Travel And Food

Places I want to travel to must have food I like to eat. I do like japanese food, obviously. Part of the travel experience encompasses eating the local foods. And, you got to eat something. Its more enjoyable when you can stomach what they eat on a daily basis. I tend to rank places I want to go to according to the cuisine. I have been to Japan, England, Hong Kong, and France. I have been to Vancouver as well but they didnt seem to have a distinct style of food. Some of the places I would still like to visit are Germany, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand. Other places that are low on my list include India and many parts of Africa.

However, in the ever shrinking world, you can find foods that you are familiar with if you find nothing appealling. Fast food chains are dotted around the world in most countries. Supermarkets nowadays tend to have a much broader reach when it comes to the items that they stock. But, the fast food chains tend to cater to the tastes of the geographical areas they reside in. Watch out for the live octopus burger at a Korean McDonalds or a Kentucky Fried Camel at a KFC in the Middle East.

For Lunch-La Corneta

Once again I find ourselves at a mexican restaurant for lunch. Work is located near the Mission District where there is a high concentration of hispanic restaurants, groceries, bakeries, and stores. Located on Mission St between 23rd and 24th St. We often refer to it as the yellow place because of the bright facade.

Inside, they have a spacious dining area with a skylight that made for a nice cool space on a very warm day. You line up at the counter to place your order. Layed out in front of you is the grill and all the ingredients needed to make whatever is listed on the menu.

It has been a while since I last ate here and it took me a while to decide. I went back to an old standby that I used to order alot here, the quesadilla suiza. Included is your choice of meat. The range includes your usual favorites like chile verde, carne asada, pollo asada, etc. I have been in a pork mood as of late whenever I dine mexican. So, I had the al pastor, grilled marinated pork. There was quite a bit of cheese that drowned out the flavor of the pork. It was good but I was hoping for more. I requested spicy but also missed the mark

Walking The Line, The Yamanote Line

When in Tokyo, especially for your first time, try to stay around the Yamanote Line. This is the train line that encircles much of the heart of Tokyo. If you ever get lost, just hop on in any direction and you will get to where you need to go. If taking the longer route by accident, sit back and enjoy the view as you may stumble upon places that have piqued your interest. Over the last few trips, I find myself walking around parts of the Yamanote loop. Im not that big on walking but at times when Im bored, have some extra time, or looking to explore, I put the old legs to use. I will try to finish the walk over the next few years. So far I have walked from Harajuku to Shinjuku, Akihabara to Nippori, Harajuku to Shibuya, Ebisu to Gotanda, and Ebisu to Shibuya. Effectively, Gotanda to Shinjuku and Akihabara to Nippori. An optimistic estimate would put that at 1/3 of the route.

On The Job-Fog City Diner

At one time, the Fog City Diner was one of the hottest places to eat in the city. Its neon and chrome reflects its namesake. Im not sure what kind of food they serve nowadays but Im sure you can look it up on the net. This is only one of few diners in the city. The only other one I can thinkg of are the handful of Mel's Diners locations in the city. There may be about 3 of them as opposed to this solitary location. Fog City is located on the Embarcadero on Battery St

On The Job-The Embarcadero

The job takes me by the boulevard by the bay called The Embarcadero. This is where the ships used to dock when the city's biggest income came from its shipping ports. On a bright sunny day as today, tourists and natives alike like to jog, walk, or bike this stretch of the city that runs from Pier 39 to the ballpark.

This portion runs under the Bay Bridge. Many of the old piers remain and converted to house other businesses.

As we proceed northerly then dog-leg westerly, there is a piece of public art on display. I forget what its called but its Cupid's bow and arrow. The following is another picture of the same scuplture taken a while back.

Once the hub of all the maritime activity, the Ferry Plaza has been retooled for modern uses. It houses several restaurants and gourmet shops. The clock tower, most notably, stopped at the exact time the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. It has since been resync'ed

On certain days, there are farmers' markets in front of the building and saturdays has them both in front and behind the building. The building still acts as the final destination point for those who ride the ferry boats into the city

The Next Item Up For Bid...

