I'M ENGAGED.
THAT'S ALL.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Detoxing!
We've had a few international visitors lately- J from Melbourne and my Mum from Perth. Both have been great to have around. Both have warranted lots of eating out, drinking and excessive consumption of sugar (12kg bag of Easter eggs Mum?). The next few months are kind of crazy for me with trips to Tokyo, Bangkok and St Tropez all planned and last week I started to feel rundown and overwhelmed. I don't think I've ever been as sick as I have since we moved to Japan- constant colds, hayfever and tummy problems. I put it down to weird hours, contact with snotty children and the Japanese diet.
Most people assume that Japanese=healthy and sometimes it's true- people do eat fish and soy products nearly every day, but there is also another side to modern Japanese cuisine, one where sugar is hidden in everything from bread to sushi. One where the cheapest and most convenient foods (like everywhere) are laden with carbs, sugar and fat. Truthfully it's hard and expensive to eat healthily here. I crave salads. I crave sandwiches where the main ingredient isn't mayo. I crave chicken that isn't deep fried or covered in sweet teriyaki sauce. I crave cheap Thai and Vietnamese takeaway.
So, last week I decided that Glen and I would do a 7 detox, something we had tried and had good results from a couple of years ago. I chose the Quick Cleanse 15 day kit and split in two. It's a pretty easy program to follow- you take about 4-5 tablets a day and eat mainly fresh fruits and vegetables. No caffeine, no sugar, no salt, no white flour, no alcohol.
The first day was pretty easy, I was tired without a coffee in the morning to kick-start what is my longest work day (13 hours) but I felt okay. Day two I was exhausted. I wanted to fall asleep at 4pm at work, my stomach was making all kinds of weird noises and I felt blah. Day three was almost the same: foggy headed, tired, upset stomach, runny nose, itchy throat. Today is Day Four and I finally feel normal: no longer hungry, tummy's okay, headache gone etc. I hope it gets better from here!
Sticking to the diet hasn't been so hard, I've been making a lot of soups, salads and since seafood is allowed in this diet we've been eating fish or prawns about once a day. Overall I think this is a good opportunity to 're-set' my body.
Most people assume that Japanese=healthy and sometimes it's true- people do eat fish and soy products nearly every day, but there is also another side to modern Japanese cuisine, one where sugar is hidden in everything from bread to sushi. One where the cheapest and most convenient foods (like everywhere) are laden with carbs, sugar and fat. Truthfully it's hard and expensive to eat healthily here. I crave salads. I crave sandwiches where the main ingredient isn't mayo. I crave chicken that isn't deep fried or covered in sweet teriyaki sauce. I crave cheap Thai and Vietnamese takeaway.
So, last week I decided that Glen and I would do a 7 detox, something we had tried and had good results from a couple of years ago. I chose the Quick Cleanse 15 day kit and split in two. It's a pretty easy program to follow- you take about 4-5 tablets a day and eat mainly fresh fruits and vegetables. No caffeine, no sugar, no salt, no white flour, no alcohol.
The first day was pretty easy, I was tired without a coffee in the morning to kick-start what is my longest work day (13 hours) but I felt okay. Day two I was exhausted. I wanted to fall asleep at 4pm at work, my stomach was making all kinds of weird noises and I felt blah. Day three was almost the same: foggy headed, tired, upset stomach, runny nose, itchy throat. Today is Day Four and I finally feel normal: no longer hungry, tummy's okay, headache gone etc. I hope it gets better from here!
Sticking to the diet hasn't been so hard, I've been making a lot of soups, salads and since seafood is allowed in this diet we've been eating fish or prawns about once a day. Overall I think this is a good opportunity to 're-set' my body.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Cosplay Festival
A few days ago there was a Cosplay Festival in Osaka's electronic district Den Den Town. We met up with a bunch of friends, submitted to all you can eat pizza and all you can drink beer for an hour and then wandered the streets in our own stupid costumes.
There were some amazing outfits.... It was a long and messy day...
Thursday, February 16, 2012
V Day Getaway
No doubt the last few weeks have been stressful, exhausting and frankly boring. So it was a huge relief to get away for a few days. We had originally wanted to stay at a guest house or in an onsen (hot spring) town- since it's so freezing at the moment that I liked the idea of dipping in and out of boiling hot baths. But onsens in Japan are segregated experiences, and what would be the fun of doing that on Valentine's Day? Also a lot of the hotels we looked at were ridiculously expensive ($750 per night) and didn't seem worth it- outdated furniture, cramped rooms etc.
FINALLY, after a lot of searching I came across Blue Mermaid Resort in Kushimoto. Kushimoto is about 3 hours from Osaka, on the southern most tip of Honshu island. I had never heard anything about Kushimoto before but was sold on the idea purely because it was by the ocean. After living in the middle of a very crowded city, in a tiny apartment, what I was most craving was SPACE.
