"flying veggies"

This one sounds a bit too much like an old Monty Python skit. But I thought it conjured great imagery and as we come out of the golden-week holidays here in Japan/ and Cinco de Mayo in the USA--- thought I would share.

Mexicans mark "cinco de mayo" with flying veggies

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - One of the few places in Mexico still celebrating Cinco de Mayo, thanks to an enduring family tradition, did so on Friday with a tequila-fueled fiesta of cannon firing, flying vegetables and forced haircuts.

It marks the defeat by Mexican troops and local Indians in the central state of Puebla of an invasion by a much better-equipped French force. A subsequent invasion succeeded in occupying Mexico City and briefly installing an emperor.

Firing homemade shotguns loaded with gunpowder, hundreds of men dressed as female Indian peasants with blackened faces, straw hats and embroidered blouses fought mock running battles against French invaders in white bloomers.

Cannon blasts on both sides gave signals for the troops to run at each other, pelting each other with vegetables and French-style baguettes while swigging beer and tequila. Captured foes were held down and given haircuts.

You can read more at Reuters.com

in search of scone

 

No I did not eat all three of these...

Friday was a day off, and I decided to drag hubby and tm along for some exploring in tokyo. A few years ago I found this great antique warehouse with a cool cafe. I really had a GREAT scone there- I had recently figured out that it maybe was near our apartment (I had lived elsewhere when I found it the first time by bus) So we set out to look for adventure and SCONES.

It was great. The shop is called Globe. And it is very different from most small antique shops in Tokyo. It is huge. 4-5 stories high. cafe downstairs and gorgeous outdoor garden area. I really felt like we had a little afternoon away in Europe or the UK.

We had a nice lunch and the VERY yummy scones above. From right to left. Rum Raisin, Plain, and White Chocolate Latte. I was the plain. (wanted to judge based on my scone searches in other spots- and needed to use the Plain one as a control)

I especially loved the whipped cream and marmalade they served with these delicious desserts.

Definately want to head back there again. ALso on the way home we went to a great little park, AND found a wonderful wine and cheese shop. I am sure that the shop will feature in future fancy glass posts.

GLOBE ANTIQUES/ Ikejiri 2-7-8. [on Mishuku-dori, just south of Route 246] Open 11am-8pm daily. Tel: 5430-3550. read more at Bento.com 

Eating by the Rules

One of the things that is interesting about living abroad is the various customs, rules and etiquette that varies culture to culture.

In Japan here are a couple of table rules- as spelled out by a Japanese person- (hence the cute grammar?!) My comments below each point...

1. Blowing your nose in public, and especially at the table, is considered bad manner.

It is OK however to snuffle, snort and make other noises to keep your nose from running! This is one that is always SHOCKING to foreigners who find the snorting noise MUCH more distasteful than blowing your nose!

2. It is considered good manner to empty your dishes to the last grain of rice.

in Some Parts of Asia this is NOT true. It is polite in China to leave the last few grains of rice- shows that you were given an excess from the generous host of the meal.

3. Talking about toilet related and similarly disappetizing topics during or before a meal is not appreciated by most people.

I would assume this one to be universal!

4. Unlike in some other parts of East Asia, it is considered bad manner to burp.

though I hear older Japanese business men do this ALL the time. And strangely, burping is rude but Spitting loudly anywhere on the street or even in a train station is A-OK!

5. After finishing eating, try to place all your dishes in the same way as they were at the start of the meal. This includes replacing the lid of dishes which came with a lid and replacing your chopsticks on the chopstick holder or into their paper slip, if applicable.

I like this one, very neat and tidy! easy for the host to collect the dishes and looks much better. But then I have been here for a long time, and perhaps this shows I am becoming acculturated in my host country.

what to make?

Foodies come in a few varieties... the cooking kind. (I used to be this kind) And the restaurant and eating out kind. This is what I am now. My husband and I, when we still lived in the USA were the cooking kind. We haunted the Reading Terminal Market, practically living there every weekend. And We cooked up a storm at home as well as going out.

