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.

 

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Here is a super easy recipe that is delicious, healthy and time saving!

1. Wash one punnet of cherry tomatoes. Drain.
2. Shape a piece of foil into a shallow dish.
(Or you can use an aluminium tray, baking dish or glass dish.)
3. Put the tomatoes into the dish.
4. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes.
5. Season with a little black pepper.
6. Sprinkle on some herbs if you have any - thyme, oregano, rosemary.
7. Bake in a toaster oven or in the fish grill for about 5 minutes.
8. Finished!

They will be very sweet. If you want to, you can season them with salt, but I never do.

Alternative ideas:
1. Add a few pieces of Japanese negi leek. Just the green part will give a nice flavor and fragrance.
2. Roast some garlic the same way, and add it to the tomatoes.
3. Don't use the oil, but put chopped bacon on the top.

How to eat them:
1. Simply - just as a side vegetable.
2. As a topping sauce - mash them a little and put them on top of sauteed chicken.
3. As a pasta sauce - put them in a pan, mash them, and toss with pasta.
4. On toast - mash a little and eat on French bread toast. Just tomatoes or with anchovies.
5. As pizza topping.

cherry tomatoes = mini tomatoes
punnet = small container of vegetable or fruit (e.g. strawberries, cherry tomatoes)
drizzle =  垂らす
aluminium = UK English
aluminum = US English

Anyone's guess...

Have you heard the expression "It's anyone's guess!"?

It means that the speaker has no idea of the answer, and any person could make a guess. Here is an example:

A:    What will the weather be like tomorrow?
B:    It's anyone's guess!

And tomorrow this is very true ........ Just take a look at what the weather forecast says! I think the forecasters are hedging their bets.

light rain, sleet, dryish snow, fine, light rain, light rain, cloudy!!!???

Vocabulary - Pre & Post

In English there are many prefixes and suffixes. These are word "parts" that come before or after a word, or inside the word at the front or back. Japanese has many, too. Most of the English ones come from Latin.

For example:
convenient < -- >  inconvenient     便利　　不便

For the Japanese "fu" 不 we have some prefixes in English. Before you continue reading, can you think of them?
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
in, un, im  are 3. Try to think of some words which use them.

inconvenient
unhappy
impatient

Two words that I used a lot last week were "pre-war" and "post-war". I told some students that I was surprised how many buildings in Kyoto are from the post-war period, because I expected most of Kyoto architecture to be pre-war.  戦前・戦後

"pre" comes from Latin and means:
earlier, before, prior to  -  pre-war
in preparation for      -  prepare
in advance                    -  prepay
in front of                      -  precede

"post" is also Latin and means:
after, later                  -  postpone
behind                          -  postern (the back gate (of a castle, etc)

We love vegetables!

Have you ever seen cats who love vegetables? Dusty not only loves persimmon, but also most green leafy things. If you don't believe me, take a look at these photos:

You can clearly see from the photos that Dusty is in a frenzy to start munching. Kuro will eat a little (maybe just because Dusty is) but soon gets bored and walks away.  On the other hand, Dusty loves leaves and will come running when I bring vegetables home from the shop. I still don't know if he can SEE they are green, or he can SMELL them?

The only thing they don't like is pale lettuce such as iceberg lettuce. In the top photos they are eating broccoli shoots, and in the lower ones, the green part from the top of Chinese cabbage. It is impossible to leave the cabbage on the kitchen bench because he will try to eat it all day!

Last summer I did buy a pot of cat grass from the pet shop, but they played with it more than ate it.

frenzy = very excited, very active

New listening blog

The Real English website has a new listening blog which is based on Youtube videos from the BBC, etc.

I really like the BBC and I have been watching their shows since I was a small child. My favorite programs are nature, wildlife, travel, and sometimes British comedy.

Unfortunately, even using cable TV, the only show we can watch in Japan is the BBC news. So sometimes I watch documentaries on Youtube, and then I buy DVD's from England of the series I like. You can buy them from the BBC shop or from Amazon.co.uk.

Back to the topic of the new blog, you can watch parts of shows taken from Youtube and read the English dialog with Japanese translations. All the translations into Japanese have been done by R.E. so are not official.

To find the blog, please go to the top page of Real English, and go down to the bottom right hand corner.

We love persimmons!

Persimmons are a fruit that many Westerners might not have eaten. I was 20 years old before I first saw one, and then that was because my friend's Italian born parents grew a tree in their garden in South Australia. (Actually, immigrants introduced many, many new foods to Australia.)

