Kenrokuen Garden via V803

Kanazawa, Japan, November 8, 2010.

Kanazawa is one of the overlooked  jewels of tourism in Japan- except for the locals, who flock to it as they know its beauty.

The somewhat remote location, and the off the beaten track (it takes time to get there from Tokyo for instance) , has perhaps been a factor of a lower number of foreign tourists.

For those visitors who want to see perhaps the best-preserved major Edo-period city in the country (along with Takayama), it is one of the best places to visit aside from Kyoto of course.
Well, for Kyoto, I’d recommend it if you have only a short period of staying in Japan, but if you have more time, take 2 days off at least to visit Kanazawa.

Kanazawa is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Crafts and Folk Art.

Kanazawa cuisine is famous throughout Japan. Go for its seafood,  since this area lies in the sweet spot of the hot south and cold north currents. The quality of food is so high, that essentially you’ll be munching on good food regardless of the price.

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Kenroku-en Garden (兼六園)/Finepix

 

Kanazawa, Japan, 8th November 2010 –  The most famous sight in Kanazawa! The Garden of Six Attributes is considered one of Japan’s Top 3 gardens.

Make sure if you are in the vicinity, not to miss this particular garden….and you can also visit the castle which is quite near it.

While not completed in its final form until the waning years of the Edo Shogunate, it still represents one of the peaks of Japanese strolling garden design.

The way in which water is piped from many kilometers upstream to fill its ponds and bubbling streams before going on to fill the castle moats is one of the great engineering feats of the Edo period.

During cherry blossom season, entry to the park is free and it’s open and lit up until 9 PM.

Quick Ueno Romp at Night

Ueno Park, November 6, 2010 – After a whole day of walking around Nikko, I decided my legs could still stand to try a quick visit to Ueno Park.

There’s no hardship as Ueno Station is one of the usual stops on the train system.

Ueno Park is well known for its cherry blossom viewing and there’s lots of folks trawling the park, yes even at night so I felt pretty safe. I wish I could visit during the day though.

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Loss and Life on a Friday

October 16, 2009 (Friday), Makati City, Philippines –  As I swam back to consciousness, I slowly became aware of a particular sound, or lack of it….the kind of disturbing silence in which you know at once that something is dreadfully wrong.  My eyes snapped open and I blinked once, twice…a bit drowsily.  The buzzing, eerie silence continued unabated.  What was that sound-or-not which was making me uncomfortable? It was familiar and at the same time, it was not.

I rolled over and sat up somewhat unsteadily. Looking at the dim surroundings my gaze jumped erratically around the shadowy room.  It flitted from the stationary electric fan – it was not whirring merrily away as its usual wont – to the night light – it was only dark glass glinting – to the shaded windows – which showed the faint outline of unmoving leaves and potted plants.

My last memory was that of the sturdy alarm clock’s hands pointing to 4 a.m. and after that I drew a blank. Or maybe that was a dream which I could not remember in its entirety?

The slow trickle of salty liquid between my shoulder blades encouraged me to move.  Standing up and walking slowly, I reached out a trembling hand to touch my face…the cold sweat continued. I could not see but only feel the slight dampness of my palm even as I stared at it,  hence I carefully skirted the dim shapes in the gloom.

I reached out to where I knew the phone would be. A moment passed before I could remember the number I was to call. A busy tone rewarded my first try, but then finally, a feminine voice answered and I jumped into speech.

“Hello Ms. ____, good morning! This is Cat of  ____.  I just woke up and it was hot. Is there no electricity? Do we have a rotating brown-out for today?” I asked as I groped blindly for a woven native fan I kept near the phone.

“Hi Cat! There’s no electricity but not because of any.….what happened…excuse ha?,” and she turned away to answer somebody else who came into her office as I waited somewhat impatiently and continued my search for the elusive abanico to fan my overheated face.

Coming back to the phone, she continued on “The transformer at the front of ________ building near our corner exploded. Earlier this morning, somebody jumped from _______ . SUICIDE! Yes, that was what they said. The body landed and the next thing we know…BOOM!”

“WHAT!…. What floor?! Omigosh…What time?!”  I gasped back in astonishment as I did a little exploding of my own.

“Well, they are not saying anything else. Confidential and under investigation you know. But it was probably an hour or so ago.”

“How about Meralco? Do you know the time frame as to when it could be fixed?” The logical, work-conscious part of my mind pushed me past my shocked daze because I usually had double the emails on a Friday.

“Well, unfortunately we don’t know when Meralco will be able to fix it,” she added in a mournful tone.

“So….he or she is dead…whatever floor it was…and the body hitting the power lines that’s why the transformer was affected…” my voice trailed off as I stated the obvious in disjointed sentences.

I thanked her and automatically put down the phone.  I let go of the woven fan that I had gripped and forgotten to use during the conversation. More beads of sweat trailed unerringly down my forehead and back.

Walking this time towards the weak daylight showing through the gauzy curtain of my balcony door, I stopped and brought my thoughtful gaze up. Up and towards the various windows dotting the pale-painted walls of the opposite building facing my current home.