BUT- living in Japan has been a challenge for cooking. There are some very big challenges. Kitchens are small and ill-equipped, Storage space is non existent, Refridgerators are small, and I can't read Japanese kanji very well so finding ingredients and know what I am buying has been very hard. On top of that, many ingredients are just different enough to wreak havoc on a USA scaled recipe.

So all of these challenges, combined with the fact that I work in a restaurant which has made bringing food home or eating a work an easy substitute for cooking from scratch has changed us and I miss the simple pleasures of cooking.

Today I stumbled upon CookingBytheNumbers.com. You enter your stuff from what is in your fridge and your cupboard and it sends back some basic, simple stuff you can make from what you have right now. My fridge and cupboard are quite empty this week. We have eggs, milk, bread, and butter... but still some good things came back from my query. I think this type of site might be just what we need to get back to trying to cook some simple cozy stuff at home. I intend to give it a try and get back to you on the results next week.

If you are a beginning cook the site also features basic skills on SkillsBytheNumbers. We'll let you know what we think...

cupcake crazies on video

Here is another example of the Cupcake Craze! the mecca of cupcakers - the Magnolia- folks lined up waiting.... wish I was there...

cupcake heaven under the cherry trees...

ever since I started reading the Cupcake Bakeshop- I've been obsessed. I work in a restaurant, Fujimamas... and seriously since I read about all the fantastic creations by Chockylit- I have been bugging my pastry chef to try cupcakes in our pastry case. I think more sophisticated cupcakes would be a hit with all the young ladies who come to our restaurant! So I pestered, bugged, and printed out recipes week after week.

Finally in honor of Cherry Blossom Season here in Japan- He finally gave in and made me gorgeous, delicious cupcakes. The picture of the cupcake above is how they looked, AND the trees are the ones lining the street along the river where I live. This is one of my favorite times of year in Tokyo, largely because that is what I can see right out in front of my apartment.

The Cupcake was filled with strawberry filling - the icing lightly flavored with Sakura liqueur (sakura = cherry blossom in Japanese) They were perfect! We sold some at the cherry blossom festival on my street AND we ate some as well.

I still hope I can get him to try some of the other ideas we've been discussing, afterall Cupcakes are becoming a real trend in the USA and I think we could bring that trend to Tokyo!

this is from a piece in the SF Chronicle talking about the new trend-

Those who inhabited Manhattan could get instant gratification, heading to the illustrious Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village for one of its pastel-topped treats -- it took a little longer for the cupcake craze to take hold out West.

Now, the Bay Area is peppered with cupcake bakeshops and businesses (see Page F5), and at least eight cupcake cookbooks have been published in the last two years.

It's almost surprising that it took us this long to figure it out. Really, what's not to love? On a purely functional level, cupcakes are portable, they're small, and they're easily personalized.

other places to spot the trend

Columbia News Service
The Sex & The City Tour
All Cupcakes All the Time
Cupcakes are All the Rage from NY to LA!

your fortune is brewing...

a bit of fun over at the republic of tea. get your fortune read from your tealeaves and find out your chinese zodiac animal if you don't already know it.

As a rule I love loose tea not tea bags, but the folks at the republic of tea- offer great loose and bagged tea. some of my favorite flavors are-

British Breakfast
and
Vanilla Almond

they have other fun stuff too, like great books, and tea pots and lots of good gear for "lovers of the leaf" I want to try the new artisan teas with the Jerry Garcia Art inspired labels.

made the front page of chopstick cinema

I love the blog chopstick cinema... and have been intrigued for months with celestes's requests for chopsticks. Living in Japan, there is an ample supply here, so last month in preparation for spring I picked a lovely cherry blossom inspired pair to send to her.

today she featured my chopsticks and the fancyglass in her new month of food and film... the food being Japanese, the film being Memoirs of a Geisha.

thanks, Celeste, hope you enjoy the chopsticks! I will be sure to send another pair soon.

reflections on a wine party

In the beginning of march we held a big wine tasting party at Fujimamas. The snaps above were shot with me and the two guests of honor. Eric from Dunham Cellars and Charles from K-Vintners.

