I've been in Tokyo a few days now, hanging out with Panda chan, catching up with old friends and eating well. Tonight, Panda chan and I are leaving Tokyo for a few days, to head back to her parents' place for New Year's.
Unlike in the West, New Year's in Japan is a time for families to get together (conversely, Christmas is usually for younger people, mostly couples). So we're driving to Panda chan's hometown with her brother and her brother's wife. Panda chan's hometown is in Western Japan, north of Kobe and Kyoto. The drive will take 10 hours.
TEN. HOURS.
If you thought Japan was small, you were right. But if you thought small meant you couldn't do long drives, you were wrong. Although, I guess when looked at in comparison to what a "long drive" means in the States, where you can spend 25 hours just crossing a few states, it's not that long after all.
What makes it especially tough, though, is the fact that we're leaving at night, to avoid traffic (10 pm, actually). Because her hometown is a little off the beaten path, I guess much of the driving will be off the freeway, which makes it take longer than you would expect distance-wise. I just hope we can avoid a lot of the crowds of people driving home for the holiday (a lot of Japanese had to work until yesterday, so there will probably be a lot of cars on the road all day today).
Then, of course, there's the fact that we're driving ten hours for around two and a half days spent in her hometown, only to turn around and drive back to Tokyo on the 2nd. All in all, though, I'm looking forward to the trip. It will be good to meet her family and see where she's from. And it's always nice to get outside of Tokyo and explore other parts of Japan.
After the visit home, Panda chan and I are taking another little trip. On the third, we've booked rooms at a cool-looking onsen (hot spring) in Izu, 2 1/2 hours outside of Tokyo. Should be fun!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Duck, duck, duck, Jackass.
Yesterday Panda chan and I went to a Kamo Nabe restaurant. Kamo is the Japanese word for duck, and nabe is like a Japanese hotpot -- great for winter. We had thought about making dinner at home, but one of her friends had recommended this place in Yurakucho, which is only a few stops away, so it seemed like a good idea.
I had eaten Kamo Nabe a few times before, and despite my fondness for duck, wasn't that impressed, because the duck was often hard and chewy, even if it was flavorful. This place, however, was different -- we started with a little grilled duck which was deliciously tender. That was followed by a little duck sashimi.
Yes, duck sashimi, as in, raw duck. I think this was the second time I've had raw fowl, the first time being chicken sashimi in Kyoto, oh-so-many years ago. It was quite tasty -- didn't seem "raw" at all, and as far as I can tell, I haven't died from salmonella yet.
Finally, the main course, the nabe, came. As with the rest of the duck, it was surpisingly tender, and quite delicious. The dashi (soup) was also good, although I wouldn't have minded if there had been a little more tofu or a few more dango (dumpling-like balls of mashed ground duck).
All in all, sounds like a great meal, right? Well, it was, except for the service, which was miserable, to put it mildly. We had made a reservation for 8:30, but when we got there, all of the tables were full, and the old man running the place told us to come back at 9, making it out to be our fault for making an 8:30 reservation (on the phone he had said 8:30 or 9 would have been okay, but clearly he wanted us to make it 9). As requested, we came back at 9, only to have to wait for them to clear one of the open tables -- you'd think if they had known we were coming, they would have cleared it before we got there.
When we finally sat down, it took seemingly forever for the one waitress (an old woman -- possibly the old man's wife?) to come take our drink order, and the beers sat upon the bar for five minutes before Panda chan finally got up and got them herself. A few minutes later, the waitress finally took our food order, and all we got was a "sorry" and an unsympathetic look. Later, when we had unsuccessfully tried calling her over to start our nabe, she spent almost 5 minutes trying to take a picture of the patrons at another table, caring more about their digital camera (maybe it was the first time she'd used one??) than the rest of the customers. All the while, the old man was sitting behind the counter, either doing nothing, washing dishes (a sign of little to do) or, worse, sipping on a cup of sake.