Who would you like next to you after you pass on? Marilyn Monroe will have Hugh Hefner to one side when he passes on. She has a guy in the crypt above her who was interred(sp?) face down. Because of financial problems, he will no longer be staring down at the blonde icon of years past. His widow has put his crypt up for auction to help pay the mortgage. The bidding has gone over $4 million, but those funds are not verified. I dont plan to find out who won. I prefer to let that remain a mystery to me. That makes me wonder where the widow was going to be laiod to rest. Did she have the next room over? Or, was she going to be buried somewhere else? Thats what I would like to know. If they did have side-by-side crypts, she could have put it up as a two for. Then again, maybe she's going to sell it because the widow was not the love of his life? Either that or she was a very understanding wife.

Guilty Pleasure-Japanese Night-time Soap Operas(Doramas)

I have to admit that I do occasionally like to watch doramas from Japan. And, I have to watched them subbed because I have no command of the language. I had started watching them the year that Densha Otoko, 2005, came out. It was the story of an otaku, a geek/nerd, who falls in love and pursues a woman whom he saves from harassment by a drunken lout on a train ride home. He chats about and gets advice from fellow otaku on the internet. It has some touching scenes as well as many humourous ones. Ever since then, I have been watching one or two a season. I only have two requirements: attractive actresses and a story that will hold my attention

I guess I saw my first dorama on a local tv station that airs japanese programming on Sat and Sun nights. I would watch occasionally but never latched on to any series until Hoshi no Kinka, 1995. This starred Noriko Sakai as a deaf girl and the two doctor brothers she is associated with. Usually these doramas last for one season. If popular, there can be successive seasons but they are rarely back to back. Hoshi no Kinka did have a second season with the same cast a year later. Recently, Noriko Sakai was arrested on drug charges. So sad, she is such a beautiful lady and had a really wholesome reputation/image.

Rant-Terrorist Freed On Compassion?!?!?

Working under the assumption that he is guilty of the bombing of the Pan Am flight in Scotland, its a slap in the face of the families and friends of the innocent victims who lost their lives on that flight. He, the terrorist whose name I wont even mention so as not to give him any validation, has prostate cancer and will die soon. The Scottish courts has deemed it fit for him to return to Libya to spend his last days amongst his family and friends. Odd, how he gets to do that but those on the flight werent given the same consideration. He deserves to rot in prison for all the people he flippantly killed. He deserves to rot from the inside, of his body, as he is now and in prison. In what world is it right for him to end his life on a happy note? Shame on the Scottish government for what seems to be a politcally driven act to garner oil.

Favorite Movies-Iron Man

As mentioned before, Iron Man is one of my favorite movies. This summer action flick came out in 2008. Riding the wave of comeback, Robert Downey Jr, plays the part of Tony Stark, whose alter ego is Iron Man. I followed the comic book as a kid and was anticipating this release when I first heard about it. Its a great mixture of comedy and action. Such as the scene where Tony's aide, Gwentyh Paltrow, has to replace the power unit in his chest. The scene turns into a hilarious game of Operation. And, there are alot of funny moments as Stark develops what will finally become his finished enhanced armor. Much of the hilarity ensues as his suit evolves over trial and error. Stealing the scene are Stark's helper robots who are always ready to lend a hand with a fire extinguisher, even when its uncalled for.

Wonderful action scenes where he is pitted against US jets and ultimately a monstrosity born of his original suit of armor. Time flies as the story unfolds. Viewers need not be aware of the back story as it is all laid out to the lay person who knows not of the history.

For Lunch-Truly Mediterranean

I stopped this little place for lunch today. I havent been here in quite a while. Before, I enjoyed their shawarma and falafel sandwiches. The falafels come in regular and deluxe, deluxe having eggplant and potatoes. The shawarmas come in lamb/beef and chicken, the latter available only on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Since its Tuesday, they have the chicken roasting on the spit in place of what is usually beef and lamb. It looks delicious. I had to stop myself from wanting to pinch a taste. I got there as they were opening so it wasnt even really cooked yet. Those three little hotdog looking thngs on the far left are the kefta kababs that I ordered

Today I chose the kefta kabab, a mixture of ground beef and lamb. Its rolled in lavosh with onions, tomatoes, and tahini. They also have lamb and chicken kabab. The sandwich goes for a quick roll on the grill before being served

Paris 2008 con't

A continuation of a previous post. It seemed unseasonably warm while I was there. It was early spring and the temps were in the low 80's.

