We picked up the new Popin’ Cookin’ disaster today, and man, is it ridiculous. Candy Ramen and Gyoza set! We of course made an epic demonstration vlog, just for you 🙂
Poppin’ Cookin, Popping Cooking, PopinCookin from Kracie…this whole series is insane!
The twelve year old boy in me really wanted to take a pen and turn the second “h” into a “b”, but I refrained…
Happy Friday, Internets! It’s National Foundation Day or 建国記念の日 here in Japan, which means a three day weekend, very exciting. We’re headed to Nagano in the morning to see the snow monkeys, so look for pictures soon!
Also exciting? McDonald’s newest insanity in the Big America series came out today–the Miami Burger. I’ll post my review on Monday–I’m sure you can’t wait to hear what they came up with this time!
So monkeys and McDonald’s are on our agenda of the weekend, how about you? What are your plans for the weekend? Have a great one!
The other day, English Club ran a bit long. When we finished the game, I asked the kids if they wanted to play again, fully expecting a chorus of “FINISH!” To my surprise they actually wanted to play one more time, and if they’re keen I’m certainly not going to stop them!
When I got back to the teacher’s room, the club adviser seemed a bit flustered. “Today took a bit longer?” He asked. I explained what happened, and he rushed over to his desk and came back with a small piece of hard candy.
“Thank you for your extra time,” he said.
This is one of the things I love about Japan. A small piece of hard candy costs virtually nothing, but it’s a very sweet (literally, haha!) gesture. It really made me feel appreciated. Coworkers often give each other little sweets or snackie things for various reasons, usually with gratitude (or guilt in some eyes) as a motivation.
I get the sense that in some places it’s fairly strict and regimented, but at my workplace it’s pretty relaxed. Give something if you feel like, but if not, it’s no big deal. It’s a token of appreciation, but it’s not required.
Is there a custom like this in your workplace? Does it sound like an obligation, or a nicety? What do you think?
Recently, one of the best things ever happened. Word is starting to spread at work about my love of crazy Kit Kat flavors. One of my favorite coworkers said that he would let everyone know that if they see an interesting regional flavor while traveling, they should pick it up for me, and recently this resulted in one of the weirdest Kit Kat flavors yet appearing on my desk. Continue reading
I’m not sure how sexy this sweatshirt in a nice big size really is, but at least it won’t make you look like a Corporat Outer Space Nun. Thank GOD! I know that’s one of my biggest concerns when clothes shopping, right?
How about you? Or do you prefer the Corporat Outer Space Nun look?
The Setsubun display at our local 7-11 included this Oni/Maki stand for taking your picture with!
Today is Setsubun! Our textbook at school translates this as “The Annual Bean Throwing Festival” and states that it is to celebrate the coming of Spring. Japanese people celebrate by throwing roasted soybeans, usually at the father of the household while he wears an Oni or demon mask. You chant “Demons out, happiness in!” and then eat as many beans as your age. It is also traditional to eat an Ehoumaki, or uncut sushi roll, facing the lucky direction of the year.
I’m particularly excited this year because while I’ve heard about this holiday for ages, this is my first time to see it in person. When the display went up at Lawson’s, the combini on the corner, I was ridiculously happy to see it.
The Setsubun Display at Lawson's
It’s the difference between something I’ve known about for years, read about in books and on the internet, versus finally seeing it in person. Soybeans branded with my favorite characters (Rilakkuma and Mameshiba!), the delivery of enormous sushi rolls to the combini in morning, demon masks on the shelves…it’s real! It’s really real! Not just a dusty relic in a textbook for Japanese Culture 101!
The other day one of my coworkers came in with a bag full of beans and candy. A few of the other teachers then delighted in explaining the holiday to me, and were surprised at how much I already knew.
I even got invited to join the Archery club’s celebration this afternoon! I had a prior engagement, so I couldn’t attend, but it was nice to be asked. Interestingly enough, they apparently celebrate without Oni, just throwing the beans at the door to shoo away demons. The teacher in charge was also apparently planning to mix the candy in with the beans, which I had never heard of. That’s another joy of being here–learning new things that hadn’t been in the books or the blogs I’ve seen.
