Was busy cooking dinner when my husband got back. He popped into the kitchen and asked if I needed help.
"Could you help stir the rice before scooping?" I said to him.
So my man took the rice scooper and said this as he opened the lid.
"My wife told me to stir you up. I shall stir you up.
SO.. You think you are sooooo Fluffy Mr Rice?"
It had me laughing for a good 5mins starting from there.
These are one of those moments that I thank god for a witty partner.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Travel Log: Eating at Sushi Dai@ Tsukiji Fish Market
The last time I was here in Tsukiji was many years ago, before the ban of visitors in the auction site. I didnt bother then, I didnt bother now. I came here the last time but I missed out on the 2 famous sushi joints. This time round, going with my galfrens, we decided to brave the 3 hours long wait in line. You should have seen the shocked expression of my Japanese hotel's concierge when I said 3hours. He thought it was madness! hahaha!
We arrived at 8.30am and the line was already crazy long!!! So it was chatting and playing i-phone to pass time, as well as the eagle eyes of counting how many patrons are going in and out of the tiny place!
Finally after almost 3 hours, we finally reached the "entrance". While waiting from the outside, we peeked into the tiny establishment and started to "grumble" about how slow some people are eating inside. Collectively, we were urging them on from outside to hurry up and eat, stop talking! stop taking pictures! Stop laughing! Just stuff it into your mouth and GO!
What was worse was the old granny in this picture, and the single women. The granny has got to be the world's slowest eater. She probably only chew on one sushi while people next to her had gone on to theor 3rd and 4th!!! It was frustrating to see her eating soooo slowly, and talking, and sipping her tea in ultra slow motion. Ok...after 3 hours, the wait was really killing my feet..and so patience and a growling tummy was not making me the nicest lady on earth.
What was even pissing us lot out here waiting in the cold was this crazy specky woman who brought along her stupid Paddington bear with her. I simply could not believe a grown up woman like her to be taking out her bear and putting it under the sushi serving table, and as she ate, she WAS PATTING and TALKING to her bear! I nearly fainted!!!! Seriously! How old are you again woman?
The meal at Sushi Dai is not Ala-Carte. You get to choose between the Omakase (~3950yen) or the cheaper meal (~2780yen). However, the cheaper option does not give you the Uni (sea urchin) and the Otoro. Which idiot will pass up on fresh Otoro and Uni here in the home ground of fresh seafood?
Ever since I watched the documentary of the increasing pace of possible "extinction" of Blue fin Tuna. I kind of stopped eating Otoro （おトロ）for a year now. However, being in japan, remembering the taste of the soft buttery melting fish, I told myself I would restrict to one piece only. This singular piece made my abstinence from Otoro on other days totally worth while! Just look at the darn marbling!
Sweet tamago. I dont usually eat eggs in Sushi joints. This is an exception. It was warm and not sickly sick!
I have to declare that before this, I had only eaten uni once in my entire life. After which, I always shudder at the thought because the last one I had was terrible. So this time, I confronted my usual disdain and popped this straight into my mouth. I had the greatest shock in my life.
The damn Uni （ウニ）was sooooo freaking sweet! It was almost like it was raised in syrup water or something. I have never ever expected or tasted any seafood so sweet! It was OH MY GOD goodness! If my eyes could grow any wider, it would be popping out of its socket! I am officially a converted fan of Uni in Japan!!! It's orangey, its not even the weak plastic yellow sick looking shit you see in some stores outside Japan. This is the real deal!
Marinated tuna. Its fresh but doesnt have that wow factor for me.
Before I left, I waved for a happy shot for all the chefs I am thankful for the good meal today! Thanks guys for your hard work.
こころから、感謝しました！ごちそうさまでした！（お腹がいっぱいですよ！）
We arrived at 8.30am and the line was already crazy long!!! So it was chatting and playing i-phone to pass time, as well as the eagle eyes of counting how many patrons are going in and out of the tiny place!
By this time, most of the other stalls are empty except for sushi dai which still has a long long long line waiting to enter their premises just for a taste of their infamous fresh sushi. So like the many others before and after us, we stood in line patiently waiting..and waiting..and waiting....
