Don and don. (But not done.)

First, I have to disclose that I am no longer in Japan (unfortunately). I've been back for a few weeks now, but there was too much good food consumed to stop blogging about it! So bear with me as I hammer out these last few posts.

During our stay at Yoron Island, a tiny little island near Okinawa, we frequented a delicious little restaurant in town run by by the nicest Yoronese couple you might ever meet.

A small group of just strolled in one night, stuffed our faces, and in appreciation, brought back our friends a few more times to partake in the tasty local grub-eating.

A sampling of what was devoured:

Ten-don -- tempura (with the dipping sauce IN the batter) over rice.


Katsu-don -- breaded pork cutlet over rice.


Gyu-don -- beef and soft-cooked egg and onions over rice.


Wow.

That's a lot of don. I ate a ton of don in Yoron. I realize this just now. Well, can you blame me? It's yummy, comforting, cheap cheap, and filling. We did a TON of walking. I needed don, for the energy and sustenance. Yes, that's right.

I probably didn't need this homemade gyoza, but I sure as hell wanted it.


Take me back! I'm overdue for my don.

Multi-course meal at Ichi No Yuu.

Our hotel in Hakone, Ichi No Yuu, served up some of the tastiest dishes ever for dinner, which came with our stay. This was one of the best meals of the trip thus far.


Fried unagi salad appetizer.


Delicate, custardy tofu with shrimps.


Cold buckwheat udon noodles.


The main course: sliced, steamed pork belly.


..With ponzu. I was in heaven.


Smoked salmon with wasabi spinach.


No meal is complete without steamed rice.


It just kept on coming: scallop fishcake with nori and mushrooms.


And for dessert: Fresh yuzu sorbet with pieces of candied yuzu peel.


We also had a multi-course breakfast the next day. Mmm!

Shiso kamaboko from Hakone.

This was just a little ball of fishcake goodness with bits of shiso.


Sensei shared her bag of kamaboko (fishcake) with us. I was going to get my own, but we would have missed our train. Hakone is known for its kamaboko.

Serious comfort food.

Delicious shio ramen from a little dive in Chidori-cho in Tokyo, near our hotel.


I feel like I haven't eaten enough ramen on this trip. I've only had it twice. Blasphemy!

Pork katsu curry rice from Coco Curry House in Shibuya. The curry had bits of tender meat.


I finished it ALL.

Harajuku crêpe.

This is the filling of a stuffed crêpe, obtained in the Harajuku district of Tokyo.


Fresh strawberries, strawberry pudding, whipped cream, and rice dumplings. I wolfed this puppy down, and then I craved another. Are ichigo (strawberries) sweeter in Japan?

They just do some things a little better here.

Things eaten in Japan I just can't get in the States.

McDonald's McFlurry (makkufuruurii) with real strawberries and crushed Oreos.


Makku also cooks eggs perfectly -- as in: soft to medium, and not rubbery and overcooked -- for their breakfast sandwiches. Yes, I went there. So?

Thick and luscious mango gelato in a waffle cone from 7/11.



EDIBLE -- and delicious -- chirashi-zushi bowls from your local supermarkets and convenience stores.


Balls of fruity sorbet from Circle K.



As much as I love food back home, I know I'll seriously miss this stuff when I return.

Nishiki Market in Kyoto.

Biking allows for fantastic exploration. In Kyoto, I rented a bike and decided to find Nishiki Market, which I read about in my travel book. Tucked away between residential alleyways, the market takes up a couple blocks and, according to the book, is where chefs and cooks go for fresh ingredients and supplies.




I could totally imagine myself living in Kyoto and biking to this market regularly.

By the way, you know the scene in Kill Bill when The Bride gazes lovingly at Hattori Hanzo's collection of katanas, while angelic music provides the soundtrack? That is similar to what I felt looking at these knives.

As I was wandering around, I passed by a vendor selling various yakitori and fried things on sticks. They pulled me aside, quite forcefully, for a sample of fried unagi (eel).

I was so glad they did.

Hidden okonomiyaki.

After today, I've noted to myself to continue tagging along with Sensei, who can chat it up with shuttle bus drivers who tip us off to hidden okonomiyaki restaurants and drop us off there instead of at the intended stop at the train station.

The tiny restaurant was tucked away in the middle of a narrow alleyway in Kyoto -- we as gaijin (foreigners) would never have been able to stumble upon this ourselves without the help of locals.

