Global Food Crisis

Hello!
This morning, the wind and rain were very strong!
I took a bus to go to the train station.
It cleared up in the afternoon though.

Yesterday, I received a notice about the reward card I use at a supermarket. They say that they gonna change the reward system. Currently, 1000 points = 1500 yen, but from September, 1 point = 1 yen. I think I won't be interested in accumulating points at that supermarket any more...
Too bad!

Bad things are happening on the food market as well!
The government raised the price of wheat in April, which pushed up prices for many food products, including bread, noodles and confectionery from this month. They have already raised the price last year, so this was the second time! (Higher prices to hit hard in April)
Hope this could be a solution: Japan looks to rice flour as wheat prices rise.
Also, prices of butter and cheese are going up! (Butter supplies running short at supermarkets)

Global food crisis is closer than we think.
This article was very interesting: 8 Ways to Fix the Global Food Crisis.

We consumers can't easily change things, but we can try not to waste food!
I always try to get clearance food products to save money, but maybe need to do so to save our food.
Someday, we all might need to grow vegetables for our own consumption, just like it used to be!

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Okinawan Cuisine

Hello!
It is again rainy in Japan :(
Now I have a collection of "the same" transparent umbrellas at home!
In Japan, we can buy an umbrella at a convenience store whenever you want. It is about 5 bucks, so I, actually my boyfriend, gets one whenever we need...

Anyway, every Saturday, my boyfriend and I go out and eat dinner.
This weekend, we went out to eat Okinawan cuisine near home :)

Okinawan Cuisine is the cuisine of the Japanese island of Okinawa. Because of the difference in culture, climate, vegetables and other ingredients between Okinawa and mainland Japan, the Okinawan cuisine is very different from the Japanese cuisine.

We had a goya salad. I guess for the first time this year! Goya is a dark-green and bumpy bitter melon or bitter gourd. Usually cheaply-available in summer in the Tokyo area.
Also, we had an organic vegetable chanpuru. It was great!!! Chanpuru means something mixed. It is an Okinawan stir fry dish, generally containing vegetables, tofu, and some kind of meat or fish. This chanpuru contained SPAM meat, which is my boyfriend's favorite.
In addition, we had a chicken appetizer, gyoza (steamed dumplings) and stone pot taco rice. Taco rice is a very common meal in Okinawa, and is often served as school lunch. It consists of taco-flavoured ground beef served on a bed of rice and lettuce. The taco rice we had was cooked in a stone pot, which was cool!

I think we go to this restaurant at least 3 times a year because they have nice Okinawan taste and style!
Oops, I have never been to Okinawa.
I wish I could go there someday to make sure we are enjoying the real stuff!

Okay, I gotta stop now.
Somehow this weather makes me dizzy!
I think I have a headache :(

Oh my god! It's raining cats and dogs!!!

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Recipe Cards

I think it is hot today!
It was like winter a few days ago though.
I still can't get rid of the cold :(
Hope I could get over this soon!!!

Recently, I realized that the nearby supermarkets stopped offering recipe cards with pictures. Now they are all text and no pictures. In Japan, most supermarkets offer such cards to promote new products and seasonal stuff. I thought they were useful. Hope it is not a strategy for cost-saving! Some of the recipes are printed on the product packages or the accompanying tags with pictures, but recipe cards were something different. They add a great deal of enjoyment for our shopping!!!
Hope they put back pictures someday...

Today, I won 2 bags (about 10kg/22lb) of specially-cultivated rice!
They use less chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
We eat rice everyday, so I'm glad to win those.
I submitted my recipes to apply.
Winners were selected in a drawing, so I was lucky.

I posted this diary for Friday, but actually, it is Saturday morning.
Last night, I felt very drowsy while writing, so went to bed at will.

Okay, see you again!
Have a good weekend :)

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