But the straw that broke the camel (duck's?) back was when we got the bill. Panda chan and I had figured out how much the bill should be, and when the waitress brought us the check, it was over 1000 yen (around 9 bucks) higher. When we asked why, the waitress said in a less-than-polite tone that the otoshi was 500 yen each. Not only was the otoshi not very good, but it certainly wasn't worth 500 yen, and there was no mention of the charge on the menu. Plus, after we questioned the bill, the old man behind the counter could be heard grumbling VERY loudly about us, who he clearly hadn't been happy to see since the second we walked in the door. And when we left, not so much as a "thank you", which is VERY rare for Japan. Jackass.
A- for food, B for location, F for service. We won't be back.
I had eaten Kamo Nabe a few times before, and despite my fondness for duck, wasn't that impressed, because the duck was often hard and chewy, even if it was flavorful. This place, however, was different -- we started with a little grilled duck which was deliciously tender. That was followed by a little duck sashimi.
Yes, duck sashimi, as in, raw duck. I think this was the second time I've had raw fowl, the first time being chicken sashimi in Kyoto, oh-so-many years ago. It was quite tasty -- didn't seem "raw" at all, and as far as I can tell, I haven't died from salmonella yet.
Finally, the main course, the nabe, came. As with the rest of the duck, it was surpisingly tender, and quite delicious. The dashi (soup) was also good, although I wouldn't have minded if there had been a little more tofu or a few more dango (dumpling-like balls of mashed ground duck).
All in all, sounds like a great meal, right? Well, it was, except for the service, which was miserable, to put it mildly. We had made a reservation for 8:30, but when we got there, all of the tables were full, and the old man running the place told us to come back at 9, making it out to be our fault for making an 8:30 reservation (on the phone he had said 8:30 or 9 would have been okay, but clearly he wanted us to make it 9). As requested, we came back at 9, only to have to wait for them to clear one of the open tables -- you'd think if they had known we were coming, they would have cleared it before we got there.
When we finally sat down, it took seemingly forever for the one waitress (an old woman -- possibly the old man's wife?) to come take our drink order, and the beers sat upon the bar for five minutes before Panda chan finally got up and got them herself. A few minutes later, the waitress finally took our food order, and all we got was a "sorry" and an unsympathetic look. Later, when we had unsuccessfully tried calling her over to start our nabe, she spent almost 5 minutes trying to take a picture of the patrons at another table, caring more about their digital camera (maybe it was the first time she'd used one??) than the rest of the customers. All the while, the old man was sitting behind the counter, either doing nothing, washing dishes (a sign of little to do) or, worse, sipping on a cup of sake.
But the straw that broke the camel (duck's?) back was when we got the bill. Panda chan and I had figured out how much the bill should be, and when the waitress brought us the check, it was over 1000 yen (around 9 bucks) higher. When we asked why, the waitress said in a less-than-polite tone that the otoshi was 500 yen each. Not only was the otoshi not very good, but it certainly wasn't worth 500 yen, and there was no mention of the charge on the menu. Plus, after we questioned the bill, the old man behind the counter could be heard grumbling VERY loudly about us, who he clearly hadn't been happy to see since the second we walked in the door. And when we left, not so much as a "thank you", which is VERY rare for Japan. Jackass.
A- for food, B for location, F for service. We won't be back.
Monday, December 25, 2006
The REAL value of a $12 box of chocolates
Or, "How I turned 12 bucks into a better flight and my own private bar"
Several years ago, I had scheduled a trip from Japan to the US that had me flying on Christmas Day. Upon hearing this, one of my coworkers at the time relayed to me a story about her friend who, flying to Australia on Christmas Day, brought a box of chocolates for the stewardesses and proceeded to get upgraded to business class. Knowing a good deal when I saw one, I brought a box of Godiva chocolates on board with me and gave it to the stewardesses. As it was several years ago, I can't remember if I got upgraded or just got a better seat, but I do remember that it definitely paid off.
Fast forward to yesterday, Christmas Eve 2006. At the airport, before boarding my flight, I bought a box of See's chocolates (yes, it was $12). I figured, worst-case scenario, I was out 12 bucks. As I boarded the flight, I asked the flight attendant where my seat was (showing my pass so she'd remember where I was), and then gave the box of chocolates to the purser, wishing them Merry Christmas.
