Unclog a Toilet the Korean Way

WARNING!!!   WARNING!!!!  WARNING!!!

I debated and debated about putting this on my blog.  It's gross 'cause looks like got dodo water in the toilet.  But I think it must be fake dodo water . . . why would they use real kine, right?

Anyway, no watch if you gonna be grossed out, but the method is so ingenious I just had to share.




Thanks for sharing, Rand!!

Mr G and Jellybean

So cute story.



Thanks for sharing, Les!

Another Puzzle

Try to answer within 20 seconds.  Thanks for sharing, Kevin!

Puzzle

I bought this at the swap meet. It was $1.  There are no instructions. The piece with the two wooden balls, two rings and chain can slide in the space between the two bars of the base.  The balls cannot fit through the space.  I've been trying to separate the ball/ring piece from the base.  Wendell said it's not possible. What do you think?

Wendell's Rafute Glazed Pork

Wendell made this Rafute for his softball team the other night. He made a similar version for our dinner the same night except he used pork butt for ours instead of pork belly.  Ours was super tasty, and I'm sure this one was too.

I took this photo while the pork was simmering.  My lens kept fogging up, but I was finally able to get this shot.

The recipe came from this cook book which we think belonged to Wendell's dad because got his notes on some of the recipes.  It was published in 1975.


Recipe contributed by Yasuko Takamine

1 1/2 lb. pork belly
1/2 c. sake or whiskey
1/2 c. shoyu
1 inch ginger
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. mirin

Broil pork until skin is browned.  Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

Put sake, shoyu and ginger (crushed with knife) into a pot and bring to a rapid boil.  Add pork cubes with skin side down. Cover and simmer for 2 hours turning pork occasionally until evenly glazed with sauce.  Stir in sugar and mirin.  Continue cooking uncovered for 30 minutes until pork pieces are completely glazed and soft.

Sopping up Da Oil

This is how much oil had left after Wendell fried all of the tonkatsu.



It was a good time to bust open this oil-absorbing pads that I got at Marukai for $2.29.


The package contains 12 of these pads.


I wondered if one pad would be enough.


It took three.  That's around 60 cents worth.  Worth it or what?

Wendell's Tonkatsu

Not to be outdone by Menchanko Tei, Wendell made tonkatsu for dinner last night.  It was so good that I ended up eating 1 1/2 pieces. 



He started by pounding the pork.


I asked Wendell what cut of pork he bought. He said, "Tonkatsu."  K, I've heard of butt, shoulder, tenderloin, belly, etc. but I never heard of a cut called tonkatsu.  So I asked again.  He said, "Tonkatsu."  Now, if you've been married as long as I have, you know better than to ask a third time.  So peoples, this cut is called "tonkatsu".


He seasoned with garlic salt and pepper and then dunked in flour, egg and panko.


Then he deep fried.


We used a bottled sauce . . . not da kine freshly-ground sesame seed, but still was good.

Calligraphy Attempt

Vicki is my cousin's cousin.  I've never met Vicki, but she's been a faithful reader of my blog for awhile now.  She and her husband just returned from Japan, and not only did she bring me back some onolicious Hoshi Ume, but she also bought for me a cute calligraphy ink block set.  How nice izdat, yah!!

I made a riveting 15-minute video showing my first attempt at using the set.  The video is actually kinda lame. My hands are not even fully in the frame sometimes. And I seem to have some kind of accent. I challenge you not to laugh when I say, "So kwute" and "flozen". 

And . . .  the video will end abruptly . . . no sayonara or nothing.  The camera clicked off by itself to avoid overheating, and I didn't feel like repeating myself. 




Thank you Vicki!!! I really like the set.  I'm gonna try practice again later.

Wendell's Drunken Chicken

Here is another dish that Wendell made using a recipe from What Hawaii Likes to Eat.  Created by Chef Aaron Fukuda, it is very tasty . . . no doubt due to the overnight marinating. 




1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks

Marinade:
2 c. sake
1 c. shoyu
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. honey
2 tbs. minced garlic
2 tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. black pepper
1 c. green onions, chopped

Wash chicken, drain and pat dry.  Place in large zip-lock bag.  Combine ingredients of marinade and add to chicken, coating all sides.  Marinate overnight.

Grill on hibachi (about 25 to 30 minutes).

Special Olympics 2014 Summer Games

Here are a few photos from yesterday's Special Olympics event held on the grounds at the UH.  The athletes and volunteers did great despite the heat.