Landmark Tower Christmas

Automatic Rice Shelling Machine

Ｓｈｅｌｌｉｎｇ　Ｒｉｃｅ

 

 

 

We took mom with us when we got our rice shelled. She was very impressed with the machine, so I thought you guys might be interested too.

 

 

 

We buy our rice in huge brown bags weighing around sixty lbs. ive blogged about those before, a long time ago. It comes unshelled, which I prefer, but most people want white rice.

 

 

 

So, we take our rice to the local automated shelling machine.

Put our coin in, press a button, pour in the rice, and let it do its work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rice comes out this shoot shelled and very warm.

If you want to keep the husks, you can. They can be used to make Japanese pickles.

 

 

 

Afterwards, the rice will be hot for a long time, so I have to leave the bag open the rest of the day to prevent it from getting moisture inside.

 

 

 

So anyhow, this is a common chore for me!

Futon Heater

In The Annex-ep 1 on Japantalk.org

Be sure to check out Japantalk.org!

http://www.japantalk.org/japan-talk-167-in-the-annex-a/2010/12/01/

It:s an awesome site for anyone interesting in anything japanese or living in japan.

And our music is the new theme song for the new segment of this show!!!

We are thrilled 🙂

Another song of ours will appear on his youtube channel *Japundit* sometimes before christmas!   The shows also air there on youtube so subscribe!

Thanks Japantalk.org!!!

Nearly Raw Horse

ＯＭＧ I ate nearly raw horse…….
BLAHHHHHH I thought it was just very slightly cooked beef….. It looks like beef right?

Well it wasn’t. it was horse.

And it was either raw or close to it.
I think they just evaporated the blood out…or something….
And it was good. I wont lie. It was tasty. I hate myself!!
I was a vegetarian for 6 years…..not sure what happened lol.

Anyhow we ate this horse at a bar the other day while meeting with a friend. We enjoyed many great tasting snacks along with our very carnivorous dish…

This sorta reminds me of when I used to go to yakiniku restaurants where you can choose your own meat to cook….. I would always choose the meat with the lowest fat content…. And then VS would always say….You chose cow tongue again?? You must really like that stuff!*

and I would hurl….

Im the kind of retard that repeats mistakes over and over.

And the kind of retard that drinks too much and takes self portraits in the bathroom HA! They had a lot of nice little goodies to take for free in the ladies bathroom…napkins (THOSE KIND), cottonswabs, tissues, oil blotting papers etc. The men didn’t get crap in their bathroom VS said.

Have you ever tried horse or something weird like that?

Tecan Story Time: The Haunted Trail

The Taste Of Whale

VS’ thoughts on whale meat!

Obon Festival 2009

Our Sukiyaki Dinner

Sukiyaki is one of those dishes that are just perfect for icy cold days.

The pot of soup boils on the table while you eat, so not only does the soup itself warm your soul…..also the heat from the stove itself warms the room!

Here’s our last sukiyaki dinner party!

And here is some sukiyaki info relating to the video. Only read this if you happen to want more info on any of these topics:

RAW EGG:
Sukiyaki is usually avoided by foreigners….because eating sukiyaki also involves eating raw egg! Eating raw egg is considered pretty safe by the Japanese. It:s very rare for someone to get sick. I am not sure why this is….perhaps it is in the way the eggs are handled. I am always reluctant to eat raw eggs in the USA but I feel pretty safe doing it in Japan. I guess that:s because VS and Vtec and their families have been doing it for so long and they have never known anyone who got sick from them. I looked up some data for salmonella rates and it appears that the rates are pretty similar for the USA and japan, both at around 0.5% if the sources were accurate. So, even though the Japanese eat a lot of raw eggs, the rates are still the same.

Of course….i always start with eggs I bought THAT day. Just in case. And I crack them carefully to minimize contact with the outer shell of the egg.
But that doesn:t mean there is no risk.

