the eyes have it

I haven't had my eyes checked...well, since we left Hawaii in 2001.

When I got my eyes checked in Hawaii, my doctor would put a gadget up to my eye and look into it, and he was so close that I was looking into his eye...I used to end up laughing a lot during those check-ups.

A couple of months ago, I finally got my eyes examined here and was amazed at how the process has changed.

You choose the glasses which range from 3000 yen (about US$30) to 9000 yen (about US$90).

They then take you to look into a machine (I think a refractor) and it tells you your eyesight within seconds.

After it determines your eyesight, you move to another machine and they tweak the lenses.

If they have the lenses that match your glasses in stock, you can receive your glasses within an hour.

The best part of this is that the glasses you choose usually is the total price for your glasses. So, if you pick a pair that is 3000 yen, then usually that would be all you pay.

Only if you want "special options" like sun protection or thinner lenses, then the price would be a bit higher.

I need these for "close-up"...hopefully I can get back into beading now.

ou-lou

Yesterday, Satoshi had his German language class in the afternoon. After his class, he planned to meet his classmate for dinner.

So, we had lunch together before his class at Ou-Lou, a Cantonese restaurant in the Hanshin Department Store.

We've eaten here several times, and their food is always good.

I wanted noodles and their char siu bao.

Satoshi wanted some fried rice.

As we looked over the menu, we also looked over at the next table.

And ended up ordering this...a crispy noodle topped with mabo eggplant (what the table next to us had). I really love crispy noodle (in Hawaii we call it cake noodle).

In some places of Japan, it is called "sara udon" (literally plate noodle). I'm really glad we ordered it, it was spicy and crunchy...1050 yen (about US$10.50).

These steamed char siu bao, are called char siu manju in Japan...I love how "fluffy" the outsides are, and how sweet the char siu is inside....525 yen (about US$5.25) for two. Very different from the nikuman (meat buns) that you find at the convenience stores.

The fried rice was tasty, with lots of plump shrimp and bits of sweet char siu...945 yen (about US$9.45).

We shared everything and also had lots of oolong tea. It was just the right amount of food for me. (Hope it was for Satoshi.)

We apparently had our lunch at the perfect time, as we left, the line for a table was out the door.

Ou-Lou
Hanshin Department Store 10F
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6345.1201 (main store line)

dinners

It's bonenkai season here. Satoshi has been eating out several times during the week. Which is fine with me, because I don't have to cook and usually buy something to eat.

But, for the dinners that he does have at home, I've been trying to get our veggies in with our main dishes, so that we won't have to eat cold salads.

I tried a new recipe the other day and adapted it because I had veggies in my refridge that needed using. The recipe is kinda rough around the edges because I noted what I used.

Daikon wrapped with pork
adapted from "Orange Page's Fuyu ni Oishii Kondate"
Serves 4

300 grams thinly sliced pork (I used pork sliced for shabu shabu)
5 cm of daikon (long white radish), cut into 2-3 mm wide match sticks
8 inches gobo (burdock) washed and sliced thin
3 inches zucchini, sliced thin
1 eringi mushroom, sliced thin
EVOO

Ginger sauce:
1 nub of ginger, grated
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
1 tablespoon shoyu (soy sauce)
1 tablespoon sake (rice wine)
1/2 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

green onions chopped

Wrap sliced daikon with pork
Put some oil in a pan and sear
Add the other veggies, when they are almost cooked through, add ginger sauce
Cook on high, tossing until most of the sauce evaporates, everything should get a little caramelized
Top with chopped green onions

I served this dish with kim chee miso soup, nukazuke (pickles soaked in rice bran) and rice.

For another dinner, I threw together a dish which was "nikujaga" mixed with cleaning out more veggies in the fridge.

I used this recipe. For the meat, I used leftover thinly sliced pork. I added 2 carrots, 1 sweet potato unpeeled, part of a daikon(long white radish), 1 onion and 1/4 cabbage.

I followed the recipe for the sauce and method to make it. It came out delicious.

And for another dinner, this was a last minute "I don't really feel like cooking anything" dish. Satoshi called me at the last minute one day to say he didn't need dinner (he had a last minute drinking gathering with a sales office).

I had some leftovers in the refridge, but didn't feel like eating it. So I sauteed some zucchini and eringi in EVOO and seasoned it with Herbs de Provence. Then added an egg and put everything over rice. A couple squirts of ketchup and hits of Tabasco. A simple yet satisfying dinner in less than 15 minutes!

