Adventures in Cooking

I learned about mirin the hard way tonight.

Never having used mirin in my cooking, I googled it before I started cooking the recipe for salmon, soba noodles and miso dressing. Trusty Google told me it was Japanese rice wine commonly used in cooking. Perfect, had some of that in the cupboard. So, I added the mirin to the sauce pan and let it simmer while I got the fish grill and another gas burner going.

When the fish grill didn't light, I figured I was overloading the oven. Ever impatient and hungry, I tried again instead of backing off. Instantly the most piercing alarm I've ever heard went off. Flashbacks of my mom baking chocolate chip cookies came into my mind as I quickly fanned what I thought was the smoke detector on the kitchen ceiling. But, it didn't work. I fanned some more, turned off all the burners, opened doors...nothing.

Instead of abating, the front door monitor started yelling at me in Japanese and flashing a picture of water spigot and the characters ガス (gas). After about 4 minutes of incessant beeping, James finally climbed up and took the sensor off the base. The beeping stopped. I pushed all the buttons I could make out on the monitor and it finally stopped flashing impending doom at me.

Problem solved. Sat down to a yummy dinner.

Doorbell rings, Japanese man on the speaker, but no more video. I fumbled with the monitor and realized I somehow screwed up the buttons during my earlier debacle.

I've had Japanese men in security uniforms at our door in the past. I knew what to expect and thankfully I started my Japanese lessons yesterday, so I'm already fluent. Our conversation went something like this:

Jesse: Sumimasen! (excuse me)
Security: Did you set off an alarm you crazy gaijin? (paraphrased)
Jesse: Gomennasai (sorry)
Security: Ryori desu ka? (Are you cooking?)
Jesse: Hai. Ryori desu. (Yes. Cooking.)
Security: Mirin desu ka? (Mirin is it?)
Jesse: Hai...mirin desu. Ahhhhhhhhhhh, so desu ka? (Is that so?)
Security: New to this cooking game are you? (paraphrased)
Jesse: Hai, hai. Gomennasai. (Yes, yes, sorry.)
Security: Namae wa, nan desu ka? (What is your name?)
Jesse: Watashi wa, ジェシ desu. (This translates directly to: As for me, Jieshi it is.)
Security: Sayonara you silly girl (paraphrased again)
Jesse: Gomennasai!!!

My Japanese teacher will be so proud and it seems I won't be cooking with mirin again any time soon. James came up the stairs and asked me how the security guard knew I was cooking with mirin. I said, either it happens often, or it's the empty bottles in the doorway. Does anyone know about this? Does alcohol come off as a gas when it is cooked?

More from Boracay

I stole a few pictures from Craig and Charity. I think their photos better capture the beauty of the island than mine do.

These kids are gorgeous.

Land is on your right, James.

Being away from Tokyo makes us realize how vibrantly colorful the rest of the world is.

Island living is tough work.

The highest viewpoint on Boracay.

ugh. I still don't know why I voluntarily suited up in lycra for most of my holiday.

Oh, I want to go back! Reports say this is the coldest April on record in Japan in 50 years.

Ferry from Caticlan to Boracay.

Trikes on at the ferry dock. I want a mango shake!

Meet Easton

My newest nephew was born to Emma and Beau this week. His name is Easton and he is the picture of perfection. Dang, sometimes it's hard being so far away.

They're Back!

The sakura blossoms bloomed 6 days earlier this year. Shocking, since its been such a long, cold winter in Tokyo. It's Easter Sunday today and it feels cold enough to snow.

We had Good Friday off and did a little wandering with our cameras and bikes. Unicycles are really popular with little girls. I can't imagine a school in the States stocking unicycles for recess.

Entering through a stone torii at a temple.

These are Maneki Neko (fortune cats) on a 4 story shelf at a neighborhood temple. Cats with their left paw up in a welcoming fashion are found in stores and are supposed to beckon new customers to the shop. Cats with their right paw up welcome good fortune or wealth.

These are James's favorite fresh baked メロンのパン (melon pan) at a shop in our neighborhood. They are soft balls of dough shaped like melon, but usually topped with cinnamon, chocolate or maple syrup.

The clouds parted long enough on Saturday to have a hanami in Kinuta Koen with friends. This park was more family friendly and less rambunctious than last year's hanami in Yoyogi Koen.

4 month old baby Natalee kept me warm when the sun tucked behind the clouds. She belongs to proud mama Ingrid and daddy Montani, but I think I would like to take her home.

Lucky to Be Alive

When Craig and Charity's flight from Boracay to Manila was delayed last year while the ground crew duct-taped the wing, we should have been warned. When our plane landed in Boracay and James grabbed my hand and said "hold on, honey" because the plane landed sideways, we should have been warned. And when the dive instructor told us about a plane that crashed at the Boracay airport and was going to be sunk soon for underwater exploration, we should have been warned. But now Europe has warned us about Air Philippines, Philippine Airlines, Zest Air, and Cebu Air, all flown by all 5 of us at some point on this trip.