This was my neighboring building in which one person on a Friday morning had jumped from in order to make a grim appointment with Death and leave the living world behind.

A faint sound interrupted my silent contemplation of the different windows.

A fanciful thought passed through my mind with ghostly swiftness – all the windows looked eerily similar to empty and unforgiving dark eyes set starkly in an pockmarked canvas of an uncaring face.

Glancing back into the blanket of unrelenting darkness behind me, I cocked my head and listened warily.

The growing sound that I heard this time was familiar.  It’s absence earlier was what had torn me away from the cradling arms of Morpheus.

The electric fan had just come back to life and was now whirring merrily away.

– Oct 16, 2009 10:54 pm on my Multiply site

A Recipe for Carrot and Daikon Salad (Japanese Salads)

Category:		Salads
Style:		Japanese
Special Consideration:		Vegetarian
Servings:		4-6

picture from the internet

Description:

Daikon (大根), literally “large root”), is also called Oriental radish, Chinese radish and Mooli (from Hindi Muulii). It is a mild-flavored, very large, white East Asian radish. It is common in Japanese cuisine.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
1 small carrot, peeled, cut into matchstick pieces
1 1/2 cups daikon, peeled, cut into matchstick pieces
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Place 1 1/2 cups of the water and the salt in a medium bowl. Place both carrot and daikon in this salted water for half and hour, then drain and set aside.

2. Combine the vinegar, remaining water, soy sauce and mirin in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the carrots and daikon and simmer for 2 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

3. Place the daikon and carrot between paper towels and squeeze gently to remove the excess vinegar. Place in small bowls, sprinkle the sesame seeds over it and serve.

–          Nov 25, ’10 6:48 PM

A Recipe for Leek and Tuna Salad (Japanese Salads)

Category:		Salads
Style:		Japanese
Special Consideration:		Quick and Easy
Servings:		4

Ingredients:

1 baby cucumber (approximately 100 g), washed
2 tablespoons thinly sliced leeks
2 large basil leaves, shredded
400 grams fresh sashimi-quality tuna
black sesame seeds (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, grated

Ginger Dipping Sauce:

1 1/2 teaspoons grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce

Directions:

1. Place the leeks in a small bowl of cold water and soak for 5 minutes. Drain, then pat dry with paper towels. Shred the cucumber into thin, long strips. Set aside.

2. Combine the shredded basil leaves and sliced leeks in a bowl. Add half of the grated ginger. Toss well to combine. Dice the tuna and combine with the earlier mixture.

3. Prepare Ginger Dipping Sauce. Divide the ginger between 4 small sauce bowls and top with dark soy sauce to taste.

4. Divide the tuna mixture into 4 equal portions. Place each portion on a serving dish. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds if you prefer. Garnish with reserved shredded cucumber and serve with the Ginger Dipping sauce on the side.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

–          Aug 19, ’10 6:31 PM

A flurry of snow in Cinci

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

I did mention to some friends that upon my arrival in Cincinnati, Ohio my manager thoughtfully presented me with borrowed stuff from his wife – coat, gloves, scarves, hats…enough that I could make a fashion statement every day of my stay here.

One thing which amused me though was the mask-like thing he also had me borrow..this time it was his hat/mask – it could cover the ears, and at the same time, protect the mouth area as it had some anti-bacterial cloth one could pull up to cover one’s mouth and nose. His daughters gave it to him when he had to dig through goodness knows how much of snow in this year’s blizzard.

borrowed finery

The drawback? It reminds me of a robber about to hijack a convenience store 🙂

I don’t have pictures of myself wearing the other stuff, but earlier this afternoon, I did go walking around Cinci in the cold and snow as I wanted to take pictures of the buildings I had seen. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to maneuver and juggle my camera and bags due to the gloves I had on.

I was particularly thankful though that I had chosen my manager’s hat to use today as snow suddenly came down, then a gust of wind every now and then completed the afternoon’s weather offering.

As a mad thought, I took out my cell and took quick pics of myself, covered face and all…don’t I look warm and toasty?

bare of the borrowed stuff

Last picture here was taken where I usually get my bagels and  milk for breakfast…at least last year that is what I did (I survived on this diet) – umandar yung pagka-thrifty ko and I used the balance of the money for food, buying something else….like…books…I want to go to Newport on the Levy all in a sudden din…tsk!

The temperature ranges (in Fahrenheit now) I experienced were approximately from 23 to 38 degrees.

Brrrrrrr.

No wonder most people seems to be obsessed about weather here…it can make life pretty difficult – you just don’t worry about food, but about the cold which could freeze you to death. At least I can now say I’ve experienced fall/autumn and winter-like weather…wheeeee!

–          Nov 21, ’08 10:22 AM

A Recipe for Bak Kut Teh aka Pork Rib Soup (Chinese Soups & Stews)

Category:		Soups & Stews
Style:		Chinese
Servings:		6 cups

 

from a bak kut teh lunch in Singapore

Description:

Last December 2008, I received a special “my kind of book” from Helene when I spent my Christmas holidays with her family in Singapore. She combined two of my loves in it – glorious food and glorious pictures of food – the Singaporean dishes were presented almost like still-life paintings by masters of art.