One of the last ones on the plane, I took my seat and got ready for takeoff. The plane started up, we taxid to the runway, and we were off.... except, before we actually got off the ground, the engines powered down and we came to a slow stop. Apparently there was a problem with the cargo door light, so we had to return to the gate and wait. And wait. And wait. When the problem was finally fixed, the pilot came on and said he had some paperwork to take care of, so we waited some more. And a little more. Finally, almost two hours after our original departure time, we had a successful take off.
The next 8 hours were a rather uneventful combination of reading (The Omnivore's Dilemma), watching airline movies (Little Miss Sunshine and Invincible -- both of which were pretty entertaining) and watching downloaded tv episodes on my computer. Until, all of a sudden, the purser came by my seat and asked "you're the one that gave us the candy, right?"
When I said "yes", he apologized for not "taking care of me" earlier, bemoaning how understaffed they were (it WAS Christmas, after all...), and handed me a plastic bag full of bottles of alcohol. He then apologized again, offered me my choice of red or white wine, and said that while there was only two hours left, if I wanted to, I could sit up in business class for the rest of the flight and have breakfast there.
I practically tripped over myself rushing down the aisle to take him up on his offer. And it was all I could do to prevent myself from laughing out loud with glee. In the end, I couldn't sleep (despite putting the seat completely flat and turning on the lumbar massagers) because I was so amped up, so I read a little and watched a little more tv on my laptop. Breakfast was delicious -- roast beef, salmon, a bowl of fruit and coffee cake, with two surprisingly tasty cups of coffee.
When I got off the plane and finally had the courage to peek into the two bags I had gotten, there was a bottle of Schramberg sparkling wine, two FULL-SIZE bottles of red wine (including a bottle of St. Supery, which is in Napa), and 8 or so miniature bottles of alcohol. While I certainly would not have minded sitting in Business Class for the entire trip, considering the fact that the first 10 hours were a sunk cost and I had stopped expecting anything, all in all it worked out in the end.
Not bad for 12 bucks...
Several years ago, I had scheduled a trip from Japan to the US that had me flying on Christmas Day. Upon hearing this, one of my coworkers at the time relayed to me a story about her friend who, flying to Australia on Christmas Day, brought a box of chocolates for the stewardesses and proceeded to get upgraded to business class. Knowing a good deal when I saw one, I brought a box of Godiva chocolates on board with me and gave it to the stewardesses. As it was several years ago, I can't remember if I got upgraded or just got a better seat, but I do remember that it definitely paid off.
Fast forward to yesterday, Christmas Eve 2006. At the airport, before boarding my flight, I bought a box of See's chocolates (yes, it was $12). I figured, worst-case scenario, I was out 12 bucks. As I boarded the flight, I asked the flight attendant where my seat was (showing my pass so she'd remember where I was), and then gave the box of chocolates to the purser, wishing them Merry Christmas.
One of the last ones on the plane, I took my seat and got ready for takeoff. The plane started up, we taxid to the runway, and we were off.... except, before we actually got off the ground, the engines powered down and we came to a slow stop. Apparently there was a problem with the cargo door light, so we had to return to the gate and wait. And wait. And wait. When the problem was finally fixed, the pilot came on and said he had some paperwork to take care of, so we waited some more. And a little more. Finally, almost two hours after our original departure time, we had a successful take off.
The next 8 hours were a rather uneventful combination of reading (The Omnivore's Dilemma), watching airline movies (Little Miss Sunshine and Invincible -- both of which were pretty entertaining) and watching downloaded tv episodes on my computer. Until, all of a sudden, the purser came by my seat and asked "you're the one that gave us the candy, right?"
When I said "yes", he apologized for not "taking care of me" earlier, bemoaning how understaffed they were (it WAS Christmas, after all...), and handed me a plastic bag full of bottles of alcohol. He then apologized again, offered me my choice of red or white wine, and said that while there was only two hours left, if I wanted to, I could sit up in business class for the rest of the flight and have breakfast there.
I practically tripped over myself rushing down the aisle to take him up on his offer. And it was all I could do to prevent myself from laughing out loud with glee. In the end, I couldn't sleep (despite putting the seat completely flat and turning on the lumbar massagers) because I was so amped up, so I read a little and watched a little more tv on my laptop. Breakfast was delicious -- roast beef, salmon, a bowl of fruit and coffee cake, with two surprisingly tasty cups of coffee.