My friends Jeff and Jan at Orca International were the wine importer/distributor hosts- and they pulled out all the corks as it were. We had over 50 wines to try from their catalog, and a 4-5 from the two VIPS above. About 100 people came and everyone had fun, but no one had too much fun if you know what I mean.

This was all by way of kicking off a Tokyo Tradition. For the last few years March has been Washington Wine month. During which there are many wine tasting parties, and events to feature the wines from Washington State.

I had a great time, and I think our guests did as well. We had great tunes from a couple of DJ's from the online radio wonder Samurai.fm and the two guests Eric and Charles were very charming!

all this fun tasting and experimenting has me looking forward to more wine adventures in the future.

from Dunham Cellars I reccommend
Dunham Three Legged Red

and the Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon VII (2001)

and From K Vintners
K 'The Boy' Walla Walla (2004)
Thanks Eric, Jeff, Jan and Charles!

Sushi at home

Living here in Japan, and visiting friends and family back home, it has been interesting to see how Japanese food makes it way to the states, and then even sometimes returns back to Japan somewhat changed.

Some examples are the rise in Traditional Sake sales and green tea sales in the USA- and then the creation of original cocktails stateside using these items that are now returning and are served in Asian fusion restaurant back here in Japan. Also note the introduction of green tea based items at the uber-popular starbucks.

When Most americans think of Japanese food, a big thing that they think of is Sushi. But here there are still often misconceptions. Sushi is NOT raw fish- that is sashimi. Sushi is a way of preparing rice with a vinegar. It is easy to make at home and then is used to make sushi rolls with fish or veggies or any other ingredients you like. Or Sushi rice can be used in negiri sushi, the little hand formed rice balls with fish or other items arranged on top. You can read about making some basic Japanese foods including sushi rice at home here.

More interesting reading via the Sushi Chronicles includes the History of Sushi. Short but interesting read. Enjoy!

hmmm??? I don't know about this one?

according to the kind people over at my love-to-be-addicted to product company...

“Coca-Cola Blak is a uniquely invigorating beverage that is full-bodied in flavor and as refreshing as you expect Coca-Cola to be,” said Katie Bayne, senior vice president, Coca-Cola Brands, Coca-Cola North America. “There is no other beverage available today quite like Coca-Cola Blak. Imagine the refreshing taste of an ice-cold Coca-Cola that finishes with a rich essence of coffee. Only Coca-Cola can deliver that distinct combination of flavors.”

I am DEFINATELY skeptical about this one!
read more at BEVENET

Sunday Night-DUCKFEST

YUM YUM YUM...
last night we went out with the Curewitz-Family. And TMac and My Hubby and I for Peking Duck. It had been far to long since Chris and I had enjoyed Peking Duck and this was a great restaurant recommended and chosen by mama-curewitz Who is Chinese and definitely knows her Duck!

If you want to know more about what Peking Duck is and how it is prepared- check out wikipedia.

We had the full three course tradition, Sliced duck skin and meat in the pancake crepe like wrapper with three kinds of sauce. WE also had the stir fried duck and then Soup make with stock from the Duck bones! It was delicious from start to finish.

Peking Duck Recipe

We did have one wickedly spicy salad! Too hot- Loads of chills!
Can't wait to go back there again. This branch was in Ebisu, near the station. "Chinese Cafe 8" Funny thing was the decor. which had all kinds of racy and sexual connotations. some kind of fertility connection! Very funny.

Primer of Japanese food

A lot of folks, when they hear the words "Japanese food" picture sushi shops, or exotic blow fish stories. But Japanese food has so much to offer from the simple and everyday to the very fancy and sublime. Living in Japan now since 1997, I have grown to mostly love the home-cooked everyday kinds of Japanese food.

recently I stumbled across this very good site just talking about some of the basics from rice, to miso, to sake, to green tea. Great site if you want to browse and learn a bit of the broad range that makes up Japanese cuisine. go to TheBlackMoon.com

Itadakimasu! (Japanese for "let's enjoy eating" kind of like Bon appetite")

Fujimamas Kona

Well, I have been here just under a week. Our company Fujimamas has our new location at Kailua Kona on the big island! just finished up, (or almost) rennovations. And getting everything localized for here in Hawaii. Menu is mostly the same as the tokyo flagship with a few things changed to reflect local ingredients and tastes. Gorgeous outdoor dining area and very funky space.

