Cheers! Omurice

It's a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky! I really wanted to have a cup of coffee at a cafe near the station instead of going to work...

Anyway, do you know Omurice? It is a thin fried egg wrapped chicken rice (seasoned with ketchup), shaped like an omelet. The fancy one comes with a runny omelet on top of the chicken rice! Which is meltingly delicious. My boyfriend loves it in that way!
Omurice is a very popular home-cooked meal in Japan. I think most Japanese moms have served this at least once at home! It can be found at most restaurants in Japan, too!

Wow! It's quite some time ago, but in May, I made a funny omurice! Those fingers are sausages! I drew nails and the beer foam using mayonnaise. Funny, right? The word "おつかれさま★" in Japanese means "Have a nice evening! (after work)".
My boyfriend liked this idea ;)

Video Recipe Available :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJPOHS3qyx8

You know what!? I just received a message from Tokyo Marathon Organization and they said that the lottery (will be held in the middle of November) is highly competitive. There were 260,000 applicants but only 35,000 people could run. Hope I could participate...

Okay, I gotta stop. Have a nice day ;)

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Zunda Flavored PRETZ

Today was a fine autumn day in a while! Under splendid fall weather, I was frustrated with my boyfriend! Sorry, it was a trivial reason. Sometimes I behave in that way and can't stop... hope I'm not mentally ill.

In summer, I wrote that one of my co-workers went to Nagano prefecture and bought us nozawana flavored Pretz for a souvenir! This time, this guy has been to Tohoku district and bought us zunda flavored Pretz! Zunda is a bean paste made from mashed edamame soybeans. Zunda is usually sweet like azuki bean paste, but this Pretz was slightly salted. It was like when you eat edamame with salt for an appetizer, which was pretty good :)

It is already after 12AM.
I can't stay awake, so I will stop.

Good night.

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Sugar-Free Ham, Bacon and Sausage

Hello! It was raining again in the morning, but it finally cleared up in the evening :) Hope the sunshine lasts long.

Wow! It's already October! I don't like fore-end these days. Gasoline prices are stable since September, but raw material price increase is continuous. This month, flour-based food products are up about 10%! Also canned products, home electronics, and wines are marked-up! Without an increase in our income it's a deep problem.

You know what!? When I got home, I found some garbage left at the garbage collection point. I thought those were thrown by bad-mannered people. However, after a while, I realized that was mine!!! I totally forgot about the change in garbage collection that I mentioned before on my blog!!! Actually today was the plastic bottle collection day. I don't want to take my garbage home, so I think I'm gonna leave there till Friday collection day.

Changing my story, I found interesting food products at the supermarket: sugar-free ham, bacon and sausage! The manufacturer is Nippon Ham and they actually released them on August 20th. I didn't realize them until recently! This year, we see a lot of new healthy food products on the market, such as sugar-free beer because the metabolic syndrome check-up program has started in April! Too bad Nippon Ham don't offer giveaways, but I might try these new sugar-free products someday if they have clearance stickers on them!

Okay, let's try to stay healthy ;)
Talk soon!

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My Vitamins, Supplements and Herbal Products

Too bad... according to the news, typhoon #13 is expected to reach eastern Japan (Tokyo) tonight :( Hopefully it passes away by noon but not sure at this point. I think we have rain every Saturday!!!

Anyway, do you take vitamins, supplements and/or herbal products every day?

Yes, I do! I take Multivitamins, Calcium, Bilberry, Echinacea (when turn of the year), and Turmeric Extract (when drinking alcohol at night) in the morning with breakfast. I force my boyfriend to take them, too! At night, I take Vitamin C, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin E (sometimes), and CoQ10 (30mg sometimes).
Thanks to them, we seldom catch a cold!!!

Every summer I purchase those in NY when they are buy one get one free! Mostly Nature Made products, but if cheap, similar products like pharmacy brands are okay! In Japan, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Group distributes Nature Made products but they are unbelievably expensive! I think this is because we Japanese don't have a custom to take them like Americans. I remember when I first went to Seattle for a homestay (when I was a high school student) my host mother gave me a tablet with breakfast but I hid it in my pocket because I thought it was a drug or something harmful... Few years later, when vitamins got popular in Japan, I realized that the tablet was a vitamin! But still, it is not a part of everyday life to take those, so the market price is twice as high as that of U.S.

Changing my story, today I had body composition done at gym. In 4 weeks, I lost 2 pounds of fat and gained 4 pounds of muscle. I know I am doing slow but I will keep going there one hour a day to change little by little, like I gained fat little by little! Ha-ha!!!

Okay, I gotta see my orthodontist tomorrow morning, so need to go to bed! Hope typhoon passes away by the time I leave home.

Good night ;)

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Tropicana 100% Fruit Sparkling

Hi! Today the high is 86F (30C) again. It is very hot and humid, but we finally see the blue sky!!!

Last night, it rained hard with thunder and lightning. Since the rainy weather made me and my boyfriend depressed, we had a quarrel over a trifling matter outside in the storm on the way back to home from gym :(
I believe we are fine now though...

Anyway, today my co-worker gave me Tropicana 100% Fruit Sparkling. Don't you think carbonated 100% fruit juice interesting?! It was released by Kirin Beverage (affiliated with the US Tropicana) on August 26th. It comes in 2 flavors: "Grapefruit" and "Grapes and Berries". I tried the Grapefruit one and was very tasty and refreshing!

Today, the weatherman said autumn weather is just around the corner! I hope it gets less hot soon :)

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The Premium Calpis

Hello! Today's high is 86F (30C) again! This steamy weather makes me very drowsy :( I couldn't stay up to finish my post last night...

