Random Funnies

Taken from the book "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands". A friend of mine rang me up with this quote and I think it is pure gold.

'Men have simple needs. If he's not horny, make him a sandwich.'




True or not, what do you think?

The Secret Chef -When Food isn't Food

I'm just about to order a book by the Swedish chef Mats-Eric Nilsson. It's causing a minor revolution (very minor, but I'm sure it'll grow) here in Sweden, as he lays out rather disturbing facts about the food industry and the items they're trying to pull off selling us as 'food'. Some examples he brings up include: black olives (unless specifically names as kalamata olives) are just green olives dyed black, balsamic vinegar is just normal vinegar coloured and sweetened by food colouring, ham is just starch and potato flour, cereals can include more than their fair share of animal products....the list goes on.

Before you start thinkings 'haha, but that's only in Sweden', it's not. It's just that his research has been exclusively on the Swedish food market. A majority of the companies involved in creating the additives and substitions are from overseas (read: the US). It's really interesting because it's not just premade dinners or cheap microwave meals he covers; those are the already obvious cultures. No, he goes after the more basics 'raw' materials that we don't even think twice about.

Anyway, since I've started changing my diet recently, (more fruit and veg, fewer processed products, a lot more home cooking) this is definitely an interesting book for me! (Thanks to Erik who first mentioned it to me, even though his advice scared me shitless, haha.)

My initial reasons for eating more 'naturally' sadly had much more self-centred beginnings. No holy crusade against the food industry for me! (I've never been a fan of rabidly acting against things. I much prefer going positively in another direction (i.e. buying the good stuff instead of complaining about the bad stuff); you get the same results, but without all that angsty angry nonsense.) Nope, it was more about creating a healthier lifestyle partly because I was sick of being tired and listless, but also to help improve the condition of my skin. So far, so good!

Will keep you guys posted on useful tidbits regarding the 'food' industry's cheating ways once I get the book.

Until then, if you can read Swedish, check out Mats Eric's website Äkta Vara (named after the sequel book, which is an extensive guide over which food products are good, or at least better) and Peter Streijffert's page MatDuell. Peter is a journalist/cook who is taking on the ready made meals in a duel to prove that homemade is both cheaper, faster AND healthier than the prefabricated stuff Findus has to offer.

For the English speakers, Jamie Oliver has also covered this to an extent in his School Dinner Campaign, and the Food Standards Agency of the UK does frequent research in this area.


On a final note, the book Hemliga Kocken also includes a seasonal guide to fruit and veg in Sweden, something I've been looking for! Very happy about that as obviously seasonal veggies in the States will not be the same as over here. :)

How about you all? Do you try any of the organic, locally produced or seasonal foods? Do you often cook at home, or buy ready made meals and just reheat them? I'm curious to know, especially since I'm in the process of changing my dietary habits myself!

Grammar is important

as is spelling.

Finally someone tells it like it is to the Youtube commenters. :P



Very cleverly done, I thought. :)

Seems like...

longer than yesterday.

I really need some self discipline. I've hit a bit of a slump lately; I haven't been writing much, if anything, I haven't been studyign as much, and I haven't been creative, full stop. What's up, you wonder? I ask myself the same question. I think part of is that I've allowed the negative attitude of others seep slowly into my skin, slowly infiltrating my organs until I too, don't really give a toss about anything and have lost complete motivation. Blargh.

However, this week was...kind of a kick in the butt. There have been some changes at school, which... on a grand scale are not a big deal. Those of you who know me know what it was, and why it was such a big deal for me personally... even though it probably wouldn't phase a normal person. At all. :P

Otherwise, I would love to blog about changing seasons and Spring making its entrance... but sadly it's a bit delayed up here. It still looks like this:



I am currently eating a little bit of local, unrefined honey every day to help ward against any severe pollen allergy reactions that may come once the flowers stop blooming though. Will keep you posted if it works. Fingers crossed.

Will hopefully start updating more soon, got to get into the writing groove again!
Ja ne!

I'm in love!

I think I'm slightly in love with this man.

Now I adore Nabeatsu and his crazy counting ways... but how amazing is it that he went through all 2000 digits, not only with his characteristic stupid 3s and multiples thereof, but also adding a doggy version with numbers including 5 and their multiples!!!!

<3

Warzone

This past week has been a warzone in the surrounding villages of Strasbourg. Not because of strikes or the usual triggers, but because of fireworks. It gets really frustrating when they go off all the time, wherever you go. Grr.

It wouldn't bother me so greatly, except our dog (and I'm sure many other pets) gets terrified if she hears them, even at a great distance. The past two days have been so bad we've barely been able to drag her out of the house for her to do her business. Today, she wouldn't go past the lawn at the front of the house before she was trying to claw her way back again.

Again, it wouldn't bother me greatly, except the reason she became frightened in the first place is because a group of kids threw a firecracker towards her and my dad on a walk a few years ago. Though it wasn't meant to hit (and it didn't), it came close enough to scare her out of her wits then and still does every storm and every New Years since.

No soothing will calm her, and no room will shield her from the noise. Our normally stupidly brave puppy is a bag of nerves and it doesn't suit her.

Although she may have forgotten the event that triggered her fear in the first place, she remembers the sound well enough; associating it with thunder, gun shots and fireworks. She remembers, and reacts. We can't tell her not to worry, not to be frightened because it sits too deep. We can't help her at all. They say a gun shy dog is ruined for life. While this was initially related to hunting - because who would want a hunting dog that's going to run the other way when you've shot a duck, right? - I think it's equally valid in urban surroundings today.