Finally after almost 3 hours, we finally reached the "entrance". While waiting from the outside, we peeked into the tiny establishment and started to "grumble" about how slow some people are eating inside. Collectively, we were urging them on from outside to hurry up and eat, stop talking! stop taking pictures! Stop laughing! Just stuff it into your mouth and GO!
What was worse was the old granny in this picture, and the single women. The granny has got to be the world's slowest eater. She probably only chew on one sushi while people next to her had gone on to theor 3rd and 4th!!! It was frustrating to see her eating soooo slowly, and talking, and sipping her tea in ultra slow motion. Ok...after 3 hours, the wait was really killing my feet..and so patience and a growling tummy was not making me the nicest lady on earth.
What was even pissing us lot out here waiting in the cold was this crazy specky woman who brought along her stupid Paddington bear with her. I simply could not believe a grown up woman like her to be taking out her bear and putting it under the sushi serving table, and as she ate, she WAS PATTING and TALKING to her bear! I nearly fainted!!!! Seriously! How old are you again woman?
Probably hearing our curses from outside, the old granny and the crazy paddington bear woman stood up and left. Clearing out seats so that the next 7 of us could get in and have our turn. The chefs were still so damn chirpy after 7 hours since they opened shop, excluding the buying fish hours. How the hell do they do it? Smiling away, working away... RESPECT!
The meal at Sushi Dai is not Ala-Carte. You get to choose between the Omakase (~3950yen) or the cheaper meal (~2780yen). However, the cheaper option does not give you the Uni (sea urchin) and the Otoro. Which idiot will pass up on fresh Otoro and Uni here in the home ground of fresh seafood?
Ever since I watched the documentary of the increasing pace of possible "extinction" of Blue fin Tuna. I kind of stopped eating Otoro （おトロ）for a year now. However, being in japan, remembering the taste of the soft buttery melting fish, I told myself I would restrict to one piece only. This singular piece made my abstinence from Otoro on other days totally worth while! Just look at the darn marbling!
I have to declare that before this, I had only eaten uni once in my entire life. After which, I always shudder at the thought because the last one I had was terrible. So this time, I confronted my usual disdain and popped this straight into my mouth. I had the greatest shock in my life.
The damn Uni （ウニ）was sooooo freaking sweet! It was almost like it was raised in syrup water or something. I have never ever expected or tasted any seafood so sweet! It was OH MY GOD goodness! If my eyes could grow any wider, it would be popping out of its socket! I am officially a converted fan of Uni in Japan!!! It's orangey, its not even the weak plastic yellow sick looking shit you see in some stores outside Japan. This is the real deal!
This fellow arrived on my table still wriggling and moving. I was all ready to pop it into my mouth when my galfren grabbed my arm and asked "Will it stick to my tongue?" I started laughing. Of course not! This is not octopus! It's shellfish! The taste was unbelievably fresh!
I typically hate to eat fish that you can see pieces of skin on it. They tend to be very fishy. Frying them seemed to be the only way to eat them without the repulsive stench in Asia cooking. However, when my gf and I pop this into our mouth, we were completely stunned by the fact that it was sweet and not a single smelly fishy taste! This is what freshness is about!!!!!
いくらもおいしいですよ！
At the end of the Omakase meal. You get to choose the last sushi of your choice. I was undecided between Otoro and Uni. Otoro was obviously more expensive but since I dont typically eat Uni elsewhere, I went for my second uni...no regrets there! My gf picked chu-toro (semi fatty toro) and she said it was equally good!
Before I left, I waved for a happy shot for all the chefs I am thankful for the good meal today! Thanks guys for your hard work.
こころから、感謝しました！ごちそうさまでした！（お腹がいっぱいですよ！）
Travel Log: Hiking at Mitake San, Greater Tokyo Japan
About time to catch up on my posts after hidden away to mug for my papers.
During the trip to Tokyo this time, I decided to go on a lovely hike. I couldnt decide Mount Takao or Mount Mitake. Since my partner had initially wanted to go hiking, I thought I would leave the Takao for him while I checked out Mitake. In the end with all the shopping, we didnt end up going to Mount Takao...partially also being that my toes were covered with blisters from all the walking...wrong socks for my boots...
