiny" (as Cat would say) TA experience that would look great on my resume and grad school apps. This was all before vacation but I really didn't say anything till now because of the presentation and that it is still all up in the air. Scheduling and all, but I will make this fit. Not like I have to take zillions of classes, especially in Fall '07.

Fourhtly, I have now more resources to look at. Part of the presentation included a tentative syllabus. What was cool was that about half of the stuff can be found in my bibliography. At least I know I am doing something right. ;-)

The presentation was in Japanese but I got about 50% of the specifics and a good general sense about it. Prof. S. actually introduced me (and this other student) to the crowd of the academic people attending and actually passed around two copies of my thesis (the edited/long one, as of June 2006). At first I was a wee bit surprised but I figured fine by me. One woman actually took a copy, saying that my work was very interesting. I also met a girl, who said that she was in the seminar hosted by my professor at Ritsumeikan (Prof. S. asked me who was my teacher in front of the whole crowd when introducing me); I asked what kind of teacher he was and she said "Very kind." That's a relief - one guy mysteriously guffawed loudly when I said my teacher's name to the crowd.

After, I called Alisa and asked if she was still up for watching Grey's Anatomy together. She totally forgot, saying that she was at Fuji Daimaru with Ted and Tracy (two JETs) - but since I had told her that I was on Shijo anyway, want to come for dinner? (We watched GA the next day).

No prob, I said. Sounded like fun. And now, Fuji Daimaru is my new favorite department store. I want to buy stuff from there, and furnish my future house/apartment with that stuff. Japanese house stuff is awesome.

We all got hungry. MEGA hungry. And we wanted to pig out. So Ted knew this Korean BBQ tabehodai place for about 2000yen. We had to wait a bit when we got inside, but it was totally worth it. We had a starter of three plates of meat and kimchi veggies, and THEN comes the all-you-can-eat. My favorite was this beef called "Den-niku" which uses the characters for "heaven" and "meat" so Alisa and I called it "heavenly meat." It sure was heavenly!

The Japanese are smart about tabehodai. To prevent customers from staying there FOREVER, there is a 90-minute time limit. Fine by us. We got stuffed, and we had all three desserts on the tabehodai menu.

That was the best meal I have ever had while going out for dinner in Japan. Gotta love tabehodai.

Chanting for a Viennese Coffee

I really wanted to stay at the reception for the conference on Saturday night, but I had made another engagement that I couldn’t get out of, and was really looking forward to as well.

I had probably mentioned something about an International Poetry Festival going on at a café near my house. Colleen knows a guy from Okinawa (and when I met him, the first thing that came to my head was “He doesn’t look like Japanese” and Colleen conferred, Okinawans are different) and was hosting a poetry festival and was looking for people that speak other languages. Colleen had mentioned me to him and I emailed, interested. One way or another, I ended up chanting in Ancient Greek Andromache’s speech to Hector from Book 6 of Homer’s “The Iliad.” I was last; each of us had to explain what the poem meant in either English or Japanese. I knew that I had to do that but at the last minute, decided to do my explanation of the passage in Japanese. With a little bit of help from Jesse (another kid on the Monbusho) I was able to pull it off pretty nicely, for last minute. Maybe that’s a good sign.

I did it because this was something that I would not have done normally at home; Colleen had mentioned that the café culture in Kyoto is really good and she wanted to “get in on it” and to some extent, so did I. The café where the poetry festival was held at was amazing – I felt like I was at an old café in Europe. It was very homey and the building it was in actually had a turret-style room and on the outside was red ivy. I definitely plan to go there again – maybe next weekend when I have to study for my midterm and try to tackle an article from Nippon VOGUE. It’s closer to me than is Sanjo Starbucks or Ogawa, and a lot homier. It has a great atmosphere.

There was an artist there sketching each of the speakers. Afterwards, I asked if I could see the drawing he made of me out of curiosity, and I ended up bringing it home with me.

It’s tacked onto my wall in my apartment now and when I move home in 2008, I plan to frame it (as my Kate Spade ads from Nippon VOGUE; I like the design of the advertisements, and I am a Kate Spade junkie. To each her own fix).