So, I guess what I want to say is that if you're enjoying New Years somewhere, do it responsibly and for goodness' sake, don't take your pets' safety and well being lightly.



Well, that was a bit of a bummer entry to end the year on, but as it is I'm dogsitting while my parents are at a New Years party - one they wouldn't be able to attend if I wasn't at home. Personally I'm enjoying myself to be honest! Since I don't know anyone in town these days anyway, I'd much rather sit at home watching movies (Koizora and Grave of the Fireflies (live action version) - aren't I good and studious!) than babysit some brats running around at a party where I barely know the host. :P

Anyway!! Ending the year on such a dark note... I promise I'll start the year on a much lighter one!


Happy New Year!

Musings

Last week I returned from almost a week of pure foodie indulgence. Korean food (I can't wait to go back!), Thanksgiving dinner, tarte flambée (yummy Alsacian specialty) and more Thanksgiving dinner. Ergh. Too much, and yet...not enough.

As for the Japan Week even I attended, you'll find all the info in this article. I'm still drooling over that Heian reproduction, as impractical as it looks.

In other news, I've been accepted to the uni course I applied for, and starting January, I will be studying Japanese full time 'up north'. It's not really northern Sweden, but it's a very long country, and virtually anything above Stockholm is up north for me. It's kind of exciting to have a new start approaching for the new year!

I'm also in the process of starting my own business; or I would be, if the people I need to get in touch with weren't being such a pain. By that, I mean impossible to actually get in touch with. Grr. Not to worry though, as I've been using the time for market research instead. It does seem that there is a bit of a market for this, and at the very least something that I can work to get started on parallel to my studies.

Christmas is approaching, and though it's not so amazingly Christmassy sitting out in the country on my own, I managed to find some advent candelabras up in the attic which definitely helps the atmosphere a bit. I'll also be going back to France for the holidays, and given that Strasbourg is the Capital of Christmas, I'm sure I'll be practically pooping Christmas cheer by the end of the season. (>.<)
Here's hoping I won't, since that would be weird.

Ta-ta for now, laters!

Strasbourg, La Capitale de Noel

Yesterday was the unveiling of the Christmas lights here in Strasbourg. The event was accompanied by a 'spectacle', i.e. a bunch of people talking and/or singing and performing on stage. Which would have been nice, except it was damned cold!!! The event started at 6.30pm, and my mom and I had made our way to the city centre, fully expecting the lights to be turned on at that time. Oh, fools that we were. We stuck it out until around 7.05pm, when we realised the lights wouldn't be on before 7.30. So, we scarpered. It wasn't that the music was bad, but with the freezing cold, we just wanted to see the lights come on and then go to dinner.

Dinner, on the other hand, was FANTASTIC. We went to Kim's, a Korean place I've been to before. They didn't disappoint. Neither did I, apparently. The owner (?) was impressed by my Korean food knowledge and was very kind and chatty despite both parties' French not being perfect. Anyway, it was all delicious and I basically engulfed all I could, before washing it down with some gorgeous plum tea after the meal. (For the reference, Doubou kimchi is still one of my favourite dishes. Next time I got back, it'll be for my alltime favourite: kimchi tchigae (kimchi soup)). I'm drooling just thinking of it.

Anyway, I have some photo updates and stuff from Japan Week as well, so I'll add all that later, once I get home to Sweden. Have a good weekend, peeps!

Belated

I took this picture probably about a month or two ago... But I had no access to a card reader. (I can't seem to find the drivers for the one in my computer... maybe if I could search for it in Japanese it would help, since that's where I got the comp...blah!)

Anyway, managed to catch the dew on the plants one day, and this is what came out of it:




As for today, the lake behind the house is covered in ice!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess it is getting cold, after all.

Oops!

I guess it's been a while... and I've still not fixed my blog layout. I guess I'm just too lazy to try to figure all this out. That, and a friend and I have started a new project: Nandeyanen!

We thought it would be fun to blog various bits about our Japan interests and experiences from two points of view - one still in Japan, the other gone, but with a drive to return at some point. That's where I'll be putting most of my general J-searches, knowledge, musings etc from here on, so this will have a more focused, personalised flavour again. Maybe. I don't often stick to stuff, so we'll see! Either way, it'll be a fun project. :)

The other night I was watching TV at crazy o'clock (couldn't sleep because of the crazy moonlight! My car had a shadow! In the middle of the night!) and found a really interesting interview with 'new' Swedish model-turned-designer, Karin Säby. Of course the first thing I noticed was how gorgeous she was! Take a look for yourselves:


She does a lot (or all?) of the photo shoots for her designs herself. Now that has to be the ultimate way of selling your stuff, eh? First of all it's cheaper than hiring other models, plus you know the job'll be done right (yay for control freaks!), but most of all, I think seeing someone wear their own designs is one of the ultimate forms of marketing a clothing item. If you won't wear it, why should anyone else, right?

Anyway, I was stunned by her designs. Classic, gorgeous...WANT!!! Her jackets and coats are especially beautiful... I love the look of the trussed up bits at the back, or pleats... I can tell you I'm drooling right now!

I wasn't just stunned by her designs though, but also how she was during the interview. Maybe I was just transferring my feelings, but the way she dealt with the interviewer felt very natural and honest. She got a little bit teary-eyed at one point, and I can only speculate on whether it was the reference to the difficulty with initially being taken seriously as a designer after a modelling career, or something else... but my heart went out to her.

Fabulous woman, fabulous designs! Check them out here. And keep your fingers crossed for her impending international fame! I should probably get one of those coats before they become impossible to find due to increasing demand...