Doyou no Ushi no Hi

Just me? It was extremely hot this EVENING and sweat dribbled down my back while walking back to home!

Yesterday was "Doyou no Ushi no Hi". It was a midsummer day when the oriental zodiac is ox. On this day, we eat unagi (eel) to take nourishment and beat the summer heat!

But why unagi?
I just searched and found that it can be anything that starts from "U" on this day! Can be "udon" or whatever! Interestingly, now we eat unagi just because someone has promoted to do so! Like getting a chocolate for your loved one on Valentine's Day! I couldn't find who started though.

Anyway, we had unagi last night! I served it with "Thai red curry marinated natto, mulukhiya (is a leafy gooey summer vegetable), and okra"! Why I used Thai red curry is because I won a free sample of it and had to use it. Also, yesterday I had natto and gooey vegetables for my lunch and got energy, so I used those vegetables for my boyfriend to get the same :)
I think I made a pretty entertaining dish.

Once in two years, we have another day to eat eel in summer, which is called "Doyou no Ni no Ushi no Hi" (8/5), so the next time I will serve the eel in an ordinary way ;) Of course I don't have to wait till this day though.

I'm drowsy now...
I'm so lazy tonight that I didn't even cook anything! (My boyfriend doesn't need dinner, so that is my excuse.)

Okay. See you next week!

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Koumibou

Hello! It is a tropical day again!
I hate taking packed train on such day because sometimes you're forced to stand next to sweltering passengers!!! Yikes!

Anyway, yesterday I got really sleepy and couldn't post my diary again. Gee... this steamy weather is really tiring!!!

Before I forget, I will write about last Saturday!
My boyfriend and I went out to eat creative Chinese cuisine at Koumibou. We live very close to the restaurant, but we just didn't have a chance to go there till this day!!!

The restaurant is so popular that many TV programs have featured it before!!! Once I saw it on Tsuyoshi Domoto's "Domoto Tsuyoshi no Shoujiki Shindoi"! On this program, he makes a small journey with a guest to a selected place. One day he toured our neighbors and had lunch at Koumibou. I remember he and the guest were eating Peking Duck!!! Also, the ramen that uses the broth of the duck seemed very delicious!!!

However, we couldn't have the Peking Duck. The portions were too big for us :( But we had chopped Peking Duck and vegetables served with pancakes, which was similar to the Peking Duck and was delicious!!! Also, all other dishes we had were great.

Next time, I'm gonna go there with my parents and sisters to have the Peking Duck ;)

Today, I went to lunch with my co-worker. I had a lot of vegetables to beat the summer heat! What I had was vegetable rice bowl (salad, natto, and mentaiko on top) and a green vegetable smoothie! Now I feel better!!!

Take care you all!!!

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Hikarin Cafe

Hello! We are having high 90's almost daily!
The heat from the ground is steamy like a sauna and makes me dizzy :(
Because of the heat or not, I was extremely drowsy this morning that I fell back to sleep... Also, I dozed off while standing on the train... I'm okay now though!

Yesterday, the third Monday in July, was Marine Day (a holiday) in Japan!
My boyfriend and I went to Odaiba to go to the "Hikarin Cafe". It is a cafe opened by Nosan Corporation which is famous for their Yodoran (iodine-enriched egg)! I wrote about them often since I won some prizes at their contests every season.
Last week, I again won a prize, "the grand prize", and received lunch for two at their cafe! That's why we went there ;)

The cafe is open from 7/19-8/31, for a limited time only. They have an anti-aging food platter for adults and a well-balanced food platter for kids! Moreover, they have many different kinds of sweets and drinks. They all use healthy ingredients including their eggs!

The cafe was kind of crowded, but we could seat without waiting, which was good! It was a bright white cafe with a lot of cute images of Hikarin, the character of Yodoran, on the windows. There were some of my recipes in their handmade recipe books displayed there! We had a good relaxing time!

Moreover, there are many entertaining places in Odaiba. At the DECKS Tokyo Beach, there is a place called DAIBA 1-CHOME SHOUTENGAI (image on the right) where you can time-trip to Showa era (1950s). Also, there is a SEGA amusement theme park called Tokyo Joypolis.

On this day, there were a lot of people going to Fuji TV's "Odaiba Boukenou Final". I have no idea what that is, but it seems like popular with kids.

If you have a chance to visit Tokyo this summer, Odaiba is a place you want to go ;)

And lastly, you know what!? My bracket broke off again...
No more 3s!!!

Okay, I have another thing to write, but maybe tomorrow.
Good night!

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