Centipede

This almost-dead centipede was in our driveway the other day.  😳

Goma Tei's Won Ton Ramen

Izsmom! You got your wish!  Goma Tei now makes a Won Ton Ramen. 

Me and Mich met up with Kat from Adventures in Japan at Goma Tei last week.

I ordered the Won Ton Shoyu Ramen. I think it was $11.95. I liked it!  Thanks for the treat Kat!!

Wiki Burger

Remember Wiki Burger in Market City? Wendell said that the burgers were actually 24 cents each or 5/$1.00. He said that he liked the mustard/mayo/relish sauce. 

I remember it for the cigarette machine that we could sneak and buy cigarettes from.

Thanks for sharing the photo, Fay!

Wendell's Fried Oysters

Wendell and I watched Rika of NHK's Dining with the Chef fry up some marinated oysters, and Wendell decided to give it a try. I don't normally eat oysters, but they looked so good, I said that I would be down to try one.

Wendell could only find bottled oysters, and unfortunately they were a bit too "gutsy" for me.

But if you want to give it a try, below is the recipe. You can also watch the "Video on Demand" here. 




150 g shucked oysters 

1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
potato starch
vegetable oil, for deep frying

Grate the ginger, then mix in the soy sauce and oyster sauce.

Briefly dip the oysters in the seasoning mixture, then dredge in potato starch.

Preheat oil to 170°C, and deep-fry the oysters for about 1 min, 30 sec.

Blue Eggs

Twice now we've had these mysterious blue eggs appear on our front lawn. 

Shoyu Egg

My pal Mich gave me this prepared "smoky" stock to use to flavor boiled eggs. I've seen it at Don Q, but I think she got it from Marukai. Update: Mich said she got it from Don Q.

There are two pouches for two uses in the bag.


The instructions say (I think) to soak 3 boiled eggs in a bag for 10 minutes. I left mine in for about 1/2 hour.


Except for my overcooking the eggs, it came out ono.  It had a very smoky flavor. I liked it! 

Zipper Repair

As I mentioned in my previous post, I bought a bag at the swap meet that had a broken zipper. 

The left side track was not connected to the pull.


I decided that the easiest method to use in trying to fix the zipper was to remove a tooth.


With the empty space in the track I was able to feed the track into the pull fairly easily.


But I was still left with a puka in the zipper that might cause problems.


So I stuck a safety pin across the zipper above the puka on the inside of the bag.


Hopefully, it'll block me from pulling the zipper too far down and getting stuck.


Yippee!!

Kipling Bag

I got this Kipling bag a few weeks ago at the swap meet.  I paid $2 for it.



There are zippers on the side to expand the bag if needed.


It looks in good shape except for one thing. The main zipper that opens and closes the bag is broken.  One side is not attached to the pull.


I've watched a few YouTube videos, and it looks like I have several options.

One involves cutting a small slit across the loose track so that I can maneuver the track back into the pull. Another option involves prying open the pull itself so that the track can slide back in and then pinching the pull tight again. A third option is to yank some of the teeth off so that there is an open space to maneuver the pull onto the track. 

Not sure what I'm gonna do yet. I'll let you know what happens. 

Colin's Vietnamese Garlic Lemongrass Pork Chops

My 9-year-old nephew Colin Facetimed me the other night so that I could watch him prepare some pork chops. 

The pork chops were marinated overnight and broiled the following day by my brother. Colin said that it came out "very good".


Colin's mom got the recipe from a Vietnamese video online.  She translated the instructions to Colin who wrote it in his cookbook. I think she also did the chopping.








I went to visit Colin yesterday so that I could get clear photos of the recipe for you.

Random Final Trip Photos

Here are photos, in no particular order, that didn't make the original cut. A lot are phone pictures.

The scene early one morning . . . Cleta's comforter is neatly opened up at a 45-degree angle. Mine is in a clump. I have no idea how it got that way.


Outside of Otokoyama Sake Brewery with our tour escort. 


All of the public restrooms had a sign like this.


Our cones at Farm Tomita.


Somebody else's.


Hay bales at Farm Tomita.


Marimo moss balls at Spherical Moss Exhibition on Churui Island.


Treat in our room at Lake Akan Tsuruga Wings hotel.


Buffet dinner at the same hotel was awesome, but the lighting was dim and I didn't feel like struggling with trying to get good photos so I just took shots of my plate with my phone.


Everything was so yummy.




The next three photos are from Otaru known for its glassworks.






Lift at Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium.


This sign was at the top of the hill. 


Tanukikoji Shopping Street.


This was on the first floor of the Don Quijote near Tanukikoji. 


Late one night we could see office workers still at work in the building across our hotel in Asahikawa. 


Berry bush outside of the Furano Cheese Factory.


Trees on a path to Kaze no Garden on the grounds of the New Furano Prince Hotel. 


Ummm . . . maybe a picture is needed because the first time I used one of these toilets I faced the opposite way and wondered why they made it so hard to flush.


This was our Japan guide for the tour. 


That should do it . . . all pau now!