Tag Archives: レシピ

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’09/17)

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Today’s bento had a little “history” behind it.
To tell the truth, the Missus had gone to bed in a real bad temper the night before (why? Don’t ask me,…). So, Missus or not, I still need my bento (mind you, I could always buy it, but that would make things even worse!). So I cooked the rice myself. That seemed to appease the Missus (after all, if a man starts cooking, a Japanese wife feels pretty useless,…), and when I realized I hadn’t put enough water and came up with rice a bit too hard, she took over.
-“Don’t worry, I’ll fix it. I’ll make Oomuraisu/Omellette Rice!”
I’m not one to argue in such moments!

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As for the garnish, she put some salad I had made the night before consisting of cut avocado, mango and pieces of broad beans (boiled) with a mixture of mayonnaise, Thai spicy sweet sauce, basil, parsley and Italian parsley on small leaves of chickory/endive. She added home-made chicken ham (chicken breast first boiled, then marinated overnight) with English chutney pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and walnuts.

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She fried the rice with some bits of chicken ham, veg, ketchup and spice before envelopping it into a thin omelette!
With yogurt for dessert, it made for a big hearty meal!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’09/16)

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Today Wednesday is not a usual “Bento Day”, but sudden commitments making it impossible to come home for lunch, I asked the Missus to prepare a bento. She did not seem to mind and actually appeared content to enjoy a day (morning) in tranquility!

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Becsue the rice was plain steamed rice, she fried plenty of thin soft pork slices in sauce and added some boiled and cut salad green pea pods.

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As for the garnish, on top of a bed of shredded vegetables (you cannot really see them), she placed cornichons, large plum tomatoes, boiled broccoli, tamagoyaki and Na no Hana/Rape flowers and boiled shirasu salad sprinkled with black sesame seeds.
“Shirasu” is a local Shizuoka fish, a kind of sardine consumed vey young.

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Today’ tamagoyaki/Japanese Omelette contained shredded cheese and parsley!

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In place of dessert (I still have Yakushima oranges at the office!) she included some “mozuku-su/もずく酢”, seaweed preserved in sweet vinegar for a healthy additive!

A healthy, fullfilling bento!

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Today’s Lunch Box/bento (’09/15)

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After that long trip in Yakushima ( 2 more postings to come!), the Missus concocted a “simple” traditional bento keeping the calories in mind!

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Therefore the three nigiri/rice balls were of medium size, one with umeboshi/Japanese pickled plum and a little black sesame, and two with fried salted salmon. She added a few cornichons.

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As for the “garnish”, she included boiled brocoli, fresh pimento, a plum tomato, and her excellent Tamagoyaki/Japanese Omelette. She had added sweet pork miso to the eggs, thus creating a new and interesting taste.

No need for dessert!

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Quick Snack: Cream Cheese Tomato Rolls for the Beer!

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There are times, be it in Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn, when you just don’t have the will to venture into another cooking expedition, but still want to offer and eat quick, simple and yummy food!

Here is suggestion that you can store inside the fridge just in case hungry friends barge in with some beer (or mineral water! LOL). It can be easily adapted for vegetarians!:

I don’t have to bother with quantities really.
Just know that you need an equal amount (in volume) of Philadelphia (for example) cream cheese and fresh cream lightly beaten to a semi-hard consistency.
In a bowl mix the cheese and cream well. Add a little salt, pepper, nutmeg and whatever spice you fancy. Add some finely chopped herbs!
As for the tomatoes, choose them as large as possible, but not too ripe to avoid them breaking away. Peel them first, by making a light cut near the stem and plunging them in hot water (or holding them over a flame). When the skin starts opening, take them out and plunge them in cold water. They should peel off very easily.
Cut them in half, empty them, “spread” (you might have to help with a few small cuts) them on a kitchen paper to sponge water off.

Note: do not salt the tomatoes, or they’ll give out gallons of water!

On a large enough piece of cellophane paper spread the tomato flesh, fill with an adequate amount of cream cheese mix, and make a roll closing the cellophane paper around. Twist the ends shut.
Leave in refrigearator until served.

Simple presentation suggestion (look at pic!):
A three-piece presentation is easiest with cut sweet pimento and boiled broccoly stems (a good way to use them!).
Cut the tomato rolls half-way at a slant for better effect.
Add lightly boiled turnips, pieces of raw ham, and plenty of greens.
Serve with a pot of vinaigrette or dip sauce.

Simple and appetizing!
Good for hungry kids, too!

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Herb-Roasted Quail & Ratatouille

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I did publish the pic of this dish I made for the Missus (Yes, Rowena, I do sometimes cook! LOL) some time ago, but never had the time to publish the recipe.
It is pretty simple and straightforward and has the advantage to look appetizing and satisfying! Even kids will love it!
Of course you can replace the quail with any fowl (have you ever tried guinea fowl?)
Natasha will certainly agree with me, if the ingredients are good, you cannot fail!