Okonomiyaki with buta (pork) and soba noodles, cabbage, fried egg and sweet and spicy sauces.


One of my classmates got it with ika (squid), which I liked better. But both were oishi katta (delicious!).

Airplane food.

Yes, I'm even documenting the airplane food. Wow.


Unagi-don (eel over rice), served with cold soba noodles and dipping sauce, a piece of California roll, seaweed salad and shrimp.

As much as I enjoyed it, I hope it's only the least interesting meal of my trip.

Sayonara, and um.. bon appétit.

(How do you say that in Japanese?)

I've been keeping a secret: I'm headed to Japan tomorrow for about three and a half weeks.

But this actually is good news for this blog, because I am taking my laptop with me and plan to post here as I eat my way through Japan. I am sure to be inspired as Japanese cuisine is probably my favorite.

Japan, HERE I COME!

I heart cheesecake, sushi, and creepy elevators.

Some favorite moments from Valentine's Day weekend. No, these are not in chronological order. Yes, this post is late.

3. "New York-style" cheesecake with Nutella drizzle.

I used a standard recipe from Gourmet, then heated a bit of milk and whisked in Nutella until it was of a drizzling consistency. I must remember next time to make the crust thicker. Mmm, graham cracker crust.


2. Sushi surprises at Fusion Sushi 313 in Glendora.

Ok, the first part of that may sound a bit scary, but I promise it's not; it's very, very good. I think we found our new sushi place that night. (Our old standby changed owners a while back. Now the void has been filled. W00t!)

More to come on this at another time, when I've remembered to charge my camera battery. I know, I'm probably the worst food blogger ever.

1. Tower of Terror at Disney's California Adventure.


The last time we visited Disney's California Adventure was at least 4 years ago. We probably would have gone on Tower of Terror then, but I had to get all dizzy and sick after riding the California Screamin' roller coaster. I practically passed out on a bench, so we had to go home right after. I'm silly like that.

Anyway, we decided to go on Tower of Terror first this time. All the while I kept thinking how this was a terrible idea. I loathe rides that just drop you. I bitched and whined like a baby up until I secured the seat belt.

And then our elevator took off into another dimension. And it was so. Freaking. Awesome.

Disney does a great job creating a super creepy, fun and thrilling experience. I loved it. Seriously, I could not shut up about this ride the rest of our time there.

It's too bad the photo of us dropped into another dimension, never to be seen again! *Cue evil laughter and signature Twilight Zone theme music.

Ok, shutting up about it finally.

Kabocha.

Yeah, so, I haven't really been following the schedule o' squash as well as I had intended. But I have started!

First up: Kabocha squash.


Kabocha is a Japanese pumpkin and its flavor and texture, according to Wikipedia, is comparable to chestnuts. I'd have to say I agree.

It's commonly used in tempura. Mmm. That's what I love about squash: its versatility in creating both sweet and savory dishes. The following recipe is an example of the latter execution.

Miso-glazed kabocha squash:


(I'm annoyed because my camera battery died before I could upload my own photos, and I don't have my memory card reader with me. But blah di blah di blah, you probably don't care.)

This recipe from Sunset Magazine was a good first one to try, although when I make it again, I'll probably cut slightly thicker slices, to be able to savor more squash per bite. Also, I over-glazed them; saltiness hampered the natural sweetness of the squash. Let the taste of nature's bounty shine through! Power to the squash! .. And other hippie phrases.

More tips for my future self!
- Be patient when baking; semi-crunchy squash is not so yum.
- Don't leave out the sesame oil; it's a nice finishing touch.
- It's pretty tasty on a bed of steamed rice.
- The rind, while edible, gets annoying after a while.
- Kabocha is fun to say. Kaaboochaaa. Heh.

Yay, 1 down, several more to go (picture a butternut squash, a buttercup squash, and sugar pumpkins all lined up in a row on my counter).

Summer grubbin': A look back.

Well, hello.

It's three in the marnin'. But goshdarnit, I promised I'd do this, didn't I?

Needless to say, I have been one busy mofo. Three separate time-consuming activities, all important to me, have swallowed me up whole. At least I won't have to worry about one of these anymore after the next four days.

