Miso ume dressing - ready to eat!

Do you remember on June 10th (please see the archives to the right of this page), I started to make ume miso dressing? Well, last weekend I could finish it.

It takes about 3 months for the green plums to shrivel up (release all of the juice and become smaller). I have been busy so I left the dressing for about 4 months. Last weekend I got it out and checked it. No mold! I was was worried that it would become moldy but it didn't so I was very relieved ....

So I put it in a stainless steel saucepan and simmered it on low heat for about 5 minutes. You have to be very careful to stir it constantly so it doesn't burn. Next I sterilized some jars with hot water and then white liquor. Finally, I poured the hot dressing into the jars. You can see the end results.

That night we could eat ume miso dressing with vegetables. Yum! It is also a wonderful sauce for pork or chicken.

Next year, why don't you try to make some?

In the garden

Here are some cute creatures I found in my garden recently:


A frog that was sitting on the top of the washing pole, about 160cm from the ground. I caught it and put it on the grass, but it climbed back up immediately! I was annoyed because I wanted to hang out sheets, but I guess it was annoyed because it was enjoying its sunbath. Finally I left it on the end of the pole and it stayed there all day!

A baby lizard on my husband's hand. Baby ones don't run away and if you put your hand out, they will climb on it. He is really cute, isn't he?

A cricket. There are lots of these and they make a lovely sound at night. I can also hear bell crickets but I haven't been able to find them in the daytime. I love the sound of autumn insects but as it gets colder, the singing gets weaker and soon it will be silent.

Wet leaves

This week I heard something very funny but a little unkind.

It seems in Japan there is the expression 'nureha' which means 'wet leaf'. But now the expression isn't just for leaves!

Take a minute to think about wet leaves - have you ever tried to sweep them up? Wet leaves stick to the ground and don't move, it is really hard to budge them.

So now retired men have become 'wet leaves'! Frustrated wives say that their husbands just sit about on the sofa all day doing nothing and not moving.

Please be careful if your wife suddenly says "Nureha ..." :)

A bad shopping experience

Have you ever had the experience of a shop you like changing and becoming horrible?

When I first moved to Tsukuba almost 5 years ago, I went around to some electrical shops and decided that I.O. Denki was my favorite. The staff were nice, the store was very large with many products and the prices were good. I bought many things there, the most expensive being an airconditioner and refrigerator.

I don't know what happened, but about a year ago the store suddenly started to go downhill. The staff became rude, etc. For example, one day I and some other customers were waiting at the clock/watch counter to be served. The clerk was talking on the phone to a customer but ignored the customers in the shop. I thought it was really rude - he could have apologised to the person on the phone, and quickly called another clerk. Finally, he just put his hand over the phone mouthpiece and told us customers to 'Go over to that counter.' He didn't even use polite Japanese. How rude!

Then another day in the computer section, two different clerks told me two totally different things. I decided to go home and check by myself on the Internet ... Not only that, but Japanese friends have told me about bad experiences too, so it is not a 'gaikokujin/English' problem :)

And now, the store has less products. I keep going back because I want to buy one final thing to use up the points accumulated on my store point card. Hmm, it seems the points will go to waste.

If you want a nice shopping experience, please go to Kojima Denki. I really like the staff there who are very kind and helpful. The choice of products on display might be limited, but please ask them if you have something you want to buy. Some shops do have stock but not on display. For example, recently I went to the Gakuen store but the IC recorder I wanted was out of stock. The clerk said she could order it, or I could try another store. She gave me an advertisement showing maps to the other stores in the area. I knew that the model I wanted is the most popular now and is out of stock in many places (not just Kojima), so I called the other stores by phone. I could get the recorder from the Ushiku store even though they didn't have it on display. (The Ushiku store is small so display space is limited.)

Sorry that this post is full of complaints!

Phew!

Phew, what a week!

These past few weeks have been really busy because October is the season to start some new courses. Everything was going okay until my home computer died .... All the last minute things I wanted to do at home, like proofreading, creating sound files, etc, had to be postponed.

Anyway.... everything is okay now :)

But some days I wonder what it would be like to have no computer at all. What is the longest period of time you have not used a computer? (Since you started using a computer regularly.) I suppose my longest time would have been the 10 days I went to Scotland 4 years ago. Other than that, a few days over New Year holidays when I went to Kagoshima.

I read in some newspapers that now it is very common for company employees to TAKE their computers on holidays with them! I've read this on the BBC and on an Australian news website. What is the purpose of a holiday? To RELAX of course! Why should you take your computer so you can keep in touch with the office? Strange ...

All new website design!

Wow, all new website! Please take a look at the 'Real English' website and tell me what you think. (You can write comments at the bottom of this post.)

I said to my husband 'Please check the website and see what you think.' Well, he changed the whole design!!!

