A Meal To Remember

This past weekend, my husband and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary with food. (What better way is there, really?)

We feasted at the Old Town Alexandria Restaurant Eve. A fan of Top Chef, I found it so fun to eat things that are “deconstructed” and “non-literal” and other descriptives they use on the show.

We opted for the 5 course tasting menu, and made our own selections for each one. But the kitchen also sent out complementary tiny palate teasers in between the main courses. The idea is to wake up your taste buds and get you ready for what’s coming next.

Halloween Costume From Around The World

Rather than buying a fabricated Halloween costume this year, I decided to create one from items collected while traveling to other countries through the years.

The result?

The sari= Gifted from an Indian friend/coworker when I lived in Namibia in 1996!

The head scarf= Bought at bazaar in Turkey in 2002

The necklace= Acquired on a high school graduation trip to London in (I can hardly believe it) 1989!

The earrings= Purchased from a street vendor in Oahu in 2008

The shoes= Haggled for in Hong Kong in summer 2011

Assembling this costume brought back so many great memories of travel experiences, foreign cultures, and people met along the way. That’s what travel souvenirs should do, right?

Did you wear a costume this year? What was your inspiration?

Cocktails Inspired By Art: Art on the Rocks

Ever had a drink that reminded you of a painting? Or better yet, looked at a sculpture and felt the need to knock one back?

I don’t know that I have.

But drinks and art apparently go hand in hand. I learned this at the Art on the Rocks event at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Local mixologists were invited to create libations translated from a work of art in the museum.

Overall, there were 5 works of art and 5 imaginative drinks. Some of the drink/art pairings were very literal like this painting of summer fruit which inspired a tasty drink of peach, melon pulp, and a rim dipped in mascarpone cheese. I was so enthralled by the mascarpone that I didn’t catch the type of alcohol.

Then there was a neon green apple martini inspired by a gorgeous photograph of the Northern Lights. I love the vibrant color of this drink, and it reminded me of my number one all time favorite trip ever.

Another interesting drink was called “Smoke and Mirrors,”  which was an elaborate concoction of apple, pomegranate, vodka, and a spritz of smoky mezcal on the inside rim of the glass.

In the end, my favorite drink was not a drink at all. It was a dessert, sort of.

Behold the “White Russian Marshmallow” inspired by this abstract painting. The sweet treat was so delicious even if it did run down my arm and get into my camera.

Tags: art, art on the rocks, Artistic cocktails, drinks

Vermont Is Open For Fall

I know, I know.

It’s been ages since I updated this blog.

The past few months have been eventful. I moved from Japan to the Washington DC area. My husband and I bought a house (with a garage! and a backyard! and grass that needs to be mowed!) I’ve been readjusting to life in the States, looking for employment in this economy and getting over my shock about all the food abundance in this country. Let me tell you, the cheese section in the grocery store still overwhelms me! But man, I’m thankful for the Havarti and the Pepper Jack and the …

In any case, I have done a little domestic exploring.

Recently, I went to Vermont to view fall foliage. In Japan it’s perfectly normal to travel somewhere for the sole purpose of contemplating leaves or cherry blossoms, but I realized this must seem a somewhat odd travel objective in the States based on numerous blank confused looks by friends.

But for me, it was wonderful to experience the colors of fall (and the apple cider donuts of course).

I can’t wait to catch up with all of you!

Food Lovin’ in March

Oh, I’ve been eating well this past week or so. Here’s a look…

One of my favorite neighborhood Italian restaurants. It’s family-owned and my husband and I love walking down the hill from our apartment to eat it. The servers are the sweetest high school girls and the food is all homemade.

One day, we drove to the northern end of the island just to pick mikan (tangerines).

What can I say? I love carbohydrates… and Japan does them so well!

We stopped at this lovely rustic traditional cafe one afternoon for coffee. We always see the most interesting places driving by, and I’m glad we took a chance. There are so many fantastic little surprises on this island.

Memento Mori

Yesterday, I attended a meeting and sat across from a young man with large black tattoos on his forearms. One arm said “Memento” and the other “Mori.”

Translation: Remember that you will die.

In other words, recognize your own mortality and live accordingly.

I was transfixed by his arms and curious about the person who believed so strongly in the mantra that he branded it on his body. I thought about asking him about it, but in the end, I felt awkward and slightly embarrassed to do so.

But I was thankful for the reminder to appreciate the life I’ve been given. In fact, I’m living these last few months in Okinawa with an overwhelming sense of finality. Some days it makes me sad that I’ll probably never return here. But most of the time, it pushes me to do things I’ve been putting off.

I’ve got a whole list, and each time I cross off an enjoyable out of the norm experience here, I wonder, “What took me so long?”

I’m curious about you. Do you live intensely aware of your limited time living? Does it guide your choices, actions, and relationships? What travel or life goals have you been putting off?

So what else is on my list before I leave this tiny island?