For 2 persons:

-2 large quails
-Filling:
Finely chopped onion: 2 large tablespoons
Finely chopped shallot or red onion: 1 large tablespoon
Finely chopped garlic: 2 cloves
Finely chopped herbs (of your choice/I usually include fresh Italian
parsley, rosemary, sweet basil and celery): 2 large tablespoons)
Whole pink pepper: 1 teaspoon
Breadcrumbs: 2 large tablespoons
salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste. You can add your favourite spices, of course!
Olive oil: 2 tablespoons

Fresh sprigs of thyme and rosemary: half a dozen each

Lightly seasonthe whole quail with a little salt and pepper.
Mix all the ingredients of the filling into a bowl and fill the quails with it.
Place the quails on an oiled oven plate. Place the thyme and rosemary sprigs on the quails. Pour a little olive over both quails and tp each with a dollop of butter.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/about 400F.
Cook the quail until you are satisfied (taste vastly differ with people).

Ratatouille
This can done the day before. Re-heated ratatouille is even better.
I will not bother with weights and measures as there are thousands of ways.
Just know that I use an equal quantity of egg-plants/aubergines, onion, and courgettes/zucchini.
First cut them to the same (important) wanted size (the smaller, the quicker the cooking). Heat olive oil in a large pan. Pour the lot into the pan and cook until onions have become translucent. Turn down the fir to low. Add chopped garlic, one lemon juice, a glass of white wine, plenty of roughly cut tomatoes. Season with Chopped fresh herbs (the more, the better!), salt (easy on that! You can rectify later!), pepper, nutmeg and others.
Cover and let cook until you are satisfied with taste and texture.

Service and presentation:

Take out quails.
Take out the filling and place on a side plate.
Open the quail and “flatten” them.
Serve the quails on a large plate. Top it with the filling and surround it with plenty of ratatouille.

Bon appetit!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’09/14)

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Today’s bento could have been called “leftovers bento”!
And for once I did participate to its making, unwittingly I must admit!

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First the rice part consisted of rice steamed with curry powder, spices and a little olive oil. The Missus mixed it with some of the fine ratatouille salad I had made for last night dinner! Quite tasty, I must admit! LOL

As for the garnish, she provided me with a boiled egg, plum tomato, cornichons, trevise, lettuce, and water cress.

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The meat part was a bit of an innovation. The Missus thawed pieces of frozen tuna, seasoned them a little first, then fried them on one side, turned them over and while they cooked she placed cheese on one and spiced veg tomato sauce on another one. Once cooked they formed an interesting “sandwich”!
No dessert this time. I expect a big dinner back home tonight! LOL

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’09/13)

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Three bento in a row! Some people are going to get fed up with reading these articles! LOL
The reason was that we saw heavy rainfor the third day, and I did not feel like having to come back home and travel back to work four times in one of those rancid-smelling buses!
Just to tell you how inclement the weather is, I actually ran out of umbrellas at home and had found myself carrying no less than three of them back home fromthe office last night!

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So I put the poor Missus at work. Actually I suspect she was not so unhappy about that, what with being given an easier day at home before going to work in the afternoon!
She checked what was in the fridge this morning and came up with a real sandwich bento (yesterday’s was an open-style one!). The meal still qualified as a packed lunch as the sandwich was wrapped into sandwich paper and a box of salad was added. LOL

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She came up with this hearty double-decker fit for a big (I’m big only around the waist! ) man’s appetite (mind you, some youngsters might be left still hungry after that!):
On the first slice of toasted bread she lay some lettuce, then a thick layer of avocado salad paste she made when she discovered the one left in the fridge. She added some small shrimps (found frozen in the fridge) she had fried beforehand. On the second layer more avocado paste with sliced boiled egg and black olives.
She closed the lot with one more slice of bread toasted with cheese (the other two slices had been toasted as they were).

As for the salad box, boiled broccoli and plum tomatoes on a bed of Trevise lettuce.

I’m not going to complain!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’09/12)

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Yesterday’s bento having been a solid one, the Missus kept the calories in mind when she prepared today’s bento this morning while I was having my morning (Japanese) bath!
The bread had been bought at the local supermarket (soft English style with “seeds” ) and toasted.

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As for the main dish:
Beans and corn salad like yesterday.
Boiled broccoli, plum tomatoes and lettuce (hand-broken).
Home-made chciken ham slices, a specialty of the Missus) with English sweet pickles.
French pickles
Tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette. Since the Missus made the make to say she wanted to experiment, I ask for it every time!

For dessert, a mixture of fresh strawberries, kiwi and mini banana.

