Long clothes post...

Sorry.

November 21st:

November 27th:

November 28th:

December 1st:

December 4th:

December 6th:

December 7th:

January 3rd:

January 5th:

January 7th:

January 8th:

January 9th:

January 11th:

January 21st:

January 23rd:

Lipton Tea...

Hello!  I have two new teas to share with you.

Part of the Tea's Travel series is French Pear & Apple Tea:

Not bad.  It had a light flavor.

Next, part of the Premium Series is Creamy Milk Tea:

Not the worst of the Premiums but not the best either.  I just can't love anything from this series.

The list:

1. Milk Tea
2. Maple Milk Tea
3. Lemon Tea
4. Peach Tea
5. Earl Grey Milk Tea
6. Green Apple Tea
7. 50/50 Tea & Lemonade
8. Tropical Fruit Tea
9. Chamomile Citrus Tea
10. Roast Milk Tea
11. Jasmine Lemon Peel
12. Grape Tea
13. Straight Tea
14. Apple Tea
15. 50/50 Tea & Fruit Punch
16. Matcha Milk
17. Tea Cappuccino
18. Mikan Tea
19. 50/50 Tea & Nectar
20. Luxurious Milk Tea
21. Muscat Tea
22. Plum Honey
23. Cream Milk Tea 
24. Grapefruit Tea
25. Orange Marmalade Tea 
26. Royal Milk Tea
27. Golden Pineapple Tea
28. Italian Fruit Punch Tea
29. Honey Milk Tea
30. Green Apple with Honey
31. Thailand Lychee Tea
32. Sweetened Condensed Milk Tea 
33. Turkey Apricot Tea
34. Milk Caramel Tea
35. Navel Orange Tea
36. French Pear & Apple Tea
37. Creamy Milk Tea

The Top Five:

1. OG Milk Tea
2. 50/50 Tea Lemonade
3. 50/50 Tea & Fruit Punch
4. 50/50 Tea & Nectar
5. Jasmine Lemon Peel

Ooh I'm almost up to 40 teas!

A vegetarian foodie in Japan...

Hey I made some food!

Srircha Mac & Cheese:

OMG this was the best mac and cheese I've ever had.  So delicious!

Slow Cooker Veg Stew:

I highly recommend you pre-cook the onions before putting them into the slow cooker.  This was way too oniony and I had to throw it out after the first day. 

Burrito Bowl:

Beyond delicious.

Slow Cooker Tomato Soup:

Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of this. But believe me when I say it's the best tomato soup I've ever had.  I'm going to try it without the parm next time.

Spanakorizo:

Quite tasty.

My boyfriend made me this super delicious vegan Japanese curry.  It was so perfect:

That's all for now.  Happy eating!

Winter...

It's a winter slump.  I stay in.  I hide under blankets.  I watch endless hours of TV.  I read books.  I don't often venture out.

I am from the desert.  It's a warm place even in winter.  On days when I can't feel my toes, I long for those warmer temperatures.

I forget about summer.  I forget it's sometimes too humid, and I miss those long days and warm nights.  I forget I sweat at night instead of freeze and I wish it would get here faster.

I hate leaving work in the dark.  I remember that it used to be sunny when I left.  I remember when we could enjoy walking outside instead of hurrying quickly to the shelter of the nearest warm place.

I lose motivation.  I drink thousands of cups of hot tea.  I find creative ways to drink hot beverages: salted caramel hot chocolate, caramel apple cider (or maybe I just find ways to imbibe more caramel).

I miss salads as I slurp my soup.  I constantly use my slow cooker.  I still don't want to do dishes.

I bring my plants indoors.  They crowd my already small kitchen.  I dream of the abundance of a spring garden.  I want squash and tomatoes and peppers all freshly picked.  I pray nothing else left outside dies as I try not to be sad uprooting another dead plant. 

Suddenly, I notice it's slightly warmer than last week and it's not as dark outside as it usually is at 5.

I remember summer starts at 4AM as the sun tries to invade my sleeping area.  I don't mind it, I think kicking off blankets. 

The orange glow of my heater will be the quiet whir of a fan.  It doesn't matter if it's not cold enough to keep me cool.  I remember the cicadas buzzing all night and the early hours of the morning.  I remember they often fly straight toward me.  Compared to the chill in my bones it doesn't seem to matter so much now.

The beach is empty.  I remember it's overcrowded in the summer.  I don't mind so much now as I remember bare bodies peppering the sand and splashing in the waves.  Everyone is smiling.  I miss vacations and eating ice cream on hot days. 

I miss shorts and sandals and tank tops.  I miss hats and sunglasses.  I feel like I never have enough layers to keep me warm.  I feel bulky and weighted.

I miss riding my bicycle.  I miss not having a destination in mind.  Now the wind slices my hands and stings my face and two minutes to the store is too long.  I miss exploring my neighborhood.  I miss finding shops I never knew were there or tiny flower shops bursting with herbs.

I miss going places and updating this blog with my misadventures.  I miss being lost in Japan.

A vegetarian foodie in Japan...

Well, I've wasted no time getting back into cooking (and eating).  Here are some things I've made.

The first thing I did was whip out the ol' slow cooker.

I made this soup:

Now I realize you can't get Ro-tel in Japan (or maybe you can at import stores I dunno but you could probably make a mock up of it).  It was pretty good.

Next I made some breakfast items.

This sweet oatmeal:

And this savory oatmeal:

Both were yummy!

I also made a beet salad with a mustard vinaigrette (I swear I will never learn to spell that word):

I just basically threw together what was in the crisper.  It was perfect.

Finally, my boyfriend took me to Brown Rice Cafe in Shubuya.  I had this wonderful vegan meal:

I am continually surprised how many vegan/vegetarian eateries there are here in Tokyo.  I'm so glad I live here and not in some rural area.

Anyway, that's all from the food front.  Happy eating!

明けましておめでとう！

Well 2014 is in full swing here in Tokyo.  It's Monday so today many people return to work and business carries on as usual.  If you want to see a city of approximately 13 million people empty come to Tokyo for New Year's.  It's is a time when many people return to their hometowns.  I believe very few people call Tokyo their hometown.

After returning to Tokyo right before New Year's Eve, the only person I wanted to see was my boyfriend.  We had ourselves a "staycation" staying warm inside, watching movies and Japanese shows, and eating tons of food.  My boyfriend cooked special New Year's dishes which was a new and wonderful experience for me.  I was so glad to spend New Year's with him.

Boyfriend's quiche:

Vegan おせち (special New Year's dishes):

Everything including special New Year's soup with sweet miso and mochi and pickles my boyfriend made:

全文とても美味しかった！明けましておめでとう！