I'd say we are lucky to be alive, and yet, I'd probably fly them again just because Boracay is that amazing. And if you know me, and my fear of flying, you know that's pretty much near a miracle.

Boracay Island, The Philippines

Spring Break on Boracay:

Tropical islands, mango shakes, palm trees, snorkeling, scuba diving, white sand, crystal clear water, sailboats, cheap rum, friendly locals, sunshine, good friends and a dream to go back.

The island of Boracay. Our villas and where we spent most of our time is toward the top of the picture.

I love these little tricycles. Similar to the tuk-tuks in Thailand, they take you around the island for about a dollar's fare.

Our typical day...

and a typical night. Most everyone speaks English in The Philippines and we had a lot of fun hanging out with the locals and playing with their kids.

I don't think I could rate the food in The Philippines higher than the spicy tastes of Thailand, but these mango shakes were a little slice of heaven. Fresh mango and ice in the blender. Every night we dined on fresh fish while watching the waves crash and the stars come out. Food and drinks were cheap. Massages about $8 for an hour.

James, Craig and Charity did a lot of sunbathing and a little diving. Cory and I took an Open Water Divers course, which Cory successfully completed. After day 2 I opted for more time above water and the occasional snorkel swim.

The glass bottom boat behind us is painted like Nemo. We found clown fish, spiny sea urchins and humongous sand dollars just from the surface of the sea. My favorite line from our dive theory books: "If it's really pretty, really ugly or doesn't run away from you, don't touch it!" So true in all of life.


Even the cats were on island time.

Kids ran free around the island. No hyper-attentive parents, no orange arm floaties, no sunscreen---just child-like play with wild abandon at the beach. They were gorgeous.

Sunsets were strictly observed. We left the beach one time for a sunset ride on a sailboat. Flying fish and big box jellyfish cruised with us.

Our perfect jungle villas for $33 per night. Just a 3 minute walk from the beach. Monkeys, toads, geckos and birds all inclusive.

Our tricycle ride back to catch the ferry to catch the plane to get us back to...

Manila. A city with a "captivating energy and electricity in the air."* Here's Cory on our final Philippine evening in one of the many outdoor malls in Manila. Fake environments are an oasis in the middle of a crazy city like this. Cory is on country #9 with us. We look forward to making South Korea #10 in May.

*Read: Travel code words for a messy, disorganized, in-your-face city with air pollution, honking cars, zero traffic laws, and guards with guns on every street corner and convenience store.

Our Wedding Story *by Riko*

I have a rather precocious student in my class who is always interested in the love lives of adults. It must be her older sister's influence because normally second graders don't care much about love lives except to be grossed out by their parents kissing. But this little one was so inspired by her teacher getting married that she very enthusiastically wrote a story about it. Everyday she asked for more writing time. Like any good budding author, she was very dutiful in her research, asking such important questions as, "what did you do next?" and "did you ever go to his house?" Read on:

Mr. Foss and Ms. Latter
Realistic Fiction
"They Are Going to Marry"
By: Riko

Realistic fiction! She realized she didn't have all the details since she has only known me for 7 months and had to fill some in herself.

There is a man called Mr. Foss. He is realy strong and handsome.

Love those bulging biceps!

He went to ropongi and he saw just right person called Ms. Latter. And Ms. Latter thought that he is cute and handsome. Mr. Foss thought...

The Roppongi sentence is funny on so many levels. Roppongi is the foreigner neighborhood of Tokyo filled with American friendly restaurants, grocery stores and bars. But Roppongi is also an area filled with gentleman's clubs and where "less-reputable" women hang out, if you know what I mean. How did she come up with Roppongi?

...he is funny and cute. A butifull women called Ms. Latter said hi! He said hey! They be came friend for a long long...

While I like to think she is commenting on James's narcissism here, she often has trouble with he/she. Mind you she has only been speaking English for 2 years. Apparently I'm not only a less-reputable women, but I'm also very forward.

...time. Mr. Foss said could you come to my house? She said "of course!" Ms. Latter went to Mr. Foss house. They went to church.

Floozy! Everyone knows you don't go to a man's house when you meet in Roppongi! Go to church and repent!
**I also always say "of course" in class.

And the priest was talking to Mr. Foss said "I will mary with Ms. Latter." They disaited (decided) to marry! It was the day to marry and Ms. Latter...

Okay, we have redeemed ourselves, we are getting married. I love James's goatee and spiky hair. She was kind to give him some.

...wore a butifull dress. Sparkling and had a veil. And the priest said to Ms. Latter will you marry and she said yes! He said it to Mr. Foss...

Japanese brides wear very bright princess like ball gowns, so the polka-dots don't surprise me.

...too he said "of course." And she got a butiful ring shaped like a heart. Ms. Latter became Mrs. Foss. Mr. Foss and Mrs. Foss kiss on a lip. And they...

This one had me in stitches! Look at those lips!

