You can tell that I’m avoiding study time (Dad, grad schools, and employers: I hope you’re not reading) because I made fresh lunch and dinner today that involved appliances other than the microwave/toaster—namely, the stove and the rice cooker. It’s kind of a big deal.
I love Japanese foods because 1) they’re generally healthy in balanced amounts (which means unhealthy in the average American serving size) and 2) the everyday dishes are so easy to make!
Firstly, zarusoba on my ghetto, ill-fitted zaru. Just boil the soba (buckwheat) noodles, rinse with cold water, and dip into soysauce broth!
And then there was natto for dinner. I think my friend Adam describes natto pretty accurately:
“…Natto is probably the most disgusting, vomit-induciug foods to come out of Japan. It’s basically fermented soybeans that looks like cat-barf, with the viscosity of snot, and the rank of dirty gym socks.”
WELL. That is what I made for dinner. The smell and appearance seem to repulse the majority of my friends, but since my psuedo-Japanese mother persisted in preparing all kinds of weird foods I did not enjoy initially, I have since become an avid natto fan. It’s so easy to make; the package comes with everything you need—the fermented soybeans, the spicy mustard, and the soysauce. Mix it up, throw it on the rice, top with green onions and stale seaweed from the cupboard, and I’m set!
Apparently, it goes well on zarusoba, too! I’ve had it in maki sushi, which I enjoy a lot, and Wikipedia tells me that it’s customary to spread it on toast too, so I might try that next. It would sure beat peanut butter in terms of nutrition, at least. Yay for soy!
And in keeping with the Japanese-ish theme for this post, check out this blog for Maru, a cat in Japan made famous by his cuteness and affinity for boxes. AHH SO CUTE! I’ve deemed it worthly for my blogroll reserved for only the best blogs. I can haz cat?
Since I’m on a roll… Have I mentioned Japanese denim? Okay okay, I won’t go into lengths here, but seriously—I’ve never seen anything comparable to Japanese-made clothing. First of all, it fits my petite stature (although I am a size “Large” in Japan) and narrow shoulders to a T; second, the craftsmanship is unbelievable. Mom kept most of her clothes from her time in college in Japan, and they’re made so well that I still currently wear a few items (the whole vintage fad in fashion works well in this regard).
P.S. This is here only to beat Reid to the punch and mention that, yes, he is Japanese… but only after I’ve mentioned food, cats, and denim. Hm.
nelson
on May 31st, 2009
@ 12:46 am:
still laughing about the last part (i didn’t even think about him until you mentioned it though)
Reid
on Jun 1st, 2009
@ 3:20 pm:
Hm indeed.
Alvyn
on Jun 8th, 2009
@ 7:43 pm:
I both respectto and appreciatto natto. I was on a natto binge for a week or two, bringing natto to work and pissing off my co workers. Its cheap too.