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Sunday and Monday we’ll just blur together because vacation time does that. Sunday I did a lot of laundry and eventually got to the grocery store. Or maybe that was Monday? I don’t remember. Lots of inactivity and artsiness was mixed in, though it rained both days so I couldn’t go out to continue my photo quest :( I did, however, discover that our vending machine across the street sells coke zero and limon&nada, which are two delicious beverages that make my day :)
When I was hanging my laundry outside, I knew I should have stopped to talk to my neighbors but I looked like hell and I was scared, so I figure I’ll do it later. Oddly enough, I’ve done no cleaning, no self introductions, and no work, as I thought my vacation would be full of. What have I been doing? Not sure. Small tasks, reading, and exploring. Good things, I’m just not being as productive as I’d have liked to be.
It’s kind of exhausting looking at my new recipes. There’s a ton of really good ones in the book that I’m really looking forward to trying, but since it’s all in Japanese and my Japanese cooking terminology is so-so, it’s very time consuming, especially with the kanji because often times the words aren’t in the dictionary because they’re proper nouns. There were a few things I just copied exactly and decided to ask at the store (go me!).
I also decided not to worry about how much money I spent. Cooking is a hobby for me, I have an adult job now, and I need some love, so I figure it’s okay to buy whatever I like. In the end, my bill was only about $60 and I bought a lot of food, including meat, and a lot of staples like oils and vinegars and such that will keep my pantry stocked for a while to come. I even treated myself to some bananas :) This is only the second time I’ve bought meat to cook from the grocery store (crazy huh?). I’m not vegging-out though, because I get meat at restaurants and buy a lot of tofu and other stuff for when I cook. Tofu is so easy to use!
It was fun planning my new meals though, and I was very excited. I also learned a new vegetable (komatsuna, Japanese mustard spinach?). I asked the guy at the counter to read the kanji, and when he told me it was “komatsuna,” I was like “Oh! Okay!....what’s that?” and he showed me and we talked about how much I needed for the recipe. So, here goes! New foods, yah! Tonight I’ll be cooking a mushroom chicken dish :)
Additionally, my time off has included a few dance parties in my living room. Put on a little Pitbull, Lady Gaga, Timbaland, and even Britney. I miss this stuff a lot. I miss dancing and hot summer dresses and even vodka. I’m not the biggest partier, but I like being young and it makes me sad that I haven’t figured out how to do that here yet. Don’t get me wrong, drunken Labyrinth and karaoke are fun things, but I kind of want to go dancing. I’m trying to figure out if there are any good booty-shaking clubs in Sapporo and if there’s anyone who will go with me. Also I’ve been thinking lately that I want to visit South America – my buddy Tom studying abroad there is making me very jealous with his endless fruit, beaches, and salsa clubs. Next stop? Maybe Argentina?
When I was hanging my laundry outside, I knew I should have stopped to talk to my neighbors but I looked like hell and I was scared, so I figure I’ll do it later. Oddly enough, I’ve done no cleaning, no self introductions, and no work, as I thought my vacation would be full of. What have I been doing? Not sure. Small tasks, reading, and exploring. Good things, I’m just not being as productive as I’d have liked to be.
It’s kind of exhausting looking at my new recipes. There’s a ton of really good ones in the book that I’m really looking forward to trying, but since it’s all in Japanese and my Japanese cooking terminology is so-so, it’s very time consuming, especially with the kanji because often times the words aren’t in the dictionary because they’re proper nouns. There were a few things I just copied exactly and decided to ask at the store (go me!).
I also decided not to worry about how much money I spent. Cooking is a hobby for me, I have an adult job now, and I need some love, so I figure it’s okay to buy whatever I like. In the end, my bill was only about $60 and I bought a lot of food, including meat, and a lot of staples like oils and vinegars and such that will keep my pantry stocked for a while to come. I even treated myself to some bananas :) This is only the second time I’ve bought meat to cook from the grocery store (crazy huh?). I’m not vegging-out though, because I get meat at restaurants and buy a lot of tofu and other stuff for when I cook. Tofu is so easy to use!
It was fun planning my new meals though, and I was very excited. I also learned a new vegetable (komatsuna, Japanese mustard spinach?). I asked the guy at the counter to read the kanji, and when he told me it was “komatsuna,” I was like “Oh! Okay!....what’s that?” and he showed me and we talked about how much I needed for the recipe. So, here goes! New foods, yah! Tonight I’ll be cooking a mushroom chicken dish :)
Additionally, my time off has included a few dance parties in my living room. Put on a little Pitbull, Lady Gaga, Timbaland, and even Britney. I miss this stuff a lot. I miss dancing and hot summer dresses and even vodka. I’m not the biggest partier, but I like being young and it makes me sad that I haven’t figured out how to do that here yet. Don’t get me wrong, drunken Labyrinth and karaoke are fun things, but I kind of want to go dancing. I’m trying to figure out if there are any good booty-shaking clubs in Sapporo and if there’s anyone who will go with me. Also I’ve been thinking lately that I want to visit South America – my buddy Tom studying abroad there is making me very jealous with his endless fruit, beaches, and salsa clubs. Next stop? Maybe Argentina?
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