I also love seeing new traditions emerge and change. For example, instead of an Ehoumaki, the uncut sushi roll, why not try a dessert version? This extra long uncut roll cake is filled with strawberries and whipped cream. Much more exciting than seaweed and rice, don’t you think? ^^ Would you rather try the traditional sushi, or the cake version?
Have you heard of Setsubun? Would you like to celebrate it? You can learn more about it over on Wikipedia!
This post is entered in the Japan Blog Matsuri for February 2011! To learn more and see other great Matsuri posts, go here for more information. Thanks, Lonlee Planet for hosting 🙂
Whenever we’ve come to Japan on business trips for Otakon, my male collegues would usually lose a little weight from all of the walking around. On the other hand, I would usually put on a couple pounds, from all of the lovely sweets and cakes available in abundance.
Even the ones from the local combini are usually surprisingly high quality and delicious! They’re cheap too–a fancy cake shop might run you as much as ￥500 a slice, but the convenince store treats are rarely more than ￥300. Some of them are even as low as ￥100 for amazingly yummy stuff!
When we first got here this time I realized that they were easy enough to come by, and as we had so much time I didn’t need to eat every cakey ever. Then I realized that as quick as they appear, they’re gone again. If I see something I like, I should get it or I risk missing it all together.
These are the special Valentine’s Day treats that just came in last week at the Lawson’s around the corner from us. Their roll cakes in general are excellent, and these are even a cut above the rest. The cake has a lovely chewy texture, and a very real strawberry flavor with noticeable strawberry chunks in the cake itself. Perfect whipped cream center and a nice fresh strawberry in the middle. Beautiful and delicious. It’s only a couple bucks too–you can’t beat it!
So, yeah–here comes that couple pounds, but it’ll be worth it. Sooooooo yummy!
What do you think? Does it look tasty? Are there cakes like this at the local convenience store in your area? I love Japanese combinis!
Friday passed, and then another.
“Is it here yet? It’s got to be here.”
“I dunno, that’s what you said last Friday.”
“The website said late January. January is almost over!”
Finally, with only a few days left in the month, it was true. The Idaho Burger was here.
The Idaho Burger is the newest burger in McDonald’s Big America 2 series. You might remember the disastrous Texas2 from a few weeks ago, reviewed here. Well, now it’s the great potato state’s turn. Is it as terrible as it’s predecessor, or delicious and delightful?
It’s fan-freaking-tastic, I’m happy to say. At first bite I was worried it might be a bit too bland, but a few bites in and it was a winner.
A few more bites and I wanted to die, but that was to be expected–it’s the heftiest of the Big America 2 series, clocking in at over 700 calories. I felt a bit sick after finishing it, and now I feel oddly hungry just a few hours later–complex carbohydrates, these are not. But, damn, was it tasty!
First up is the onion bun. Sadly, I didn’t really notice the bun much, though I usually love onion bread. Maybe I’ll have to get another one to try the bread again!
The anchor of the burger is the patty, of course, which is quite big, but not really the point here. There’s bacon, cheese, and fresh onions–apparently Idaho is famous for fresh onions too? Who knew?
The leading attraction here is the Hash Browns, just like the ones sitting next to your McMuffin in the morning. At first they worried me with their blandness–I prefer mine with ketchup. Soon, though, the sauces (there’s multiple!) balanced that out, and left a satisfying crunch to go with the meaty burger. It was a bit like putting chips on a Sandwich (Oh, wait, that’s the upcoming Miami Burger. No, really.) The texture of the crispy hash browns was delightful and definitely added something unique to the overall experience.
The surprise stars, however, were the sauces. Not one, but two tasty sauces were included on this bad boy. First up is the honey mustard, which is perfectly nice. But hiding under the cheese, on the very bottom, is possibly one of the best sauces to ever come out of Micky D’s. It’s apparently a sweet pepper sauce, but it tasted a bit like caramelized onions to me. Brown, sweet, and a bit earthy, it really made the burger.
