A weird sidebar on the menu of a pretty lousy Italian chain restaurant in Japan, Saizeria. Turmeric, huh? Just how popular is the “equivalent of cubic zirconium for saffron” in Italian cooking anyway? I reckon they must have had paella on the menu or something. The best paella I ever had was in San Sebastian, at a seedy tapas bar where the barmaid ignored us and had an uncommonly hairy back. The worst fried sausage and peppers I ever had was at Saizeria. I want to know how they can so expertly fuck up a dish that even Tony Soprano can make.

NOW OPEN AT EXCLUSIVE NAMBA PARKS LOCATION – FOB COOP! Come partake in noisy group consumption of cheap, smelly food “from the homeland” in a less-than-completely hygienic setting…

Bill was less than thrilled at the present I brought back to his bar from the states. Maybe he just needs someone to show him the light. Hmm… I will pay someone to preach fire and brimstone at the front door on the weekends and entice people to go home and stop being sinners. Are you up to the job?

I took this photo of a chopstick sheath at our doctor-friend’s wedding reception at the Ritz Carlton Osaka. After taking it, I tweaked it with my phone’s onboard graphics editing software (I like to think of it as PS for AU). Hint to future friends-of-the-groom-in-charge-of-announcements: If I am reduced to playing with my keitai during your speech, you’re choking it!

There were giant takoyaki decorations hanging from the ceiling of the main building by the Koban inside of KIX when we left for home in December. By the way the sauce had congealed on the top, I surmise that it was amakuchi, not karakuchi. Either way, it could have used more bonito shavings.

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