Kuh..Kuh..Kuh…KkkCold!

Yes, the temperature forecasts have once again plunged below 0 degrees (celcius), and the kotatsu is essentail to ward off frostbitten toes. I can see my breath in my house. But this is only the tip o the iceberg… I know that when I come back from Christmas break, I will need to start leaving my faucets running so that the pipes don’t freeze this year. If my towel freezes again this year, I will post a pic of the stiff upside-down U, created from the towel freezing while hanging, that blew my mind last year. Once again, it is time for nabe, hot chocolate, tea, and anything hot.
Come to think of it, the nabe is astonishingly similar to butajiru, but the version that Justin taught to me adds:
beansprouts
kimchee base
ginger
and
chicken or pork
Try this stuff during a really cold night, and you will be thankful.
While I am posting recipies, here is another cold weather favorite:
Adam’s French/Viet Beef Stew
This stew recipe is based on a beef stew that I had in Little Saigon while the Cruz and Yoshida parents met up for the first time in God knows how many years. My version kicks just as much ass!
Ingredients:
Lots of spare ribs, like 2 or more pounds
2 Carrots, cubed
2 Potatoes, cubed
Daikon, cubed
Onions, cubed
1 can of tomatoes, whole
tomato paste (thanks for reminding me Justin)
Bullion cubes and water/ beef or chicken broth
Red, red wine
Olive oil
Garlic
Cillantro
Salt, pepper, basil, your favorite spices
Side dishes:
Fraunch Bread, a baguette
Rice
Directions:
Season the spareribs(I prefer using Lawry’s seasoned salt and garlic salt) and brown them in the pan with olive oil.
Pour in about two cups of wine, using this to dissolve the residue of the crisped spareribs. Add the vegetables, seasonings, and broth and bring to a simmer.
Let sit for about three hours, occasionally stirring, and adding spices and herbs to taste. Also, add more wine or broth to taste.
By the end of the three hours, the stew should be a nice reddish brown, with fine golden globules of goodness (fat) dancing on the surface of the stew. If the stew is not thick enough, add a mixture of flour dissolved in water, or some other starch.
Serve on a generous portion of rice or dip your baguette into it, and throw some chopped cilantro on top.
This is the best way to enjoy spareribs if you don’t have access to an oven. Enjoy.

Posted in Food

Am I missing anything?

Click here to find out what robot you really are


Which Trainspotting Character Are You?


Click here to find out what size you really are

The Dante’s Inferno Test has banished you to the Eigth Level of Hell – the Malebolge!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers) Very Low
Level 1 – Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers) Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful) Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous) Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious) Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy) Very High
Level 6 – The City of Dis (Heretics) Very High
Level 7 (Violent) Very High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers) Very High
Level 9 – Cocytus (Treacherous) High

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test

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Kindergarten Keikan

Yoroku? Nashi! Musuko wakakata? Nashi! Yabakatta? So, Amerika! (American coffee the bandits explain, is ridiculously weak. Like a stolen piece of junk, it does not do anything for one).
Aitsu jibun o nani-sama da to omotte yagarun da? Taka ga eda hagi da ze. (Who the fuck does he think he is? He’s nothing more than a two bit panty theif!)
Japanese complements of Peter Constantine
Today, I arrived at Hokubu Hoikuen (the Northern-Ubuyama pre-school), at 10:00, just as Nakano sensei discovered evidence of a breaking and entering. Someone had let themself in through the restroom window, leaving muddy footprints all over. All of the desk drawers were riffled through, but nothing was taken. The police were called and arrived at 11:00. They used an array of lights and dust to search for finger prints, and took an hour and a half to do a complete sweep. It would seem to be the same burglar who, last week on Monday, broke into Hokubu Sho (Northern-Ubuyama Elementary) and stole the kyoto-sensei’s laptop and Fukuda sensei’s digicam.
The search yeilded no leads.
The CSI dude on the right with nifty light, supervised by the Ichinomiya Police Seargeant. These dudes were total dicks when I tried to talk to them, but became friendly when the teachers told them I was a Nikkei Yonsei (4th gen. American).
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Point of entry.
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Inside close-up. The glass was punched out precisely next to the lock. This window is made of an opaque glass and thinner than the other windows.
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Outside close-up. Obviously the theif used tools to open the window, as a finger could not safely pass through the hole. Like a monkey using a twig to snag ant larvae.
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Footprint (next to my foot) outside the window. The robber has feet smaller than mine. Luckily for him, it was raining last night, and so any other footprints were washed away.
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It is a sad thing, when robbers try to rob nursery schools. What was the guy thinking? Hmmmm… That place must hold gallons of milk and a fortune’s worth of cookies, not to mention the juice and crayons! And just think of all the toys… After this heist, its straight up naptime. Jackpot!
About half a year ago, someone stole some shirts out of the Superintendent’s car, so it seems that petty theft is becoming more prevalent in our small village. All I know is that I have a big, sharp cleaver a few feet from my bed. On a separate note, I have no problem in implementing my version of Hammurabi’s code on anyone foolish enough to try and break into my house.