However, if you want to try this and are scared of the eggs…you can use a double boiler and bring the eggs up to 160F to kill any salmonella present. Cook them similar to how you melt chocolate. It takes some practice to bring them to this temperature without cooking them.

ROSANJIN STYLE:
VS mentions ‘Rosanjin style sukiyaki’. You have probably heard the term *rosanjin scholar* on the TV show *the Iron Chef*.

Kitaoji Rosanjin was a chef who lived from 1883-1959. He focused particularly on flavor and was very picky about the preparation of food. To work in one of his restaurants you had to take a test which involved preparing food at rosanjin’s own house. He is often called cantankerous and eccentric.

He is legendary in japan…and is called the mentor of *chairman kaga* on Iron Chef.

SUBSTITUTING INGREDIENTS:
Sukiyaki is usually made with shirataki noodles, but VS despises them. So I use kudzu noodles or harusame noodles. I prefer them anyway, coz the shirataki noodles will make beef tough if cooked side by side, so using kuzu or harusame eliminates this problem.

Also cabbage is often used instead of Chinese cabbage and regular onion could be used instead of long onion. Firm tofu will work as long as it is firm enough to boil without breaking up. You can add other ingredients you like as long as they match the soup and you can omit any you don’t like.

You could substitute white wine or sherry for the sake/mirin if you added a bit more sugar to the recipe. It will be a different taste, but not hugely so, and it should still be good. Also a bit of lard would do for the suet. About a tsp or tbs.
You can precook it on the stove and then put the pot in the middle of the table if you don’t have a portable stove….but it:s just not as good that way lol. I think camping sections of stores sell the portable gas stoves.

SUKIYAKI RECIPES:
I do not give a recipe because they are all over the internet. I don’t really measure when I make mine anymore so I recommend using a recipe off the internet. You just mix up sake, mirin, soysauce, water, and lots of sugar. Melt the suet in the pot and add the other liquids. Let it boil a bit to remove the alcohol and then it:s ready to be used. It:s a very easy recipe and great for days you just don’t want to cook.
Also, commercial sukiyaki soups are available for purchase. If you have never tasted sukiyaki I recommend ordering some premade soup from an asian supplier or from the grocery store to get a feel for what it should taste like.

Will you eat raw eggs? Will you lick the bowl when you make cakes even if there is raw egg in the batter? Will you drink egg nog? Would you down some like Rocky??

Cheese Flavor KitKats

Something about winter makes me crave
sugar…

I’m probably gonna give myself diabetes….

.. ..

Anyhow, I haven’t updated about any of the
more recent kitkat flavors…mostly because they didn’t seem all that unique to
me. There was a blueberry flavor that
was good and a few white chocolate based ones that just looked awful and I didn’t
want to try them lol.

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But here:s the latest one! I def had to try this one, even if it is
white chocolate based.

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Cheese!

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There was another brand that came out with
cheese chocolates and cheese caramels awhile back that I blogged about. It was an amazing combination.

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It is not as good with the white chocolate
kit kat version…but it:s still noteworthy.
Mostly because….IT IS SOOOOO CHEESY.
At first it just smells strongly like cheese….so much that I wished it
were cheese….cause that was a heavenly cheese smell.

Then the sweetness hit and it made my
stomach roll a tad….but then the cheese FLAVOR washed over my mouth and that
made the sweetness and smell merge a lot better.

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They come in petit portions, only 25 cal
each! I like that.

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I’m thinking there is a connection with the
weather turning colder and cheese products appearing….possibly due to cheese fondue? Im sure it:s melty warmth is great on early
winter days.

I bought some the other day…I think it:s the
first time ever. I usually pass it by
coz of the 400-500 yen price tag. (5$)

Havnt tried it yet…..but I love any
cheese. Im sure it will be great.

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The picture shows them dipping bread into
the fondue…and that seems to be the most common thing to do…but that doesn’t seem too good….at least toast seems more appealing….

Any other ideas of what to dip into cheese
fondant???