...went to a nother house. On December they sleep to gather shaped like a star and they lived happily ever after.

As she was doing her research for this book, she asked me, "Do you and Mr. Foss sleep in the same bed?" I responded by asking if her parents did. She said "sometimes." I think in traditional Japanese homes you usually have your own futon, that's why we are in separate beds on the star bed.

I like Snoopy. I love 2B and 1A.

2B is my class and 1A was her class last year. It's the best About the Author blurb ever. Watch out Kristin, this one's jostling for that book sale in the future.

You know your in Asia when...

Buddha is on the nightstand in your hotel room.

On staleness

I'm afraid, my friends, this blog is stale. Blah. Boring. Tired. Or those could be words to describe our lives in the winter, but for fear of being very narcissistic (I'm sure that line has been crossed a dozen too many times), there just isn't much exciting for others to read. We've been in Japan for almost 2 years now and we've settled into the ins and outs of daily life, just as life might be in Oregon, or anywhere else in the world you choose to let your roots grow. If you are a die hard follower, or you just love us, read on. If you choose to spend your time on more rewarding pursuits (curling, making moonshine, whittling), we understand. I suppose we'll still put up pictures (see below) if something exciting happens, but in between those times you can just imagine us enjoying the warmth of our house, the company of good friends, writing papers for school and teaching little ones how to properly pronounce 'again' (hint: it does not rhyme with pain, my Canadian friends). We can't complain, but we can't write much about it, either. If you want to write an email or call us on skype, we love to make contact.

On that note, we had a 4 day break this last weekend. James went snowboarding with some friends back to Hakuba and I went skiing in Echigo Yuzawa. 8 of us stayed in a cabin right on the mountain and enjoyed the drone of grooming machines all night long (what James would call the greatest travesty to a snowboarder in Japan: grooming). This particular resort was full of beginner trails, perfect for me to gain my skiing legs. We skied all day and soaked in the onsen at night.

view from the lodge

With Charity at the top of the hill. First time I've ever been able to get to the top of the mountain and get down with all my limbs intact.

All I've wanted for the last 10 days is to watch the olympics! NBC blocked all content outside of the US. Not even our 100 yen per hour TV in the lodge was playing the olympics! Drat! But, we did get to watch women's curling Japan vs. Canada on our last night. I read an article recently touting the Japanese team as the "darlings of curling." The funny thing is, the team looked like all other Japanese women---well kept and groomed, without a hair out of place. While I like that the women take pride in their appearance, I don't like how much attention the media pays to athletes who "look good."

And finally, in other news, it feels like spring is in the air in Tokyo. Even though it snowed a week ago (the first snow for us in Tokyo), the temperatures are back up to the teens this week and it makes the ride to school so much more pleasant. The ume trees are blooming, too. I hope the sakura blossoms aren't far behind. Following Japanese protocol today, I went to the Setagaya Ward Office to officially change my name on my alien registration card to FOSS and to file a change in family status. The ward office is a scene out of the 50's. Each resident of the ward has a card with his/her family information stored in large metal cabinets. When any of your stats change (name, birth, move, marriage, etc.), you fill out reams of paperwork and someone pulls out your card and hand-writes in your new information. It's a trip. On top of that, my new alien card is required to list James's name as my "head of household." While my mom's generation might roll their eyes and clench their fists at such a proclamation, I laughed it off and celebrated by buying a bottle of Erath Pinot Noir (!) and some brie cheese from a nice little cheese monger. It's not everyday you are transported back to 1950.

The Part of Living Overseas You Don't Often See

We may show you glossy pictures of festivals, beautiful vistas and exotic foods and locales on our blog, but, honestly, we aren't always living it up. Those are just the highpoints of being overseas. The day-to-day is far less pretty and less worthy of the time it would take to read about it.

The truth is, when we are home, we spend way too much time on our computers trying to connect with the outside English speaking world. I spent an hour talking to my 5 year old niece on Skype today. Or rather, Walter the Monkey talked to her. Those are the moments that are so much more special in person, but we have to settle for cyber hugs.

And this is what is normally going on--both of us studying away way too much. James is juggling talking to a friend in Korea on Skype, watching the only free English show we get online (Colbert Report) and reading articles for his doctoral classes. I'm usually somewhere in the background fiddling around in the kitchen. That's the real life in a foreign country.

It's been desperately cold here this week (below freezing) and we got our first snow in Tokyo! Snow doesn't stop the school girls from wearing their pleated mini-skirts and knee high socks without any tights. Every time I ride passed them on my bike, with my scarf wrapped around me up to my eyes and my heavy snow mittens, I wonder if it's a patriarchal society that keeps them in these ill-suited uniforms, or a sort of right of passage--toughen up or be different. I'm not sure. But they don't even act cold. There is no insulation or central heating in Japanese buildings and homes and our house hovers around 55 degrees without the heater on. Each morning my classroom is 32 degrees and takes at least an hour to warm up to room temperature.