Anyway, then I came to Japan and found persimmons are a common autumn fruit. Fresh ones are nice, but I LOVE dried ones!

For some very weird reason, Dusty LOVES fresh ones. Now they are out of season, but in autumn when I brought them home and put them on the counter, he would run and jump up on the counter immediately. (Very naughty, but it is impossible to stop him from doing it.) I guess he can smell them? Twice he actually picked one up in his mouth and ran away with it, before I could get it back. It was so funny, a cat with an orange fruit in his mouth, that was as big as his head. I'm not sure if he would actually eat it because both times I took it off of him before he could start to bite into it. And he is not at all interested in dried persimmon.

A really nice news article ...

You should go to the Daily Yomiuri Online newspaper and read the article below. It is really nice :)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110206003523.htm

article = story

"article" is often used for a short piece of information we can find in the newspaper. "news" is a non-countable noun, so we need to use a counting word such as:

a news article
a news story
a piece of news
an item of news

Cooking brussel sprouts

Do you like brussel sprouts? I really hated them when I was a child, but now I know that was for 2 reasons:
1. They were not fresh, and
2. my mother overcooked them :(

You may call these "baby cabbages" in Japanese but they aren't cabbages. Please do a search for "brussel sprout plant" on Google and see what the plant looks like. It is certainly not a baby cabbage :)  But actually, it is one of the cabbage family, so it is related to things like broccoli and even rapeseed  -  菜の花.

Brussel sprouts grow along a stem so they look a little like a bunch of grapes. Please try to eat recently picked ones because the older they get, the more bitter they become. Fresh ones are quite sweet! And DO NOT overcook them! They will become really bitter and horrible. My mother cooks them in the typical English/Australian way of boiling them for a loooooong time in water. They become bitter and all the vitamins are lost.

So how do I cook them? It is really easy. The easiest way is to wash them, drain them and cover them with damp paper towel (kitchen towel) and cook them for a few minutes in the microwave oven. This is also a good method for cooking broccoli. It keeps all the vitamins and doesn't make them bitter. Another way is below:

1. Wash the sprouts. Don't drain or dry them.
2. Put them in a non-stick pan. ***
3. Put a lid on the pan. This will help them steam.
4. Steam them for about 3 minutes, rolling them around a few times by shaking the pan. Don't open the lid or the heat and steam will escape. Most of the water will be gone.
5. Take off the lid and cook for another minute until all the water is gone.
6. While you are cooking them, chop one clove of garlic.
7. Put about 1 teaspoon of virgin olive oil in the pan with the sprouts.** Shake them around.
8. Add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute until the garlic is golden.* Garlic will burn easily so be careful.
9. Finished!

*** I'm using my new, non-toxic pan :)
** You can use 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil plus 1/2 teaspoon of butter. This will give a richer taste.
* The total cooking time from start to finish is 5 minutes. Please don't cook them more.

If you think this dish is too "green" or if you want a stronger taste, add chopped bacon to the pan and don't use any oil or butter.

Today's Grammar Point

Try to find the mistake in this conversation, then go down the page to check.

A:     I've never been to Okinawa.
B:     Me too.
A:     Do you want to go there?
B:     Yes, but I want to go in summer.
A:     Me too.

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
NOTE {but not the mistake}: In natural English it is not necessary to say "there".
"Do you want to go?" is OK.     So we can use:

"Do you want to?" - maybe this is a little too easy and casual but native speakers do say it.
"Do you want to go?" - natural
"Do you want to go there?" - natural
"Do you want to go to Okinawa?" - unnatural, please don't repeat the same noun so soon

Anyway, could you find the mistake in the conversation?

A:     I've never been to Okinawa.

B:     Me too. --> Me neither.  /  I haven't either. 

A:     Do you want to go there?

B:     Yes, but I want to go in summer.

A:     Me too. 

"Me too" is for two positive verbs (simple verbs with no ..n't)
A:    I like dogs.
B:    Me too.  /  I like dogs, too.

A:    I can ski.
B:    Me too.

"neither / .... n't either" is for negative verbs (verb + n't)
A:    I don't like dogs.
B:    Me neither.    /    I don't either.    /    I don't like dogs either.

A:    I can't ski.
B:    Me neither.   /      I can't either.

Amazon Kindle

In October 2009 I was so excited because Amazon USA finally sold their Kindle E-book reader to customers worldwide. I had been wanting a Kindle for soooooooo long but it was not available in Japan. Luckily, I look at the Amazon page so often that I could find the news just one day after it appeared. I immediately pre-ordered a Kindle and it was in the first shipment that arrived in Japan.

