[Tokyo Fall 2008] Meiji Shrine: Torii

We arrived at Harajuku Station on the rainy morning. It was wet, but I actually enjoyed the misty air all around me.


Umbrellas outside Harajuku Station.

We decided to go to Meiji Shrine first. We followed the signs, and turned right after exiting the station.


After crossing a bridge, we saw the first torii (gate to the shrines). It was so beautiful.



We saw many Torii(s). I believe Torii is the gate to the shrines, or sacred places. I don't quite remember how many we saw at Meiji Shrine (in terms of the whole big area,) but I loved looking and admiring every one of them.


Oh look at its colors... in the rain.


A smaller one.


I was very intrigued.


"Tranquillity."

There were many torii(s) big and small at Meiji Shrine, and I was amazed by every single one of them.

afternoon tea with strawberry cheesecake

A few of us girls were talking, and we decided to have a little "afternoon tea" party at the caffe the other day.

So my friend Joanne made a strawberry cheesecake, and I provided a pot of Earl Grey. It was so much fun!


The strawberries are on the top!


Close-Up.


Our simple, and happy little afternoon tea!

We've gotta do this more often!

sweet azuki and pearl barley soup

Growing up we almost always have a pot of sweet soup in the fridge at home. My mom likes to use azuki beans in these sweet soups, with other fruit and/or grains.

I didn't particularly love these soups when I was younger. They didn't taste bad at all, but beans, grains, and fruits all together didn't always sound appetizing to me. My mom normally had to make me eat it.

Anyhow, as I grew older I started enjoying these soups more. I was actually craving a serving of azuki and Asian pearl barley soup the other day! I got a small bag of azuki beans, and a bag of Asian Pearl Barley from the Asian store and made a batch. My mom is going to be so impressed when she knows about this.



I think my mom makes this azuki and Asian pearl barley soup in a pressure cooker, but I used my slow cooker instead. Here what I did:

I soaked 1/2 cup each of the azuki beans and Asian pearl barley in water for a few hours. From what I know 2 hours would have been all right. I then placed them in the slow cooker, 6 cups of water (bean/grain:water = 1:6), and cook it on low overnight (approx. 8 hours) and it was done! I then added some white rock sugar to it to taste.*

OK here's what I know about *adding sugar to the soup:

1) NEVER add the sugar or sweetner to the soup until the beans and grains were throughly cooked (where the beans will "open up".)

2) Rock sugar is cool, but it doesn't quite sweeten the soup enough unless you put a lot of it in. I've found that I like to use rock sugar when I make soy sauce stews, but not in a sweet bean soup like this. I only put in about 1/2 cup... it didn't taste sweet at all, but since I didn't know how much I was supposed to put in to "sweeten" the soup, I gave up. Instead, I left the cooked soup as is, and then just add some sugar (or splenda) or honey in the individual serving bowl to taste. It seems to work better this way for me.

This soup can be served hot or chilled. I like my chilled and sweet. I'm also thinking it may be good with some cream as well, but I have yet to try it. The azuki beans and Asian pearl barley together are said to improve "blood flow" and circulation. Pretty neat-o.

postage

I was going to send a regular-sized letter to my mom (out of the country,) and since I haven't mailed a "real" letter for a long time, I figured I'd check the USPS web site first for its rate. It's 94 cents right now... I don't remember exactly how long it has been, but last time I mailed an international letter it cost me 80 cents.

I started working at the post office at the University when I started college. Back then a regular letter / first class mail was 32 cents, and not too long after the postage was increased to 33 cents... It seemed so long-time-ago!

Back then I was sending a lot of letters and handmade cards to my friends, too! Ahhh... it was so much fun.

I believe the international regular letter would cost 60 cents to mail at that time... and then it went up to 80 cents not too long after. (I think... it's been so long!)

With that being said, USPS is changing the mailing prices again on May 11th this year. A domestic first class letter (under 1 ounce) will be 44 cents, and an international letter (under 1 ounce) will be 98 cents. We've got to have some of the penny stamps ready!

transparency

I've noticed it's necessary to monitor who leaves me comments and messages... so in the interest of responding to real comments from real people, I'm now only allowing non-anonymous comments!

Thanks you. :)

a sense of entitlement?

Sometimes we get happy messages from happy people who come to the shop, and we love and appreciate it! It has also happened more than once, sad to say, when someone complains about me, or John, or our shop in general, via email, or through a more public place such as myspace.

These few people complains about how rude we are (and I'll explain why,) and how much they wished our business would fail.

There have been occasions when a person comes into the shop, finds a table, sets down his backpack, pulls out his water bottle, plugging in his laptop, and starts surfing online, or typing his term paper.

We wait by the register for him to come and order, and the person does not even look up from his screen.