"FEEETTAAAAAA!!!!" or, My Salads are Complete

I think everyone, regardless of whether or not they read the book or saw the movie, knows that Marlon Brando's character Stanley screams out "STEEELLLAAAAA!!!!" in "A Streetcar Named Desire."

"The Simpsons" have immortalized it with Homer yelling out something of the sort. I don't watch the show but Chen told me that it was on it, that's how she knows about it. So, the whole world knows.

So imagine what was going on in my head when I went to this supermarket/mall place with Chen after class and I saw:

FETA CHEESE.

With a GREEK FLAG on it.

This is important - when one buys feta cheese, one gets the feta cheese from Greece. Nothing else will do. It wil cost a bit more but there is a big difference in the taste. Greek goats are just better. Hehe.

I have been missing the following things:

My great-grandmother's olives,
Taramasalata
Dolmades
and
FETA CHEESE

Forget the larger portions and the prospect of a steak - that can be found, even at the Shop 99 - you just have to get alot of 99yen little steaks and then you get your big steak. I want my greek food, dammit. I have found only ONE greek restaurant and that's in TOKYO. Guess where my first stop will be.

Getting my great-grandmother's kalamata olives are obviously impossible, unless I either a) make a trip to the olive orchard in Sparta (they were a part of her dowry) or b) call up Theo Stavros and ask him when the next batch of olives and olive oil is coming to my house. (They come by the keg. Our "keggers" involve olives and olive oil, with the occasional soda bottle filled with tsipuro inside.)

I was able to get taramasalata on a regular basis in London - obivously as I was in Europe. Dolmades were a bit expensive. I think that those two are a lost cause when it comes to Japan - as was feta cheese. Or so I thought. I saw jars of the stuff from TheFlyingPig.com (site that gets the stuff from Costco Japan and ships it to the rest of Japan) but I wasn't sure of the brand.

Then - the cheese counter at the supermarket.

"FEETTAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

OH.MY.GOD. They have FETA in JAPAN.

There were two kinds - the first packed in herbs and olive oil and incidentally, made by the same company that is on TheFlyingPig.com. There was a little Danish flag on that so I thought, "Ok, maybe I will try TheFlyingPig stuff, it won't kill me." (The price isn't that bad either). Then I see the little Greek flag. And then I get sticker shock.

200 grams of feta = 800 yen. That is about EIGHT DOLLARS.

Holy crap! I can get a POUND of the imported stuff even at a fancy supermarket like Whole Foods for eight bucks. The Japanese supermarket system has no justice. Even down to a stinking apple.

I bought it though. I had to. I need my feta. And now, my salads are complete.

I'm a Survivor, I'm a Blowfish Eater

On a normal, day it takes me about 15 to 20 minutes to get to Kyoto Station. I love the fact that I live right next to two really convenient bus lines. The 206 takes me to Kyoto Station. The 201 takes me to Shijo-Kawaramachi.

But on Thursday (Happy Turkey Day to all!!) it took me an HOUR to get to Kyoto Station. Don't ask me why. I saw alot of people walking around and alot of people at temples; the 206 goes past Yasaka Jinja in Gion, Kiyomizu-dera and Sanjusangendo-dera.

Seriously! What is up with the people in the streets and the temples/shrines? I know that 11/23 was Labor Thanksgiving Day but do they take something like that that seriously in Kyoto? There is always some holiday or festival here, so I have no clue. It's a year long party here.

I got to the Hilton Osaka (where Colleen's mom was staying before heading onto Kyoto) and met up with Colleen. The Hilton is NICE. It beats the regular American Hiltons, hands down. The view was great and in the Excutive Lounge, they had free aperitifs, and little desserts with Moet & Chandon champagne, the whole nine yards. And, the whole hotel was decked with all the boughs of holly that Osaka had to offer. Really nice Christmas Trees.

