Food | Instant Noodles

Hooray for the instant noodle! Why? Around 57 years of age does not a nice round birthday make... So what?! Hooray because. Thank you Momofuku Ando. Where would a student and a “student” be without you?!  What I didn’t know, or rather didn’t as yet practice beyond fiery spice addition to the blander flavor packs, is the art of dressing up instant noodles. Yes, the concept of adding extras such as vegetables, eggs, meat, seafood, even milk or thicker sauces, is a revelation to me. Omelet mode, anyone? See for yourself if you are new to it, too – oh you, future master of Maruchan gourmet (see hack 36).  My mind boggles. Easily done. I am simple about it. Just the block of instant noodles boiled with included seasoning; I reserve the resulting broth for the cooked noodles to float in as I slurp them and to be drank. That’s the way I heart them. And the simplicity is the why I heart them so. What’s your way?

BOTH: INSTANT NOODLES FOR DUMMIES by ADJI HERDANTO via BEHANCE

Music | “In the Moment” vs. “BABYMETAL”

IN THE MOMENT via HTS!  BABYMETAL via BABYMETAL WALL @ JPOPASIA

I got it out of synch. Then again, time is not really linear.  In the Moment, a Los Angeles based band, released a new album in November 2014 that is wonderfully titled “Black Widow”. What is there not to like about a Black Widow? Venomous female spider with predilection for sexual cannibalism; a Russian spy / superhero in the Marvel universe; basically, a seductive guaranteed-to-be-deadly lady. But I digress… It started when the single “Sick Like Me” was released, and if heavy metal is your thing and you like it fronted by smooth, alluring yet roaring, say… black-widow style vixen backed by a requisite and finely executed grind of her cronies, you will be a very happy prey. Then I found “Vixen”, or to be correct “Megitsune” - a song by a Japanese group BABYMETAL, and a blend of heavy metal and J-pop. And my head split between “OK… sure… I get it… why not, it’s catchy” and confusion of “is this where things are heading?!” This is where I got out of synch.  Things already got there back in 2010 when the group was formed (“Megitsune” was released in June 2013). Black widows they are not, not like In the Moment front woman, but this is another female fronted metal outfit (still confused on that… but let’s not be purists), so I am good with that on a fight-the-power sort of level (bear with me, I am still trying to convince myself of something here). Their pop and youth may be Lollita-esque when backed by the “heavy metal falling from the sky”, AND if you look at it with a certain slant. Baby Black Widows? We will see. Supposedly none of them knew what metal was before they were backed by it.  What is certain, is that a mix of black and red is “metal”, and damn any anarchistic association! I mean, pop is not quite that. Not nowadays anyhow. Yet, both In the Moment and BABYMETAL have it. Where to go with this packaging?  Go with it as just packaging. The sound is the real metric here. So – where on the scale do you land: “OK… sure… I get it… why not, it’s catchy” via “is this where things are heading?!” to “real Black Widows, please!”?

Travel & Music | Tokyo, just let them dance!

“I think that dancing is something that’s been part of human life and religion since prehistoric times.” Then they gave them The Fueiho. I cannot help thinking how all this fares against the backdrop of the so called “pink curtain” and hostess clubs and …

Food | Chopstick Know-How and Style, or Chopstick Etiquette with a Wink

SOURCE: KEN CORPORATION LTD. BLOG

At Home | 350-year-old farmhouse in rural Japan

Location: Otowa, rural village near Kyoto

Build: in 1600s

Renovated: more than once but not that much…

Feature to know about: tategu (“standing things”, the Japanese sliding doors that are also interior walls) change with the seasons

FROM AT HOME IN JAPAN

A FOREIGN WOMAN’S JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

BY REBECCA OTOWA

Random | Before the weekend starts – chill

SOURCE: PALIDES via BAR2FER

Learning to be silent | The pupils of the Tendai school used to study meditation before Zen entered Japan. Four of them who were intimate friends promised one another to observe seven days of silence. On the first day all were silent. Their meditation had begun auspiciously, but when night came and the oil lamps were growing dim one of the pupils could not help exclaiming to a servant: "Fix those lamps." The second pupil was surprised to hear the first one talk. "We are not supposed to say a word," he remarked. "You two are stupid. Why did you talk?" asked the third. "I am the only one who has not talked," concluded the fourth pupil.

ZEN KOAN FROM ASHIDAKIM

Art | Let there be light! Lots of light making shapes.

“Makoto Tojiki is an artist and designer who uses light as his primary medium of expression.

Tojiki, a 1998 industrial design engineering graduate of Kinki University, devoted his personal time to experimenting with light while employed as an industrial designer. 

In 2003, he launched his career as a full-time artist. 

Early on, Tojiki produced small works intended for production, but found this limiting and branched out into artistic images of objects constructed from light, as well as jewelry that involves light reflection, such as diamonds.” 