We ask what we can make for him, and he says, "Oh, I'm OK. Don't need anything right now."

Then we'd say things like, "Hey, if you're staying, we'll need you to make a purchase."

He may stand up and get something, but other times he'd reply, "There are other coffee shops you know. I just don't want anything. You are asking me to leave?"

We say, "Yes, we'll need you to order if you'd like to say."

The person gets angry and leaves.

Really? Coming to a coffee shop, not purchasing anything, to just using the laptop (or reading the magazines, or going to the bathroom, or hanging out,) and thinking it's OK?

After he leaves, he finds our email or myspace page and sends messages to tell us how rude and bad we are, how much we suck, and how much he wishes that the shop fails.

It doesn't make sense. We're a small local business that's making a living by offering great products, and SELLING them. People don't go into a restaurant, a bakery, or a bar, to just sit down, relax, and not make an order, or go watch a movie in the theater without paying... why do they think it's OK to do it at a little coffee shop?

When a person stays without buying anything, but uses our space, electricity, and heater or a/c, he is ripping us off, and he is also ripping off all of our customers. He is a coffee shop leech!

We enjoy making the perfect cup for those who appreciate it and supports us. We love having friends, families, and customers in the shop, where we share coffee and tea ideas and talk over a serious brew. When a person doesn't respect us or our family and friends, he will get thrown out.

tofu knots and chicken

I may have said this too many times, but I love my slow cooker! It's so convenient to use, and the food (almost) always comes out perfect.

Sometimes I use different spices and ingredients to flavor the food I'm cooking, and other times I use ready-made sauces just because it's super easy to do.

I made some "tofu knots" with chicken thighs in my slow cooker the other day with Lee Kum Kee's Korean Barbeque Sauce. They are so delicious!

"Tofu knots" are made of tofu skin, and tied into knots. They usually come in dry form, and you just have to soak it in water for a couple minutes before using them.



I place 6-8 chicken thighs and soaked tofu knots in the slow cooker, pour in about 1/2 cup of the Korean Barbeque Sauce, 1/4 cup sesame oil, 2 chopped green onions, and enough water to cover most of the food ingredients. That's it! Cook the food on high for about 4 hours and the chicken and tofu knots are ready to go on rice. I also use the cooked sauce for noodles. Yumminess.

I *heart* slow cookers.

garlic burgers

I think John makes the best garlic burgers ever.


They seem simple, yet very flavorful and delicious. Super yumminess!

the cat that wears a boot

Jasper went to the vet a couple weeks ago for his teeth. He had a bandage on, which he hated, and we removed it a few days later... and underneath was just his skinny little leg! I think the vet had to shave part of his leg for the IVs.

Jasper was a lot happier after we removed the bandage... but until today the hair has not completely grown back.

It looks like Jasper is wearing a boot on his front left leg!



The boot looks tiny, and sometimes Jasper's leg looks funny, too.


Jasper's naked leg looks so small!

[Tokyo Fall 2008] Ikebukuro: Kohmen Ramen

There were many wonderful ramen shops in Ikebukuro, and we tried to go to a few of them while in Tokyo.

On our way to Mutekiya Ramen the first night we were in Tokyo, we saw Kohmen, where I had read about it being a top ramen shop as well.

The shop was fairly close to our hotel, so when we were wanting ramen again, off we went.


Kohmen, Ikebukuro.

It was raining and a bit chilly that day, but who cares, we were going to have hot and yummy ramen.


People eating ramen at the counter.

The space was long and skinny, where we had to stand and wait behind the customers eating at the counter. No big deal. A lot of ramen shops were actually designed this way for efficiency, where the chefs could cook the ramen, and serve it to the customers across the counter right away. Plus if there's anyone waiting in line, those who are eating tend to not take too long to finish their noodles and soup, hence you get people in and out of the store quicker.

It actually didn't take too long before we were seated. My constant stares at the eating customers worked.


Now what should I get?


The Kohmen chefs.

I belive the guy on the left was the head chef. He was in charge of the soup stock and finishing "plating" before handing it to the customers. He was also helping the other guys with their stations and checking the noodles.


John got their Original Ramen.

The Original Ramen has soy sauce-based stock, while their "developed" ramen has a pork-bone based soup stock. I got the "developed" kind... but somehow the photo didn't turn out.


The plate of yummy "toppings" that came with the ramen.

You could order the ramen by itself, which had basic char-shu (grilled pork), seasoned bamboo shoots, and other vegetables, but if you ordered a "set," then you'd also get a plate full of "toppings" that go with the ramen soup.

The chefs were pretty serious, but when John and I smiled at them and said the ramen was oishii (yummy), they smiled back and thanked us and said bunch of other words that we didn't understand.

Ahhh I want ramen!