So, I met Colleen's mom (awesome, nice lady) and we all trooped off for turkey. We went to Tin's-Hall (a DAMN fine bar, according to their website) which had the turkey dinner; unfortunately, the pumpkin pie ran out. It was a total gaijin place, but not as sketchy as I thought. They had COSTCO sized FRENCH"S mustard! The food was good, albeit the potatoes were cold and I wished there was more gravy. Oh well - for turkey dinner 6000 miles away it was pretty good.

Colleen and her mom invited me to stay over with them at the Hilton Osaka. I am so grateful and thankful for the invitation; it made Thanksgiving more like Thanksgiving, if you get what I mean with the families and all. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and sat in the Executive Lounge, we munched on cookies and had coffee and wine. It was really just out of a movie. All that was missing was background music (or was there?)

So the next day, we went back to the Executive Lounge and had breakfast. MMM...I love continental breakfasts. I had granola, eggs, toast, apricots, some dim sum (as there was Japanese and Western breakfasts) and cappucino. After breakfast, Colleen's mom went for a swim and Colleen and I went exploring around the hotel and the adjacent shopping center. We both found an L.L.Bean; there is hardly any L.L. Bean stores (that I know of) in NYC and I find one in Osaka. Go figure. There was a toebag that I liked (the one that Ellen Pompeo's character uses in Grey's Anatomy) but I wanted to double check the price on the American website. It was about $10 cheaper in the United States; however, when you include tax and shipping costs, its about the same price. So it doesn't matter where I get it - so I might as well get it here. Maybe in January. I need a new tote bag for school regardless - my Herve Bag is ready to bite the dust. It's 5 years old, and is ripped on the inside. It did really well and I have taken it everywhere (Greece, London, now here) so it's time to put the French bag to rest.

After L.L.Bean, I said good bye to Colleen and her mom and met up with my Fordham friend, Mayuko. She is from Osaka, but came to the States for college. We hung out and walked all over Osaka - when we got really tired, we headed on back to Mayuko's house. She has alot of cats, but they were so cute! One of them was a orange himalayan, reminded me of Hermione's cat from Harry Potter, Crookshanks.

Amidst all the cooing over her cats, Mayuko asked me where I wanted to eat for dinner. We had ramen earlier at this really famous ramen restaurant. I told her that anything is good; I don't really know Osaka that well and since I heard it's pretty well known for the food I was game for almost anything.

"Do you know blowfish?"

I surely knew about blowfish. I knew that it was ridiculously expensive, somewhat POISONOUS if not prepared properly, and that restuarants needed a license to cook it. I was a bit uneasy about the whole prospect, but I figured why not - Mayuko has been eating it since she was a kid and she certainly isn't dead.

Mayuko's mom is sweet. We had alot of fun at the blowfish restuarant; it was a place that Mayuko's family has been going to for over 25 years - as her mom put it "Mayuko has been eating here since before she was born."

Eating blowfish is a process. There is a bowl of water with seaweed in it boling to make a stock for soup, and you put some of the blowfish and veggies in it - nabe. There is also blowfish sashimi: really thin pieces of raw blowfish. I was glancing at it a bit warily (raw fish that can kill you?) but her mom showed me that I can take the sashimi and swish it through the boiling soup, shabu-shabu style. So I did that for most of the sashimi. I was getting really full, and the shiitake mushrooms were amazing. I even tried a little bit of this sake that has bit of cooked blowfish in it (I think, or was it mushroom?) for flavor. It was really strong, just as strong as tsipuro.

The restuarant was really nice; very traditional, with private tatami rooms for eating upstairs in addition to the stools and bar downstairs for casual diners. The people that owned the restaurant lived behind the restaurant and knew Mayuko's family pretty well, I beleive. All in all it was a nice experience, and I know that this is something I would not have done if I had not known Mayuko.

Mayuko and her mom then dropped me off at the JR Osaka station and I headed back on home. Every time I take the JR, I have to ask someone to just double check if I am on the right platform - they do indicate it on the signs in both English and Japanese but for all the efficiency of the Japanese rail system, it is sure complicated. Took me about an hour and a half to get home - the streets in Kyoto were still crowded, but at least the but was only a half hour.