When I got off the plane and finally had the courage to peek into the two bags I had gotten, there was a bottle of Schramberg sparkling wine, two FULL-SIZE bottles of red wine (including a bottle of St. Supery, which is in Napa), and 8 or so miniature bottles of alcohol. While I certainly would not have minded sitting in Business Class for the entire trip, considering the fact that the first 10 hours were a sunk cost and I had stopped expecting anything, all in all it worked out in the end.
Not bad for 12 bucks...
Friday, December 22, 2006
On the one hand
I want to say that this video of the opening of the first Krispy Kreme in Japan just shows how much Japanese people LOVE to wait in lines for food. And yet, I seem to remember similar lines when the first Krispy Kreme opened outside of LA 7 or so years ago.
I admit, their donuts are good, in that "Oh my god I'm going to have a sugar-induced heart attack" kinda way. But are they really worth waiting 45 minutes (whether it's in the cold of a Japanese winter or the smoggy warmth of an LA summer)?
I admit, their donuts are good, in that "Oh my god I'm going to have a sugar-induced heart attack" kinda way. But are they really worth waiting 45 minutes (whether it's in the cold of a Japanese winter or the smoggy warmth of an LA summer)?
Too far
I'd like to think I'm a pretty tolerant guy. I don't really complain a whole lot about others, and in general, I think I make a good neighbor. And, even though I haven't thrown any real parties in my Berkeley apartment (dinner parties don't count), I certainly love to party, and I enjoy good music at a level that's sometimes possibly damaging to my long-term hearing.
But, come on, guys! My whole goddamn apartment is vibrating from the bass of your stereo. And it's 2am...
After 20 minutes of not getting to sleep because of said vibrations, I finally had enough, and went on the hunt for the culprit. As expected, it was the guys downstairs from me. They said they'd turn it down. Let's hope I can get to sleep now.
But, come on, guys! My whole goddamn apartment is vibrating from the bass of your stereo. And it's 2am...
After 20 minutes of not getting to sleep because of said vibrations, I finally had enough, and went on the hunt for the culprit. As expected, it was the guys downstairs from me. They said they'd turn it down. Let's hope I can get to sleep now.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Theory and Practice
It seems like there are a lot of things that work much better in theory than in practice. A lot of times when I see a really cool shirt in a store, it doesn't look nearly as good on me as it did on the rack.
Another example -- dinner last night. I had gotten a recipe for stuffed & baked artichokes from Andronicos, a local grocery store. Given that artichokes are readily available and fresh here, and they're something I've never really used in cooking (other than serving them boiled w/ butter for one meal when Panda chan was here), I thought I'd give it a try, remembering the delicious stuffed artichokes my mom used to make when I was a kid.
Well, not only was it a lot more work than I had anticipated (how DO you do it, mom?), but it didn't taste quite as good as I remembered. For some reason, the stuffing was really loose; more like sprinkles, than stuffing. Oh well.
Theory-gone-awry # 2:
The other day, when shopping at my favorite culinary institution, the Berkeley Bowl, I came across a set for homemade salsa in the vegetable area. Not only did it seem like a really cool idea, but it seemed like the perfect excuse to use my new Cuisinart.
Once again, theory and practice collided. Violently. Instead of being beautiful, fresh salsa, I ended up with a kind of watery salsa-esque mush.
Now, admittedly, it's probably more my fault for not being really familiar with my cuisinart, yet. And it doesn't exactly taste bad. But it definitely didn't live up to my expectations.
On the upside, I'm cooking and experimenting, instead of just heating up boxed stuff (although, I'm doing my fair share of that, too).
Tonight's menu? The one leftover artichoke and TBD.
Another example -- dinner last night. I had gotten a recipe for stuffed & baked artichokes from Andronicos, a local grocery store. Given that artichokes are readily available and fresh here, and they're something I've never really used in cooking (other than serving them boiled w/ butter for one meal when Panda chan was here), I thought I'd give it a try, remembering the delicious stuffed artichokes my mom used to make when I was a kid.
Well, not only was it a lot more work than I had anticipated (how DO you do it, mom?), but it didn't taste quite as good as I remembered. For some reason, the stuffing was really loose; more like sprinkles, than stuffing. Oh well.
