Nightmare sleep zombie!

ε≡(ノ´＿ゝ｀）ノ

GRR! ARG! Sleeeeeeeeep.

I had a super good day off on Sunday. It was a nice break from the stand, and a good chance to kick it with some friends that I haven’t seen in forever. Friends are the best thing you can have, especially best friends!

So Sunday: A + You did a great job!

Sunday night: you need to see me after class. (Because of your awfulness!)

When I got back to my apartment, something strange must have been going on with the heat, because it was freeeezing. I blasted the heat (I even started a batch of cupcakes for additional warmth…Okay, I’m not going to lie, I also wanted cupcakes…not that they turned out, but anyway…) but couldn’t get the apartment to a reasonable temperature because the power wouldn’t stop flickering off and on. I tried to call the building manager, but my phone was being suuuuper weird. It would just make static buzzing noises whatever I did anything.

So I just decided to deal with the cold for the night and to try to get to sleep because I’ve got a crazy week coming up. But, since a story about me sleeping through the night isn’t very interesting…you can guess that that is not what happened.

I got what felt like about ten minutes of sleep. When the apartment wasn’t busy being strangely noisy, or stupidly frigid, I had the worst nightmares I’ve ever had. I swear the second I closed my eyes – BANG I’d be right in the middle of the worst dream ever. The creepy part was that it was the same dream each time. I’m standing near the shore of a dark cold lake – I can see these weird white shapes under the surface of the lake and I know I don’t want to go anywhere near them. That’s when the shore starts to crumble into the water, and I try so hard to make it back to land, but I know I’m not going to make it – and this part where the shore is crumbling away seems to last forever.

Ugh. It was the worst. Sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about my weird nightmares here, but I’m so exhausted and brain-dead from getting no sleep. I promise a less weird post tomorrow after I (hopefully) get some sleep and general cheering up.

Break Dance!

That’s it, I need a vacation. Did you know that opening a restaurant is hard? It is! And did you also know that people want to eat food every day? Good news, though! I had a super busy day yesterday. I made enough money to close down one day this weekend! So I’m going to take Sunday off!

I.AM.SO.EXCITED.

Eww. That color is a little gross. Let’s try that again.

I.AM.SO.EXCITED.

There we go. What should I do this Sunday?

“You could take us out to the park!”

Good idea, bikes!

“No! Come hang out with us noodles!”

You make a compelling argument, noodles.

Ok. I just put this here because it’s a-dor-able. Hi Lamb! You’re so cute that I want to build you a house!

“You could hang out with us fabrics!

Oh, yeah! I have been thinking about working on a new outfit.

“You should go food shopping!”

Yes. Yes I should.

“You should come downtown to watch me perform my one mug show: Mugged”

Oh, mug. That’s not a real thing. But if it were, I so would!

What should I do with my day off?! Should I close the stand one day a week?!

Ask Yumi

That’s right! It’s time for another installment of…

It’s time to dive back into the mailbox and answer some questions!

Dear Yumi,

My new neighbor is really inconsiderate. She has loud parties that go all night long every other night. I asked her to keep it down, but she won’t listen.

Sincerely, Good Fences

Dear Fences,

That’s sad! Did you know that today I found the cutest bakery EVER? If you email the baker a picture and come by a few hours later, she’ll give you a cupcake that reflects your personal style! 

Dear Yumi,

My boss is mad at me because I’m always late for work. What should I do?

Sincerely,

Better Late Than Never

Dear Better Late, you or your boss should move to a different time zone – but not both of you. That would solve nothing. (^_^)

Dear Yumi,

I just got a new roommate, and she’s perfectly fine, but the problem is that now my dog likes her more than he likes me! What do I do?

Sincerely,

Too Sad to think of a good name

Dear Too Sad,

You should rent a movie about a dog that walks thousands of miles to find his owner’s home after he gets lost, and then watch that movie with your dog. You dog will feel sooo bad.

Dear Yumi,

I have to learn a new language in school next year, but I want to choose a language that will help me the most in the future. Should I learn French or Spanish?

Sincerely,

Vocabu- Larry

Dear Vocabu-Lawrence,

The language that will help you most in the future is Robot. “0101100101110101011011010110100100100000011010010111001100100000011001110111001001100101011000010111010000100001” See!

That’s it for today! Best of luck in all endeavors!

(*Yumi advice is for entertainment purposes only.)

SUPER POP QUIZ!

Food edition. I had so much fun making the fashion quiz that I decided it’s time to do a little food quiz!

Question 1

It’s breakfast! The most important meal of the day.

a)      I don’t know, actually making food seems too ambitious. I’ll just dunk a candy bar in some milk.

b)      Hmm, I should at least try to burn some toast.

c)       Right, a balanced breakfast, like on tv. I will cut up an orange and put it next to cereal.

d)      I should at least poach some eggs and blanch some asparagus and top that with hollandaise.