Still got full!LOL

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’09/11)

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Today’s lunch box was devised for a big appetite!
Just in case you make a mistake, the banana featured in the picture is a mini banana from Ecuador, not a full-sized one!

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As for the rice part, the Missus first made fairly large nigiri/rice balls with steamed rice mixed with Japanese cucumber pickles and black sesame seeds. She them wrapped them into thin pork slices, brushed the pork with a tare/sauce she had prepared beforehand and fried the the balls whole. She let them cool down before wrapping them in a shiso/perilla leaf. She provided me with some French pickles for the final touch.

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I needed a fork to eat the salad as chopsticks would have taken a bit too long (or was it planned?): on a bed of finely chopped vegetables (mainly cabbage) she placed boiled broccoli (flowers and stems), lettuce (hand-broken, not cut) beans and corn mix, Ameera Rubbins mini tomatoes (very sweet, grown exclusively in Shizuoka), a half half-boiled egg sprinkled with black sesame and black olives. Made for some appetizing colours, I must admit!

A very satisfying bento, I agree!

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Vegetables Facts and Tips (6): Asparaguses

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Asparagus has been used from very early times as a vegetable and medicine, owing to its delicate flavour and diuretic properties. There is a recipe for cooking asparagus in the oldest surviving book of recipes, Apicius’s third century AD De re coquinaria, Book III. It is said that it was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, who ate it fresh when in season and dried the vegetable for use in winter.It lost its popularity in the Middle Ages but returned to favour in the seventeenth century.

Facts:
Season: They are at their best March~June in the Northern Hemisphere, but can be obtained all year round thanks to state-of-the-art greenhouse cultivation.
Beneficial elements: Carotene, Vitamin C and E, Vitmanins from the B group, Rutin, Vegetal fibers, Folic Acid, Potassium. The amino acid asparagine gets its name from the plant.
Asparagus rhizomes and root are used ethnomedically to treat urinary tract infections, as well as kidney and bladder stones.
Asparagus is also believed to have aphrodisiac properties (this belief is at least partially due to the phallic shape of the shoots).

Tips:
-Choose asparaguses with a clean cutting surface. No black spots should appear.
-The darker the colour, the better. As for white asparaguses, choses with a “wet cutting”
-When storing your asparaguses in the fridge, have them stand upright in a long narrow container with their foot wrapped in wet kitchen paper. Discard bent asparaguses on the supermarket stands.
-Choose green asparaguses with the smallest possible foliage along the stems and dark tips.
-When boiling them, either boil them stading upright inside a pasta mesh container, or absolutely flat in a sauce pan. Do not bend them.
-Asparaguses are best digested when lightly fried with oil.
-If Asparaguses cannot be obtained directly from the farmer, lightly peel but keep yop half as it is to preserve Vitamins.

Varieties:
Most popular varieties are shown in the picture above: White, Green and “wild-style” (apeelations vary!)

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Asparaguses are abundant in the while, but they grow very quickly and get too hard for consumption.
The wild ones picked in their natural environment are my favourite as I fondly rememebr picking them up as a soldier in the South of France during our drills and cooking them in simple omelettes!

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Violet asparaguse are very popular in any restaurants!

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Mini-asparaguses are ever so popular in Japan thanks to their practical size.

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Recipes are endless, but my favourite is the large green asparaguses and mozzarella gratin as prepared and served at Uzu Izakaya in Shizuoka City!

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Shizuoka Izakaya: Uzu

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Service: Excellent and very friendly. Very Japanese atmosphere.
Facilities: good washroom facilities. Great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable.
Specialty: Great sake from Shizuoka and Japan Great Shochu.

Uzu has been an institution in Shizuoka City for now 8 years and has maintained and improved on its quality, both in service and food (and drinks!) all the while.
The cuisine is typical of a new wave of young Japanese chefs who strive to offer dishes made from local ingredients, including organic vegetables and meat from animals raised in an healthy environment in the Prefecture, always looking for the unusual and delicious!

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The atmosphere is so Japanese!
You can choose a table with a view on a minuscule garden, or if you prefer to see the chef and staff at work, sit at the counter.
Before looking at the ever-changing food menu, have a good look at the sake and shochu list.
I urgently recommend the sake tasting set with three sake from Shizuoka usually including Kikuyoi, Hatsukame and another one!

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A typical example of their originality is the delicious sashimi we were offered, the Missus and I:
“Kan Sawara”: Young cod caught in the coldest time of the year in Suruga Bay off Shizuoka. They had found only enough for one day. Very firm flesh for a fish, but with a very soft bite and a taste that would have Tokyoites take the first train!

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They also offer plenty of variety to please European and American palates such as the above green asparaguses (large specimens grown locally) and mozzarella gratin!