Turkey for Me and Turkey for You!

I like Turkey Day.

I like it alot. Turkey, gravy, stuffing, my mom's sauteed peas and carrots, pastitsio (Greek lasagna, no tomato sauce), and all the other goodies. Mashed potato! Don't care too much for sweet potato pie though, especially if it has marshmallows. I don't like marshmallows. Only in s'mores, and piping hot.

Every Thursday at the Lincoln Center cafeteria was "Turkey Thursday." They served up Thanksgiving dinner all year round, with gravy, stuffing, mashed potato, veggies, cranberry sauce and mac&cheese. That, next to the quesadillas and the wraps was the best thing the Sodexho (otherwise known as the distributers of poison) made. Great tradition. Bad for the waistline.

Which begs the question: What are you doing for Thanksgiving, Maria?

I am having turkey in Osaka.

As Felicia succinclty stated: "Bet that you would have never thought that you would be saying that."

This is my second Thanksgiving abroad. The first time around, I was in London; the study abroad program that I applied to to go SOAS hosted a big American style Thanksgiving dinner at a hotel. It was a BUFFET. All you can eat turkey and mashed potato!

However, I was somewhat sick at the time; I was coming down with a fever, so I did not have that much of an appetite. For shame! Waste of good gravy.

But today, oh TODAY, I am taking the JR train from Kyoto to Osaka station, meeting up with Colleen and her mom and going to this pub place for turkey dinner, for 1300yen a plate. It was my idea to go somewhere for Thanksgiving - I'll bet there is no kitchen in an apartment occupied by a student within a radius of 50 miles that can handle turkey. That, and I'll bet there is not a whole turkey to be found within a radius of 100 miles. I read in my Kyoto guidebook that there was a pub that had turkey dinner, but (sadly) there is no turkey this year, due to a lack of interest.

So, the wheels in my head began to turn. Obviously, Tokyo will have turkey dinners galore because a) it is the capital of Japan and b) there are alot of expats in Tokyo, more than in any other place in Japan. So, a bit of trivia:

If Tokyo is to Kanto, then what is to Kansai? (No amount of SAT prep would enable you to answer this one, unfortuantely for you).

OSAKA. Kanto and Kansai are specific regions of Japan, and you can pretty much say that the rivalry between the two regions is as hot as a Bosox/Yankees rivavlry. The question is, who is more crazier. (I hear that at baseball games, Osakans go nuts.) Alisa confirmed that Bosox fans are crazy, as evidenced in their first World Series win back in 2004 in god knows how long. Can anyone say, "1918"? (But that was when Babe Ruth was traded, hence the "Curse of the Bambino.")

I am pretty sure it's the largest city in the Kansai area, and hence, lotsa expat places to go to. Generally, it is Colleen's, Ingram's, Alisa's and my prerogative and mantra to STAY AWAY from places where gaijin congregate. No bueno. We do not adhere to that stereotype! However as Colleen said, "It's Thanksgiving. We need turkey."

Yes, I do need my turkey. Colleen needed her turkey too. We both like turkey.

Next step: Google.

I began a search on places for Thanksgiving dinner, and after 10 minutes I found a place in Osaka that not only has Turkey on 11/23, but also 11/24. Since 11/23 is Turkey Day in the States, we go on 11/23 here. As I told Colleen, her mom being here adds to the whole "family-ish" aspect of the holiday, soo I am really looking foward to it.

What is even cooler is that 11/23 in Japan is "Labor Thanksgiving Day" (i.e. Labor Day, without the barbeques and the rule of putting all your white clothes away). The Japanese like their holidays. There was one on 11/3 that was "Culture Day." I think there might be more holidays here than in the US. Since 11/23 is Labor Thanksgiving Day, we had the day off from school. Coincidentally, 11/23 is on a Thursday; 11/23 is Thanskgiving Day back home. It is also the big "November Festival" this weekend at school (don't ask me why or what is going on during that time) so we also have Friday off.

Can anyone say, "FOUR DAY WEEKEND!"