I did have a lovely time at Mitake though it was a pretty long train travel ride from Roppongi to get there, about close to 2 hours. I set off pretty late so I kinda reached my destination about 1pm instead of the insteaded 11am.
The cable car up wasnt very cheap either but I definitely did enjoy my 4-5hours there alone by myself. The peace and quiet nestled amongst nature...it's really quite liberating. Of course my Japanese friends after I got back were pretty surprised that I went hiking alone. They thought I was brave and I was like huh? If I cannot go hiking alone in Japan, where else on this planet can I do it? Right?!! Would never entertain the thought in any western countries, now that's for sure!
This was the welcoming view at the top after you get off the cable car. Since I was only afforded one sunny day during the week there, this was pretty precious moment for me. To see the mountains, the colours was quite a "wow" moment.
The best was seeing the autumn foliage (紅葉）this trip. There werent as much as I hoped for but I had a kick seeing the tall trees and green moss rocks etc too
The photo is deceiving... it doesnt capture how freaking steep the slope was! If I must judge, it probably looked like 80degrees gradient...even the Japanese gals next to me were screaming "ええ！！”in disbelief! No one ever said general Japanese gals were athletic for sure... I had to admire those Japanese old grannies and fathers...hobbling along on their walking stick despite their legs not being 100%....Respect!!! Makes one want to slap those whiny brats these days...
One of the attraction is the Mitake Temple. It's nice but not spectacular or anything.
This was like some shrine for the fox? There was some meaning to it but I have forgotten it now. Some of the Japanese old mothers seemed to be rather cautious around this particular shrine, whatever it is, I aint sticking around long to risk offending the "deities".
As one descend down the slope from the temple which is located at the very top, one will be rewarded with a lovely view on the left. I was lucky to catch one lovely Japanese lady to take a picture for me, and she actually knows how to use a camera properly. Lucky!
The start of my hiking journey...the whole trip started really on a very very vague note. There was no map...no trails or explanation or pointing signage except one inconspicuous "To the Rock Garden"sign.
It doesnt tell you how far or how long. It was like embarking on an unknown adventure. Works well for me. I love a good challenge anytime. I love long walks anyway. So as I made my way along this path that seemed to stretch forever, I finally came to a "resting" spot after like 20mins. The first group of people I had encountered, and little did I know that they would be one of the last few groups too. Lol
It was really a lovely scenic spot for families. Friends and family chatting away. Pets roaming freely and happily. It's like those fairy tale lifestyle one tells you about. Everyone is polite and friendly, and civic minded.
As I moved along, my scenery started to change. On my right is high steep slopes upwards, and on my right are steep downward slopes, filled with tall lean trees. I couldnt even see where they start or end at some point. Once again I travelled down the unmarked hiking path with no idea where I will end up. Just 5mins into my journey, I met an approaching pair of Japanese folks who was probably like me, had no idea how far the journey will take.
Obasan asked me "Are we near the temple yet?" I laughed and told her not too far, another 20mins or so. She looked like she was about to faint before she thanked me and went along. On hindsight, perhaps I should have asked her how long it took them to get here! I didnt...and so unknowingly, for the next 3hours on from here I didnt meet anyone else and still didnt know where my destination was...I was utterly, completely alone in the woods.
Fear wasnt in my head.
"How cool is this? Dont get this in Hk and Sg for sure!" was more on my mind. At this point, i was bubbling with excitement at the notion of what I will see next.
As i continued my journey onwards, I was thinking...did these trails developed over time or was it actually "man made?" Almost tripped over some roots and I was like woahh!!! I definitely dont want to try rolling down those slopes on my left!
I finally saw some signs at a cross junction...to Mitake san or to the rock garden..still no detailed information..so forward march I go!
Just when I was starting to wonder about my "hiking choice", I finally spotted this Tengou sign. At least now I have a vague idea of how far away I am from the cable car.