What have you been enjoying for dinner?

a night of lights

Wednesday, Satoshi had the day off, but I had an early evening lesson.

Still, it was the perfect chance to check out the Midosuji Illuminations in Osaka.

After my lesson, we met down the street at the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It had been awhile since we had eaten here, but talk about expensive!

I had my first mojito 800 yen (about US$8), this drink was really refreshing, loved the lime.

Satoshi had the large serving of the Heineken on tap, two times...1960 yen (about US$19.60, I think we could've bought a case of something in Hawaii...)

We ordered the small nachos with guacamole 1450 yen (about US$14.50). This is Satoshi's favorite, whenever we eat at American fast food places especially like HRC, this is what he orders.

We also got their jumbo combo, a plate full of appetizers 3360 yen (about US$33.60). Potato skins, buffalo wings, honey mustard chicken fingers, onion rings & taquitos.

Overly priced but a great way to fill a junk food need...total damage 8327 yen (about US$83.27...this is when you are glad that Japan does not do tipping!)

From the Hard Rock Cafe, we walked straight up Midosuji (a main thoroughfare) towards Umeda, taking in lots of lights.

I think this was the first year for this event. Since this is the business district, I think they appreciated the foot traffic.

Some gingko biloba trees still had their leaves which made them seem brighter with the illuminations.

It was a great way to walk off all that junk food and a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.

Hope you have a great weekend!

mochu hagaki

Sometimes Japanese etiquette can be wishy-washy...sometimes I think that my MIL is.

When my FIL passed away last year, we sent out mochu hagaki to our friends in Japan. But that year, we also received mochu hagaki from my MIL and BIL.

We thought it was kinda weird to receive it from them, I mean, we are immediate family, right?

So, this year, when Satoshi's grandma passed, we sent out mochu hagaki to our friends in Japan and we also sent the cards to our immediate family because that was what my MIL and BIL did last year.

Well, this year, my MIL and BIL decided not to send out mochu hagaki to our immediate family and since we sent out mochu hagaki, we made my MIL and BIL look bad because the immediate family received cards from us and not them.

Then, my MIL tells us we should have not acknowledged Satoshi's grandma's passing and just sent out the traditional celebratory New Years cards, like nothing happened. (WT?)

Satoshi, on the other hand, said trying to "cover it up" the death of his grandma with the celebratory cards, would offend his grandma and offend the rest of the immediate family. And, in actuality, we would be "living a lie".

I dunno, I know families have their secrets, and I like my MIL, but I guess maybe we should get "clearance" before we do stuff from now on...sigh.

pb s'mores

After posting my s'mores photos, my Flickr friend, Ebi Debi, suggested that I add a peanut butter cup to my s'mores.

Since I didn't have any in the house, I added a dollop of crunchy peanut butter instead.

Genius!

Ooey, gooey goodness. Be sure to use a spoon or your finger to get at all the "stuff" that oozes out onto the plate. (I actually did both!)

Thanks for the suggestion Ebi Debi!

alberta alberta

Satoshi had to work on Sunday, so I met him in Umeda for dinner.

We met at the Maru Building and had planned to eat at a dining bar, but changed our minds when we saw the photos for Alberta Alberta in the lobby.

This restaurant is actually part of a chain and apparently makes Napoli style food.

I started off with a glass of red sangria 500 yen (about US$5). Kind of sweet, I think this would be great during summer. Satoshi had a beer 600 yen (about US$6).

We ordered the mixed salad 750 yen (about US$7.50). This was good with roasted vegetables like kabocha (pumpkin), red/yellow pepper & eggplant. I thought the scoop of potato salad was unnecessary on top.

Next, we had the pescatore with tomato sauce 1850 yen (about US$18.50). You could order it Napoli style, which was an oil sauce, but we chose the tomato sauce. We were surprised at how generous they were with the seafood, though I didn't appreciate crunching on sand in some places.

At this point, Satoshi ordered a glass of white wine 400 yen (about US$4).

Lastly, we had their pizza pazza (I hope this is how it is spelt) 1550 yen (about US$15.50). It was a Napoli style pizza--half margherita, half quatro fromage (4 cheese). We loved both, I especially liked the quatro fromage, it had lots of gorgonzola on it.

The prices were reasonable, and the portions quite large by Japanese standards, our total bill was 5932 yen (about US$59.32). My only gripe was that they allow smoking, other than that, service was good and their food was delicious.

Alberta Alberta
Maru Building B-302
1-9-20 Umeda
Kita-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6346.6341