Hiroyuki

Daiso has already dropped that policy. There are an increasing number of items that are sold for more than 100 yen, so I must be careful. Obesity is a social problem in Japan, too. The term metabolic syndrome has become an everyday term. We do eat meat. I must confess that when I was small, say, 40 years ago, meat was still a kind of "luxury item". We used to eat more fish and other seafood. But now, meat is often less expensive than fish. The Japanese think of meat in terms of 100 g, not 1 kg. Very roughly, beef is at least 168 yen per 100 g. Likewise, Pork: 78 Chicken thigh: 88 Chicken breast: 48

Let me answer your questions later. Breakfast photos Ingredient of today's miso soup: Maitake (hen of the woods mushroom) of Yukiguni Maitake. Yukiguni Maitake is headquartered in my city, Minami-Uonuma (don't try to pronounce it ) city. You can learn a lot about maitake from their website. All my family like mushrooms! Shusai (main dish) for today's breakfast: Coarsely ground pork sausage. My daughter's favorite. She wants me to make cuts to make them resemble an octopus (four-legged, though). A common trick that Japanese mothers do when making bento. I had kirizai (natto plus other ingredients) again, without shirasu. Shirasu is a favorite of many childrens (and adults) in Japan. Cod roe is another. I often buy them alternately. White sesame seeds that I used: Husked type. I didn't know there was such a type until recently. It's sunny today! It's been raining on and off for two days. The 6-go rice is gone at last! We use the metric system in Japan, but in certain fields, we still use the traditional units. One go is equivalent to 180 ml and about 140 g. My breakfast: Like I said previously, I usually wake up between 5:30 and 6:00, but today, I woke at 4! I usually start cooking at about 6 o'clock, wake my children up at 6:20, but they won't start eating until about 6:50, so I have to start eating alone at about 6:30. I tell the children to stop eating at 7:15. They brush their teeth and leave home for school at 7:25. More on that later. Closeup of the sausage: I'll back soon. Edited to add: I also made iri tamago (something between scrambled eggs and iri tamago, to be exact), seasoned with instant dashi and soy sauce. I never ever sweeten eggs!

Sorry, I should have been more specific. We usually use pre-made sponge cakes. We have used self-made pancakes several times, too. "Taboo" is such a strong word. Many people avoid greasy foods like tempura and tonkatsu and even meat. Grilled fish is preferred for breakfast because it's so easy to make, while simmered fish is usually for supper. When I once tried to have leftover gyoza for breakfast, my wife remarked, "How can you eat gyoza for breakfast?" Edited to add: I know we should bake sponge cakes ourselves, but I really don't want to use that mediocre microwave/oven combo to bake cakes. I'm sure that all the participants in the Japan Forum will agree.

Thanks for your reply, Detective Pan. It's easy. Just put some water in the carton, close the top with one hand, and shake it up and down. Repeat 3 or 4 times. Let it dry. Cut it open. *** This is my last post today. Good night, everyone. Have I answered all of your question?

On April 24, before my foodblog began, I went to the 100-yen shop on the premises of JUSCO on my way home from hospital. about a 15-minute ride from my house. Daiso 100-yen shop: Tableware featuring cherry blossoms: These are not all. There are much more items there. I forgot to take photos of the food section on the first floor!

Don't ask me. I'm not a serious cook! First wash kiriboshi daikon well. (It can be very dirty.) Soak in water for 10-20 min. Put in a pot, with the water. (Don't drain the water.) Add julienne carrot and abura age (fried bean curd). Many people add a red pepper, but I don't, because the children don't like it. Add instant dashi and sugar. In 5 min., add soy sauce. Cook another 5 min. or so until soft. You can get lots of recipes by googling 切干し大根, like this http://recipe.gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/E031502/

I'm like your husband. Well, I asked my children whether they wanted to have leftover soup with the curry, and they said yes. Sorry to hear about the call. I have only one client, that is, one translation house. The coordinator sometimes gives me a call between five and six, but I don't find it bothersome because it's usually short. White plate? YES!! Don't tell anyone about it.