When we woke up on Valentine's Day Glen was sick with a cold. It was pouring with rain and I immediately started panicking that this was going to be a disaster. The hotel staff spoke no English, we had no idea where we were going and the pictures were only so-so.
Thankfully it was amazing.
The rooms at Blue Mermaid were bigger than our apartment, with floor to ceiling windows that look straight out on to the ocean.
They were a mix of traditional and modern- with concrete walls and tatami mat floors. There were two levels- a kind of living area with a long couch, coffee table and bathroom. And a bedroom with traditional Japanese futons and a huge plasma TV.
Everything in the place was designed to make the most of the views. It felt sooooo good to be surrounded by the ocean. The rain just made it better- we were snuggled up all warm inside transfixed by the waves crashing against the rocks.
Or sitting in the balcony hot tub.
This is the traditional cedar bathroom with shower and wooden soaking tub.
I bought along some food and we had a picnic in our room on the first night. However, we were loving it so much that we decided to stay another night. Blue Mermaid is so isolated that there are no restaurants or shops closer than 30 minutes drive, so we just lived off the hotel breakfast and a cheese platter for two days! Thankfully we had plenty of wine and Moet as well.
Smoked cheese, camembert, blue castello, goats curd, marinated olives.
Smoked duck, goose pate, salami.
Watching TV in hotel issued pyjamas. Japanese TV is all about cooking and variety shows. Often combined. I watched 45 minutes of a comedians taste testing tuna.
The BEST part of the whole thing- the outdoor, cliffside hot tub. This was BOILING but so satisfying. We spent a lot of time in here.
The bathroom amenities included pyjamas, robes, shampoo, eye cream, nail file, razor, toothbrushes AND SCRUNCHIES. Black and white polka dotted scrunchies.
Each morning we had breakfast in a private room on the other side of the resort. The staff were so lovely and helpful- they printed off pages of English translations to communicate with us.
Japanese breakfast of carpaccio salad, smoked fish, omelette, rice, miso soup, pickles and vegetables.
We took an early morning train back to Osaka yesterday, in time for work in the afternoon. I came back feeling refreshed, excited and so happy.
FINALLY, after a lot of searching I came across Blue Mermaid Resort in Kushimoto. Kushimoto is about 3 hours from Osaka, on the southern most tip of Honshu island. I had never heard anything about Kushimoto before but was sold on the idea purely because it was by the ocean. After living in the middle of a very crowded city, in a tiny apartment, what I was most craving was SPACE.
When we woke up on Valentine's Day Glen was sick with a cold. It was pouring with rain and I immediately started panicking that this was going to be a disaster. The hotel staff spoke no English, we had no idea where we were going and the pictures were only so-so.
Thankfully it was amazing.
The rooms at Blue Mermaid were bigger than our apartment, with floor to ceiling windows that look straight out on to the ocean.
They were a mix of traditional and modern- with concrete walls and tatami mat floors. There were two levels- a kind of living area with a long couch, coffee table and bathroom. And a bedroom with traditional Japanese futons and a huge plasma TV.
Everything in the place was designed to make the most of the views. It felt sooooo good to be surrounded by the ocean. The rain just made it better- we were snuggled up all warm inside transfixed by the waves crashing against the rocks.
Or sitting in the balcony hot tub.
This is the traditional cedar bathroom with shower and wooden soaking tub.
I bought along some food and we had a picnic in our room on the first night. However, we were loving it so much that we decided to stay another night. Blue Mermaid is so isolated that there are no restaurants or shops closer than 30 minutes drive, so we just lived off the hotel breakfast and a cheese platter for two days! Thankfully we had plenty of wine and Moet as well.
Smoked cheese, camembert, blue castello, goats curd, marinated olives.
Smoked duck, goose pate, salami.
Watching TV in hotel issued pyjamas. Japanese TV is all about cooking and variety shows. Often combined. I watched 45 minutes of a comedians taste testing tuna.
The BEST part of the whole thing- the outdoor, cliffside hot tub. This was BOILING but so satisfying. We spent a lot of time in here.
The bathroom amenities included pyjamas, robes, shampoo, eye cream, nail file, razor, toothbrushes AND SCRUNCHIES. Black and white polka dotted scrunchies.
Each morning we had breakfast in a private room on the other side of the resort. The staff were so lovely and helpful- they printed off pages of English translations to communicate with us.
Japanese breakfast of carpaccio salad, smoked fish, omelette, rice, miso soup, pickles and vegetables.We took an early morning train back to Osaka yesterday, in time for work in the afternoon. I came back feeling refreshed, excited and so happy.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
100 yen sushi
Last night's fresh tagliatelle with prawns, asparagus, white wine, garlic.This week has been okay... freezing cold though. It actually snowed on Thursday, just a little flutter for about an hour or so and it didn't settle on the ground. I was at work, on the 24th floor of a skyscraper and from up there it looked as if it was snowing upwards- all the flakes blown up by the air conditioning vents in the city.
