We live in San Francisco. We’ve been exploring the Tokyo and Kansai area, and will be branching out to other areas soon. Japan is such a wonderful place to roam and get immersive.
We spend 2~3 weeks when we travel, and have learned to watch our budget. Gotta have the bucks for the requisite Kobe dinner and the Omakase lunches. ;).
Japan can be so expensive. Years ago, we saw a grocer applying discount stickers to perfectly beautiful stuff, we were agog! We love to shop for food anyway, and totally enjoy the game of timing the discounts.
Not all, but most supermarkets discount before they break down their sections. The GOOD stuff goes FAST! The really good stuff is snatched within seconds. Fortunately, the Japanese are so darn polite. Wife hasn’t gotten any elbow bruises yet from her supermarket forays.
I love living vicariously through your posts here! No need to worry about making them shorter!
I haven’t had fresh fruit mochi before but am absolutely positive i would love it. I understand what you mean about the food presentation being almost too perfect, that gives me pause as well
Savory watermelon! My friend brought me back a souvenir from their insane trip to iceland, this dramatic lava salt which has an earthy minerally flavor and nice flakey brittle texture. Plus cilantro and olives.
Not pictured side of a few defrosted meatless balls since they look like ! Haha, really unattractive but i like them as is.
Kombucha a la carte of course
BF came down with a bad man-cold (at least he’s not whiny about it, and actually doesn’t even let me fuss over him) but was feeling well enough to eat tonight. since he’s a sucker for sausage, i cooked up some frenchy ones (herbes de provence & white wine) from a local sausage resto/vendor, and made taters and an egg each. teeny TJs potatoes were boiled, smashed a tad, salted, deep fried, then drizzled with the last of the aji verde. egg fried in butter, natch. as an appy, leftover karaage wings from an izakaya we ate at the other night.
And from Aldi’s, too! I’ll have to go get some scallops soon as I get home. I never realized they carried scallops.
2 Likes
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
33
Yesterday was a birthday and I was told not to lift a finger with household chores. So, I pottered round the garden, Googled for future holidays and read. Dinner was at our favourite Lebanese/Syrian place where, as usual, we ate too much. We had coffee at home and I opened one of the birthday presents - Palestinian dates, stuffed with an almond and covered with chocolate - presumably managed to slip through the economic blockade.
As for tonight, a Spanish-ish dish. Chorizo fried for a couple of minutes. Garlic and oregano added. Harissa, tin of chickpeas, tin of tomatoes, s & p added. Simmer for 5 minutes. Big chunks of cod go on top. Lid on and it cooks for a few minutes. Recipe suggests very non-Spanish samphire to accompany but that’s going to be hard to find. Crusty bread as the carb.
18 Likes
meatn3
(equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)
34
Well , at least in our minds we are…, and that is just fine with me…
Curious about the chorizo and chick pea dish…sounds simple and sort like something I make , but I add some curry and cayenne powder to it, and do not use the Harissa or add fish. I serve it as a side with some Jasmine rice and oven roasted chicken…
I try to use a mild Columbian chorizo, of which where I am, there must be at least a minimum 15 or 20 different brands available.
Last night was yet another poker game… the 3rd one within a week. Our hosts had a nice spread of double cream gouda, crudités with onion dip, assorted cheeses, smoked salmon spread & lovely strawberries.
We ordered very mediocre pizza from a local chain, and reliably good wings.
Because we had so much fun last night, we’r doing it all again today. Yup, another game.
Tonight’s host is HK Chinese, and a very talented cook. He’s promised to feed us, so dinner will be a step up from yesterday. My winnings will hopefully be as well.
I’m always in favor of Goya!!! I did my doctoral dissertation on his print series Los Caprichos, the Spanish “oscar” film awards are called “the Goyas” and I’ve never had a food product “Goya” I didn’t like (though I usually cook my garbanzos from dried). Great combination of foods, I’ve done something similar often and really loved it.
! Haha, really unattractive but i like them as is.
