amakara buta gobo and rant

I get frustrated when people work somewhere and don't really know their job. Not that I would know their job, but I feel that if you work somewhere you are representing the company, so whatever you do, is a reflection of that company.

Anyway, a couple of months ago, I went to a photo shop near the supermarket to pick up some photos (because the one I used to go to, went out of business) , there was a woman working there and she helped me. When it came time to pay, I wanted to use the points from my point card to pay for the photos (because at most places in Japan shops allow you to redeem your points that are collected on their point cards), but she didn't know how to process the sale that way and insisted I pay cash. I didn't have much cash on me which is the reason why I wanted to use my points. But she apologized (which is supposed to make things all better in Japan) and re-insisted I pay cash. So I paid, but it was like pulling teeth for me.

Last month, I went to the same shop to get some photos processed. This time, the same lady helped me. I had a bad feeling about the whole interaction and when I got the photos back, they were lighter than the photos I had taken. If I take a photo of Mount Fuji shouldn't I be able to see Mount Fuji? In Japan, there is an unwritten rule that you can't return things, it just isn't heard of. So, I went out to the electronics store and picked up photograph paper. Now, I print my own photos.

So now that I print my own photos, I was still going to the shop to have my pics downloaded to a CD-ROM. Again, the same lady helped me (why is she still working there?), this time, she didn't know how to operate the machine. She didn't say, "come back later when someone knowledgeable can help you" or "I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm doing". So, again fed up with this shop, I bought writable CD and have been downloading my own. I think it is sad that these shops don't have more knowledgeable people (kind of like the people at the information counters in stores, but that is a different rant all together), it may help them from going out of business.

Okay, now that I got that out of my system, I want to tell you about a really simple dish.

I had some gobo (burdock) and konnyaku (devil tongue jelly) sitting in the fridge for awhile and discovered some thinly sliced pork in the freezer.

Then while I was shopping for groceries, I saw a bento with thinly sliced beef and gobo which was seasoned and put over rice, which gave me an idea.

When I got home I surfed the internet for a recipe and found one again on Cookpad and adapted it.

250 grams pork, thinly sliced
1 block (about 100 grams) of konnyaku with chili flakes in it, thinly sliced
1 or 2 sticks of gobo, piece before whittling about 8 inches long each, cleaned then whittled
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon shoyu
1 tablespoon sake (rice wine)
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
some ground sesame seeds

Heat a pan and add the oil.
Drain the gobo and konnyaku well.
Add the meat, gobo and konnyaku and coat everything with the oil.
When the meat is browned, add the seasonings and let cook until most of the liquid evaporates.
Sprinkle some ground sesame seed and serve over rice.

This is a great dish with beer or in your bento.