Today is Monday, which is actually my Friday since I have the next two days off work. It's also the night that we eat at the 100 yen sushi train around the corner. I LOVE this place, they have the usual train situation AND a touch screen menu so you can order freshly made sushi which is delivered on a bullet train to your table. At the end of the meal you put all your dishes in a slot and it weighs them to add up your bill. THEN the touch screen plays a quick video game and if you win a prize drops from another slot above the table.
I'm explaining this so badly! But it's awesome and so cheap- only about $100 for two pieces of any kind of sushi.
This looks so gross! It's home made chicken schnitzel with creamy mushroom sauce and steamed veg.
This is breakfast that Glen made me last week. First time in 3.5 years that he cooked. He even sprinkled the eggs with fetta to make it more gourmet. I love fetta so I didn't care.
And finally a salad of tomatoes, basil, olives, fresh mozzarella and balsamic. There;'s some of this left so I might mix it with some pasta for lunch.I bought a slow cooker on Amazon and it arrived on Friday and it's HUGE. Way too big for the two of us but oh well, I'll just have to make lots of stuff for the freezer. I got a slow cooker because I want to make roast chicken, ribs, shanks etc. All the stuff I have been missing from not having an oven for nearly a year. Only problem is it's hard to buy big hunks of meat in Japan, I have to order it from a specialty butcher and have it couriered frozen. I can't even find a whole chicken!
Time is going so fast at the moment... the big Thesis Due Date is nearly here, I'm still not finished and I'm filled with panic. I cry nearly every day, mostly just to release tension. God I can't wait to get on with real life.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
iPhone food diary
To pass the time, and procrastinate, here are some pictures taken on my iPhone of things I've eaten lately.
It's been a tough day today, went out this morning to get groceries and it was FREEZING. I am now wearing leggings, jeans, uggs, thermals, jumper, coat, mickey mouse hat and gloves just to leave the house.
After the trauma that is supermarket shopping in Japan (soundtrack of cartoon singing, fear of buying cat food again) I came home and made a big plate of Pad See Ew. But no pictures of that. I then spent the rest of the day studying madly... only 25,000 ish words to go on the thesis. I don't know how I'm going to do it! I fear I've run out of material.
Anyway... food!
This is lasagna cooking in the microwave, because I haven't had an oven for nearly a year now. Microwaving lasagnas make me sad, but it's necessary.
How gross does it look? It wasn't though... this is with some pieces cut out and all the juices have oozed into the pan. It was a half bolognese, half veggie (zucchini, spinach, eggplant) lasagne with lots of bechamel. I make really good bechamel. How I miss the crusty brown glow of oven cooked food!
BAnana pancake from Australia day. Half eaten and smothered in syrup.
Reg lentil and split pea dahl and chicken tikka masala.
I had to seriiously think hard about what this was! It's hainan chicken rice, covered in spring onions, coriander and sesame oil. YUM. I want this now.
Chicken and corn soup ie. restorative cold medicine.
Spinach, orange, fetta and cashew salad.
A lot of people I know here eat out every day, but I can't help cooking. In the end it's cheaper and healthier, plus I like knowing what's in my food- that there isn't a heap of preservatives or crap. Plus cooking is relaxing... it makes me feel creative and productive.
I'm off to do one final burst of thesis attacking and then hitting bed with Gossip Girl.
It's been a tough day today, went out this morning to get groceries and it was FREEZING. I am now wearing leggings, jeans, uggs, thermals, jumper, coat, mickey mouse hat and gloves just to leave the house.
After the trauma that is supermarket shopping in Japan (soundtrack of cartoon singing, fear of buying cat food again) I came home and made a big plate of Pad See Ew. But no pictures of that. I then spent the rest of the day studying madly... only 25,000 ish words to go on the thesis. I don't know how I'm going to do it! I fear I've run out of material.
Anyway... food!
This is lasagna cooking in the microwave, because I haven't had an oven for nearly a year now. Microwaving lasagnas make me sad, but it's necessary.
How gross does it look? It wasn't though... this is with some pieces cut out and all the juices have oozed into the pan. It was a half bolognese, half veggie (zucchini, spinach, eggplant) lasagne with lots of bechamel. I make really good bechamel. How I miss the crusty brown glow of oven cooked food!BAnana pancake from Australia day. Half eaten and smothered in syrup.Reg lentil and split pea dahl and chicken tikka masala.I had to seriiously think hard about what this was! It's hainan chicken rice, covered in spring onions, coriander and sesame oil. YUM. I want this now.Chicken and corn soup ie. restorative cold medicine.Spinach, orange, fetta and cashew salad.A lot of people I know here eat out every day, but I can't help cooking. In the end it's cheaper and healthier, plus I like knowing what's in my food- that there isn't a heap of preservatives or crap. Plus cooking is relaxing... it makes me feel creative and productive.
I'm off to do one final burst of thesis attacking and then hitting bed with Gossip Girl.
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