Theory-gone-awry # 2:
The other day, when shopping at my favorite culinary institution, the Berkeley Bowl, I came across a set for homemade salsa in the vegetable area. Not only did it seem like a really cool idea, but it seemed like the perfect excuse to use my new Cuisinart.
Once again, theory and practice collided. Violently. Instead of being beautiful, fresh salsa, I ended up with a kind of watery salsa-esque mush.Now, admittedly, it's probably more my fault for not being really familiar with my cuisinart, yet. And it doesn't exactly taste bad. But it definitely didn't live up to my expectations.
On the upside, I'm cooking and experimenting, instead of just heating up boxed stuff (although, I'm doing my fair share of that, too).
Tonight's menu? The one leftover artichoke and TBD.
Finally!
When I left my last job in Japan, I got a video iPod as a going away gift. At the time, I only had my crappy old iBook as a computer, not my shiny new Vaio. The newer iPods only connect over USB, as opposed to firewire, and on my old mac, the USB was REALLY SLOW, meaning it took ages to update my iPod.
It took almost an entire day, but after 5 months, I finally changed my iPod over from my mac to my PC (you have to choose which type you're going to use and stick with it). It was such a big pain because my songs weren't all in one location -- some were on my mac, some were on my pc, some were on dvds/cds and some I had lost and were only on my iPod. Now everything's on both my pc AND my iPod.
Not only that, but I finally put a few videos on it (a couple of things I had downloaded for free from iTunes). I'm still not sure how I feel about watching a tv show on a 2.5" screen, but it IS pretty cool.
And now I have almost all my tunes in my iPod. Perfect timing for my trip to Japan!
Now if I could only find my old iPod that I was planning on using as a portable hard-drive. It's gotta be around here somewhere....
It took almost an entire day, but after 5 months, I finally changed my iPod over from my mac to my PC (you have to choose which type you're going to use and stick with it). It was such a big pain because my songs weren't all in one location -- some were on my mac, some were on my pc, some were on dvds/cds and some I had lost and were only on my iPod. Now everything's on both my pc AND my iPod.
Not only that, but I finally put a few videos on it (a couple of things I had downloaded for free from iTunes). I'm still not sure how I feel about watching a tv show on a 2.5" screen, but it IS pretty cool.
And now I have almost all my tunes in my iPod. Perfect timing for my trip to Japan!
Now if I could only find my old iPod that I was planning on using as a portable hard-drive. It's gotta be around here somewhere....
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Since I'm doing all this updating...
I might as well post the fact that I'm leaving for Tokyo in 5 days. Hooray! Even though it's only been six months since I was last there, it seems like a lot longer. I lived there for six years, after all.
I'll be there for about three weeks, visiting Panda chan and catching up with some old friends. Should be a good time!
I'll be there for about three weeks, visiting Panda chan and catching up with some old friends. Should be a good time!
And hey
Check out those labels! Cool, huh? Now if you ever wanted to peruse, say, all my food-related posts, and ONLY my food-related posts, you could. In theory. It's kind of a pain in the ass tagging all my old posts, so I might have missed a few...
Renewal
Hey there. I'm the new blog. Nice to meet you.
Actually, I'm not that new. Same ole' crap, in fact. Just a shinier look. I like shiny, don't you? Shiny's good. So are some of my new features.
Check out my new Flickr Badge! -->
Cool, huh?
Heh heh. Shiny.
Actually, I'm not that new. Same ole' crap, in fact. Just a shinier look. I like shiny, don't you? Shiny's good. So are some of my new features.
Check out my new Flickr Badge! -->
Cool, huh?
Heh heh. Shiny.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Regret?
I. Can't. Believe. I. Gave. Up. My. Digital. Cable. And. HDTV.
What was I thinking? Oh well, guess I'll have to wait until the Blue-Ray/HD-DVD wars are over and pick up the survivor once prices have come down. Wouldn't want to be like my Dad in the 80s -- he still has a Betamax VCR hidden away in his office at home....
What was I thinking? Oh well, guess I'll have to wait until the Blue-Ray/HD-DVD wars are over and pick up the survivor once prices have come down. Wouldn't want to be like my Dad in the 80s -- he still has a Betamax VCR hidden away in his office at home....