So, today I eat my turkey. Tomorrow, I go back to Osaka and meet up with a college friend of mine who is from Osaka, but came to the States for college. And either Saturday or Sunday, I go to Osaka again with Alisa, to go to a spa.

Alternatively, this can also be called "Osaka to the Third Power."

Or, "Google Saves the Day (Once Again!)" - I found the spa in Osaka on google.

"I Got Munchies"

No, I did not get drunk and then get the munchies. Haven't even had a cup of sake yet, and I prefer plum wine nevertheless.

Colleen's friend Haru said the above statement, at the sushi-on-a-conveyor-belt place.

Sushi-on-aconveyor-belt has become my friend. For 525 yen I get full. And I eat sushi.

Yeah baby! :::Bad Austin Powers Imitation goes HERE:::

Austin Powers aside, last night was fun. I went bowling with Ingram, Colleen and Colleen's two friends Haru and Shu.

Haru is very good. According to Colleen's blog he was on the bowling team in JHS and HS - reminds me of a high school classmate who was into bowlin. I forgot most of what I learned from the "old timers" at my local bowling alley, and sorely missed my glittery green bowling ball. I'm a lefty. Makes things a bit difficult.

Case in point: when Ellie and Kathy used to play softball back in the ICYP days, I ended up playing righty because I was not part of ICYP and thus, did not have my own glove. I always had to borrow, so I played righty. I am a switch-hitter, though I keep forgetting which is right and which is left.

No matter. Point being, the world is made for rightys, and us southpaws either have to shell out the dough (though Mel got my bowling ball for me) to get the lefty versions or customized versions of stuff, or we have to adapt. It's a mixture of both.

Still, my bowling ball back home is cool. Its emerald green. With glitter. And no one else can use it because it's for a LEFTY.

:::Evil Grin:::

Sometimes being a lefty pays off. There is no one around most of the time that can borrow your stuff (at least in terms of sports) unless they want to play ass-backwards. Ergo, lefties are more versatile. We have to adapt to a world made for righties, and we can still switch back comfortably when lefty stuff presents itself.

However, that does not mean I will operate power tools beyond an electric drill. Operating power tools made for righties is the cause for the highest occurence of injury and death amongst lefties. I heard that somewhere and since then, I take no chances.

I digress.

Ingram took the cake when he put on this costume thing that was designed to make you look like a human bowling pin. Not only did he wear the bowling in costume, he wore the PINK bowling pin costume, complete with tartan skirt and bow.

I actually got a few strikes - Mel would be proud. He kicks my butt at bowling all the time. I think I had a personal score of 137 after two games.

Haha. I suck at bowling. But its fun. Another good part was when Colleen fell on her butt, and when Ingram threw back the ball so hard it fell out of his hand and onto the floor. No one got hurt though thank god.

At dinner (sushi-on-a-conveyor belt) Colleen, Ingram and I were teaching Haru the concept of "I got the munchies" and what a "sketchy person" is. However, things got a little bit lost in translation, and Haru ended up saying "All japanese are sketchy." I was sending a text at the time, and my head just popped up in amazament. Colleen and Ingram quickly rectified the situation.

"Munchies" was easy to explain, as Haru told us that whenever he drinks beer (as he was at the moment) he gets hungry. So, Colleen and I pretty much said that "In the States, when that happens, we say 'I have the munchies'".

Them Hot Buns

Today, I was wandering around the co-op in the basement of the University Centential Clock Tower (or "Clock Tower") trying to find something cheap and relatively decent to eat.

The co-op is great. Its like everything a student needs, all in one floor. Dry cleaning, pharmacy, photocopying, and various sundries, stationary and food that you need as a student to survive.

I always thought that the drinks were cold because they have those dispalys with the cold drinks - you know the ones at the delis that dont have the doors, but rather you can pick up the stuff in. Turns out, not only does Japan have ones that cool the drinks, they have ones that HEAT the drinks. I learned this yesterday, so my coffee intake has somewhat increased. I am trying to lay off the coffee though - hence me getting Royal Milk Tea. It's more like English Breakfast tea, but they way they make it is very sweet so I think I will go back to the green tea.

