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.

Thinking of the environment

These days I am trying to think about the environment and my own health more. I am worried that I am using too many chemicals.

One thing I've done is to stop buying various cleaners and just buy big bottles of good quality dish washing detergent. It can be use for everything! For example:

- washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Just use hot water and detergent, you don't need strong cleaners. If you put some baking soda (= bicarbonate of soda = jusou) on the sponge, you have a gentle but effective cream cleanser. This is wonderful for cleaning china, making glasses shiny and cleaning the cooktop without scratching it. And baking soda has the effect of making more bubbles, so you need less detergent.

- cleaning the bathroom. I don't want to take a bath after I have used a strong bathroom cleaner. They smell and even if you rinse the bath carefully, I am sure some chemicals remain. Dish washing detergent is just as effective and much safer!

- removing stains from clothes. If you have a new stain on your clothes (curry, tomato sauce, etc) put a little dish washing detergent directly on the stain before adding the garment to the laundry as usual. It is also perfect for putting on the collars of white business shirts!

- for washing the car
- for washing windows
- for washing the floor
- for washing your hands

By the way, I usually buy some detergent with antibacterial ingredients but never buy ones with added oils like orange oil. I have tried 100yen shop detergent but it wasn't so effective.

Finally, these days I use plain unbleached toilet paper. I used to use nice patterned white rolls with pretty flowers on them to match my toilet! And the paper was also the thick type especially made for 'washlet' toilets. I have kept a few of the nice rolls for when guests come but for daily use the cheap one is fine, AND it is better for the environment.

Basically I think that modern consumers have been fooled by large companies. We can see many advertisements showing the latest cleaning products but they are probably not much better than regular soap or detergent. Our grandmothers would be shocked at the variety and range of cleaning products that are available now. Worse still, the chemicals they contain are killing us and the environment!

A Simple Soup

I really like soup but sometimes I get tired of eating miso soup so I make something 'western'. Here is a recipe for a simple cream fish soup. Sorry, I made it up myself so everything is 'about this much' rather than exact measurements.

1. Put 2 tablespoons of good quality olive oil in a pan. Turn on the gas to low-medium heat. (Point: oil olive burns easily so don't make it too hot. You can use other oil like canola, but olive oil is healthy and delicious.)

2. Add two cloves of chopped or crushed garlic.
(Note: a clove is one small piece of garlic, and a bulb is the whole round thing that comes out of the ground.)

3. Add one half of an onion, thinly sliced.

4. While the garlic and onion are frying on LOW HEAT, do the next steps. You should stir the pan sometimes.

5. Slice some potatoes very thinly. (About 2mm - I use a slicer/grater you can buy at the supermarket or homecenter.) Add the potatoes to the oil and mix. Be careful not to break the slices.

6. Cut the ends off some green beans and cut them into 3cm pieces. Add to the pan and toss in the oil.

7. Add half of a very thinly sliced carrot. (Again I use the slicer.)

8. Add about a 5mm slice of butter. Toss the vegetables so the butter and oil covers them.

9. Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of plain flour. Mix so the flour and butter coats all the vegetables. It looks a bit sticky but make sure the butter/flour is on the vegetables, not on the bottom of the pan.

10. Add some milk a little at a time while mixing, about 700ml in total. MIX continuously! If the butter/flour coated the vegetables, it will be very easy for it to melt into the milk to make a very smooth soup. DO NOT BOIL IT!!!
(Note: more milk or less flour will make the soup thinner. If you want a thick soup like stew, add more butter and flour at first, maybe 1cm of butter and 3 to 4T of flour. I usually use skim milk that I made from powder, but any milk is okay.)

11. Add two fillets of white fish. I like cod (tara) and I rinse the fillets under water first. Cook on a low heat for a few minutes until the fish becomes white. DO NOT BOIL!

12. Serve

The total time from start to finish is less than 15 minutes because I prepare the next thing while the first things are cooking.

This is delicious served with a simple green salad and French bread. You can use salmon fillets for variation or add a pinch of curry powder to the cod soup. It is also nice the next day for breakfast! If you make it thick like stew you can change it into gratin by putting it in a baking dish, adding cheese to the top and baking. Or put the stew on top of toast, add some cheese and bake it :)