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Boardacious!
Suhweet! I just got a brand new snowboard. Awesome. And hopefully I'm going boarding tomorrow morning with some friends from school. Day-trip to Tahoe (Kirkwood, where a bunch of us have season passes, and where we're renting a ski house starting in January). At 32, hopefully I'm finally gonna become a good snowboarder! Keep your fingers crossed....
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Done!
As of 11:59 am on Thursday morning, I am done with my first semester of business school! Yeah!
I can't tell if it went by extremely qiuckly or lasted four lifetimes... Maybe somewhere in between? (which would be 1 and a third lifetimes??)
I now have a month of freedom -- One week here in Berkeley and then it's off to Japan for three weeks with my Panda chan!
I can't tell if it went by extremely qiuckly or lasted four lifetimes... Maybe somewhere in between? (which would be 1 and a third lifetimes??)
I now have a month of freedom -- One week here in Berkeley and then it's off to Japan for three weeks with my Panda chan!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Numbers
Number of classmates I have -- 241
Amount of money I lost in Vegas last weekend -- Don't Ask
Days since I started my MBA -- 107
Number of times my corporate finance professor said "Law of one price!" this semester -- 86
Finals taken so far this semester -- 3
Finals to go -- 1
Hours until I have to turn in my last paper -- 13
Motivation level -- 0
Amount of money I lost in Vegas last weekend -- Don't Ask
Days since I started my MBA -- 107
Number of times my corporate finance professor said "Law of one price!" this semester -- 86
Finals taken so far this semester -- 3
Finals to go -- 1
Hours until I have to turn in my last paper -- 13
Motivation level -- 0
Ever feel like you can take on the world?
What about take OVER the world? I feel like both sometimes. Especially when I listen to this song. Well, actually, not that particular song, although it's great, too. The song I was really listening to in a cafe, earlier today, is called Playstar Vista. But I couldn't find a clip of that one.
Both are from the cd Futurama, by Supercar, whom I've mentioned here before. Because they rock. And because when I listen to them, I feel like I can take over the world. And kind of want to.
Or, at least don't want to study for my finals any more...
I think when I'm in Tokyo over the holiday, I'm going to have to rent all of their cds that I don't have and rip them on to my PC. 'Cause they rock. And 'cause that kind of thing is legal in Japan (no kidding).
Both are from the cd Futurama, by Supercar, whom I've mentioned here before. Because they rock. And because when I listen to them, I feel like I can take over the world. And kind of want to.
Or, at least don't want to study for my finals any more...
I think when I'm in Tokyo over the holiday, I'm going to have to rent all of their cds that I don't have and rip them on to my PC. 'Cause they rock. And 'cause that kind of thing is legal in Japan (no kidding).
The logic is irrefutable
Whether you agree with the premise of the article or not, you have to admit, the final sentence makes perfect sense -- mummies are indeed unable to reproduce.
Monday, December 04, 2006
My latest infatuation
Heard in the Fred Segal on Melrose, in L.A.
Snapped up at Tower Records' Going Out of Business Sale in Santa Monica (40% off).
Dreams, by The Whitest Boy Alive
Rock 'N Roll.
(Be sure and check tracks 1 & 2)
Snapped up at Tower Records' Going Out of Business Sale in Santa Monica (40% off).
Dreams, by The Whitest Boy Alive
Rock 'N Roll.
(Be sure and check tracks 1 & 2)
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Not quite an update
In the spirit of "Short is better than nothing"...
My parents bought me a cuisinart when they were in town over Thanksgiving. I didn't think I needed the full-on newest model, as it was really big and twice the price, so I got the "Classic" version. I finally opened up the box today, and was a little surprised to find an instructional VIDEOTAPE. Not a DVD. I guess that's why they call it the "Classic"....
My parents bought me a cuisinart when they were in town over Thanksgiving. I didn't think I needed the full-on newest model, as it was really big and twice the price, so I got the "Classic" version. I finally opened up the box today, and was a little surprised to find an instructional VIDEOTAPE. Not a DVD. I guess that's why they call it the "Classic"....
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