But, buns?

No, I am not talking about rear ends.

Ever hear of sticky buns, or pork buns? Those of you who are Asian/lived in Asia/know about Asia/eat a good amount of Asian food know about them. They are this doughy little balls filled with stuff in it. I never really approached it until today because I had a eureka! moment and finally realized what they were - not poison.

One in particular got my attention. "Pizaa."

Eh?

Of course it was written in KATAKANA (damn that syllabary) so it took me the required 5 minutes of starting at it to figure it out.

PIZZA! A bun filled with pizza flavoring!

Of course, I got it. It was only 100yen.

This is my new favorite snack. Pizza-bun and anything with matcha in it.

Mmm...BIMI!

There was a barbeque hosted by the KIXS group on the Kamogama delta at Imadegawa, right before it splits into two.

I went there on foot in this town its not a question of what train you take, but what color is your bike. I decided to go on foot, and although it was a bit of a long walk it was a good thing a I didn't bring my bike, even though it was a Sunday. I totally forgot that it was "Park At Free Will Day."

I reach the delta and I see a sea of Japanese kids in the center. I have two options: go around like any sane person and use the street to go into the delta, or take the stepping stones which are in the river to walk over.

You would think, given my history of falling on my arse without even being intoxicated, coupled with the fact that I am wearing my duckprint ballet flats that are a half size too big (they fit me better in the summer when everyones feet swell anyways) that I would go around and use the street.

No. I figured that the stepping stones were close enough and I can do it.

Well they weren't close enough to qualify as stepping stones. More like "hopping stones." Before the family flips out, may I remind you that the water where I was was only knee high, and toddlers go swimming in the river, though the current it quite switft in some places. If you think the Kamogawa is THE place to hang out (again think Union Square, but with water), imagine what its like when its boiling hot and 100% humidity.

So I hop to the first stone. Hop to the second. Have a bad feeling about the third, so I take my shoes off. (The weather is still 71 degrees - hehe, though I hear I am in for it at winter time.) Slowly make my way over, passing a bunch of kids who ask me, "Daijobu?" (You ok?). It was probably funny for them to see me fearfully trying to not slip, bust my shins and fall into the river.

I made it though!

The barbeque was good. All you can eat and all the chu-hi, beer and cocktail soda you can drink (with soda, cold green tea and water too) for 800yen. Lot of kids - the delta isn't that large, but it was swarmed with college kids.

Great deal considering all the beef I ate off the barbeque. I spoke again with the guy that I talked baseball at the initial party, but this time about the New Zealand haka that the sports teams do before matches (traditionally it's a war chant I think, Mel needs to correct me on that) in order to literally scare the pants off the other team. There are a bunch of haka videos on YouTube if you're interested.

Met up with one of the Japanese girls I met and a bunch of other kids. There was this one guy who asked me if I was from JERSEY (no offense, Deena and Devon). Let's just say my response cracked people up.

In order to get Japanese people to understand the concept of "I don't live in Manhattan, I live in Queens" I have to tell them that the word "borough" is like "ku" ("ward") in terms of how NYC is divided, then go through the list of all the 5 boroughs in order for them to get that there is a "ward" called Queens and that is where I live. I need to carry around a pocket subway map with me. One kid knew Brooklyn (go figure) but drew a blank at Queens. I told him it's above Brooklyn, and in fact the "neighborhood" (each ward is broken down into neighborgood so I figured that I would just keep with the analogy) that I live in has alot of Japanese people (which is true).

So Japanese kids learn that there is more to New York City than Manhattan.

Me? I learned the concept of "bimi."

There was this one Japanese kid that looked like he belonged in the LES or in W'burg. His English was pretty decent but we spoke more in Japanese and then he takes a piece of chicken, puts it on his plate, dips it in the sauce, puts it in his mouth and pronounces, "Bimi!" with the enthusiam that Japanese have when they talk.

Don't get me started on how girls here talk in the stereotypical sense. I listen to it on my CDs for my textbooks and I burst out laughing - they are extremely emphatic.