My job this week is to assist the owners and new management team in some PR legwork, and get the word out. It has been really fun. The Bar is especially exciting with a simple but dynamic drinks menu including some fantastic martinis and saketinis. I am certainly going to take some of the recipes back to the Tokyo Fujimamas. More shots of food and interiori on the way.

It has been exciting to learn about branching out and localizing a brand. And I am learning a lot. There are plans for other Hawaii locations and types of Fujimamas. And right now we are working on some of our own signature dishes and styles. Including, Fuji-Sushi! Soon we might be opening a Fujimamas BBQ joint as well!

very exciting!

in the catagory of what NOT to do

I have a soft spot for Brown Sugar Cinnamon Poptarts. I know they are not good for me, and I know it is super-packaged food. But I love them. I actually thing they are the only true poptart. (though sometimes I do like the strawberry frosted ones too) We can't get them easily in Tokyo but recently they are becoming a bit more available- there is a supermarket that carries import foods and we have recently been able to get them there.

But... a poptart cannot be forgotten in the toaster oven on high with out dire consequences.


I was working away on the computer and spent quite a bit of time wondering what the acrid smell was before I remembered that I had indeed been making myself a poptart to have with my morning tea. Needless to say, I have no idea how a poptart tastes in the condition but I thought it was interesting to see how the frosting pulled away from the edges and made beautiful bubbles.
YUM

the redbook cafe

Tokyo is a very large, cosmopolitan city, and cafes are getting more and more common, but they are still not of the variety and quality that you　might expect. So finding a nice arty, independent cafe is always a pleasant surprise. And finding one in my own neighborhood was a JOY! The Redbook is a little 12 seat cafe/bar, one couch, some bar stools around the counter, and one smaller table for two. I went there today to do some thinking and catching up on my writing. The interior was all designed and decorated by the female owner. She is young, very artistic, and seems to be quite down to earth. Nice little coffee/tea/and cocktail menu. Moves easily between sunny afternoon cafe spot to cozy bar. Dark green walls, wine red highlights, and very yummy cafe mocha. The best is that she serves the coffee drinks in a bowl-cup. I love those and they are far to rare. I remember in my Philadelphia days, two cafes, the Supreme Bean, and the Last Drop Cafe both had deep wonderful bowls for cappuccinos and lattes. Nothing better than to wrap your hands around a bowl of creamy steamed milk and coffee on a cold winter day. Today at the Redbook, I Got some writing done... nice afternoon off place. And only 10 mins. from my apartment.
definately going to become a regular.

kit kat and cross blog pr

In the "interesting candy release" world of Japan... there are many foriegn brands that release for Japan only flavors. One of the metro bloggers wrote about Wine Flavored KitKat Here Haven't tried these myself yet. I will give an update if I find them somewhere. One of the other strange aspects is that even when they release and promote special flavors here they keep the mistique by making the supply small and trying to build up demand.

Special Edition/ Limited Time Only

One of the things I like about living in Japan food wise is the sense of seasons and time in what is available. Fruits are available seasonally, for example; my favorite peaches can only be found in july early august. It keeps things special and changing and new, and generally the taste is better because instead of forced hot house produce you are eating fruit when it grows naturally.

Peaches in Summer, Mikan *Tangerines in Winter, Japanese grapes in the fall with the Fuji Apples... and so it goes.

this special edition mentality often gets taken to extremes however. Young japanese shoppers will line up for hours and spend hundreds of thousands of yen for a limited edition LVMH bag. And in a less expensive but even more interesting example... there is limited edition candy. each year, almost every month, in the convienience stores there is some special limited box or bag or bar of candy. The ones shown above are from last month... already gone from the shelves. I didn't think much of the pie alamode but the cappuccino one was actually pretty yummy.

