oh em gee

The moment you notice algae growing on the bottom of your Brita water filter pitcher...

Then wonder how long it was there...

And how long you were drinking that water....eep!

boxed water

Awhile back we received this 20 liter box of mineral water from Satoshi's friend.

Satoshi says we received one many moons ago from the same friend, but I don't remember. (sorry!)

Anyway, I was really impressed with the nozzle to pour the water.

It looks like those tabs when you open a shoyu or vinegar bottle here in Japan.

But, instead of a soft plastic, it is kinda stretchy like a rubber band.

Pull on it and the water comes out, release and the water stops.

Sorry I couldn't get a shot of the water coming out.

We opened the box at the beginning of August and are almost finished drinking the 20 liters...we really appreciated this gift (thank you!)

mint water

Remember that mint water I was intrigued with at La Tour Cafe?

Well, I tried re-creating it the other night.

I don't have specific quantities so until I do, I'll tell you what I put into it.

Mint (leaves, stems of only the young mint plants)
4 cups water
zest of lemon
juice of lemon
zest of an orange
juice of of an orange

Whiz

*you can add the sweetner of your choice, but I just drank it as is

NOTES: My aunties suggested adding a splash of rum or tequila, maybe even blending the whole thing with some ice.

The "texture" of the drink was a little different from the one at La Tour Cafe, but still refreshing. I guess you could strain the whole concoction, but we drank it as is.

I'm making this again.

lavender fizz

Remember the lavender scented fruit salad?

Well, since I had made the full recipe of the syrup, I had leftovers of the syrup after the fruit salad, so I put a tablespoon of the syrup and then added some carbonated water to it.

Refreshing and delicious!

honmaya

Last month, I think I mentioned that Osaka is selling bottled tap water, well, I found a bottle at a convenience store in Osaka city when I went to French class yesterday. We live outside Osaka city, so they aren't selling it in our area.

It was 100 yen (about US$1) for a bottle.

Its name is "Honmaya". On one side of the bottle it says in English that "Honmaya is a word used by Osakans to express astonishment and surprise. Osaka Municipal Waterworks Bureau is proud to present their bottled water. Using an advanced water purification system with ozone and activated carbon, the quality of water in Osaka has reached excellency with a mild, sweet taste. Drink it, taste it and you too will exclaim, "Honmaya"!"

My interpretation of the phrase "honmaya" is that it is the same as how we use "for real" in Hawaii.

Am happy that their "english" on the side of the bottle was decent, sometimes you wonder what dictionary or spell check they use for things.

Dunno about a sweet mild taste though, it tastes...well, like water.

I'm glad they filtered it though because when it comes straight out of the tap it does sometimes tend to have a slight odor (ew!)...though I do love how they make it cute with the faucet picture and pink wrapping.

I'm also glad I tried this, though I realize that when disasters strike, saving the environment kinda gets put on hold...all these plastic bottles of water being sent to various parts of Japan...

Plus, I heard there is a shortage of the plastic caps for the bottles. The manufacturer is asking different beverage companies to order "white caps" instead of caps with logos or colors, the reason?

With the planned blackouts, it takes more time and fuel (electricity) to make them different colors or with logos because they have to start and stop the machines to meet the different orders...I guess in the end, if you can drink water from your tap, please do.

got gas?

Nope, it's not what you are probably thinking. If I remember correctly when we went to France they asked us if we wanted our water with gas or without. This means carbonated water or not.

Since moving to Japan, I've stopped drinking soda. But, there have been times when I want a little fizzy something to drink--but don't want to fall back into drinking soda...so, I've found carbonated water...I know, to buy water is a bit crazy and can be expensive.

Luckily, we have 100 yen shops here. This means EVERY item in the store is only $1 each (it is amazing what they sell in these stores these days!)...I found these imports in the 100 yen shop...if you were to purchase these in the supermarket you can expect to pay up to 300 yen ($3) a bottle.

From left to right: San Benedetto (Italy), Vals (France), Brio Blu (Italy).