Nonetheless, I have this guy saying "Bimi! Bimi!" and I have no clue what to do. For all I knew, he could be teaching me a dirty word and trying to make me sound like an idiot. He gestures to me that I should take a piece of chicken, eat it and then say "Bimi!"

"Bimi" is a very funny-sounding word, at least when spoken with such enthusiasm. I kept on cracking up when I began to say it. But I did it - twice and he applauded me. THEN he explained what the word meant.

"Bimi" is like the word "oishii" - tasty, or delicious. But the context or the nuance (bah to Japanese and the nuances and degrees of separation) of "bimi" as opposed to "oishii" is you use "bimi" when you see something that you aren't so sure of what the taste will be like, or you really don't like that particular thing to begin with but you eat it anyway. If it's good:

"BIMI!"

Pretty much, it's an unexpected version of "oishii."

This goes on to say that I will never say "bimi" if I try natto in one of its other forms. I know that it's downright nasty.

We're Cooking Japanese, We're Cooking Japanese, I Really Think So!

I had to go grocery shopping.

If you remember my first round of gorcery shopping in a Japanese supermarket, it didn't go well. After getting a few things from Takashimaya, it was still a wee bit frustrating.

So today, I decided to take some action. I went to AllRecipes.com and looked up some Japanese recipies. I did not want to live off a diet of spaghetti, sandwhiches and salad, and instant udon/ramen is downright nasty. Cup Noodle is good, but only in small doses. Since this is Japan, I don't have an oven either, which made things a bit more difficult.

So I got some recipes for a stir-fry, udon, miso and one more thing. Two of the recipes had the same ingredients so it worked out really well. And I put down the usual suspects on my grovery lists: bananas, cucumbers, lettuce, ham, OJ, bread, etc.

I eat lunch at school so it's the dinner I worry about. Like I said, spaghetti every night isn't a good thing. Luckily, I have only eaten spaghetti for dinner twice, if anyone was wondering. It's been salad most of the time. But that can get expensive since veggies are expensive here.

Ingredients for miso soup was easy. I asked a clerk were dashi stock and miso paste was, and easily found the tofu. In lieu of seaweed, I got this leafy green thing to put in the soup.

I had a list of complicated ingredients to make the soup part of udon. I knew I would put like a beef or chicken with veggies in it, but its the soup part the always got me scratching my head. But when I was getting the dashi stock and miso paste (always get yellow instead of red, it tastes better) I noticed a box with the following label on it:

"Udon Suppu"

"Suppu" is the katakana for "soup." I took the box and looked at the back - obviously, I can't read the entire thing, but I like Japanese packaging because they have little pictures. Pretty much, add a little packet of this "Udon Suppu" stuff to hot water, then add udon noodles.

Simple!
Cost effective!

They even have packets for "Karee Udon" which is "Curry Udon." A fusion of Japanese and Indian. Maybe next time. Add two packets of udon noodles for 35yen and I was ready to go.

For lunch, I made the miso soup using the basics of the recipe that I found on AllRecipes.com. Here are the results:



It's miso soup! It's got tofu! It's got leafy green stuff!

And what is even better:

It tastes amazing. I did not mess this up! I made enough for two bowls of it. So I had this (both bowls of it) with a half-sandwhich; the bread is rather thick here and they only come in slices of 6 or 4, so I take one slice and cut it in half to make my sandwhich. I have given up on cheese, so its usually lettuce and ham with mayo. I save my tomatoes for the salad.

For dinner, I made udon. I bought this beef in the supermarket that is really thin and had a little package of sauce with it. So I took half and sauteed it (no oil, I put it in the pan and let it cook in its own juices) and poured half the packet of sauce in it - the rest of the meat and sauce I put in a container for lunch tomorrow so it will marinate overnight. Added some carrots, boiled the water, put two packets of "Udon Suppu" in it since I did not want my udon to taste watery, and - tada! Udon!



I am very happy. My tummy is happy. I can cook Japanese food. Just wait till I get started on my cooking classes. I may not be able to cook much, but by the time I come home in March 2008, I will be able to cook Japanese food.