Question 2

Time for brunch!

a)      Time for brunch? Who has time for brunch? I’ve got THINGS to do.

b)      Brunch? Is that the thing where eggs pretend like they belong at lunch? No thanks.

c)       Yeah! Fruit, eggs, sandwichy-things, juice choices, I’m on it!

d)      Sure, I hope there’s heirloom tomato infused olive oil and artisan bread there!

Question 3

Raid my kitchen and you’ll find.

a)      Take out menus. And…oh gross! How long have those potatoes been there?

b)      Microwavable things in colorful wrappers. And cookies! And other cookies!

c)       Stale bread, soft avocados, a lot of ingredients I’ve been meaning to make into food but will eventually throw away.

d)      Unsalted butter, a small herb garden, shallots, garlic, ginger, vegetables – to name a few.

Question 4

When I come across some strange new food, I:

a)      Make one of my friends try it first.

b)      Refuse to eat it unless someone agrees to fry it first.

c)        Agree to take a tiny taste, it might be okay.

d)      Jump in with both feet! There’s nothing like discovering something new!

Question 5

My cooking style is best described as:

a)      I can assemble a sandwich if I absolutely have to.

b)      I know how to cut up an onion. I just have to give my eyes a break every few minutes.

c)       I’ve got the technique, I love food, my cookbooks have more dog ears than a…dog park.

d)      I invent new flavors. I make foams. I plan to one day split the flavor atom.

Question 6

My favorite restaurants are:

a)      The kinds where you get a prize with your meal.

b)      Something simple, where I can order by pointing at a picture.

c)       Unique, with interesting menus and good chefs.

d)      I keep track of the best chefs in the city and always keep an eye out for anything new and exciting!

Question 7

Some friends are coming over, time to:

a)      Tell them I won’t be cooking food now, or ever.

b)      Open a few bags of snacks and put them in bowls.

c)       Make some simple hors d'oeuvres.

d)      There’s that appetizer thing I’ve been meaning to make. And If I’m making that, I might as well make that spicy noodle thing I’ve been thinking about. Should I just go ahead and make dessert while I’m thinking about it? Yes. I should.

BONUS ROUND!

Give yourself ten points for each statement you can answer yes to:

I know how to cook an artichoke. (five points if you can describe what one looks like)

I’ve successfully baked bread/ cake.

I’ve read one or more books about food or cooking.

I have a favorite chef.

SCORING:

Alright, it’s time to add up your scores!

As = 2 points
Bs = 5 points
Cs = 10 points
Ds = 50 points

And now…the results!

If you got

1 – 13 points: You somehow got negative points!

14 – 34 points: Customer: You like food, but have got other things to do! You can’t be bothered to spend your day near the oven waiting for onions to caramelize, sauces to reduce, soufflés to…just sort of sit there and be spongy, you’re busy! Sure you eat food when you have to, but beyond that who cares?

35 – 69 points: Line Cook: As food knowledge goes, you’re doing pretty great. You know what you like, and when you put your mind to it you can work wonders in the kitchen. You’re adventurous, and you love to experience new foods, flavors, and cultures!

70 – 299 points: Sous Chef: The kitchen is your home away from home (that is also probably in your home.) When you try something good at a restaurant, you’re already imagining how to revisit it again at home. You’ve got at least one dish that everyone’s always begging you to make.

300 points or higher: Master Chef: You’re a wizard in the kitchen. You could make an orange taste like a banana if you wanted to, but you’re probably not going to do that. Your friends make a habit of “stopping by to say hello.” Around dinnertime just in case you’re making food.

Ghosthunters!

What is up with those weirdos? I mean really? This is not one of those questions that I don’t really expect anyone to answer! If you know, let me know! I’ll even accept guesses!

A little while back, some big deal guy in the ghost hunting world mentioned the ryokan as a “Haunted Hotspot.” on his website. That was mega weird, I mean think about someone saying that about where you grew up, but that was just the start of this ghost hunting business. Apparently this guy is the king of the ghost nerds or something – because the second he mentioned the ryokan, all of these bizarre people started showing up with their…stuff.

I’m not saying that all ghost hunters are terrible, but most of them are. Think about it – they show up where something tragic has happened, cause this big silly scene, totally disrespect everything and everyone there, and act all self important about everything. If you ask them to stop what they’re doing they’ll act as if you’re interrupting some sort of great scientific research. It makes me crazy! It’s like, excuse me people working to solve world hunger, and you too people working on new vaccines, also you too technology people – all of you stop for a second: A bald guy who somehow also has a ponytail (Which science refers to as a hair-paradox, or hairadox.) thinks he’s recorded a ghost talking.

Also, for some reason these people have decided that ghosts are made out of electricity. They have these little machines that show electromagnetic fields or something, and they walk around, and when the machines start to light up – they super freak out. Never mind that these little machines always pick up ghost activity near THINGS THAT RUN ON ELECTRICITY. “Guys! Come here! I think the television is a ghost! So is the computer! And the toaster! Oh no! Please tell me no one had toast this morning!”