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“Shamo Chicken”/Chicken comparable to the Bresse chicken in France, grilled to perfection, with a crispy skin and so tender flesh, and served with grated fresh wasabi!

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Vegans and vegetarians should not worry. There is plenty for them, such as this very unusual giant burdock root/”Oura Gobo” grown organically at the foot of Mount Fuji and deep-fried with a light cornstarch coating. Very satisfying bite and delicious!

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Also try their “O-cha-zuke”/rice in hot tea. Great hot vegan/vegetarian fare in Winter!

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Yes, yes, they have desserts!
You must try their fabulous home-made ice-creams and sherbets!

Will visit them soon again!

UZU
Shizuoka City, Otowa-cho, 3-18
Tel.: 054-249-6262
Business hours: 17:00=23:00
Closed on Mondays and first Tuesday
Reservations recommended
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Today’s Lunch box/Bento (’09/11)

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With temperatures falling back to normal in somewhat (comparatively) cold weather, The Missus kept to the classic kind of bento this morning.

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The staple part was rice steamed with beans (including the beans juice/soup) and hijiki/sweet seaweed, to which she added fried “shiozake/salmon preserved in salt and Chinese pickles.

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As for the accompaniment, it was mixture of European and Asian fare:
From left to right: Aubergines/egg plants and pimento fried in Chinese spicy sauce with white sesame seeds, “tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette containing cheese and tobikko/flying fish roe (quite tasty!), small fried spicy chorizo sausages, mini tomatoes, boiled Romanesco broccoli and cress (all vegetables grown in Shizuoka).

A hearty and tasty lunch (I will have to an official compliment one day! LOL)

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Today’s Lunch Box/ Bento (’9/10)

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Today’s bento was definitely on the classic side!

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Four big nigiri/rice balls, two them mixed with chopped Japanese-style oickles, the other two for once wrapped inside a band of nori/dry seaweed comtainig each a sweet-style umeboshi/Japanese pickled plum.
Tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette, chicken dango/meat balls (explained later), cress and mini-tomatoes and home-made pickled daikon.

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As for the chicken meatballs, they came in two varieties:
-minced chicken mixed with salt, pepper, spices, Japanese sake and chopped leeks, the whole rolled into black sesame seeds.
-Minced chicken mixed salt, pepper, different spices, Japanese sake, the whole rolled in chopped raw wantan skins.
Both times were then rolled into cornstarch and deep-fried.

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As for the salad, it included two kinds of broccoli:

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That picture is for Corre who lives in Japan, but does not believe such vegetables are grown in Japan! LOL.
Green Romanesco Broccoli and Violet Broccoli, which turn blue upon being boiled!
On a bed of chopped greens.

Quite a big bento, actually!

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Today’s Lunch Box/ Bento (’9/9)

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The Missus might have got wind of (I’m sure she hasn’t, LOL) my proposal to Foodbuzz for a Budget Lunch idea as today’s bento was definitely on the budget line!

Both of us had got up late, and the Missus was not in the mood to make anything elaborate. I just told her that sandwiches would be fine.
I’m not one to complain, what with my bulging waist!

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Mind you, when I opened the sandwich package, I noticed that my (?) half had added a little twist. She devised the sandwich as a “double-decker” with three pieces of toasted bread.
The first deck consisted of a layer of guacomole-style avocado paste with tobikko/flying fish roe, lettuce, and plenty of smoked salmon.
The second deck was filled with egg salad. It made for a hearty sandwich.

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As for my dose of Vitamin C, I was served the usual bed of chopped greens with boiled violet broccoli (grown in Shizuoka), small pieces of violet lettuce (same grower as for the broccoli), cress, mini-tomatoes, and strawberries for dessert.

I was still hungry past 5 p.m. Oh, well…


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Today’s Lunch Box/ Bento (‘9/8)

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Today’s Bento could called “traditional” or “classic”. At least in its concept and presentation, but with a little twist!

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The rice is concealed by a topping made of Japanese-style scrambled eggs and a fried mixture of minced chicken and tofu (combined as a paste first, then fried). On the left, a trio of accompaniments: renkon (lotus roots) and tea-smoked chicken ham (bottom), home-made daikon pickles (one plain, the other marinated in umezu/Japanese plum vinegar-middle), and stewed soy bean salad by the Missus’ mother.
The rice dish and the garnish are divided with a line of broiled broccoli.

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The little twist was the Missus steamed the rice with green tea powder. If you want to try it (very tasty), sprinkle the rice (in water) with plenty of green tea powder before steaming. Mix the lot only once the rice is properly cooked.

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As for the salad, simple affair: On a bed of shredded greens more greens, walnuts and Shizuoka-grown strawberries for dessert1

Had a little problem standing up after that!


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