What am I reading?

Recently I told you about the fiction books I've been reading on my Kindle, and here is the "regular paper book" I've also been reading for the past several months.

It is quite a heavy topic, and actually a heavy book!!!, so I am keeping it in my office and reading it there when I get time. I have to admit, that more and more I have been appreciating the convenience of the Kindle and wish I could get this book in a Kindle version. However, it is a slightly rare book and I had to buy it from America directly.

It was written pre-war and is about the poor nutrition of local people when they stop eating their traditional foods and begin eating a typical "Western" diet. Dr. Price never came to Japan, but I am sure exactly the same thing has happened here.

It is VERY, VERY depressing to read this book. The doctor wanted everyone to understand that processed foods are not good, and to eat natural foods - and his message is from 70 years ago. He would be so shocked if he could see what people are eating now, and how terrible modern human's health is. Many of the diseases he studied are now worse, and there are even more new sicknesses caused by poor eating.

If you are interested in health, nutrition and the changing world, please try to get this book.

Being organized in the mornings

I usually start work at 7:30 or 8am, which means I should leave my house at 7 or 7:30am.

I like starting work early but winter in Tsukuba can be really freezing - I think the average morning temperature in January was minus 3 to minus 4. (One day it was minus 6 and all the pipes in my house froze ...) Anyway, so early mornings are good to start work (and study!) bright and fresh but I don't want to wake up really, really early.

I can do absolutely everything and be out the door in just 30 minutes each morning :) The key point is you have to be organized. I prepare everything the night before:
- all my clothes are set out, in the exact order I get dressed.
- the kettle is full of water ready to be turned on.
- the tea leaves are prepared in the pot.
- if I want to eat breakfast, it must be cooked the night before or be a banana, etc.
- my lunch is in the fridge, ready to be put in my lunch bag.
- any other items I must take to the office are in a bag ready to go.
- a bottle of water is in the entrance in case I have to get ice off the car.

You can actually do quite a lot at the same time if you are organized, for example, I turn on the kettle before going to wash my face, then go back and put the hot water over the tea to steep, then go to do my hair, then I can drink my tea while dressing.

Of course it helps that I have no children :) I really admire mothers that can get everyone ready and out the door before 8am!

How long does your morning routine take? What could you do to be more organized and stress free in the morning?

Sweet sake lees drink

Sake lees are the by-product of sake making. Sake is made from rice, and after fermentation, the liquid becomes sake and the paste that remains is called "lees". 酒粕

Most sake lees are a fine paste pressed into cakes. ("cake" means a block shape, not cake for afternoon tea!)

Tsukuba is famous for delicious rice, and also for some good quality sake. I don't drink sake, but I do like sweet sake lees drink. 甘酒

There is a very small but very good sake brewery that is run by a woman, at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba. The name is Inaba Shuzo. Their lees are not pressed at all - the sake drips out and is not squeezed. This means the lees are like a paste of rice grains, and when you make the drink, it will be more like rice porridge :)

The next different thing is that I make my amazake drink with 30% water and 70% milk! Yes, MILK amazake! I thought it would be like a hot liqueur drink similar to Irish coffee. I was right!

Most people think I'm crazy and that the drink must be disgusting, but you should try it before you make up your mind. The people I've told who have made it, said it was really nice :)  But I think it is important to have the very good quality lees like I use. The fragrance is wonderful.

Next time you go to Mt. Tsukuba, be sure to go to Inaba Shuzo. Or if you visit the shrine, some souvenir shops have it. This time I bought mine from the shop closest to the shrine on the right side, just down from the steps. The owner of the shop makes REALLY nice pickles :)  You cannot buy these sake lees downtown in the city anywhere.

Vocabulary - Quest

A few days ago when I was driving to work, I noticed a sticker on the back window of the car in front of mine.

QUEST

I have no idea why they had the sticker, or what it meant, but I began thinking about the word "quest".

"Quest" means to "seek", to "ask". Of course, you are familiar with "Dragon Quest"! This comes from the meaning in medieval romances such as King Arthur. Knights were given some adventure or task they should do, for example, go and find something. Um, to be honest, I've never played Dragon Quest, so I don't know what the player is looking for ......

By the way, "quest" is actually quite a rare word in daily English, so I think you won't need to use it.

But how about the word "question" ?
I'm sure that IS a word you use every day. Other common words are:

query
questionnaire

And what is the origin of these words? "Quest" comes from Middle English, which comes from Old French, which comes from Latin!

What am I reading? (Feb 13, 2011)

Recently I don't get much time for reading, but when I have the chance I've been reading two very different types of books, today I'll tell you about the fiction, and next time about the non-fiction.

KINDLE: Mystery books in which the character is 11 years old :)  They are quite easy and fun to read, but I think they are aimed at older readers, not just older children and teenagers.

The main character is named Flavia de Luce and she is the daughter of an aristocratic family in England in the 1950's. The books are good mysteries and are funny, sweet, and heartwarming but are also full of dry humor. There are 3 so far, with Number 3 only being released this week on Kindle. I think you can get them from Amazon Japan, too.

Please don't mind the strange titles. The author's name is Alan Bradley.