The Arc bathed in the glow of the setting sun around 9pm

The Louvre The Eiffel Tower from atop the Arc
The sidewalk cafes are open late into the night on a warm evening

They gave us one and made one for themselves

The flying butresses of Notre Dame

At Dinner-Rainbow Pizza

On the reccommendation of a friend's boyfriend, tried out this place in San Mateo at The Crystal Springs Shopping Center. Nestled a short distance from Highway 92, the center has other restaurants and shops in a cozy hillside nook. The greek food was reccommended but will have to try the pizza at another time. The prices are good and the portions are a good size as well.
The extra large picture menu was pretty extensive with pizzas, burger/sandwiches, pasta, greek dishes, other entrees.

We started off with the calamari. The batter was thicker and harder than Boulevard. The squid was a bit on the chewier side as well. The tartar sauce wasnt really worth mentioning.

I had the combo platter with moussaka, dolma, spanokopita,tyropita, greek olives and a side greek salad. The tyropita is like a spanokopita but with a cheese filling. I enjoyed pretty much everything except the greek salad. The moussaka was half the size of the entree portion but filling nontheless. Fearing the size of the platters, I was hesitant, nay dissuaded, to order some gyro meat. I would have liked to have seen if they were any good.

The place was ok but will need more visits to fully scoope out what I think of it.

The place and surrounding shops close early by 9pm. The kitchen closes 15 minutes earlier. This was on a Saturday night

Pluot?!?!?!

Who's bright idea was it to call the hybrid of a plum and apricot a pluot? Sure, it was either that or applum! Don't get me wrong. I like the fruit but it makes me think of vomit when I hear plu-otttttttt. Couldn't they have come up with something better? Eden's treasure, heart fruit, purple essence. I think any of these would be an imporvement. I think some people just aren't trying.

Nuts!

I like to pop a few handful of nuts every now and then. I have my favorites and they go like this:
1-Macadamia nuts. Especially when they have been roasted to golden brown reminiscent of a honey glaze. This deeper roasting imparts a nice smokey taste and sweeter flavor also imparting a heartier crunch when you bite down on them
2-Cashews. This one was a tough one. It was either this or pistachios. Cashews win out because you dont have to shell or skin them. The creamy flavor fills the mouth and leaves it with a nice nutty finish
3-Pistachios. Convenience knocks this down a peg. I rarely ever see these sold shelled and skinned. The green meat was a surprise when I first had one, especially since the shell was colored red. It was quite a contrast.
4-Peanuts. As ubiquitous as they are, they still rank in my top 5. I prefer them dry roasted with very little salt. Mascerating a mouthful into chunky peanut butter.
5-Almonds. Though very far back in 5th, they are the last of the nuts that I can say I eat on a frequent basis.
The also rans are not very close. These last nuts are only eaten when someone picks up the mix of nuts instead of the single variety or they are less convenient to eat or just have a bitter flavor. Brazil, filbert(hazelnut), walnut, pecan,

Cool costumes

Iron Man is one of my favorite movies. I thought the design of the costume had a great look to it. I used to follow the comic books back in my younger days. I had not seen the new armor until the movie and was pleasantly surprised. While surfing, I found that eople are making replicas that you can wear. I think they look COOOOL! There have been other costumes from movies that I think were cool too. Most notably, they seem to be somewhat robotic for the most part. Robocop was one. I enjoyed the movie as well. It was dark and gritty. Stormtroopers from the original Star Wars series have always held my imagination even to this day. Im sure I could afford one but never thought about actually owning one let alone wearing it. I have been impressed by some cosplayers who have made great looking Gundam costumes of the robots. Most are home made and they definitely look it. But, you really notice the ones where alot of time and effort were put into them. Sometimes makes me wonder how they were able to make them?

Paris 2008

I had mentioned in another post that I had been to London and France. Here are some of the pics of that trip while I was in Paris. This was my first time and I found it to be pleasant. I particularly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the sidewalk cafes. However, the liesurely service was a bit too slow as there were places to go.

Whats Paris without the Eiffel Tower

Breakfast one morning of a croissant and quiche at a sidewalk bakery on Rue Cler

The Arc De Triomphe as seen from the Eiffel Tower
This was an area of shops, restaurants, and artists around Sacre Coeur

On The Job-Levi's Plaza, Union Square

Last week, work took me to Levi's Plaza which is located at the foot of Telegraph Hill in the shadow of Coit Tower. The jeans and clothes brand is located here. Nearby attractions, aside from Coit Tower, are the Embarcadero and Pier 39

Also had to visit the Union Square area. White tents were up for some kind of culinary event. Didn't have time to check it out but it could have been a set up for weekend. Stores that ring the square include Macy's, Saks Fifth Ave, Tiffany's, Nieman Marcus. Some of the major hotels include the St Francis and the Sir Francis Drake

Rant-Budget cuts and raising revenue

The city is trying to augment the coffers on the backs of people who drive within its limits. Taken too far and it does more harm than good.

