Awayuki Soba

What kind of soba do you like?

Soba is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup.

My recent favorite is "Awayuki(snow) Soba" which is soba with grated yamaimo(Japanese mountain yam). It is mucilaginous when grated and looks like snow, so this is why it is called like that. After eating soba, I love to drink the broth diluted with yam. It is really delicious! My favorite soba restaurant is located near the station: Hakone Akatsukian. They use good seasonal ingredients, so I go there once in a while. Day before yesterday, since I was tired (slept only 1 hour), I had a dinner there with my boyfriend after work. The yam contains nutritional elements that are effective in relieving fatigue, so I think I got well ;) Sorry my photo is bad X(

Anyway, recently I came across very nice serums.

Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum
Daily use of skin care products containing proven anti-oxidant ingredients is, together with a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, the most effective and proven method of minimising the effects of free radicals. Used daily, this remarkable formulation provides potent skin protection together with perfectly balanced hydration for dry, combination and sensitive skin types.

Herbal Recovery Gel
A potent botanical concentrate, infused with a rich blend of herbs and precious plant oils to restore, firm, hydrate and revitalise the skin. Helps to minimise the visible signs of ageing with daily use.




I tried both samples but not sure which to purchase. Hmm...
Anti-Oxidant ingredients are catching!

We expect no rain until possibly Wednesday. Hope this is true.

Take care ;)

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Pepsi Shiso

Hi! Today, I tried "Pepsi Shiso" which just went on sale!!! Shiso is Japanese basil. This Pepsi comes in lime green soda, conveying a feeling of coolness!

Well... I think it tastes green, too much like shiso! Ha-ha!!!

It's a yearly staple that Suntory (Pepsi's distributor in Japan) releases such a funny Pepsi drink! In 2008, they sold "Pepsi Blue Hawaii". That was interesting, too!

Changing my story, my boyfriend came home so late (at 4am) last night, that I got little nervous and couldn't go to bed... I just slept for an hour!!! Now I am really sleepy. Coffee doesn't help me wake up X(

Anyway, I added a link on the left sidebar, under ABOUT THIS BLOG, to view "Food and Drink Products". Hope you find it interesting ;)

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Worst Captchas of All Time

This is really funny!

My co-worker sent me the link: Worst Captchas of All Time

Can you verify them all?!





Too many letters...


I can't see the cat...


I don't think I can pass this...


Hmm...


The Hardest Captcha


We expect rainy and cloudy weather for the next couple of days.
I hope the rainy season ends soon...

Bye for now :)

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Maple Bacon Simmered Hijiki Seaweed

Hi there! After a looooong time, I translated my recipe!

This dish is cool! You can arrange it in many ways!!! I will show you how at the end.

Hijiki is a black seaweed known to be rich in dietary fiber and essential minerals! Instead of using sugar, I used maple syrup which is low in calories and also rich in minerals ;)

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Maple Bacon Simmered Hijiki Seaweed

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 15min
Number of servings: 8

Ingredients:
25g (0.8oz.) dried hijiki seaweed *150g (6oz.) rehydrated hijiki seaweed
3 slices bacon *about 50g (1.8oz.)
50g (1.8oz.) carrot
3 dried shitake mushroom
A
* 50cc = dashi broth + reserved soaking liquid of shitake mushrooms
* 1 tbsp. soy sauce
* 1 tbsp. mirin (sweet sake)
* 1 tbsp. sake
* 1 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. cooking oil

Directions:
I used maple syrup from Canada.





1. Put dried hijiki in a bowl. Wash them and soak in water for about 15 minutes, then drain. Thinly slice bacon. Cut carrot into thin strips. Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in water until soft (reserve the soaking liquid), remove stems, and slice thinly.
2. Heat cooking oil in a frying pan and saute 1., add A and simmer until the liquid is almost gone.



[How to eat #1]
With white rice.




[How to eat #2]
On a rice bowl, sprinkle the sliced shiso leaves over the top.




[How to eat #3]
Mix with rice, sprinkle chopped scallions over the top.


[How to eat #4]
In tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet).




[How to eat #5]
On top of the salad.




[How to eat #6]
On top of sliced tomatoes.




[How to eat #7]
With natto, sprinkle chopped scallions over the top.



My original recipe in Japanese is here.
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I want to get a pa'u skirt by next week!
What do you think of these three???
I like pink color, but somehow I want the blue one, like the ocean ;)


Have a good weekend!

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Chicken Taco Rice

Today, I had lunch with my co-workers. We had tacos lunch at a Mexican cafe called Vida Rosa. I liked their interior. The place was pretty fashionable ;)

I had a lunch menu: Chicken Taco Rice & Soup + Onion Potato + Drink.

It was pretty good, but I ran out of time to finish everything, since I talked too much! He-he ;) Also, I brought my camera with me but forgot to take a shot... damn!

Anyway, I had a good time!

I just organized my posts.
I added links on the left sidebar, under ABOUT THIS BLOG, to view "Cafes and Restaurants" and "My Travels". I couldn't apply labels to every single posts but I hope you find them interesting ;)

I have too many things to post... Hmm...
I will try to complete them one by one + day by day when I have enough time.

Tonight I have hula class. I can't wait to attend!!!

Aloha :)

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OLYMPUS PEN E-P1: Micro Four Thirds Camera

Don't you think it's interesting?! It's a pocket-sized SLR (single-lens reflex) that takes pictures as well as an SLR!

This article was very informative.
Olympus Pen E-P1 Preview, June 2009, Simon Joinson

However, it is way too expensive!!!
Olympus offered the special price (including the lens and the memory card) to the first 100 club members, but it was at about $1000...
Plus, you need to get viewfinder and flash if needed, since they are left out to keep it as small as possible X(


Anyway, it is scheduled to go on sale on 7/3, so I will check it out at the electronics retail stores ;)

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Fuckin' Train Delay!!!

I think today isn't my day...

Once in a long while, there is a huge train delay at Odakyu line. This morning at around 6:30, someone caused a fatal accident. Consequently, our train delayed for about one hour and a half. At the time I arrived at the station at 7:40, the train platform was still packed with passengers all the way to the edge. Most people were waiting for an express train, so I decided to take the local one, which seemed better... but that turned out to be a wrong decision... The local train was so slow that 3 express trains got ahead of it X( I will never ever take the local! Sucks!!!

Anyway, I got to the office on time... but I am tired now.

Peace!!!

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Homemade Tsukune

I was going to post this and couldn't for a while! Time flies!!!

2 weeks ago, my boyfriend and I had dinner at Keishouan in Shinjuku. Wow! They are on the coupon site (Gournavi) in English! They have many healthy chicken dishes, fresh vegetable dishes, and tofu dishes!
Their homemade tsukune is cool! Tsukune is a japanese chicken meatball most often cooked in yakitori style. At Keishouan, you can select toppings for it. We tried 5 different flavors: teriyaki mayonnaise, special, scallion miso, mentai mayonnaise, and spicy tsukune. They were all delicious! I think I will go there again someday ;)

It's cloudy and humid today. I hate the rainy season.

Stay dry :)

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