torakris

NO!!!! was it supposed to be good? I cannot imagine the flavor. The wasabi ice cream has kept me up at nights thinking about it. I want to make some. Was it sweet? Any other Flavors? no it wasn't really sweet at all, I think thats why it bothered me, it just tasted like wasabi (though I am sure there was some sugar added). I think for me it was psychological, ice cream = sweet, I have a hard time with savory in what should be sweet. The wasabi level was perfect though, the nose pinching heat was mellowed by the cream but not to the point where its bite was lost. They also had a take no sumi (bamboo "ink") flavor that was black. I never knew bamboo had ink and had no idea what it tasted like, but I couldn't get the image of ika no sumi (squid "ink"), which I love by the way, out of my mind. Maybe next time................ the one I finally ended up ordering was cassis (sp?) and it was wonderful! and sweet!

the white, circular things? yes

Thursday dinner: temaki zushi (sushi handrolls) with a purchased sashimi set plus fake crab legs shiso and shishito form the garden kaiware (daikon sprouts) cucumbers dashi-maki tamago (sweet egg roll) my version of spicy tuna tuna with mayo yanaka shouga (very young ginger, you eat it by dipping it in miso) dessert: ice cream

Even when the guys go out drinking? Nope! no tipping anywhere, no gratuities added to bills either. waitresses get paid the same as everyone else. No tipping in cabs, hotels, etc either Ummmm, I tend think there's some tipping that goes on. ooohhh I get it! yeah there is THAT kind of tipping!

Even when the guys go out drinking? Nope! no tipping anywhere, no gratuities added to bills either. waitresses get paid the same as everyone else. No tipping in cabs, hotels, etc either

forgot to mention another recent fave of mine, bean salads. I take a can of beans (any kind though I favor garbanzo, kidney and black beans) and mix it with what ever I have in the house. A couple days ago it was black beans, avocado, cherry tomatoes, fresh jalapenos with lemon juice and EVOO. Other times it it might be some leftover rice (rinsed in a strainer to seperate it) then added to kidney means, some bell pepper, maybe red wine vinegar and EVOO... .. then there are garbazo beans with celery and tuna..... ....and don't forget the rice salads.......

noodle salads are really a great change of pace form the everyday lettuce salads. One of my current favorites (and about as low fat as you can get) is with either rice noodles or mung bean noodles and any vegetables in the house (carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, lettuces, red onions, really anything shredded or julienned) with a handful of mint and or cilantro, some peanuts (chopped) and a dressing with nampla-lime-sugar and a kick of sriracha if I feel like it.

One thing I love about Japan is that there is no tipping whatsoever!

word for 7/25: since we are discussing shungiku........... 食用菊‚­ shokuyoukiku (show-koo-yo-key-koo) edible chysanthemum flowers, these are used mostly as a garnish in their whole form, but occasionally you will see them as a part of a dish or even as the main part of a side dish. The yellow ones seem to be the most popular but the purple ones often make appearances as well, picture: http://www3.ic-net.or.jp/~o-yaski/kiku.htm

sashimi is a lot more simple. Always eat it with chopsticks, fingers are the biggest no-no. The traditional way of eating it requires the piece to be folded in half with the chopsticks and then dipped. Wasabi also should be applied directly to the fish and not added to the bowl of soy sauce, though plenty of Japanese add it to the dish. It is perfectly fine to drink sake with sashimi.

wasabi is not normally served on the side at sushi restaurants in Japan, if it is on the table or counter at all is is probably there for the guests who order sashimi. here is the proper dipping method for sushi: http://sushi-master.com/jpn/whatis/eating.html

http://www.soupsong.com/zmay01.html interesting article on Japanese soups

This year the doyo no ushi no hi (the day of the ox) falls on the 27th of July, this is the day that is condsidered to be the hottest day of the summer and is traditionally celebrated by eating eel which is full of nutrients to help fight the heat of summer. some more info from about.com: Unagi is a delicacy in Japan. A traditional eel dish is called kabayaki (grilled eel), and is usually served over a bed of rice. People often sprinkle sansho (a powdered aromatic Japanese pepper) over it. Although eel is rather costly, it has been very popular and people enjoy eating it very much. In the traditional lunar calendar, the 18 days before the beginning of each season is called "doyo". The first day of doyo in midsummer and midwinter is called "ushi no hi." It is the day of the ox, as in the 12 signs of the Japanese zodiac. In the old days, the zodiac cycle was also used to tell time and directions. It is customary to eat eel on the day of the ox in summer (doyo no ushi no hi, sometime in late July). This is because eel is nutritious and rich in vitamin A, and provides strength and vitality to fight against the extremely hot and humid summer of Japan. So get to your nearest Asian grocery and pick up some eel today!

oh so now it is what we are listening to? I am listening to the theme song to the Hello Kitty show! and still drinking iced coffee

iced coffee

It depends on my mood and my pocketbook If I am browsing Amazon just after payday and see a book that sounds interesting I buy it with one-click, no thinking whatsoever. If we are getting close to payday, I avoid Amazon all together............ As to bigger purchases, I mull over it for a really long time and research all the possiblities, before I actually make the purchase.

