torakris

please post here! I will be in Cleveland Heights (East side) and the only part of the west side I am familiar with is North Olmsted (mostly the area around Great Northern Mall-- for some reason I think this may have changed its name though...) where my aunt lives.

I'm curious to know, is that really 100% ground beef? No pork added? I wish I could buy a pack to make 100% ground beef hamburgers! yes it is 100% beef, they sell a beef-pork mix for the same price...

I was at the Tokyo Costco yesterday! They have always had the ground beef at that price at ours, I pick it up all the time in the summer for BBQ's. From last month I noticed they were actually selling it formed into hamburger patties, 12 to a pack, this is probably a summer only thing. I always pick up a pack or two of ribs when I can find them, but they don't seem to have them half the time. I picked up some gorgeous kiwi there yesterday at only 40 yen a piece (sold in a box of 17), an incredible price for my side of Tokyo!

helenjp mentioned zunda-ae, I particularly love the zunda mochi where the edamame are smashed then sweetened and then formed around a ball of mochi (pounded rice cake). They look like this

To find pictures look try searching under irori, this is the name of the sunken fireplace/hearth. The pan that often hangs above it is often simple just called a kama, or pot. one picture: http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyotrav...antravelinc.htm

I love barley tea, it was an acquired taste though and it took me quite a while to really enjoy it. I too drink it all year round, though it does taste extra refreshing on a hot summer day. The strength can vary depending on what method is used and how long it is brewed, I prefer it on the strong side. At a lot of the Korean restaurants in Japan I would be served what I thought was a strongly brewed mugicha but it turns out it wasn't mugi (barley) at all, rather it was roasted corn tea (called oksusu-cha in Korean). This is now one of my favoite teas andi actually make it more than mugicha now....

I am heading back to Cleveland for a month (where I spent the first 24 years of my life), it has been 1 1/2 years since my last trip. Has anything new and exciting popped up? Everyone in my family has been telling me that I will love the new Trader Joe's up on Chagrin, so I am looking foward to checking that out. Any other new restaurants or shops? East side preferably as I don't really know the west side.....

word for 7/1: えら era (ay-rah) gills not to be confused with エラー　eraa, written in katakana with a long a, this means error. This word shows up daily on my Japanese computer.....

unagi pie, sounds interesting.... picture here: http://www.shunkado.co.jp/

Comeundone's post reminded me of a recipe I had seen for "Chinese" style edamame in which the edamame are boiled with a star anise and then eaten as you would regular edamame. I still haven't tried it yet but it sounds quite good.

talking about innards and guts in the daily nihongo thread today reminded me of this thread......

it is that time of year again!!

Check out helenjp's pickle based food blog currently going on: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=45950&hl=

There are some other parts of the fish that are helpful to know. words for 6/30: 内臓　naizou わた　　wata These are both words for fish innards or guts, while they are removed in most cases, in some fish they are considered a "delicacy" and enjoyed along with the fish. Sometimes they are left in the fish and cooked, other times they are removed, chopped up, and then spread on the fish and grilled or maybe even stirfried together.

I have no idea what the HTST means, maybe Helen does, but you can buy the canned coffee here either hot or cold. Even in the same vending machine. Convenience stores also have a special storage area (like a hot refrigerator?) usually near the register to buy hot drinks.

Helen, I am so looking foward to your blog!! So that is what the other side of Tokyo looks like........

word for 6/29: ウロコ uroko (oo-rhoe-coe) fish scales As tai is quite a scaly fish and often eaent skin and all, the first part of most recipes using tai will tell you to remove the uroko. Thi can be down with a fish scaler or as more traditionally down in Japan, wit a piece of daikon.

I saw myouga-take a couple days ago at the store and realized I have been seeing this for years and I always thought it was thin udo! I made a cold miso soup for the first time last year. My husband, who doesn't really care for miso soup , loved it! It will definitely be on the menu more this year. We all love cold soups, I make lots of gazpachoor Indian style yogurt based soups, but not normally with Japanese food... With Japanese food one favorite is a cold Korean style wakame and cucumber soup with ginger, I also like simple tomato soups, avocado soups and cucumber soups.

It is funny that you metioned that, because I just saw it 3 days ago at Seijo Ishii, the sriracha that is. Same size, same price! Try Tomizawa for pure peanut butter, I have never had it but my friend is in love with it. tomizawa: http://www.tomizawa.co.jp/

word for 6/28: たいやき taiyaki (tie-yah-key) Taiyaki is a sweet snack, it is made with a batter filled with (most popularly) anko (sweetened bean paste), then cooked over a flame in a tai shaped mold. There is not actually any fish in the product! taiyaki: http://www.246.ne.jp/~i-ozawa/taiyaki.jpg a previous thread on taiyaki: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=21176

word for 6/17: 鯛味噌 tai miso (tie me-sew) This is a miso product made either with fish paste (cheaper versions) or with cooked flaked tai meat. it can be used in soups, plain with rice, spread on foods and grilled or even spread on toasted bread. tai miso http://www.siip.city.sendai.jp/kankokoryu/...ges/taimiso.gif

With 3 small kids I rarely have time to prepare picnic lunches in the morning, so I normally do it the night before. Here are some things that taste even better if you let them sit overnight: stuffed sandwiches, take a large round bread, cut off the top 1/4 pull out the insides and pack it with any fillings you desire, meats, cheese, vegetables, etc. fill it all the way to the top put the top back on and wrap it tightly in foil. One of my favorites I make with a good ham, goat cheese, tomatoes, roasted peppers (jarred), basil and a quick spread of chopped black olives and garlic. rice salads, cook the rice (I use Japanese rice because it is what I have in the house) in boiling water like pasta, then pour into a colander and rinse. Dress with anything you have. One of my favorites is a Greek style one with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes (tiny ones that I keep whole so they don't get mushy), feta cheese, kalamata olives and lots of oregano and parsley, dressed with EVOO and red wine vinegar. fritattas these can be filled with anything your heart desires, here is my recipe for a zucchini one: http://recipes.egullet.com/recipes/r311.html Another cuisine to look to for good ideas is Japanese the Japanese bento (box lunch) isn't much different than a picnic and many Japanese can be amde a couple days in advance and are great at room temp. one thing I always talk on picnics is a frozen bag of pre-cooked, pre-salted edamame (green soybeans), I am not sure how well stocked most Asian grocers are, but these are wonderful. Since they are already cooked and seasoned all they need to do is defrost. I use them as an ice pack with our lunch and by the time it is lunch time, they have defrosted to perfection!

therese, those sound like sembei (rice crackers), the amakara is short for amai-karai, Amai meaning sweet and karai meaning salty, this is a ver popular flavor combination in simmered type foods as well as snacks.

tai no ko can also be made into a shiokara: http://www.tatukaya.co.jp/tainoko.html

word for 6/26: 鯛の子 tai no ko (tie-noh-koh) the eggs from tai: http://www.e-recipe.org/features/osechi2004/24.html