Last week, I had Calpis after a long time! Actually, my co-worker gave me the premium one, "The Premium Calpis", to try it out.

Calpis (in carton) is a non-carbonated beverage concentrate. You simply add as much water as you like to suit your personal taste. (Bottles are ready-to-drink!) Calpis holds the top market share in lactic acid beverages in Japan. It is made from high quality non-fat milk with which is fermented with lactobacilli and yeast and then left to naturally mature resulting in a distinct and refreshing taste. It is all natural and doesn't contain any artificial colorants or preservatives.

As you may know or not, export version of Calpis is called "CALPICO" because in English-speaking countries Calpis may sound like "Cow Piss" :(

I used to drink Calpis almost daily when I was small because my mom kept it in the fridge, but I didn't like it that much... It is now improved but it used to react with saliva and leave white clump in your mouth, which was annoying.

I knew that "The Premium Calpis" has been out on the market since last year but I didn't even thought of buying it because of that clump dilemma. However, unexpectedly, "The Premium Calpis" was very delicious. It was rich like a yogurt!!! I hope it will be available overseas someday!

By the way, Calpis concentrate can also be used to create a variety of dishes!
2 years ago, Calpis held a contest and my "Calpis Banana Roll" using buckwheat flour and soy milk won the dessert prize!
Also, I have some more recipes using Calpis! I will list few of them here :)
- Calpis Lettuce Coleslaw
- Calpis Fried Bananas
- Calpis Blueberry Cookies

Next time you go to Asian or import grocery store, look for Calpis and try it out ;)

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Yakizakana (Grilled Fish)

Very humid outside! It is only high 78F (26C) but I feel very hot!

On Monday I used the fish roaster that comes with the stove. As seen in the left picture, it is very common to have the roaster in Japanese kitchen stove.

To tell the truth, I have just used it once, maybe few years ago... The reason I don't use it is because you need to wash it after each use... otherwise it smells fishy!

Last week, I won a free sample of grill cobble called "Ecotokukun". Usually we cover the grill plate with water, but you cover it with "Ecotokukun" instead. It prevents dirt and bad smell by absorbing cooking liquid. Also, it has a good insulation, so you can save one quarter of gas usage! Moreover, it cuts one quarter of CO2, which helps improve our environment.


I salt-grilled sanma (Pacific saury) and served with grated radish, lemon, and soy sauce. I always eat grilled fish outside at a restaurant, but now there is no need to hesitate cooking fish at home ;) No bad odor, no cleaning, saves a lot of time!!!

Today I went to the gym again.
I feel like I can go there everyday :)

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Pretz Limited Flavors

We have high 95F (35C) again today.
Very tiring weather almost daily :(

This week some people at my workplace are taking summer vacation. Many people take summer vacation during the Bon period and go back to their hometowns. Obon or just Bon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed spirits of one's ancestors. It takes place every year from August 13th to 16th.
I took my summer vacation already in the end of June (to NY), so I have to go to work, but it is not that bad because the train is not packed and I don't have a lot of work to do :)

One of my co-workers went to Nagano prefecture and bought us Nozawana flavored Pretz for a souvenir!
Nozawana is a Japanese pickled leaf vegetable. It is one of the most typical souvenirs in Nagano prefecture!
Pretz is a popular Japanese long-selling stick-shaped snack. I think some of you know this because I saw it at Asian grocery stores in NY when I lived there. It mostly comes in savory flavors: roast, salad, tomato, pizza, and many others. In Japan, in addition to the standard flavors, Ezaki Glico (the manufacturer) sells Pretz exclusively in specific regions.
My co-worker found one in Nagano, which is Nozawana, and bought for us! It uses 5% of Nozawana and small amount of chili pepper. Hmm... I can hardly taste them...
Anyway, we sure had a fun time ;)

Changing my story... do I carry a heavy bag?! My left shoulder hurts :( I feel like getting old, hurting many parts of my body so easily once in a while...

Tonight, I am seeing my friend who opened a cafe restaurant 2 years ago. She was my co-worker! I believe we will have a stimulating talk ;)

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Doyou no Ni no Ushi no Hi

Hello! After the storm, we have a clear sky with some clouds!

Last night, since the rain was very hard, I changed my plan and went home... but it didn't rain after that. I regret that I didn't see my friend. It was after 7 years or more to see him :( I hope I could see him someday again.

On the way back to home, I shopped at the supermarket and realized that it was "Doyou no Ni no Ushi no Hi" (8/5), the second day we eat unagi (eel) in summer. (The first day was 7/25.)

Last time, I made something strange..., so this time I served the unagi in an ordinary way, which is called "unadon": a bowl of rice topped with broiled eel with salty-sweet eel sauce. I served it in a small bowl, but usually larger.

I also bought some croquettes because those are my boyfriend's favorites. Every 5th, 6th, 15th, 16th, 25th, and 26th of the month are the croquette days at the supermarket near my house. Croquette in Japanese is pronounced Koroke. 5 is "go" and 6 is "roku" in Japanese, which sounds similar to "korokke", so this is why they are on sale.

HOWEVER... my boyfriend didn't come home that night. He was thrown a surprise party at work because he held a seminar on that day and successfully finished it.

He did a good job! Who can blame him?

He came home in the morning and he was sorry about the unadon. And he ate it (just the unagi though...). He couldn't eat the croquettes because he was drunk and sick.

I just can't believe he went to work after a few hours.

Okay, I'm gonna get the croquettes again today!
I hope he can eat them today ;)

Oops! Cloudy again... the weather is changing very fast!

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