buffy

What fantastic news! Where will you be going on this trip?

This week's Freakonomics podcast is very interesting. It's titled "Should tipping be banned?" It mainly focuses on the data collected over years by a Cornell professor. Very interesting listening.

My early favorite is that Lobster Cracker Jack!! That looked so delicious.

Wow, minas! Thanks for that link. Never seen that site. Missed a couple of the new season and was at a loss on where to find them.

Last week's episode featured Chef Hamada and was battle Kagoshima Beef. Chef Hamada's team just placed 3rd in the Bocuse d'Or. His dessert was amazing. It was a Mont Blanc, but the inside was beef filet and foie gras. http://www.fujitv.co.jp/ironchef/records/130125.html

Reading this thread has me wanting to get a pressure cooker asap! Does anybody have an opinion on t-fal pressure cookers? The clipso series seems to be the ones being sold at the biggest discount on the Japanese Amazon site.

Thanks for the updates! I am heading there in August. Got at least 4 places to try at the Cosmo now.

Yes, I have experienced that before in a yakitori restaurant here in Hiroshima. No menu or prices, either. Good question on what to call it, but I think omakase does fit the bill. How many kushi did you eat before you asked the chef for the bill?

I also recommend Hiroshima and Miyajima. You should try Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. Oysters are also a speciality here. To the north of here on the other coast is Izumo which is famous for Izumo-soba. It also has one of the most beautiful shrines in Japan, Izumo Taisha. Not sure if you will be on a train pass or not, but Kurashiki is easily done as a day trip from here. If you want an island experience, check out Shiraishi Island in Okayama Prefecture.

McDonald's fries dipped in a shake, preferably chocolate, but strawberry is good as well. Fritos on a ham and American cheese sandwich with French's mustard. I absolutely love Fritos and stock up on them whenever I go back to the USA. I guess it's a good thing I don't get over there very often these days.

Wonderful idea! And to think I just stumbled upon this thread while searching for a new recipe for egg salad. Now have to go find some decent bacon.

That is one of my favorite drinks!! I haven't noticed the blood orange one, I'm going to have to check it out. I have really been enjoying the blood orange hi-chu. ← Haven't seen the blood orange down this way yet, been looking for it since I saw the post. I have to agree with you both, the grapefruit is awesome! The wide top kind of reminds me of drinking Mickey's Big Mouth beer, too.

The Quarter Pounder finally arrived in Hiroshima. Looks like it will be nationwide soon. Sad thing about the quality of burgers in this city is that the QP is now the best burger in town. Got to get working on opening a burger joint here!

Hiroshima has great okonomiyaki, very different from Kansai-style, and is also famous for oysters. If you are on a rail pass, you can do an easy day trip from the Kansai area if you don't feel like staying the night.

my local supermarket hasn't had butter for weeks. it is beginning to piss me off. have had to go to upscale markets and either get French butter or top quality Japanese butter like the Trappist butter from Hokkaido (delicious but not cheap).