November 29, 2008
Yukari on hime girls in the WSJ
Don’t worry, I’ll recap all the wonderful Japanese food soon, but in the meantime, I just stumbled across Yukari narrating a video version of her story on Japanese hime (princess) girls. Kawaiiiiiiiiii!
November 19, 2008
On Tempura and Faith
Ah, great tempura. How I miss you. A few months living in San Francisco has only made my heart (gullet?) grow even fonder. Despite the fact that Americans consume an incredible amount of fried food, it’s almost universally crap, even in shmancy restaurants. Frying is relegated to cooking snack food or, at best, a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
The Japanese, though, have taken a simple Portugese dish and turned it into a refined art. Incredibly light batter, fresh oil and the best possible ingredients create a culinary revelation. And Suzuki-san, executive chef at the Yamanoue Hotel in Tokyo, is one of the art’s finest practioners.
So I was both saddened and excited to hear that Suzuki-san was leaving his post at Yamanoue to open his own restaurant with a colleague. The restaurant, Sushi Tenpura Aki, opened in early November and I hopped on a plane to Tokyo this afternoon so I could try it for myself.
I’m thrilled to try out the new restaurant, but I am also a little nervous. Can the experience at the new restaurant possibly match the meals at Yamanoue? Suzuki-san prepared an incredible meal for my wife and me right before we left Japan, probably one of our top ten meals ever. That’s going to be a hard bar to clear, especially in a new restaurant that probably doesn’t have access to the same kind of resource that a hotel restaurant can tap.
Tune in to patrick.com in the coming days for the answer to this and other pressing questions.
May 30, 2008
15 Picosends of Fame
Go here, click on “Berlin Marathon”, then hit the right arrow under the photo twice.
February 21, 2008
Yukari's CBC Segment
Woot — almost 8 minutes of Yukari holding forth on HD-DVD versus Blu-ray:
February 20, 2008
Yukari: On CBC's "The Current" tomorrow
Attention Yukari fans:
She will be on CBC’s morning news show, The Current, talking about the victory of Blu-ray over HD-DVD.
You can listen here:
February 13, 2008
Luxury-Sized Guests
Today’s piece of euphemistic jargon is “luxury-sized guests”. Use it in a sentence? Sure thing:
The vehicles on Expedition Everest are the biggest ever used on a Disney ride. We had to make them larger to accommodate our luxury-sized guests.
February 12, 2008
Make a reservation, get a rebate
We were discussing strange restaurant practices with friends the other day when Yukari trotted out a story that I hadn’t heard before.
When you made a reservation at a nice place in Japan, many places used to give you a 10 yen refund (about 9 cents) on your check.
The reason? Credit for the telephone call you placed to make the reservation.
Apparently this is still done in some places and Yukari says I’ve been the unknowing beneficiary of it. Better not tell them that I’ve got flat rate phone service…
February 6, 2008
What's one consonant between friends?
I went to this little neighborhood restaurant for dinner last night.
I sat down at the counter, and the owner wished me a happy new year, since he hadn’t seen me yet in 2008.
The conversation then proceeded as follows:
owner: Hey! I heard one of your countrymen is running for President!
me (wondering if I misunderstood his Japanese): Err, ya, I think they are all my countrymen.
owner: No, no, I mean, he’s from Chicago! You know, Osama!
February 1, 2008
Smoke on the Water: Japan Style
A traditional-ish Japanese orchestra plays (and sings!) Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water. Worth listening to just for the noise the audience makes when they recognize the opening:
(thanks, jde!)
January 29, 2008
Yukari's AM Radio Debut
Yukari was interviewed today on The Wall Street Journal’s morning show, a syndicated radio show broadcasted nationwide in the States.
Wondering why we’ll continue to buy flat-panel TVs, even as the economy collapses? Listen to Yukari’s segment for the details!
