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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Being Healthy

The cold front has moved through and today we finally have no rain! However, the lingering summer heat is so intense that the temperature went up to high 86F (30C)! Too hot for September!!!

Speaking of September, many groceries and commodities prices have increased because of the soaring gasoline and grain prices: Beer, cheese, noodles, beef bowl, refrigerator, car, etc. have increased...

Anyway, very very shocking bad news. On Saturday, my mother-in-law (I'm not married yet thought) was hospitalized after suffering a stroke at a ballroom dance school.
I still can't believe it! She was very healthy, worked hard at her age, and kept up with the housework... Now she can't speak and move! All on a sudden, Why she?! Life is unfair!!! I really hope she recovers. I want to talk to her again like before.

Being healthy (balance in taking care of health?) is not easy.

Today, I lost some contests :(
Very bad start, but I hope I can improve my luck!

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My Accomplishments

For the past few days, it is raining all over the country because the cold front is stuck over Japan. Yesterday morning, the probability of rain was 90%. However, I saw bright sunshine whole afternoon. Strangely, this sunsine encouraged me a lot :) I sometimes believe in probability and give up before trying something, but this shows the hope! Am I over the top?!

Today I will list the rest of my accomplishments this month.

On 8/12, I won My AJI award at Ajinomoto's rice bowl recipe contest using their umamichomiryo. Umamichomiryo is the seasoning that makes the food tasty. It is made of amino acid, which is the tasty flavor of tangle (an edible seaweed). My winning recipe is "Sausage and Vegetable Bowl". I used umamichomiryo to bring out the flavors of sausage and vegetables I used.

On 8/18, my "Japanese Spice Stir-Fried Beef, Mushrooms, and Asparagus" won the prize. The contest was held by Mercian (brewer) and they asked for the recipe that you can enjoy at home with their wines called uchigochi.





On 8/25, I won the outstanding performance award at metabo-help.com. Not the grand prize again... :( They asked for recipes to fight metabolic syndrome and help beat the summer heat. My award winning recipe is "Herb Chicken And Grapefruit Chirashizushi". I used grapefruit because it contains a fat-burning ingredient and it's sour taste goes well with sushi vinegar!

Then on 8/29, my "Mango Yogurt Soy Milk Mousse" was introduced at the very bottom of this page. I didn't win the prize though.

Yesterday evening, I left the gym ealier and that was right! It rained like cats and dogs for few hours when I got home!!! The forecast says the rain continues until tonight or tomorrow. I need to be careful.

I gotta go now.
Have a good weekend ;)

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