One of my favorite and easiest ways of preparing shungiku: cut it up the shungiku into about 2 inch long pieces, toss it with a little soy and sesame seeds, then heat up some sesame oil until just smoking and pour it over the greens then mix it into hot rice. A simple and tasty addition to a meal (or a meal in itself! )

One important thing to remember about eating sushi is there are no strict rules, just guidelines on how to enjoy it to the fullest. So basically you should do what ever makes it taste good to you. Occasionally you may hear about some nazi sushi chef who insists on things being done HIS way in HIS place, but that is really a rareity. I have never understood the gaijin (foreign) man's use of wasabi as display of his manliness, like the more wasabi he uses the more of a man he is.....

word for 7/24: 春菊 shungiku (shoon-ghee-koo) 菊菜 kikuna (key-koo-nah) chrysanthemum leaves shungiku is how it is referred to in the Kanto (Tokyo) area, literally "spring chrysanthemum" while in the Kansai (Osaka) area it is called kikuna, literally "chrysanthemum green". The leaves can be eaten raw in salads, but it is more common the briefly parboil them, they are also a common hotpot ingredient, butt hey should be added at the very end of cooking and only cooked for a minute or so as they have a tendency to turn bitter with prolonged cooking.

eating sushi: there is no need to add wasabi to the dipping sauce, the pieces that the sushi chef feels are improved by the wasabi will already have it applied when you recieve it, it can be insulting to the chef to add more (it isn't much different then squirting ketchup all over your food in a decent restaurant) when you finish eating there should be no sauce left in the dipping bowl, you add a small amount at a time (about 1 teapoon) insuring no waste fingers are the traditional way of eating sushi, but do whatever is comfortable for you, plenty of Japanese use chopsticks to eat it as to dipping, though it is more common to dip fish side down, I have been told it is actually a Kanto (Tokyo area)- Kansai (Osaka area) thing. Those from Tokyo (birthplace of nigiri sushi) dip fish side down while those from Osaka (birthplace of pressed sushi) dip rice side down fish like unagi, anago, etc that have already been sauced do not need to be dipped a general rule of eating is to start with usui-mono (delicate flavored) such as the hirame , tai, etc and then move onto the koi-mono (strong flavored) toro, uni, etc, then finish up with the palate cleansing rolls cleanse your palate between pieces by having a piece of gari (pickled ginger) and/or a sip of tea green tea is the traditional beverage for sushi, not sake (sake is fine to be drunk with sashimi though) as to different sauces, this is rarely seen in the cheaper to mid range places, but sometimes the soy dipping sauce isn't the perfect match for a certain fish and at those times a different sauce is served. Fugu sashimi is one of the best examples as it is never eaten with soy, rather a type of ponzu. The different sauces is all at the discretion of the chef, I have seen some places (on TV ) that seem to serve a different sauce with every fish!

weds dinner: Julia's (age 5) turn in the kitchen, on the menu, curry rice (japanese style) we invited my in laws over at the last minute and my MIL threw together yakisoba (Japanese stirfried noodles) and a tomato and hard boiled egg salad topped with deep fried shirasu and a basalmic-sweet chile sauce dressing (we threw the dressing together, together ) the meal:

Mia cooking the carrot kinpira the finished meal edit: I did it! I did it! by the way, Julia and Hide helped themselves to half the meatballs before we got the picture taken!

Tuesday dinner: for the rest of the summer our Tuesday meals are planned and prepared by Mia age 7. cherry tomato gratin carrot kinpira (stirfry with soy and sesame) teriyaki meatballs chargrilled squid tossed with mizuna, canellini beans and chiles with lemon and EVOO (this was done by me ) dessert (also by Mia) milk "jello" scooped into balls with mandarin oranges, pinapple and bananas I took pictures with our new digital camera we purchased on Monday however I can't figure out how to get the pictures form the software onto the internet, still working on it!

Thanks for the link! Since I don't speak Chinese, the names have just been going over my head. This chrysanthemum for example is known as shungiku in Japanese and is one of my favorite greens. One of my favorite ways of preparing it is to cut it up in to about 2 inch long pieces toss it with a little soy and sesame seeds then heat up some sesame oil until just smoking pour it over the greens then mix it into hot rice. A simple and tasty addition to a meal.

iced coffee, too lazy to get up and get a real breakfast