So the Idaho Burger is a hit, and my front runner for best of the Big America 2 series, so far. The Miami’s got a chance, but the Texas2 still haunts my mouth with sadness.
And really, they put a freaking potato on a burger, how hilariously literal of an interpretation of “Idaho” can you get?
What do you think, guys? Would you try it? Does it sound good to you, or is it just ridiculous?
ETA: Sean says “It’s like lunch and breakfast had a kid. And I ate it.”
We just got a Subway in our town, and all of the Americans have been buzzing with excitement. The sandwiches are delicious, the lobster bisque (no, really. Would you trust lobster bisque from Subway?) is a bit strange, but this is the best part–the Engrish oshibori! Oshibori are the little towels you get at a restaurant before eating, and even some fast food chains do it, though it’s a bit closer to a wet nap in this case.
I love when English was obviously translated into Japanese and then translated back into “English” as what seemed to happen here! “Eat fresh” has turned into The Natural ideal style of eating vegetable. Just the one, of course! Well done, Subway Japan!
Do you enjoy the Natural ideal style of eating vegetable?
Welcome to the first installment of what is to become a regular feature of this blog: Kit Kat Reviews! I’m a bit crazy for different flavors of Kit Kats, and I want to share this joy with the world. There are so many creative and ridiculous flavors of Kit Kat in Japan, and I can’t help but try to collect them all. They don’t last forever though, so I’ll try to make this collection live in digital form here on the internets. And away we go!
As I mentioned the other day, we recently purchased a kotatsu, the low heated table that is such a part of the Japanese concept of winter. When I mentioned our new kotatsu on twitter, specifically that I was snuggling under the futon and watching the Sumo tournament, a good friend said that all I needed was mikan and I would be all set.
This mention of mikan then set off an epic twitter discussion about Japanese citrus fruit, the names and variety of which are seemingly endless. There’s the yuzu, of course, sometimes called a citron or Japanese lemon, with an appearance like an ugly grapefruit but a taste all of its own. There’s the chikuwasa from Okinawa, the sudachi from Shikoku, the dekopon and the ponkan. And of course, there is the mikan.
Mikan are small, orange-colored, and very sweet. They seem most like clementines to me, or perhaps mandarin oranges, but with their own distinctive, subtle flavor. They are seedless and the skin is thin and loosely attached to the fruit it holds. You might know them as satsumas in English, but I haven’t seen them in D.C. before. Do you have them in your neck of the woods?
They are also an integral part of the Japanese winter imagery, belonging with a kotatsu almost as much as the blanket on your lap or the cat (or little brother) peaking out from under it.
So, when I found a special, seasonal edition of Kit Kat that was Mikan flavored, I was excited. I don’t usually care for the bags of “Big littles”, or little square chunks of Kit Kat, but for mikan I would make an exception, and I’m glad I did.
They are delicious. Absolutely, totally delicious. A delicate orange scent permeates the milk chocolate, and compliments the crunchiness of the wafers. It’s like the cross of a Terry’s chocolate orange, the Christmas classic, with bite sized pieces of Kit Kat. If you enjoy the mixing of orange and chocolate, or like the taste of mikan, then you will like this Kit Kat.
In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it might be one of my all-time favorite flavors of Kit Kat that I’ve come across, and I’ve come across many. Some of the crazy flavors of Japanese Kit Kats seem really forced, more focused on the crazy factor than the success of the actual flavor. But chocolate and orange are a classic pairing, and they really suit each other well here, as well as being delightfully seasonally appropriate.
My only complaint is that there were so few in the bag! Only nine pieces for ￥120 just feels like a bit of a rip off.
I’ve heard reports that this one might be quickly disappearing, which might be a sign of how good it is—only the really gross ones seem to hang around forever. The special edition flavors usually seem to be done in limited batches, only meant to be on shelves a month or two, never to be seen again.
If it is flying off the shelves in record time, then perhaps the general populace agrees with me as to how ridiculously tasty these are. Still, if it’s true, I think I’ll stop by the shop on the way home and see if I can stock up on this deliciousness! What do you think, does it sound tasty? Would you try it? And do you want me to pick you up a bag if I find some? 🙂
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