I note that this kind of marketing is expanding back into the states as well. Starbucks used to only have special edition drinks in the USA for christmas... in japan a few years ago they started having all kinds of limited drinks at the Starbucks here. But I read recently that USA starbucks is creating more special menu items too.

I Love Gingerbread latte's by the way, and the GL season went by far too quickly this year.

I wonder if the special edition candy, coffee, etc. is not a reaction to tapping into the speedy lives we all lead and our desire to slow things down, make the time special. Smell the flowers? Anyway, more on special candy as I spot them.
-ls 

Catching up on Christmas and New Year's Blogging

Being in the restaurant business means I do more serving of holiday meals than eating them. But I have to say, I really enjoy making people happy and bringing them a delicious meal when they are celebrating with family and friends. And my hubby and I do get creative about schedules and still find time to have some holiday fun ourselves.

This year he came to the restaurant at 9pm after I had seated the last reservation group, on Christmas and we shared a great Christmas dinner. Roast Beef, Yorkshire pudding and mashed potatoes. YUM. We brought in a bottle of wonderful wine to have with dinner. A Mathews Cellars reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, from Washington state. It was perfect with the dinner. A little short in the finish, but really elegant and went terrifically with the roast beef.


For New Year’s Eve- We closed the restaurant at 7pm on 12/31… So, home I went to a tasty dinner. In my family back home in the states New Year’s traditions harken back to my Mother’s side of the family who were of German Decent or as they were known in Pennsylvania- "Pennsylvania Dutch" which actually came from the name for germany in german DEUTSCHLAND, not Holland!. Our new year’s dinner this year was just like I would have had with my Grandmother when I was growing up. Pork, Sauerkraut, Mashed potatoes… we forgot to get out the apple sauce but I also brought home some bisquits. Terri came over to enjoy New Year’s eve with us, she really enjoyed the dinner, And we had snacks, watched a movie and made popcorn after.

New Year’s Day- the restaurant is closed! this is the one day of the year we are not open... Chris and I Slept in Soooo late…. Ahhh.


Then we made Belgian waffles with strawberries. Perfect, decadent breakfast, Our little toasted sandwich and waffle-maker did not disappoint. Later it was out for a late lunch, and then we went to the movies to see KING KONG! I loved the movie, and I really think Peter Jackson is a genius. So all in all, my holidays included lots of hard work, but fun and good food with my husband and friend as well.

Modest fun and delicious…

The photos did not come out well. I was in too big a hurry to eat. But the food was yummy and it made for a very nice evening with my Hubby.

We were facing our usual dilemma of trying to figure out what to have for dinner after a long day at work. For foodies, I must say, our evening fare is not all that inspiring during the week nights. But we had the idea as we stood near the crossing in Shibuya to do a “Tokyo Department Store Picnic.”

Let me explain… The first floor or often Basement floor of most department stores in Japan and also many train stations, is a food floor. Not a food court like they have in the USA/ fast food and all that… but a food floor of small booths of different kinds of prepared and unprepared / gourmet/ and down home foods. From 60$ Melons (OUTRAGEOUS) to humble rice balls to imported chocolates/ you can find it all. It is my theory that the outdoor markets of Japan moved inside because of all the rain. So it is a lot like being in a very clean, bright, chic inside version of an outdoor Asian market.

I will follow up with more food-floor posts in the near future. But for this outing we were focused on some quick take out dinner fare.

A bit of this and that, with some coins and a few bills in my pocket and we had a lovely dinner. Some of the features were a miso-basted fish / crab fried rice / steamed Chinese Shumai dumplings/ and a very yummy simple tuna rice ball (Onigiri) This was from the Tokyu Food Floor at Shibuya Station.

By the way… at this spot you can also buy from Dean and DeLuca / Starbucks / Godiva and other world wide well known shops.

Lots of fun. And the best is, if you go just before closing time at 8pm, you can get discounts on a lot of the fresh prepared foods.