Not just my mom's miso soup. I still remember how good her hakusai (Chinese cabbage) pickle was, and her daikon leave pickle, etc., etc.!! Nothing like what your mom makes, right? Special blend..., you probably mean "awase miso". Some people do that, mixing different types of miso. Another interesting expression with miso is "temae miso" (roughly, "our/my miso"), which means, self-praise. Everyone thinks that their miso is the best.

Missed this one too! Is it clean? I only clean the house once a week, usually on Saturday, with a vaccum cleaner, that's all. As for the kitchen, I'd like to tell you that I am very satisfied with it. I was always dreaming of wooden cabinets until the architect introduced takara standard kitchens to my wife and me. I was an instant convert. My wife also said shed liked it. Takara standard Japanese kitchen thread in the Japan Forum

Missed this one. My daughter (7) is very good at using chopsticks. At what age? Probably 5 or 6. My son (11) still sometimes has difficulty holding them properly.

Wrong!! I'm a Scorpio.

At around 5:10, when I was washing the bathroom (Japanese bathroom), my daughter opened the door and said, "I want to eat curry tonight." in a low voice. I was just thinking about making either ni zakana (simmered fish) or hamburger. I had to make my plan again. Ingredients: Very basic ones. Carrot, onions, and potatoes. Leftover curry roux. First fry the onions, add carrot and potatoes, and add water. I used pork for meat: I used the Milser (small blender) to grind 4 tbsp white sesame seeds. Add 1tsp sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tbsp vinegar. Dressing for leftover touna (a type of green). Fukujin zuke: This pickle is very often served with curry in Japan. It's sweet, and it typically contains seven types of vegetable. (Cheap ones contain fewer types.) Tonight's supper: Leftover soup, leftover touna, and curry rice. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure how to place the spoon properly for a Japanese meal.) Don't expect a gorgeous dinner in my blog.

I forgot to post photos of the storage area (not much of a pantry). I need to make more efficient use of this area. I know all I have to do is to go to the 100-yen shop and buy lots of items, but I really don't have the time...

I had to cancel all my plans for lunch and a tour of the area due to some difficulty. I had instant ramen, fish sausage, and other leftovers for lunch. Sorry, guys. Photo of the two types of cheese: The one on the right is pre-sliced, processed cheese. The one on the left is a mix of Steppen (sp?) in Germany and Gouda in Holland. I know it's not a good practice to freeze cheese, but I have to to prevent it from molding.

>Thick cut bread for making toast - when did this become popular in Japan? Why is it so thick? I see it also at my local Japanese bakery state-side. You mean four (or five) slices of a loaf?? Thick slices are very popular at kissaten (coffee houses). They were already popular when I was in senior high school, that is, about 30 years ago. They are often served as part of "breakfast special" (called "morning service" in Japan, nothing to do with churches). Breakfast special service started in 1956 in Hiroshima, and in 1960s, kissaten in Aichi prefecture also started it. So, I think thick slices became popular about 40 to 46 years ago. Like I said, rice is the king of foods in Japan, and I think that thick slices of bread are kissaten's answer to something similar to rice. >Along the same lines, I was astounded at the dessert cakes offered in tea shops - the strawberry cake especially - what role do desserts play in your life? That's a very good question. I'm not a fan of store-bought cakes and desserts. They look good, very good indeed, but when I have them, I often find them very disappointing. I like to make them by myself, using chestnut paste that I made from the chestnuts my father sent me. They don't look good, but they are. >I know that Kyoto has the market on certain things, Beppu for blowfish, and Osaka was where I first tried takokai - what is especially popular food-wise in Snow Country? I can't think of anything other than rice and sake. Let me see..., sasa dango (dango wrapped in bamboo leaves), hakka tou (chalk-like, mint candy, which literally melts in your mouth, a specialty of the former Shiozawa town). I'll post photos of some specialties in my area when I visit Yuzawa. Edited to add this photo: My children also like to make cakes themselves. The one in the photo is for my son's birthday in April this year.

I've never eaten umeboshi so I can't say what makes this particular brand taste special, but I can tell you that they are "usu-shio hachimitsu ume," which means "lightly-salted honey plums." And Abra, you jinxed it by saying it was upside-down! ← Thanks, mona. Abra, the umeboshi that my mother makes are very traditional. Personally, I wouldn't call newer types umeboshi. They typically have a salt content of 5 to 10%. I even see umeboshi with a 3% salt content. They are more like "ocha uke" (something to eat with tea) than "gohan no tomo" (rice's companion). My mother's umeboshi are sour and salty, but I still like them!!