Posted in Ubuyama

Empty Metaphor

I found this description of the Cosmic Buddha floating in the ether:
The truth of the cosmic order, which is contained in the relationships between the Cosmic Buddha and all his manifestations, cannot be known verbally.
So why bother to use mere text to describe it? Does this make sense to anyone? Also, the Cosmic Buddha has an elite posse, clique, cadre, crew, or whatever you would like to call his group of fellow Buddhas. Where are the other Buddhas and their respective blogs?
In the Diamond World, the Cosmic Buddha (Dainichi Nyorai in Japanese), sits in the center of assemblies of Buddhas arranged in a three by three square.
Does the excerpt below mean that his other pad was in fact, a uterus, and his pals are puppies of the same litter? No, the words mean nothing because the relations of the Cosmic Buddha cannot be explained with words.
The other world, the Womb World (Taizokai in Japanese, Garbhadhatu in Sanskrit), was the world of physical phenomenon. In this mandala, the Dainichi Nyorai sits in the middle in relationship to all his physical manifestations ranged in several courts radiating outward from him.

Posted in Uncategorized

FUKUTOKU

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Posted in Strange Words

Kagura Oni

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Posted in Uncategorized

Sexual Harassment Pandy

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Posted in Uncategorized

Neko Bento

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Posted in Food

The Oracle of Starbucks

As far as I can tell this Oracle is 100 percent accurate.

Posted in Strange Words

Ka-Thunk… Ka-Thunk… Ka-Thunk…

Ah, as long as we’re on the subject of the good ‘ol days, here is another memorable episode about roommate torture methods practiced and refined in the Sabado Tarde apartment. One day Steve went to soccer, and so we (which was usually me and Brian) seized an opportunity to pick on him. We
1. took all of his underwear, save one pair
2. soaked it in water
3. put it in the freezer
4. put a note that read “got underwear” in his empty drawer
5. waited
After two hours he came back exhausted. But instead of taking a shower, he went to go get something out of the freezer. His underwear, by now frozen into a solid cube, fell from the freezer with a THUD! Nothing needed to be said. He knew who did it, and he threw the frozen underwear at us. That mofo hurt, as it was pretty much a chunk of ice. But it was worth it! Steve took a shower, and threw his underwear in the dryer. He got more and more angry, and we laughed more and more, as the block went ka-thunk… ka-thunk… ka-thunk in the dryer. He should’ve been greatful that I had remembered to save him one pair of underwear, but for some reason he didn’t find this act to be redeeming in the least. People can be so ungreatful!
As a post script, shizzolating this post yielded a decent re-write:
Ka-Thunk, know what I’m sayin’? .. Ka-Thunk, know what I’m sayin’? .. Ka-Thunk, know what I’m sayin’? ..
Ah, as long as we’re on da subject of da gravy ‘ol days, here is another memorable episode ’bout roommate torture methods practiced ‘n refined in da Sabado Tarde apartment, know what I’m sayin’? One day Steve went soccer, ‘n so we (which wuz usually me ‘n Brian) seized an opportunity pick on tha dude’s ass, know what I’m sayin’? We
1. took izzall of tha dude’s underwear, save one pair
2. soaked that shiznit in H-2-Izzo
3. put that shiznit in da freezer
4. put a note that read “gots underwear” in tha dude’s empty drawer
5. waited
After two hours tha dude came back exhausted, know what I’m sayin’? But instead of taking a shower, tha dude went go get something out of da freezer n’ shit. His underwear, by now frozen into a solid cube, fell from da freezer wit a THUD! Nothing needed be be like, know what I’m sayin’? Tha dude knew who did that shiznit, ‘n tha dude threw da frozen underwear at us.” That mofo hurt, as that shiznit wuz pretty much a chunk of ice.” But that shiznit wuz worth that shiznit! Steve took a shower, ‘n threw tha dude’s underwear in da dryer, know what I’m sayin’? Tha dude gots mo’ ‘n mo’ angry, ‘n we laughed mo’ ‘n mo’, as da block went ka-thunk n’ shit. .. ka-thunk, know what I’m sayin’? .. ka-thunk in da dryer.” Tha dude should’ve been greatful that I had remembered save tha dude’s ass one pair of underwear, but fo’ some reason tha dude didn’t find this act be redeeming in da least, know what I’m sayin’? Peeps can be so ungreatful!

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