I want to paint a mural on the seawall under the cloak of darkness one night

I want to introduce myself to an elderly man I see walking every morning

I want to eat squid ink soup

What’s on your list these days?

5 Favorite Things

With all the upsetting news of earthquakes, tsunamis, and radiation for the past 10 days, I’ve been focusing on all the things I love about Okinawa. Here are some images of the past week that made me smile and appreciate this tiny island where I live.

Kitten’s Room Cafe

I described this cat cafe a few weeks ago, and yes, I visited there again. In fact, I’ve been 3 times…

Stuffed pepper with pesto and balsamic glaze

A local restaurant nearby us serves this delectable dish. So glad we randomly stumbled into it one night and sampled this tasty dish.

Ikebana Flower Show

I attended an Ikebana show this past weekend and was blown away by the flowers I saw there. These are definitely not your grandmother’s flower arrangements!

They were edgy, modern, and creative like the arrangement below. I love that suspended leaf hanging from an invisible thread.

 

Lunches with friends during the workweek. Oh, how I will miss these when I move back to the States

 

Tags: cat cafe, Favorite things, ikebana

A Quick Note

Hi friends from Okinawa! This is just a quick note to say that we are fine and were not affected by the recent events in mainland Japan. On the day of the earthquake, we did have tsunami warnings and evacuations, but there was no damage on this island. There is no threat of nuclear radiation here.

Right now, members of our American military community living here are working hard to assist in the disaster relief efforts in Sendai and the surrounding areas.

I wrote an article about it for Matador Network, which you can read here.

Take care everyone and please keep Japan in your thoughts!

A Day in the Life

I’m preparing to leave Okinawa in a few months, and lately I’ve been intensely aware of how I spend my days.

There are so many aspects of the local lifestyle I want to take home with me, but sadly some things just won’t translate.

To remember this time, though, I’ve been documenting the details. Years from now, I’ll look back and reminisce.

I’ll be writing a “Day in the Life” series in coming weeks. Here’s the first installment for this past Saturday:

6:30 am       My favorite time of day is morning. I drink coffee and take in the view from my balcony. I’ll never get tired of watching sun rise over the ocean.

8:00 am I usually walk around the neighborhood for exercise. Here are a few sights I saw along the way today. Godzilla, anyone?

Many homes in my neighborhood are protected by a pair of shiisa, mythical lion dog creatures that scare away evil spirits. Below are some variations, including an adorable homemade rock shiisa.

11:30 am After walking, I took my paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum to a recycling center. Trash collection is taken very seriously on this tiny island, resulting in fines for improper disposal!

12:30 pm For lunch, I ate traditional Okinawan soba, a soup made from pork broth. Locals believe the special pork is one of their secrets to long life.

3:00 pm I ended up at a Cat Cafe next. Because many Japanese don’t own pets, Cat Cafes (offering drinks, snacks, and cuddle time) are popular. There’s lots more to say about       this experience, so stay tuned.

8:00 pm My evening ended at a Taco Cafe for dinner (yes tacos are eaten here), where I ordered the Burrito Special. Silly me wrongly assumed it would be behemoth sized as I’m accustomed in the States, but it was the size of a 3×5 index card. After dinner, I lingered outside a jazz trio performance and admired the colorful fashion of the audience, including a few cross-dressers!  Admission cost 2,000 yen, and  while I was interested, the US/Yen exchange rate hasn’t been so good lately. I settled on people watching outside instead.

10:30 At home, I usually read before turning in and there’s always singing, chanting, or sanshin playing (banjo) coming from the houses below me. I’ll miss the free evening entertainment.

What’s a “Day in the Life” like for you? I love to read about how people live around the world. Tell me in the comments!

Aliens In My Kitchen

My husband is away for a few weeks.

Every time he’s gone, I resort to the worst habits– especially when it comes to meals. I fall into bizarre eating patterns like lasagne for breakfast and chocolate chips for dinner. You too?

The last time he left I ate nothing but cupcakes for 4 days and watched The Last Days of Hitler Marathon on TV.

Anyway, tonight I wanted to use up some Japanese eggplant I bought from a local market. Baba Ghanoush!

I decided to roast whole eggplants in the oven, but I didn’t pierce the surface with a fork. I just put them in the oven at a high temperature and got down to work on my computer.

When I write, I tend to get really absorbed and lose all track of time.

From my office, I kept hearing a car back-firing again and again. And then a booming sound like someone was shooting a basketball against my front door.

What is that sound?

I wandered out to investigate.

That’s when I realized I forgot all about my eggplants in the oven.

I opened the oven door and there they were exploded open like some scary octopus creature from an alien movie.

Not a pretty sight.

Chocolate chips for dinner tonight!

Have you had any kitchen disasters lately?

P.S. I thought of adorning this post with a picture of an alien creature resembling my eggplant that I found online, but it was pretty awful. I’m sure you get the idea, right?