Many people don't like the idea of an electronic book reader because they say paper books are best. Well, I have been an avid reader since I was a very small child and Kindle is WONDERFUL! Of course I still love paper books and I collect hardcover books by some authors, and also paperbacks of some series. But that is also a problem because I honestly have no more room to store books at my house or my office. I am the type of person who keeps their books and doesn't re-sell them or pass them onto other people :)

If I won the lottery, I would build a house with one room as a private library. That has been a dream of mine since I was a child. Actually, I used to think being a librarian would be a good job, but you have to WORK which means I couldn't read all day! Unfortunately I haven't won the lottery yet, so I shouldn't buy more and more "real" books.

So that's why I was interested in the Kindle. Not only is is great for storing many books, it also has many useful features such as "search". But would it be good for reading? The only answer was to buy one and find out for myself!

The answer is a resounding YES!!! It is much better than I could have ever expected. I love the Kindle just as much as I love books. Often it is much better than books! How do I know? Well, I've bought 70 books for the Kindle in the past 14 months and read them all. And in that time I've read about 40 paperback or hardcover books as well. In almost all cases, the Kindle is much easier and more convenient. (I only bought most of the books in paper because they weren't available on the Kindle - rare, textbooks, unpublished in e-format, etc.)

Now 5 people I know have bought a Kindle since I recommended it, and they all like it too :)

You should watch the official Kindle video on the bottom of the Kindle page at Amazon.com. Look for the picture of a woman reading while sitting in a beach-chair. That is the video that introduces the Kindle.

The most recent Kindle is third generation. That means it is the 3rd model. I have a second generation model, but it is fine. If you do buy a Kindle to use in Japan. You must buy the one that costs $189. The cheaper one cannot access the mobile phone network in Japan. Right now you cannot read Japanese books, but I think if you wait another 6 months or a year, it will be possible - maybe 4th generation?

One of the best things about Kindle is that it is NOT a computer and doesn't have a back-light. The Amazon website shows a woman reading in bright sunlight on a beach. I tried it on Miyako Island and it's true - bright sunlight is perfectly OK :)

Sitting nicely!

News Topic - Kirishima Volcano

This week a main news topic is the volcano erupting in the Kirishima Mountains on the border of Kagoshima and Miyazaki.

Here are some important words you should know. At first, try to understand in English. Next, try to think of the Japanese words. Finally, check your dictionary.

volcano - a mountain that has lava, etc under it. (e.g. Kirishima, Sakura-jima)
active volcano - a volcano that is not sleeping, e.g. Sakura-jima
dormant volcano - a volcano that is sleeping but not dead, e.g. Mt. Fuji
extinct volcano - a volcano that is dead, e.g. Mt Kaimon (in Kagoshima)

lava - the red, liquid rock under a volcano
lava dome - a big dome of lava that is growing under a volcano
ash - the grey/brown/black powder that comes out of a volcano.
erupt - the volcano explodes or something comes out suddenly

evacuate - people move to a safe place
evacuation center - a safe place people can stay, e.g. a school, community center

A souvenir

Here is my souvenir for Dusty and Kuro. This year is the Year of the Rabbit, so I bought a small rabbit for them from a shop leading up to Kiyomizu Temple. The shop had many lovely items and the store owner was a very polite and kind elderly man. I think he would be surprised to know I bought the rabbit for my cats ....

I think it is actually a key ring because it had a small strap and a bell, but now it is a toy :)

I told you Kuro was jet black, and it is very hard to take a nice picture of him! You can see his very big, fluffy feet well, but sorry you can't see his face.

Mount Fuji in the sunset

A nice picture of Mt. Fuji taken from inside the shinkansen, as another train speeds past in the opposite direction.

Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto

On Sunday I went to Kiyomizu Temple in the morning. I chose it because I wanted to go somewhere that existed in the Heian Period, and that Sei Shonagon had visited. Kiyomizu Temple was founded in 798, but the present temple building was built in 1633.

I love reading "The Pillow Book" and I have several versions: one rare book from 1920, another translated in the 1980s and now a newer electronic book. If I had magic, or a time machine!, I would go back and visit Shonagon. She sometimes went to Kiyomizu for a Buddhist retreat. I know everything has changed, but I guess the mountain view is still similar ....

Anyway, it was SO SO SO busy! I cannot imagine what it must be like in spring or autumn in the peak seasons. It was difficult to take a picture that didn't have many people in it, so please forgive the poor photos.