It is one sad, crazy world when a food-loving gal is unable to contribute to her own food blog. It makes me long for the yum-filled days of summer, when I could afford the money, time, and patience to buy fancy pastries, make stews, and layer popsicles, respectively.

So as a gift to myself, here's a look back at a few snapshots of summer, when life was perhaps a smidge more carefree, and a whole lot tastier..


Some Crust Bakery in Claremont... Oh, how I miss the raspberry- and lemon-mousse cupcakes and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.


And the key lime cupcake.


Just.. the key lime cupcake. That's all. Try it and this jibjabba might make sense.

Summer was also the time of whimsical movie-plus-some-food-completely-unrelated-to-the-movie-and-vice-versa nights. Okay, I only held one of those. But who could forget "Japanese Curry and James McAvoy Movie Night"?! James McAvoy's Scottish accent and Vermont Curry-brand curry, with "a touch of apple and honey," will forever be ingrained together in my mind, that's for sure.


Finally -- the art of popsicle making!

Step 1: Buy a ridiculously unnecessary popsicle recipe book.


Step 2: Buy a ridiculously unnecessary -- but freakin' adorable -- Sailboat popsicle mold set.


Step 3: Create beautiful and delicious frozen treats in an attempt to justify the silly splurges committed in steps 1 and 2.


.... After I've finished my nostalgic sobbing about summer's end, I'll do my best to focus on what fall brings:

THANKSGIVING!!

"Asian Ghetto," nap, sushi.

Hah! You probably thought I wasn't going to update, huh?! Yet, here I am.

So just a quick rundown of today's food consumption:

A late lunch at Berkeley's "Asian Ghetto" on Durant Ave. consisted of lamb gyros from Meesha's Berkeley Gyros and a lychee-avocado smoothie from Sweetheart Café. Both were yummy and filled an empty stomach caused by preceding hours of luggage-towing.

Don't ask me why we got Greek/Mediterranean grub at an Asian Ghetto. There happens to be pretty good Italian there, too.

After an impromptu tour of UC Berkeley's campus, we returned to my sister's apartment where I promptly collapsed on the floor and snoozed for an hour and a half. I awoke to: "I'm hungry -- let's go eat some sushi!" and groggily (and happily) obliged.

We got three monstrous rolls at Joshu-ya Sushi. They were too gigantic for this blog, in fact. I'll show you only one: The Lucky Danny Roll. (I wonder who this Danny is. And why is he so lucky?)

Shrimp tempura, crab meat, asparagus tempura, topped with fresh salmon, avocado and tobiko. Quite heavy because of all the fried goodness, but pretty damn tasty. And the fish was very succulent.

To sum it up: Traveling, food, nap, more food, sleep. It was a pretty good day.

Tomorrow: San Francisco!

* * *
Meesha's Berkeley Gyros
2519 Durant Ave.
Berkeley 94704
510.849.4771

Sweetheart Café
2523 Durant Ave.
Berkeley 94704
510.540.0707

Joshu-Ya Sushi
2441 Dwight Way
Berkeley 94704
510.858.5260

Adorable obento. Plus: perfect homemade sushi rice.

As a child, if it didn't come from the cafeteria, my school lunches consisted of either leftovers, simple sandwiches or Indo-Mie noodles. Definitely nothing like this:


Obento are elaborate, terribly cute lunch meals made for kids by moms in Japanese culture. See more pictures and read a feature about it here.


Kind of makes me wish I had grown up in Japan. I still love Indo-Mie, however. And my mother.

Also, this may be related or unrelated, but I have to share that I had a go at making my own maki-zushi this weekend (nothing fancy, just some simple rolls), and the recipe I used for the sushi rice was just.. wonderful. I've attempted to make my own California rolls (and the like) before, but I could never get the rice right. In fact, it's my main gripe about homemade sushi. The rice turns out mushy and overcooked, or weird-tasting, or both! Blech.

But Harumi Kurihara, apparently "Japan's Martha Stewart," walks you through the sushi rice-making process very thoughtfully, from the rinsing process to the seasoning and cooling. The rice turned out plump, yet firm and sticky, with a perfect, subtle balance of salty, sweet and slightly sour elements. Needless to say, IT MADE ME SO HAPPY.

I won't even post the recipe -- if you want it, you'll just have to trust me and buy her book. You will not be disappointed.

Thanks to Mau for sharing the link on obento, and to Lisa for telling me about Harumi Kurihara.