I like the new one but to be honest, I feel a little sad that the old one is gone. I did the old one by myself over months and months, and it took more than two years to reach my last version. I use very basic Japanese software on a Japanese computer and can't read lots of the functions so just learned by trial and error.

Oh well. There is a saying, "A change is as good as a holiday." Hope you have a 'holiday' feeling while viewing the new site :)

Don't forget to backup!

Last weekend my home computer crashed. That is, the computer I am using right now and the only one I blog from.

I can't say that I didn't have warning, and actually I was at fault. I uninstalled some Microsoft software from Windows a few weeks ago and the computer had been 'upset' and kept popping up with warning messages asking me to put some components back. Well, I just kept ignoring it thinking "Tomorrow, tomorrow ......"

Well, Sunday came and the computer wouldn't turn on. I could get it to 'wake up' in safety mode but couldn't find the problem. Finally it 'died' totally. Thankfully I have a nice husband who could re-do the whole system :)

And thankfully it was my home computer and not my work one. I was lazy with the home one but of course still had all my files backed up. My work computer must be one of the most backed-up systems in the whole of Tsukuba! I even carry around two different mini storage disks on long straps so I can hang them around my neck and run if there is an earthquake. (And no, I am NOT joking!!!)

Why I am so fanatical about computer files? Well, without those files it would be really difficult to work, and they contain years of creating lesson plans, writing textbooks, etc.

How about you? You might not need your computer for work, but what about all your family photos? Nowadays digital cameras mean that many people don't keep real photos.

I wish I could back-up my brain too. These past few weeks have been really busy and the pace won't decrease until after New Year. If I had a USB port in my ear, I could just download my brain's contents for later!

Cooking at home

My father was a very good cook and I have many memories of him cooking and baking. Yes, baking! He made great scones, cakes, biscuits (cookies), pies, etc.

But one thing I had almost forgotten is that he rarely used pre-packaged foods or seasonings. I guess one reason is that there were not so many choices 30 years ago, and another was that my father had more time to cook.

I've been trying to make more of my own foods from scratch. (That is, from the beginning.) Here are some examples:








Gyoza dumplings and scones. Actually, I bought the gyoza wraps (kawa) so I didn't make them 'from scratch'! ;)








Simple pizza plus a cinnamon brown sugar bun made with the left-over pizza dough. I divided the topping into thirds - 1/3 was tomato paste, fresh basil and mozarella cheese; next tomoato paste onions, eggplant, anchovies and cheese; last tomato paste lotus root (renkon) and cheese. Lotus root is really delicious on pizza!


Pumpkin muffins cooked in the barbeque. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that I've also cooked bread in the BBQ because mine has a lid so it becomes like an oven.




And lastly, I bought chicken bones from Marugen Meat to make my own chicken stock. The chicken is brand name chicken from Iwate and tastes great! I didn't add any salt or other seasonings, but put in one large onion and half a carrot. I simmered it for about 1 hour, skimmed the skum (aku) off the top, let it cool, then put it in the freezer.

This stock tastes WONDERFUL and was so cheap! I bought two chicken carcasses (gara) at 157 yen each. The onion was grown by my mother-in-law and the carrot was from Polan. Now I have about 2 liters of stock in my freezer to use for soups, curries, etc.

What do you drink?

What do you usually drink? For the past 3 months or so I have only been drinking:

1. water

2. tea/coffee (tea is English/barley/green/herb) (coffee is Starbucks beans)

3. milk

4. wine (1/4 glass about once a week!)

5. aojiru (kale/barley grass)



Now I never buy juice from the supermarket or any kind of soda drinks. I decided they are unhealthy and too expensive. Yes, I know pure orange juice seems healthy, but how can it be kept in a carton for two or three weeks and not go bad? Hmmm, I wonder what 'pure' OJ really is??? Anyway, eating a whole orange is cheaper and better - you get lots of fiber too! :)



My other decision was to only buy expensive milk. There are so many news stories about the strange foods and medicines that farmers give cows! And I also want to know how milk can be kept in a carton for over two weeks?



I buy just three brands of milk, and they all must be drunk within a week. The carton on the left is un-homogenised milk from the POD shop. The middle one is the best choice but the most expensive (almost 400 yen/1 liter) - organic milk from the supermarket in Lala Garden. The one on the right is also un-homogenised from Kasumi supermarket and costs about the same as the POD/POLAN at just under 300 yen. They all taste really nice.



Hah, hah, the money I save on not buying juices or sodas is being spent on milk instead ...



Oh, and by the way, please be careful not to say 'juice' when you mean other kinds of soft drinks like soda. 'Juice' is only the juice of fruits and vegetables. Cola isn't juice!

Tea at G-clef

This season G-clef cafe has a wonderful dessert - kind of like a soft pudding with caramel sauce. I went there for their delicious curry but couldn't resist having sweets afterwards.