I would like to share with you some of the simpler dishes (one reason is that at least with these recipes, I can find the ingredients here in my area).

Copied from “Authentic Recipes from Singapore” Wong and Wibisono.

I chose this because I had a sip-pilicious time slurping this soup down with Loo and Helene in Singapore. I remember I bought one pack of the “bak kut teh” spices but since I rarely buy meat while living here in Manila, I don’t think I’ve used it.

A popular late night, or early morning pick-me-up, this flavorful soup can be prepared with various cuts of meat, although this version using ribs is the most popular.

Ingredients:

500 g (1 lb) pork ribs, cleaned, separated and cut into lengths
one 150-g (5-oz) piece lean pork
1 bulb garlic, unpeeled and washed
12 cups (3 liters) water
4 tbsp black soy sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 red finger-length chili, thinly sliced, to serve (optional)
Black soy sauce, to serve (optional)

Seasoning:

1 packet Bak Kut Teh spices (Note: packets of these are sold in supermarkets and food shops in Singapore, Australia and Malaysia. You can also try stopping by a Chinese medicine shop and ask for seasonings to make Bak Kut Teh.)

the packet usually has a combination of cloves, star anise, cinnamon, rock sugar and various Chinese medicinal herbs…

Directions:

1. Place the pork ribs, pork and garlic with the water in a large pot. Wrap the seasonings in a piece of clean cheesecloth and add to the pan. Add the soy sauce and sugar and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bones. Discard the cheesecloth filled with the seasonings.

2. To serve, slice the pork meat into smaller pieces. Place a few pieces of meat in individual serving bowls with a few ribs and whole cloves of garlic, and ladle the hot stock over the meat. Serve with a small bowl of sliced fresh red chili in black soy sauce on the side. Serve immediately.

–          Jul 2, ’10 5:13 PM

A Recipe for Eggplant Masala (Indian Side Dishes & Condiments)

Category:		Side Dishes & Condiments
Style:		Indian
Special Consideration:		Vegetarian
Servings:		4-6

Description:

Last December 2008, I received a most wonderful book from Helene when I spent my Christmas holidays with her family in Singapore. She combined 2 of my loves in it – glorious food and glorious pictures of food – the Singaporean dishes were presented almost like still-life paintings by masters of art.

I would like to share with you some of the simpler dishes (one reason is that at least with these recipes, I can find the ingredients here in my area).

For this dish, its because eggplant is one of my favorite ingredients. Many a time there was when I could exist mainly on just eggplant torta. Anyway this is not torta but its still eggplant 🙂

Masala or Massala is a term used to descibe any of many blends of spices used in Indian cuisine, most often containing cardamom, coriander, mace together with pepper, nutmeg etc.

Copied from “Authentic Recipes from Singapore” Wong and Wibisono.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 slender Asian eggplants (500 g/1 lb total), halved and cut into lengths
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp tamarind pulp mashed in 4 tbsp of water, squeezed and strained to obtain juice

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and cook the mustard seeds until they pop, about 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds and gently stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the onion and garlic, and stir-fry until light golden-brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the eggplants, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander and salt, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Then add the tamarind juice, reduce the heat and simmer until the eggplants are tender, about 7 minutes. Serve immediately with freshly-cooked rice.

Prep. time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

–          Jul 2, ’10 4:49 PM

A Recipe for Eggplant Masala (Indian Side Dishes & Condiments)

Category:		Side Dishes & Condiments
Style:		Indian
Special Consideration:		Vegetarian
Servings:		4-6

Description:

Last December 2008, I received a most wonderful book from Helene when I spent my Christmas holidays with her family in Singapore. She combined 2 of my loves in it – glorious food and glorious pictures of food – the Singaporean dishes were presented almost like still-life paintings by masters of art.

I would like to share with you some of the simpler dishes (one reason is that at least with these recipes, I can find the ingredients here in my area).

For this dish, its because eggplant is one of my favorite ingredients. Many a time there was when I could exist mainly on just eggplant torta. Anyway this is not torta but its still eggplant 🙂

Masala or Massala is a term used to descibe any of many blends of spices used in Indian cuisine, most often containing cardamom, coriander, mace together with pepper, nutmeg etc.

Copied from “Authentic Recipes from Singapore” Wong and Wibisono.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 slender Asian eggplants (500 g/1 lb total), halved and cut into lengths
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp tamarind pulp mashed in 4 tbsp of water, squeezed and strained to obtain juice

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and cook the mustard seeds until they pop, about 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds and gently stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the onion and garlic, and stir-fry until light golden-brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the eggplants, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander and salt, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Then add the tamarind juice, reduce the heat and simmer until the eggplants are tender, about 7 minutes. Serve immediately with freshly-cooked rice.

Prep. time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

–          Jul 2, ’10 4:49 PM