It was a tricky navigation down those rocky path. Sneakers are not the best hiking shoes for such damn conditions...the rocks were definitely not as "harmless" as they appear. For someone who hates going downhill, I had to watch my footing with additional help from my fingers....
Finally, after all the rocks and trees, I was rewarded with a small stream with mossy rocks. It was quite lovely and serene really. The birds and all.
I was totally in love here. Blissful. Lucky. Happy. All the feeling of joy and happiness runs through me as I stand in the middle of this spectacular nature. The long forgotten peace of just soaking in nature.
It was at this point that I encountered 3 other male hikers. I actually felt safer when I was alone....but they took some shots and moved on...without me realising, I was alone all over again. The weirdest part was I didnt know where they went?! I thought this was the dead end but apparently it wasnt! Further down along the stream, there were 3 boulders and if you look carefully and ignore the water running under, you could actually step on them to cross over to the other narrow walking path! Boy! This is really an adventure! Not long, I finally saw some more signs.
Apparently, if you are a serious hiker, one could walk from Mount Mitake to the connecting mountains Mount Kami-Takaiwa via the connecting wooden planks "bridge". I didnt, I went straight on for the Ayahiro waterfall because it said it would take 20mins. It was already 4pm. The last cable car leaves at 6pm. I didnt have much time and considering it took me over 3hours to reach this point, I had to run like mad to get back or I will be stuck in the woods in the cold! All I had was water.
So it was more upward climb for me....I kept looking at my watch now. Much that I would love to see the waterfall, I really dont want to miss the cable car. Afterall, no one else knew I was here.
After 20mins, I saw this board. I realise then I didnt have enough time to make it to the top and back in time. It was with great disappointment that I knew I had to turn back and give the water rapids a miss. It was quite an anti climax end to my adventure really....still, the cable car is calling and I ran as fast as my legs could carry me... UPHILL back.
What surprised me actually was how fast it took me to come back to the starting point at the temple! It only took me 1hour! I suppose it took me longer the first time because i didnt know where I was heading and plus all the photo taking took up time. While catching my breathe, I saw these lovely budding flowers...it was a treat.
As I half ran and walk to the final destination, the japanese mothers behind me was commenting how brave I had hiked alone. Seriously, is it that rare? While waiting for my 5.20pm cable, I took one last view from the top of what I was leaving behind. I had a great day.
After arriving at the bottom of the hill, we still had to wait for the bus to take us back to the train station. It was a 10mins wait in the cold. By the time I reached the station, it was about close to 6pm. How quickly darkness fell.
The transfer was as efficient as Japan trains are known for and the crowd while aplenty, wasnt as bad as I feared. Perhaps the efficiency of the train took the edge off. At the end of the day, my feet were sore because sneakers are not ideal walking shoes and my big toes are bruised. Still, after a good hot bath soak, and a plentiful fresh sushi dinner. I felt nothing but absolute contentment.
Life is truly beautiful when one stopped to smell the "roses".
During the trip to Tokyo this time, I decided to go on a lovely hike. I couldnt decide Mount Takao or Mount Mitake. Since my partner had initially wanted to go hiking, I thought I would leave the Takao for him while I checked out Mitake. In the end with all the shopping, we didnt end up going to Mount Takao...partially also being that my toes were covered with blisters from all the walking...wrong socks for my boots...
I did have a lovely time at Mitake though it was a pretty long train travel ride from Roppongi to get there, about close to 2 hours. I set off pretty late so I kinda reached my destination about 1pm instead of the insteaded 11am.
The cable car up wasnt very cheap either but I definitely did enjoy my 4-5hours there alone by myself. The peace and quiet nestled amongst nature...it's really quite liberating. Of course my Japanese friends after I got back were pretty surprised that I went hiking alone. They thought I was brave and I was like huh? If I cannot go hiking alone in Japan, where else on this planet can I do it? Right?!! Would never entertain the thought in any western countries, now that's for sure!
This was like some shrine for the fox? There was some meaning to it but I have forgotten it now. Some of the Japanese old mothers seemed to be rather cautious around this particular shrine, whatever it is, I aint sticking around long to risk offending the "deities".