'Sweets' is the British (and Australian) way to say 'dessert'. Nowadays my English is more international so I tend to use words that are common in many countries. 'Dessert' is a word that can be understood where ever you go, but I am guessing that Americans and Canadians don't know or use the word 'sweets'.

Well, I had English tea in a bone china tea cup so my brain was thinking in British English!

Injured

Last week my arm was injured. The muscle around my elbow suddenly began to hurt and then one night I could feel a nerve pinching in my inner arm. My whole arm, hand and two fingers hurt so much I couldn't sleep.

I rarely go to the hospital but I decided that I should have my arm checked in an orthopedic clinic, so I went to a large hospital in Tsukuba. What a waste of time! The doctor only spoke to me for 2 minutes, made me have an X-ray, then said there was no problem!!!

I was SO angry! I cancelled classes for the whole morning and wasted 3 hours at the hospital but the doctor didn't explain why my arm hurt or give me any advice. I couldn't use my arm - not to drive, use the computer or even write ...

That afternoon I went to my regular massage clinic in Takezono. The therapist was so kind and carefully checked both of my arms. He explained why my arm hurt, gave me a massage, showed me some stretches and even told me how I should sleep so that my arm would be comfortable.

I really wish doctors would consider patients' feelings. Maybe some people do go to the hospital to waste time and are not really sick. But I go to the hospital only when my condition is serious - so I expect the doctors will help me get better. When I left the hospital this time, I felt worse than before I went yet I still had to pay!

Photos of the week

A sunset and a praying mantis ...

Cobweb after the rain.

Gold!

Wow, look I'm rich! I have a gold coffee filter :)

Actually, the filter is gold mesh and it was a little expensive at 5,000yen. So why did I buy it? Two reasons:

1. Coffee tastes much better made with a gold filter. If you use a paper filter, the coffee oil is soaked up by the filter and doesn't remain in the coffee. In addition, I don't know how the paper filters are made. Bleached ones have chemicals in the paper and even brown ones have been made somehow in a factory. I worry about the manufacturing process of paper filters.

2. I can keep the gold filter forever! This means that in about 2 years I will break even on my purchase. (I calculated that buying paper filters for 2 years = 5,000yen). And how many trees can I save? :)

Fabulous food

Lately I've been trying to make most of our food, rather than buy it. That means I don't buy any pre-prepared food from supermarkets etc. Sometimes cooking is troublesome, but here are some of my efforts:


Healthy Croquettes
I don't like fried food so much, so these are a special treat. Inside is SUPER healthy - mashed pumpkin and kibi (millet). First I simmered the millet in vegetable stock then mashed it with the pumpkin. If you don't know what millet is, it is very small seeds that look like bird food! You can buy it at health food shops or some vegetable stores.

Chinese Dumplings

I used 'gyoza' wrappings from the supermarket but made my own filling. I minced a chicken breast fillet with nira, negi onions, carrot, garlic and a red chilli pepper. Very healthy! The ones in the half moon shape were lightly fried in a little olive oil, and the star shaped ones were boiled in chicken soup.

Scones

I often make scones rather than eating bread from a bakery. These ones are flavored with yuzu citron jam.

Silent again

Sorry, once again I didn't post for a few weeks ...

No reason in particular - I was just being lazy! This summer vacation I decided to do as little work on the computer as possible. I wanted to have a true break in the holidays, so I just watched TV (high school baseball), read books, cleaned the house, did gardening, went shopping, etc.

But it was surprising how fast one week of 'doing nothing' flew by so quickly! And because of my laziness two weeks ago, last week I had to catch up on some paperwork :(

Photos of the week

A tiny baby lizard - there are many small lizards in my garden. I don't know what kind they are but they are really cute! This one is the smallest I've seen.





A stick insect - crawling up the window frame on my veranda. It didn't move even when I opened the door. Then again, it's defence is camouflage so remaining still could save its life. The foolish thing was that the background was white so I could see it perfectly well!







The sky after the typhoon - clouds after a typhoon are often beautiful, and then it becomes fine and hot.






A passionfruit - easily my third favorite food after apricots and mushrooms. This one is organic and I got it from the Kiva/Pod shop on Gakuen-sen.

Wonderful chocolate

Nowadays I only buy the best quality of any kind of food or drink. This is especially important when it comes to 'unhealthy' foods that are a treat. If what you buy is SO expensive but VERY delicious, you only need a tiny amount to satisfy your cravings.

So here is my answer to chocolate desires ...

http://www.pierremarcolini.jp/index.htm

Pierre Marcolini is one of the world's best chocolatiers and his creations are superb! They should be too, because one tiny square of chocolate is about 300yen! In this picture you can see a box of plain chocolates (75% cocoa) from various regions in the world, and two flavored chocolates that I bought seperately.