I think what bugs me most is how rude they are. Everything is just a game to them. They’re also so sure that they understand what’s going on. They don’t. It’s like they’ve put one foot into a tide pool and declared that they’ve discovered all the secrets of the ocean.

I’m not saying that I believe in ghosts, but – even I’ve seen some strange things. I’ve had that something-is-really-really-really wrong feeling in the middle of the night. I’ve been to some places that definitely had a spooky feeling. There are a lot of things that we’ll never get to know for sure. I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to say if there are ghosts or not. But I am pretty sure thousands of years of mystery is not going to be cracked by some hobbyist with a bunch of junk he bought from the catalog you find in the little seat pocket in an airplane.

Sorry – just had to deal with a lot of those people these last few days. What do you guys think of this whole thing? Any ghost hunters out there? Any people who don’t like ghost hunters out there?

My first review! (Was negative, but whatever!)

Did you read the post title? Did you? Go ahead, I’ll wait? C’mon! Did you read it yet? You didn’t. Wow – you are a very slow - ok so you did now. Nice job! Alright, so that means that you know that I got my first review!!! A review about my bento stand happened!!!! One of Kyoto’s notorious food bloggers (we’ve met before. I’d post a link to her blog, but I don’t want to drive any traffic to her site…for reasons you’ll see in a second. Yeah. I’m petty. What of it, world!)

That’s the good news, now the bad news. The review was really mean. I mean, really really mean. Like, who-knew-words-could-be-that-terrible mean. (I trusted you, words – and this is what you do? Appear in a mean review? About me?! I thought we were friends! After I bought you all of those books to live in. That’s it, we’re through!)

(Okay, I lied. I can’t blog without you. You’re back in the game – but watch your step.)

I’m going to post some of the worst comments from the review, just to give you a sense of what it was like:

“Cute? More like awful.”
“Uninspired.”
“Looked like she was wearing a wedding cake.”
“I’d rather eat the box!”
“Lacking subtlety.”

I was only going to post some of the comments, but you know what – I’m going to respond.

“Cute? More like awful.” No. More like cute. Less like awful. You’re more like awful!
“Uninspired.” Okay, I admit it. I should have spent the morning reading poetry to my food.
“Looked like she was wearing a wedding cake.” That’s just not very nice. I didn’t say anything about your sweater situation.
“I’d rather eat the box!” You’re welcome to. I’ll save some for your next visit. In fact I INSIST you try one.
“Lacking subtlety.” You know who wants subtle bento? Boring people. “Did you try that bento? It was so subtle!” “I know! I loved it. Well it’s 7pm, we should go home and go to bed soon.”

There was one sort of positive line.

“If you’re there already and are in a hurry, check it out.”

But you know what? I’m not going to let it get me down! The stand is just opening, I know I’ve got a lot to learn, and I know I’m going to have to deal with a lot of mean reviews – but soon, I’ll be getting the good ones. (I hope.) Do you guys listen to reviews?

SO YOU WANT TO MAKE BENTO LIKE A PRO!

Yes! It’s time for the first ever installment of:

SO YOU WANT TO MAKE BENTO LIKE A PRO!

This week’s episode – 

BENTO 101

So, you might be asking “What is this crazy bento business anyway?” Good question, citizen! Bento is a thing that we’re going to make. Let’s make some bento! Since this is the first time I’ve done a tutorial, we’re going to start off pretty easy.

The first thing you need to do is set up your work station:

Hey ingredients, what’s up? Spoiler alert: people are going to eat you!

Now, since this is a very basic bento lesson – we’re just going to focus on putting all of the ingredients in the box. Fancier boxes have themes and motifs and all that, but today it’s just the basics. Making a box that contains the perfect blend of proteins, starches…and oh man, deer, I can’t keep focusing if you’re going to be that adorable!

I get it already! You’re the cutest ever. Good for you.

Okay, so let’s get to work! So for the protein portion, I decided to make eggs!

What a great day to be an egg!

OH NO! WAIT! I was wrong! It’s a terrible day to be an egg!

You can make your egg happy or sad depending on your mood – I used carrot strips and edamame to make my egg look indignant.

For starch, I used rice. But rice is booooring, right? So I used a star mold. If you don’t have a rice mold, you can use cookie cutters or shape by hand.

Once the rice is out of the mold, it’s time to see how it will fit in the box.

Not bad…but not great…it looks like they don’t get along, better solve that problem.

A wall made out of mango and melon! Best idea ever, but now they look uncomfortable…

A bed of edamame and carrot! Yes! But…we can do more, right?

Let’s add a little furikake for color! And a treat!

You guys ready to go? Don’t be so nervous, egg!

That’s better!

There we go, a simple bento that anyone can make. If you like this tutorial let me know and I’ll try to do some more.

And now for our Fabulous Friday question:

What would you put in your bento?