7-24-2012

Moo Cow loves lemon meringue pie, so today's experiment was in making mini versions that look like cupcakes.  The lemon curd and meringue turned out super tasty, but the chocolate biscuit base was a bit bitter for our tastes.  The meringue was also a little overwhipped and it cracked, but it still tasted divine.

7-14-2012

Today we went to the Toronto Zoo, and this frog seriously had me thinking he was going to hunt me down in my sleep...so instead of just a photo, here's a meme.  It's unorthodox, but that's okay, you can ignore it if you like.

Just remember, he will hunt you down.

07-30-2011

After making the Limone, it got me thinking how I could vary the recipe to make similar filled breads.  I thought about making curry bread and other things, but just wasn't feeling it.  Sweet bread it is.  Here's a cute, little strawberry milk bun, with creamy insides and fresh strawberry slices on top.

07-25-2011

For some reason Japan thinks of Italy when it's summer.  The summer-themed breads at my school are all Italian-inspired this time around.  These lemon cream-filled buns aren't Italian in my opinion, but they are good. The #1 producer of lemons is currently India, where they are thought to have originated.  Italy is #10, but they were first introduced to Europe through southern Italy.  Maybe they were thinking lemon granita!  Anyway, this recipe was exceptionally interesting because it's my first truly filled bun.  This has so many possibilities!

See a variation inspired by this recipe here.

07-19-2011

Pumpkins are fantastic.  You can make art from them, eat the flesh, eat the seeds and so much more.  There are varieties of pumpkins from all over the place, it's great.  The Japanese version, also known as a kabocha, have dark green skin and are smaller than the orange jack-o-lantern varieties.  They're also sweeter, making them perfect for these ultra-sweet pumpkin braids.

07-11-2011

Fish paste weirds me out.  It doesn't matter if it's the shrimp paste Moo Cow uses in his seafood pasta or the anchovy paste in these, it's weird.  But I'll concede it tasted good in these sunny rings.  Part of the summer series at my cooking school, they were named Il Sol, the Italian word for their sunny influence.

07-05-2011

Summer in Japan is defined by fireworks, street food and summer festival games.  This dessert is supposed to resemble the water balloon yo-yos kids get at summer festivals.  It's also made using gelatin and plastic wrap, hmmm.

7-31-2010

An adult beverage, enjoyed in Ikebukuro.  It's called El Cielo and is pineapple juice, fresh kiwi, blue curacao and coconut rum garnished with a lemon wedge.

7-30-2010

Upon returning to Tokyo from camp all the staff went to an izakaya to enjoy some adult beverages and dinner.  As I was walking through the station to go home afterward a guy had three little dogs sitting obediently at the entrance.  The poodle was groomed to look like a heart.  On one hand you may think the dog has been tortured and feel bad for it.  On the other if you consider how much love and attention the dog gets from passersby (including everyone wanting to pet it), it's pretty lucky.

Got permission to take the photo from the owner.

7-29-2010

Still at the English Camp, I discovered a lovely banner promoting...Safety Outdoor?  Okay, well we understand what they meant but how does something like this develop?  Apparently this is now the accepted way to say this in Japan.

7-28-2010

This week the parent company of my work organized a Kids' English Camp out in Chiba and I was chosen as one of the counselors.  One of the activities was to make Native American headdresses out of paper (the theme this year was Native American). As much as I'd like to have posted one of my many pictures of the adorable kids wearing their crafts, it's not legal to post photos of children without their parents' consent so I'll stick to the other counselors.

The camp was way out in deep Chiba prefecture, with the nearest station, Kimitsu, being a 40-minute drive away.

7-27-2010

Kami-Kumagaya station is so small it only has one platform for trains going in either direction.  It also doesn't have a ticket gate.  Instead of putting your ticket in a machine you buy the ticket from the ticket machine and hand it to the station attendant when you leave the station (show it when you enter).

This is mind-blowing because even at the stations without attendants, the stations closer to Tokyo (such as on the JR Nikko line) have a suica swiper at the entrance.  This line isn't suica (IC card) compatible...which is completely amazing.  I am mesmerized by the anti-tech.

EDIT: I say closer to Tokyo but I suppose the Nikko line isn't.  But it's JR and that makes a difference.

7-26-2010

Today is Eel Day in Japan.  It's a summer holiday (sometimes two, depending on the calendar) where you eat eel to beat the heat.

It's rumored that a man owning an eel restaurant wanted to boost his sales so he consulted a friend.  His friend recommended that he post an ad on a certain time during the summer.  During that time it was believed to be good to eat food that began with the sound "u" (eel in Japanese is うなぎ, unagi) and his sales increased markedly.

There are other theories, but almost all talk about some sort of marketing ploy.  Today people say that eel helps your "stamina" and keeps you safe from heat stroke.  I disagree but it tastes good, so I had the bento above for lunch.

7-25-2010

This crew wasn't particularly skilled at carrying their shrine...

During summer there are festivals where men (women aren't allowed to help) carry portable shrines, called mikoshi, around town.  The women carry lanterns and banners but cannot touch the shrine.  It might be because dropping mikoshi is forbidden and they are afraid women are too weak to carry something so heavy, but that's just speculation.  These guys were swerving like a drunken beast and almost dropped it in the middle of the main intersection along the route.

7-24-2010

This time of year in Tokyo it's hot enough that you wish you could hide out anywhere away from the heat.  Unfortunately, that's not always possible and you find yourself blinded by sunlight and barely coherent while staring at the bushes.

At least it's not raining every day anymore.

7-23-2010

Went to a place called Kani Doraku (カに道楽 - "Crab How You Like It") with Moo Cow.  It wasn't my first time but I love the variety of crab dishes you can get.  It's an Osaka-based chain and the original is in the Dotonbori, which you can see from the last time I was in Osaka.  We had a nice multi-course meal and everything except dessert had crab in it.  This was the sashimi course.

7-22-2010

This major intersection in West Shinjuku pretty much exemplifies what crowded Tokyo is all about.  Next to the intersection run the tracks to the Japan Rail trains going to Shinjuku station. Beyond them is a massive shopping and social district, as well as the famed Kabuki-cho...full of bars and hostess clubs run by the Yakuza.  Each time the crosswalk turns green a mob of people hurriedly cross the street to rush off somewhere, often while messaging on their phones (the crowds can be seen to the left of the intersection here).  And cars haphazardly zip down the streets to rush through the next light, taxis stopping wherever they please.

Tokyo is mesmerizing in so many ways.

7-21-2010

In Kyoto there's an area called Gion.  Before WWII it was a major entertainment center, famous for the best Geisha in Japan.  All of the buildings there are sided with lovely wooden panels.

7-20-2010

Takarakuji booths, or lottery booths are often surrounded by Maneki Neko.  This cat is a good luck cat in Japan.

7-19-2010

Today was Marine Day (海の日) so everyone went to the beach.  I really wanted to try the balloon thing--I hear it's called orbing--but didn't want to pay the 800 yen to get stuffed into a sticky ball.  But it's like a giant hamster ball and I love the webcomic xkcd so I thought I'd post a tribute.  Thankfully no naked children ran into this photo.

Just a typical day at the beach.