Next time you are in Ginza, or at Haneda Airport, drop buy and pick some up. Or if you are really enthusiastic, you can order online.

A day in Tokyo

Have you ever lived in Tokyo? I lived there 6 years ago, in Arakawa which is an old 'downtown' area. I loved the convenience of being able to walk everywhere or to use the subway or train system. Tokyo air mightn't be clean but walking and all of those stairs is certainly healthy! I miss Arakawa and wouldn't mind living there again some day.

But these days I rarely go to the metropolis. Of course the Tsukuba Express has brought Tokyo that much closer in terms of time and effort, but I just don't have any reason to go! I only go about twice a year and then only because of business or passing through on my way to Haneda Airport.

Last Friday I managed to arrange my schedule so that I could go to Tokyo on a weekday for some business errands. I finished up quite early and then had the rest of the day to wander about. Japanese have an affectionate term for wandering around in various parts of Tokyo - well I did 'Ginbura' (Ginza de fura fura suru???) Actually, it wasn't so interesting and it was VERY hot! Worse still, lunch was awful. After going to the one store that I purposely went to Ginza for, I went back to Tokyo Station and to Maruzen Bookstore.

I wonder if there is a word for aimlessly spending time in a bookshop? 'Honbura' perhaps? :)

A great haircut

Last Friday I decided to have a haircut. One problem with short hair is that it needs to be cut every month to six weeks.

I decided to try a new salon because while I wasn't unhappy with my old one, I wasn't so happy either! The old place has good service, the price is good, hair colors are good BUT I wasn't satisfied with my hairstyle. I really want a haircut that looks good and is easy to take care of.

Anyway, H recommended 'Earth' salon in Ninomiya. This is a chain salon that has been around for about 20 years. I used to pass the original Earth in Aoyama (Tokyo) quite often, so when a salon opened in Tsukuba I was familiar with the name.

To be honest, I am not overly fond of chain stores or salons. Sometimes they are good because they offer a certain quality of service - kind of like a franchise, but that also means that the staff mightn't have much interest in the business. After all, they are just workers not owners. It means they can leave and find new jobs very easily. I HATE when you find a place you like but the staff keep changing!

Well I decided to go to Earth just once to see what it was like and to have the same stylist H has. The guy's name is Shimizu-san and certainly he looks the part of a hair stylist. Very fashionable and quite handsome! But most of all, he is a truly professional stylist and cut my hair superbly. I walked out of the salon the happiest I have been about my hair in many years!

Earth is a little expensive and I don't like that you have to wait for a long time. I suppose that is typical of many busy salons. Despite that, I think I will continue to go there because a good haircut is worth waiting for!

PS. If you do go to Earth, please say that I recommended Shimizu-san. I think anyone is really pleased when they find out they made one customer so happy that he/she tells others about it. Recommending somewhere to friends is the biggest 'thanks' you can ever give a business!

Free trade gone crazy!

I don't usually write about political issues but today I was angered by something I read in the newspaper.

First of all, please go read the story at the Daily Yomiuri or Yomiuri Shimbun websites:

English
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060803TDY01004.htm

Japanese
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20060802it04.htm

If you cannot read the links, see the bottom of this post for the basic details.


This is TOTALLY unbelievable! I'm sorry to say so, but the US companies/government departments involved in this issue are so SELFISH! I am really, really tired of such things. They are just being bullies {bully} and using their power to get money.

WHY does JR East have to allow international bidding but the USA and France refuse such projects? That is just hypocritical. If it must be allowed in Japan, it should be allowed in other countries too!

The USA forced Japan to accept American beef imports. I don't care about that because customers can decide if they want to eat US beef or not. In the end, each consumer must decide for themself. BUT the Tokyo Station problem is not our choice!

I am angry because the money for rebuilding Tokyo Station should stay in Japan. Japanese people need jobs and Japanese companies need to support the health insurance and pension systems. I am very angry about paying for domestic services (train fares) but the money will go out of this country.

Please don't think I am only attacking America because it is not true. I would be equally as angry if the money went to Australia!!!

*****

* U.S. complaints to the government have forced East Japan Railway Co. to include non-Japanese construction companies in the bidding for a 50 billion yen project to restore Tokyo Station to its original 1914 design, when the station opened.

* The U.S. companies argued the project was initiated by JR East, which is on a list of companies subject to competitive open bidding under the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).

* JR East claimed that since its privatization, it was no longer a government organization and, to avoid conflict, has reluctantly invited non-Japanese builders to bid for the project.

* The GPA was designed to allow foreign firms to compete for public works projects over a specified size.

* Since JR East has already been completely privatized, the government feels the railway operator should have been removed from the GPA list.

* The agreement has a clause that exempts projects related to transportation that may affect public safety

* The government says that it is unfair that France's SNCF railway operator and Amtrak of the United States, over which the French and U.S. governments have significant influence, are not included in the GPA list.