Dream Fighter

Imagine when you no longer eat

... but you don't die. I can hardly imagine how I don't die. I love eating. I don't like running very much but I still do because I want to eat something I love as much as I want to eat. I love cooking but that's because I love to eat what I cook.

Ben posted about a blog entry about the topic: Eating & dining the other day and I read the blog entry today. It really made me think how I am here right now alone in my room. I hadn't dined at home more than a day in a week for more than half a year before I settled my life at where I am now.

I had drunk and eaten what I liked every day, I wasn't nil-by-mouth. But the blog entry realized me why I wasn't happy when I was eating one of the most favorite dishes at home as much as I wanted to eat. I may have eaten something but I never had dined at that time.

For nights I would wake up already focused on that small but heavy glass mug with the ice sliding from it, and the first sip of root beer. I took that sip over and over. The ice slid down across my fingers again and again. But never again.

Nil by mouth By Roger Eber

I agree with Ben; the last paragraph is the killer. But I am quoting this other paragraph because I am going to visit Okinawa in a week where you can find and maybe dine on top of, A&W.

Coffee and Cakes and Blade Runner

Originally uploaded by luckypines

Uno-san somehow knew what I was desperately wishing for and gave it to me... a coffee maker, from the Starbucks lucky bag! I made a cup of coffee for the first time with it today and enjoyed it with the cheese cake I also made today. The cheese cake needs improvements but having coffee in my room? Oh it was absolutely great. Thank you thank you Uno-san!

120km bike ride for BBQ

Yay it's BBQ time in Japan!  It was too hot last year when we went down to the mountain side of Tokyo to do BBQ, but this year it was a beautiful day. 

My bike was parked in the office because of the rain last week so I had to get on the train at 6am to go to the office and pick her up.  I left the office with a bottle of water at around 7am.  The road was still clear and the day was absolutely wonderful.  I went down to get on No. 20 and headed west.  Mt. Fuji welcomed my arrival on the bridge of the Hino Bypass, but because I thought I was late I didn't stop to take a picture (the picture was by Dice).

The meeting time was set at 11am but I was able to get the BBQ park by 10am.  It was still late because I would take an onsen bath which is up the hill from the park before joining the BBQ.  I was able to arrive there at 1015 and took 1 hour of peaceful rest in a public open air bath.  I love Japan when I am in a bathtub.

After I joined with Dice at the onsen we went down again to the BBQ park where the chef Yuji and the other good folks from Six Apart KK and Garth were grilling meat, fish, scallops and fried noodles.  I drank a few chu-hi and beer but was careful not to drink too much, partly because I had a nightmare hangover two days ago, and partly because I thought I would return home by bike, something I didn't do the last time.

Food was great, the almond pudding Tomo-chan made was awesome again, and I was ready when it was time to go home.  Kusano-san's Mercedes passed me and my bike on the road and I took about the same route as I did when I go this morning, to return home.  I actually missed a turn at near my home and lost half an hour but it was OK after I arrived home.  I felt very good when I saw my GPS said I rode 120km.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Akikawa BBQ Ride 2009

I then walked down to a public bath near my home where two young sumo wrestlers were also taking a bath.   They are chatting things like one of them would like to go shopping to Roppongi but the other told him he wouldn't have enough money to buy something there, etc, etc.

Coffee break homesick

So, I returned to Japan. I hope it will not be long before I could come back to San Francisco. Ah, those were the days...

Weather in Tokyo these days after I returned to Tokyo has been very nice. It is drier than I thought it would be, but it's still sunny and hot. That made me think I should go out for the sun at 11am today which forced me to remember I was so sick of not being in San Francisco. Coffee. Excelsior Coffee tasted terrible to me which wasn't the case before.

The Creamery, Peet's, Philz and Blue Bottle served at the cafe and Cento. I miss them so much.

Sugarless Cooking

Niku Jaga
Originally uploaded by luckypines

Sugar is probably one of the two most important ingredients of cooking Japanese food. But in this country everything comes in too large bag and sugar is no different.

So I cooked Niku Jaga only with white wine, soy sauce and a bit of Dashi powder. Without sugar and sake, it still tasted surprisingly good.

What is the other one you ask? Drinking beer during cooking. It lets you forgive pretty much all of those badly seasoned dishes.

Shrimp Pasta

Shrimp Pasta
Originally uploaded by luckypines

I thought I would have done another chow mein as I had green pepper, onion and carrots. However, Sekimura-san posted his dinner on Flickr before I was going to leave, which looked great again.

I hit Whole Foods and wandered to find what could be in a sauce. Then I found a pack of frozen shrimp which could make a simple pasta.

Well, i did fairly well, but it was mostly from the crazy salt I used so season it. Oh but I didn't forget to put white wine to cook seafood well.

Loner Tourism

I had decided I wouldn't do much work this weekend. I did a little on Sunday morning, but there was an excuse; 8 am was too early to eat brunch. I had a cafe in mind - The Plant Cafe Organic, which I found at the Pier 3 during my weekend run.

I was there at around 11:30, a little too late to secure outside seating. But as you can see (probably...) in my picture, the cafe inside was also very beautiful. I ordered the Plant Burger which is completely veggie (well, if I hadn't chosen to add goat cheese with it). It may look weird but it tasted really good. The couple next to me were talking about how a life in Japan would like and I was wondering how I could trade my life with one of them.

After the brunch I walked up to the Telegraph Hill where Coit Tower is standing. I walked along the seashore to Bay, to Stockton, to Lombard to the hill, and wondered if I could come by bike. The hill was steep but not as much as hell. I took a few pictures, took a walk to the other side where stairways took me down to a street. The neighborhood around the stairways is lovely where lots of flowers and greens are taken care of. I wished I could have been there with somebody at this point.

Back to Jackson, bought a few items at Safeway, back home and watched a movie "Sleepless in Seattle". Meg Ryan was cute.

Cucumber and Pain de mie

Brunch
Originally uploaded by luckypines

Farmers market after running on Saturday was the only plan I had for the weekend. I had more time this Saturday which allowed me to walk all over the market. It was amazing they actually had a lot more of goodies at the back of the building! I even found Japanese cucumber!!!! Also there were eggs, potatoes, carrots, lettuce and cabbage and everything.

Two foods I have been missing while I am here were Japanese cucumbers and English bread. Well, this Saturday also solved the other problem because ACME Bread in the building had pain de mie. Now, what else makes me want to go to Japan? I even had natto udon this evening.

I ran to as far as the end of Crissy Field in the run this Saturday. I forgot to put my Garmin on my wrist but I do remember the foggy Golden Gate Bridge.

Staying in fit

View
Originally uploaded by luckypines

I lost more than 15 kg in a year since April 2008. Personal relationship problem combined with dramatically increased responsibilities of the job just kept me away from eating much.

However now one part of the problems is getting resolved and I am in the land of Kettle Chips, I have to take care of myself staying in fit. Worse, I don't have a scale in my room here.

Fortunately the apartment installed on-site fitness gym with the gorgeous view of Ferry Building and Bay Bridge. With the run during weekends and exercises in weekday evenings, hopefully saves me from gaining too much pounds in a month and a half here.

But, oh dear, bags of Kettle Chips seduce me...

Chow mein

Cooked chow mein for dinner today.

I was able to be back home by 8 pm this evening, which allowed me to exercise at the on-site fitness center. Music and machines sometimes encourage me to work harder. The sunset view to the ferry building and the bay bridge from the fitness room was gorgeous.

Tomorrow will be the day.