Kooky Japanese Snack #5

Pocky have been really well-documented. They are a mainstay of the Japanese snacking world. I've had much more off the wall flavors than Milk Coffee. They're basically little sticks that are dipped in a flavored coating. The dry, uncandied part is, apparently, for prim Japanese women who want to avoid getting their gloves dirty. The name "Pocky" comes from the sound one supposedly makes while eating them. So, I left these on the counter last night. Thought I'd have them with my coffee this morning......



Thanks Wayne.

Beef Pho

Just like last Saturday, it was grey and dark outisde. At least yesterday it was in the 70's. Roger and I had spent the morning and early afternoon moving furniture and this was our reward. In a previous post I mentioned that I was going to try beef pho next time I went to the Little Saigon restaurant up the street. So I took the plunge. When I was ordering the server asked me if I wanted meatballs. I said, "Are they any good?" He, looking into the distance, replied wearily, "I like them." Below, the soup.



Blurry, pointless close-up.



Photo of the texturey meatballs that seemed more like sausage. The bean sprouts and basil pulled focus in this photo. Show-offs. The so-called meatballs (actually, the were kind of ovoid) had kind of a, well, a seasoned flavor that was reminiscent of Italian sausage. Can't reccomend. The thin pieces of beef were very good, however.

Gyudon vs. Snow Crab! Yosh!

Like Gamra vs. Godzilla, it was sliced beef versus Chionoecetes! As you can see from the close-up, being a Harris Teeter Vic Club member I saved almost $30 on my 4 pounds of snow crab. (?!)



They look like a prop from one of those Alien movies with Sigourney Weaver.


I wasn't really in the mood for snow crab. Don't get me wrong, I like 'em and all I just wasn't in the mood. That's all.



Here they are all steamy and ready to go in the big corn cob themed super plate that tends to make a lot of appearances here.



Next up, Gyudon!



Naturally, I bought this at Maruichi. It had been in my freezer for a while. Below, warming up in some water.



Below, I had some leftover New York strip steak from the night before. While sipping on an Asahi, I sliced it up and placed in the bottom of the bowl. In the background, one of those creepy snow crabs has come back to life and is trying to get out of the steamer. The ever-ready rice cooker is looking on in speechless horror.....



I seasoned this with a dash of dashi.
Sorry.



Covered that with rice and then piled on the gyudon. It was fan-tast-ick! This is what I felt like when I was done. Barbell and all.........

Fish and Chips, more better closer.....

Fish Monger

Harris Teeter fish counter walk through. I've never had walleye. I rarely, make that never, eat fresh water fish. Pike fishing is big in the upper Mid-West, places like Minnesota and Michigan.



HT does have the hook-up when it comes to good, large, wild-caught shrimp. I avoid farmed shrimp like the plague. Next time you pick up a bag of frozen shrimp, check the country of origin. You're just as likely to see Bangladesh as you are India or Mexico. On top of that, shrimp farms wreak havoc on the environment......



I remember being on a research vessel coming out of the harbor from Midway Island in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. We had a native Hawaiian on board and he was allowed to fish. He was trolling a huge spoon as we came out of the cut and caught this biggest wahoo (Oho in Hawaiian) I've ever seen. We had it for sushi. Wahoo are related to mackrels and are the fastest fish in the ocean, reportedly reaching speeds of 80 mph!



Below you can see whole-dressed croaker. We get these out on the island. If you catch one you usually end up catching a bunch. They really start to bite right at sundown in early summer.



I always kind of find these whole dressed fish kind of unappealing. Don't know why.

Taiga Bookstore

Next to the Maruichi there is the Taiga Bookstore. It's fun to poke around in there every once in a while.



Zatoichi, the Blind Swordsman! Love this guy. This series was from the 1960's. The premise is that this awesome samurai has lost his sight and as he makes his way through the world he comes across all sorts of appalling characters and, well, dispatches them. This actor, Shintaro Katsu, was the original and the best.



Loads and loads of fashion magazines.



Mao Tse Tung? No, but obviously a politician.....


More fashion.....



Liam Gallagher's leering out from the obligatory music mags.



Double click the image below to see the hilarity. Cool Japan? Uh, okay....



The adult section.........


They sell cute Japanese collectibles as well.



Manga.



And we'll end with a personal fave, Naruto! I am abosutely addicted to the animated series. If you want to watch the latest episodes the same week they air in Japan, click here. Favorite character? Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru are all running neck and neck.

Kooky Japanese Snack #4

Here's another! Thanks Terry. This one is actually Korean, who are no slouches when it comes to inventive snack options. If you look closely you'll see a character attacking the snack with a hammer. This is a hint. This treat takes a little work.



First off, Beef Flavor!



It took me a couple of minutes to get the hermetically sealed bag open. You need to keep the bag intact as there are two steps to preparing this baby. First off, they appear to be nothing but dry ramen noodles.



Next, a flavor pouch that exactly resembles the flavor packet of a ramen soup mix....



The pidgen English instructions told me to put the noodles in the bag, add the seasoning packet, shake, and break the noodles into bite-sized pieces.

The results? Well, if I didn't know any better, and I don't, I'd say this company just repackages their ramen noodles as snack packets. The noodles were very, very brittle and a bunch of little bits ended up on the floor. The flavoring tastes uncannily like the flavor packet from a ramen soup bag sprinkled over the uncooked noodles......Not bad. Pretty salty. Strangeness factor: 6.

Take a Stroll Around Tokyo....

Google is a juggernaut, no doubt about it. Google maps is awesome and scary at the same time. But mostly awesome. GOOGLE MAPS has begun the three dimensional mapping of our world. Naturally, Tokyo was one of the first cities fully mapped. Click on that link and type in Tokyo. You will see a small yellow person icon on top of the zoom bar. Drag that icon onto any section of Tokyo that suits your fancy. Voila! Three dimensional walk-about in Tokyo. It is really awesome.

Below is a shot from near the Ginza. Once you are on the page there are arrows that allow you to move virtually down the street in any direction you want. You can go into the smallest streets and see restaurants, etc. Also, you might wanna see if your hometown has been mapped. Many American cities have been blanketed. It can be fun but sometimes painfully nostalgic looking at places we've lived.....

Boater's World RIP!

There was a Boater's World on Kent Island for as long as I can remember. This venerable institution fell victim to the ailing economy. This past June the store was covered with these ominous posters.


Yep, no mistaking. She's goin' down.... But wait, what's that on the door?



Never say die!

Random Island Images...

I was sitting on the porch a couple of months ago contemplating this. Walt Whitman, an iPod with wireless adapter, and beer. I was listening to Suede, Coming Up. Great album.



Along the shoreline off the front yard you come across a lot of bricks in the sand. These were from the original lodge that was on the island. Built in the 1930's, it burned down in 1945.


The evocative but unused BBQ.



While I was mowing the lawn I kept seeing this mallard hen walking around the yard. Not in any particular hurry. I'd turn the corner of the cottage and I'd see her rear end disappearing under the steps, etc. After a while Wayne decided to put out a bowl of water for her and some crackers. I told him there's no way a wild duck is gonna come around while we're sitting there. About 10 minutes later....



Being a duck it only made sense that after a few sips it was time to go for a swim.


Finally, a snap of the surprisingly common island box turtles. This one had a particularly colorful shell. I found him the following morning eating the leftover crackers from the duck's feast.