Extra bike lanes to be footed not by bikers. Pie in the sky thinking have people thinking that reducing car lanes and adding a bike lane instead will ease congestion as more people will ride to work. The increase in bicyclists will not offset the the traffic caused by merging the same amount of cars onto fewer lanes. Licenses and permits for bicycles should be levied to help those that use those lanes to help pay for them.

Increased meter hours will have the opposite intended effect. People who come to have a meal or come for entertainment do not want to come out every hour to feed the meter. With other options, they may just stay away and the city losses revenue from these said businesses. Add the double whammy of higher meter rates and you are basically telling people to stay away.

London 2008 con't

A few more sights from London. Walking back to our hotel from Buckingham Palace

Before getting back, stopped off at a pub for lunch. H ere we have peas, broccoli, mashed potatoes, and some kind of pie filled with ground meat. Shepard's pie I believe

The HMS Belfast against the backdrop of Tower Bridge.A view of Embankment station from atop the London Eye

London 2008

I had mentioned in another post that I had been to London and France. Here are some of the pics of that trip while I was in London. I found that I would like to go back and explore of this city. I dont believe that I got to see enough of it during my short time there.


The face of Big Ben

Looking down the Thames at the London Eye, Big Ben, and Westminster Bridge

Tower Bridge, not London Bridge, near the Tower of LondonOn one of the last days, went to Buckingham Palace on a slightly damp day to watch the changing of the guard

Longing For Japan

As noted before, I have made several visits to Japan. On practically a daily basis, I visit websites that revolve Japan's culture, day-to-day activities, television, retail, etc. I grow almost homesick. For a few years now, I have been going back once a year to get my fix. But, I did not go last year nor do I plan to go next year. Although, Im hoping the latter does not pan out. My next trip isnt planned until 2011 and that feels a long way off. I have already begun doing some research for that trip to help make it seem like its within reach.
I visit sites that help to keep me in contact so I dont feel like Im so far away. On the flip side, it sometimes makes me long for it even more. I like the sites that show alot of pictures. Every now and again, my mind taps me on the shoulder to say, "I remember that!" I look up calenders to see what festivals are going on. I check tech websites to see the newest and latest gadgets lucky Tokyoites will be buying. I search for information on places that I would like to eat at. In general, Im looking for things that make me say, "Cool!" or "Interesting!"
The tall buildings of Shinjuku, the taste of a hearty bowl of miso ramen, the efficiency of their mass transit, the oversaturation of convienence stores and vending machines, the bright lights and neon of Shibuya. These are my memories.

One Leg At A Time con't

I was up late on a friday night watching Poker After Dark. The banter was flying fast and quick. Though half asleep, my ears did awaken me to a question that I had posted earlier about whether you put on your socks first on both feet then the shoes. Or, do you do one foot shoes and socks before proceeding to the other foot. There was not a whole lot of discussion on this as the one presenting the question, Phil Laak aka Unibomber, was behind in the chip stack. The question did progress to asking if anyone had put on socks before pants. Thats not something I do on a regular basis but some had confessed to it

At Dinner-Boulevard Cafe

Over the weekend, had a family dinner at Boulevard Cafe in Colma. It stands in the former location of a Lyon's restaurant. The food is mianly American fare with some Mediterranean additions such as a plate with chicken shawarma or spanikopita, hummus, and tzatiki as well as a chicken soup with lemon. I usually like to order the calamari appetizer. A huge platter filled with rings and legs is accompanited by cocktail sauce and something like tartar sauce but I believe it to be Thousand Island dressing. The batter is light and crisp. This accompanies the tender pieces of squid very well. This time around, I had the Salisbury steak. A large patty of beef cooked to order with a garlic and mushroom brown sauce. The dish came with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The steak was very good with a slight char to give it that great grilled flavor. Other items include pot roast, tutti de mare pasta and a selection of burgers and salads. Their portions tend to be on the genourous side and their prices are very good.