I don't put any sugar. That's why it looks so good.

Here is a LINK to a site showing the one that I have tried. It is called "Natori Cheese Tara Just Pack," and it is described as being a "dried cod and cheese snack" on that website. But when I bought it, I couldn't help noticing a distinct absence of cheese (or any other dairy products) in the ingredient list on the packaging. Sorry to mention "quarts" without giving reference to it's similarity to a liter. That's the American side of me showing itself. Thanks to MarketStEl for clearing that up. This is such an exciting blog! How do you keep your home so clean? I'm terribly impressed! And you are not unphotogenic! You look totally cute! The kids look especially cute, too. Thanks again for sharing with us. ← Thanks for the confirmation. I have! Many times. I would call it a chinmi (delicacy) or sake no sakana (something to eat with sake). Here is a link to the manufacturer's webpage on cheese tara. I didn't know how they are called, and I didn't know that the name is a registered trademark!

I'm embarrased! I'm pretty sure that my fellow Japanese would laugh at my mediocre breakfast!! In the initial post of this blog, I clearly stated that I am not a food lover, and I must add that I am a mediore cook.

Processed cheese!

Maybe I can lighten the load for Hiroyuki a bit. If you look carefully at Hiroyuki's cutlet in one of the middle photos, you can see that it's been sliced. So you're right that tonkatsu is always served sliced, unless the actual cutlets are very small and can be easily picked up and a bite taken out of (say, slightly larger than a chicken mcnugget). ← Thanks, sanrensho, for saving my time.

You mean the one next to the rice cooker? It's a thermos.

Before answering all of your questions, I'd like to continue with the description of my breakfast. First, off-topic photo: Sticker sheet in my daughter's collection. It features various sweets. Wide-mouthed kettles for making mugicha (barley tea): I bought one long ago to make mugicha, and it was so good I bought another to boil water. Now I use them interchangeably. They are very easy to clean. Helen, unfortunately, I really don't feel up to doing vegetable gardening this year. I hope you understand. But my son is very enthusiastic. Okra, tsuru murasaki (I forgot the English name for it, a type of green), cherry tomato seeds. Three shiitake logs, together with oyster and maitake logs (hidden): My son gathered three shiitake from the logs yesterday. Current state of our tiny vegetable garden: The two SFG boxes on the right have strawberry plants in them. We hope we can get more strawberries from them this year. Last year we only got one (really!). Another SFG box: It has lettuce plants in it. Overall view of our garden: So much for our vegetable gardening. Before the breakfast photos, take a look at these. First, furikake. I now have these types of furikake: Furikake is something that you sprinkle on your rice. This is what my family call the "furikake setto (set)": The box is made of a used tissue box. Umeboshi (pickled plums) in two containers: They are made by my mother. Very sour and salty. I think they have a salt content of 20% or greater. They never get moldy even at room temperature. I usually turn them into a paste with mirin, katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), and kombu. But it's still sour and salty. Finally, the breakfast photos! Shirasu: Baby sardines. I put two packs of natto in a dish, and sprinkled sesame seeds, shirasu, katsuobushi, and pickled daikon (usually, nozawana zuke is used). This is a speciality of my area called "kirizai". I learned this from my children's school lunch. Mix them well...: A pack of six meat balls: They are good as a bento filling, but are also good for breakfast. I'll come back later.

At around 10 o'clock, I had a purin (Japanese custard pudding), together with a cup of green tea (natually ). Just turn it upside down, and break the pin to let air in. Et voila!

Are you sure you want me to?? Too easy to explain. Just slice shiitake, put it in a pot of water. Add instant dashi . Boil for some time, turn off heat. Add some soy sauce. Ask a professional chef. He will give you a more complicated recipe. This one contains beaten eggs and harusame (bean-starch vermicelli?). Sorry, "clear soup" (sumashi jiru in Japanese) is a misnomer for my version. Sumashi jiru is usually more subtle, with less soy sauce.