– from http://www.makototojiki.com

At Home | Yoshitomo Nara’s hang out for his Girls, Girls, Girls!

Countryside north of Tokyo, petulant children are painted to music within reach.

SOURCE: W MAGAZINE

Random | Insomnia a dream ?!

"A Japanese legend says that if you can’t sleep at night it’s because you’re awake in someone else’s dream." 

- Anonymous

At Home & Movies | Sakuran

stills from Sakuran (2006)

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

Fashion | Yohji Yamamoto red dress

Art Institute of Chicago has an 11-piece, plus one installation, exhibition till April 7, 2013 called Material Translations: Japanese Fashion from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I zeroed in on this one. It is red. Designed by Yohji Yamamoto | Dress circa 1991 | Wool

Fashion | Atsuko Kudo’s dressing for pleasure at SHOWstudio

Surreal. Curious. Fascinating. Ha?! Funny. Something else. For sure.

“Latex doyenne Atsuko Kudo provides a lesson in dressing for pleasure. Slowly enveloping a nude model in layers of rubbery fabric live on camera, Kudo offers a unique, and subversively fetishistic, exploration of the dialogue between clothing and empowerment.”

– from SHOWstudio’s “Selling Sex” exhibition

Indulge in more at May 18 2012 | Selling Sex:Atsuko Kudo
Or see Atsuko Kudo’s debut runway show, NYC 2010

Food | Yakibuta Ramen by Cooking with Dog

There is 3-minute ramen, staple of many a student, and there is real ramen. My fav “chef”, Francis from Cooking with Dog, narrates the recipe dutifully demonstrated by his “assistant” (note to self: find out “assistant’s” name) this time for real Japanese ramen dish that originated in China. Yummy!

 

Last Week of Summer № 1 ● Music | Cibo Matto Sugar Water

According to the calendar, September 22^nd is the first day of autumn north of the equator,

but to all intents and purposes, last week of August is the last week of summer.

If the academic year hasn’t started for you already, by September 1^st there will be no mistaking that summer play is over –

it’s school time. New classes. New teachers. New students. It’s just different.

If you work at a place where it’s all about the Quarters and Fiscal Years, September 1^st marks another change.

If you live north of the ~45-degree latitude, the weather would typically start to change in an unmistakable way.

It might start slowly. Or not.

So here is № 1 for the last week of summer.  A week of something-somethings to ease into the season change.

 œ

In Italian, it is crazy food, but the ingredients were two New York City-based Japanese expatriates – Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori (the latter was the first voice of Gorillaz’ Noodle). No longer together, but Yuka was nicely Zen at the time of disbanding –

“Cibo Matto broke up, because it was time. We felt the need to move to the next step. It was a healthy decision, though it was sad at the same time. Things just need to grow out of things sometimes.”

Have a mellow mid-90s start to the week J

Food | Sushi “Inflight Passenger Announcement”, or Sushi Etiquette with a Wink

“Maa maa maa maa”      “Oh toh toh toh”

“Maa maa maa maa”      “Oh toh toh toh”

Booze | Anthony Bourdain No Reservations Tokyo Japan – Supreme cocktail

Random | DailyZen.com Quote

From DailyZen.com

Anime | Afro Samurai, you is CRAZY!

“That [is] off the chain!” Sure enough, Ninja Ninja. How can one go wrong with an anime that is smothered in the perpetual cool that is Samuel L. Jackson? And RZA (if you are not Wu-Tang inclined, but also have not chilled out watching “Ghost Dog”, mother f#^ker, SIT DOWN!). “Afro Samurai” is top notch manga back from 1999 – in a magazine format, 2007 – as a TV series, and 2009 – as a film. Few TV episodes won’t kill you; they are easy to come by; they might thrill you. Like “Ghost Dog”, “Afro Samurai” is a great fusion of cultures, with a wacky kick. And Ninja Ninja, Afro’s antithesis, will show you what speaking out, in style with no seeming filter, is all about. Stoic is so yesterday! Word.

Music | The Tea Party over Blood+

The Tea Party is not the Tea Party movement. It is a Canadian rock band formed in 1990 in Toronto. “The Bazaar” video from “The Edges of Twilight” album was my introduction to this band's “Moroccan roll”. Filmed at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, the song was all classic rock with that something undulating through it. And it drove. I nodded my head in mesmerized approval. I bought the album. And “Splendor Soils”, and “Transmission”, and “Triptych”, and “The Interzone Mantras”, and “Seven Circles”. The last one, I have to admit, was just to satisfy the collector in me, alas one that skipped backtracking to their debut “The Tea Party”. At “Triptych” and “The Interzone Mantras” I was moving on, slightly bored, and I truly purchased “Seven Circles” only as my last stab at mild fandom and support. The latter album also happens to be their last studio album to date. One song stood out though, for me. “Luxuria”. So it was quite a glee inducing moment when I found a fan out there who decided to meld it together with….. ANIME! Blood+ it is! Guess what I will be watching next J