Random | Zen Kitties

It’s all about perspective, Dahlings.

Zen Kitties by Carmen Haessler on Flickr

Cartoon & Food | Shichimi and Motsu

How has your week been? How about some irreverent nutty weirdness to get the weekend on the way?  And how about some nourishment ideas, too?
	“Shichimi Togarashi "Seven Spice" – This traditional seasoning from Japan means “seven flavor chili” and varies by the region. We handcraft our version by mixing together toasted and black sesame seeds, orange peel, white poppy seeds, Hungarian paprika, Chinese chiles, Szechwan peppercorns, ginger and toasted seaweed. The flavor is intense and does a fast paced dance on the tongue filling your mouth with a new sensation.”  – from Savory Spice Shop	“Motsu-nabe is a type of (hot) pot dish, which is made from beef or pork offal. A hot pot (nabe) is filled with soup, prepared beef or pork offal and boiled for a while; cabbage and garlic chives are added. The base soup is usually soy sauce with garlic and chili pepper, or miso. After eating offal and vegetables, champon noodles are often put into the pot and boiled to complete the dish.”  – from Shin-Sen-Gumi

*H* Kitty

The mirth of it! Teehee.

Naked Hello Kitty! Hello Titty!

*H* —Ecchi in Japanese means “lewd”, “sexy”, “lascivious”, etc.

Thanks <3yen and EVIL PONGI

Cats in kimonos

A birthday card from my parents. Perfect!

Photograph by Satoru Tsuda

© Group B / Satoru Tsuda and Group B Company Ltd.

Nyan Cat, or WTF?! - Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!

Original, seriously sped up, super slow, relaxed, metal and smooth jazz versions, followed by a full on attack and a hell kitty, ... ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

This is insane!

To quote two YouTube comments regarding the original,

"I want this song on my iPod and a full sheet of lyrics"

and

"Mniam Mniam Mniam Mniam Mniam Mniam."

Cat Hot Pot – Neko Nabe

ねこ鍋：みちのく猫ものがたり  ( “Neko Nabe: A Tale of Cats in the Northern Provinces”) By 奥森すがり (Okumori Sugari) 2007 (Japan) here

“No, we’re not suggesting you poach your kitty! A clay donabe maybe the perfect vessel for preparing hot pots, but Japanese felines have their own idea: cleverly repurposing this cookware to create the cat equivalent of a four-poster bed. As pet owners across Japan can attest, something about the bowl shape of a donabe makes it irresistible to sleepy kitties. So instead of chucking a cracked or chipped pot, they leave them out for the ole Tiggers in their lives (the pots for cooking stored safely out of feline reach, of course).” Tadashi Ono & Harris Salat “Japanese Hot Pots”

Posted on JapanProbe.com by probeeden Man: What is this?! Woman: It’s neko nabe (cat pot)! Man: Oooh. Neko Nabe! Narrator: Once very popular,  we’ve prepared a lot of Neko Nabes.  We are attempting a mass neko nabe!  I wonder, if they’ll go into them… Woman: Ready? Start!

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Inside Hello Kitty a.k.a. Kitty strikes again, at least here

Image ©Jason Freeny

The design world is awash with creativity. That’s a good thing. I love it! The things people come up with! And the quality is all out there. Even the quirkiest of designs are slick as slick. Take Jason Freeny’s work, especially the anatomy series. There is the inside of a Gummi Bär or Balloon Dog or many other unlikely subjects (who knew they are full of bones and viscera, but I digress). Thanks to the digital age and Jason’s generosity, cuz - damn - many would want a pay for this good stuff, you can enjoy his designs as wallpapers for your desktop, iPhone, iPad and even have some icons for your Mac for free. So why title this blog “Inside Hello Kitty…”? There is Kitty inside to enjoy, too. Ever so close a proof that Kitty is a living being, not just a mouth-less cartoon *wink wink*

Hello Kitty everywhere!

When it comes to brands expanding into stratosphere, Hello Kitty is definitely up there. Born in 1974 through Yuko Shimizu for Sanrio, Hello Kitty exploded into a global trademark that graces pretty much anything you can think of. The cute stuff you can use at school, eat on or wear is a given, as far as cartoon characters are concerned, but toasters, television, computers, high end bling bling?! A Hello Kitty Airbus?!?! That is truly another level. So although I should not be surprised, my jaw dropped when I found out one can procure Hello Kitty tarot cards. Yep, they are out there. Now, tarot cards are not all fun and games. There are some grim, heavy themes there. Death card anyone? How about the Devil? Or the Hanged Man? Or ten swords stuck in your back? You see what I mean. How can the cuteness that Hello Kitty is manage that?! Well, to quote “A spokesperson for Sanrio says that Hello Kitty is not normally given a mouth because "without the mouth, it is easier for the person looking at Hello Kitty to project their feelings onto the character" and that "the person can be happy or sad together with Hello Kitty."…” I see. I think it is clear now… Kinda.

Here Kitty Kitty

Photo © MAK

Maneki Neko – you’ve seen them in many a restaurant. Welcoming Cat, Lucky Cat, Money Cat, or Fortune Cat, whichever it ain’t Chinese cat.  Supposedly from the later part of the Edo period in Japan, the earliest documented evidence of Maneki Neko comes from the 1870s.  These Japanese bob tails beckon with a paw or maybe even two.  Left to attract and right to protect. Then there are the colors: white for purity, positive things to come, gold for intense wealth and prosperity, black for good health and to ward off evil and a stalker, red - a protective color to keep away evil spirits and illness and for love, marriage and personal matters, pink for love, relationships and romance, and green sometimes for health or education or studies.  The calico is the luckiest cat of all, but supposedly a white Maneki Neko is a calico coming to life from under lazy hands that did not want to give it its tricolor spots, so take your pick if the whitey is the luckiest of all. Might be. Either way, they are SO cute! If I could just get my hands on a jade or real gold one! For that I need my ceramic gold kitty to work overtime. Here Kitty Kitty! Beckon!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maneki_Neko

http://www.namaii.com/manekineko/maneki-neko-types.html

http://www.goodorient.com/pages.php?pageid=58