The start of my hiking journey...the whole trip started really on a very very vague note. There was no map...no trails or explanation or pointing signage except one inconspicuous "To the Rock Garden"sign.
It doesnt tell you how far or how long. It was like embarking on an unknown adventure. Works well for me. I love a good challenge anytime. I love long walks anyway. So as I made my way along this path that seemed to stretch forever, I finally came to a "resting" spot after like 20mins. The first group of people I had encountered, and little did I know that they would be one of the last few groups too. Lol
It was really a lovely scenic spot for families. Friends and family chatting away. Pets roaming freely and happily. It's like those fairy tale lifestyle one tells you about. Everyone is polite and friendly, and civic minded.
As I moved along, my scenery started to change. On my right is high steep slopes upwards, and on my right are steep downward slopes, filled with tall lean trees. I couldnt even see where they start or end at some point. Once again I travelled down the unmarked hiking path with no idea where I will end up. Just 5mins into my journey, I met an approaching pair of Japanese folks who was probably like me, had no idea how far the journey will take.
Obasan asked me "Are we near the temple yet?" I laughed and told her not too far, another 20mins or so. She looked like she was about to faint before she thanked me and went along. On hindsight, perhaps I should have asked her how long it took them to get here! I didnt...and so unknowingly, for the next 3hours on from here I didnt meet anyone else and still didnt know where my destination was...I was utterly, completely alone in the woods.
Fear wasnt in my head.
"How cool is this? Dont get this in Hk and Sg for sure!" was more on my mind. At this point, i was bubbling with excitement at the notion of what I will see next.
Just when I was starting to wonder about my "hiking choice", I finally spotted this Tengou sign. At least now I have a vague idea of how far away I am from the cable car.
I was totally in love here. Blissful. Lucky. Happy. All the feeling of joy and happiness runs through me as I stand in the middle of this spectacular nature. The long forgotten peace of just soaking in nature.
It was at this point that I encountered 3 other male hikers. I actually felt safer when I was alone....but they took some shots and moved on...without me realising, I was alone all over again. The weirdest part was I didnt know where they went?! I thought this was the dead end but apparently it wasnt! Further down along the stream, there were 3 boulders and if you look carefully and ignore the water running under, you could actually step on them to cross over to the other narrow walking path! Boy! This is really an adventure! Not long, I finally saw some more signs.
Apparently, if you are a serious hiker, one could walk from Mount Mitake to the connecting mountains Mount Kami-Takaiwa via the connecting wooden planks "bridge". I didnt, I went straight on for the Ayahiro waterfall because it said it would take 20mins. It was already 4pm. The last cable car leaves at 6pm. I didnt have much time and considering it took me over 3hours to reach this point, I had to run like mad to get back or I will be stuck in the woods in the cold! All I had was water.
After 20mins, I saw this board. I realise then I didnt have enough time to make it to the top and back in time. It was with great disappointment that I knew I had to turn back and give the water rapids a miss. It was quite an anti climax end to my adventure really....still, the cable car is calling and I ran as fast as my legs could carry me... UPHILL back.
What surprised me actually was how fast it took me to come back to the starting point at the temple! It only took me 1hour! I suppose it took me longer the first time because i didnt know where I was heading and plus all the photo taking took up time. While catching my breathe, I saw these lovely budding flowers...it was a treat.
As I half ran and walk to the final destination, the japanese mothers behind me was commenting how brave I had hiked alone. Seriously, is it that rare? While waiting for my 5.20pm cable, I took one last view from the top of what I was leaving behind. I had a great day.
After arriving at the bottom of the hill, we still had to wait for the bus to take us back to the train station. It was a 10mins wait in the cold. By the time I reached the station, it was about close to 6pm. How quickly darkness fell.
The transfer was as efficient as Japan trains are known for and the crowd while aplenty, wasnt as bad as I feared. Perhaps the efficiency of the train took the edge off. At the end of the day, my feet were sore because sneakers are not ideal walking shoes and my big toes are bruised. Still, after a good hot bath soak, and a plentiful fresh sushi dinner. I felt nothing but absolute contentment.
Life is truly beautiful when one stopped to smell the "roses".