Things I've Purchased: Panda Donabe

When I first started perusing the kitchen supplies in local stores I immediately noticed an odd stone bowl with a lid like an upside down funnel.  They were everywhere, in all colors and styles and I didn't have the foggiest clue what to do with them.

I have since learned that they are donabes and at Thanksgiving someone explained to me how to use them.  Basically you put a little water in them with some meat and vegetables of your choice and put it on the stove top covered.  It steams the food.

With all this new information I decided it was time to give in and buy one.....my decision may also have been influenced by the adorableness of this particular brand, also available in a cat, a bunny, a fox and a brown bear:

it's hard to see from this angle, but the nose sticks up in a dome shape

But I still had to come up with what to cook in it.  Chad and I are both a tiny bit picky about food, especially vegetables.  My donabe came with a little recipe book with pictures but everything in it looked like most Japanese food, i.e. cabbage-y seaweed and fish.  Blech.

But then I had a moment of inspiration....meat and vegetables....steamed....that sounds to me like.....a low-country boil!

how's that for fusion?

It worked out just fine, but I had to make up my own seasoning with wasn't quite up to snuff.  If I can acquire some Old Bay I think it will be a hit.  I'm also open to suggestions as to what else to cook in it.  ;)

Happy Turkey Day!

Chad has been on a business trip in China this week and ended up flying back on Thanksgiving.  Fortunately, I received a kind invitation from some fellow American expats to enjoy a real American Thanksgiving with them.  They invited a few of their new Japanese friends as well and we made a night of it.   Considering where we find ourselves this year, I was very thankful to find myself surrounded by friends and American food.

FYI, the only way you can get a turkey here is to order it --- and it will be imported.  Turkey isn't a popular meat here at all, although I can get tiny packs of sliced turkey sandwich meat at the supermarket.  Cranberry sauce has to be ordered as well, and it must be done far advance as it will sell out.  I actually saw a box of StoveTop stuffing in the imported food store in the mall and you can order it as well.  Pumpkin, pecans and green beans are hard to come across here but potatos, corn and other vegetables are plentiful.  I contributed an apple pie to the festivities and made it from scratch (got a tub of shortening at the imported food store) as I didn't think there was any hope of finding a pre-made crust.  I was wrong though, during dinner I learned that you can get pre-made crusts here--the packaging is just a little different.  So it's a little harder to do Thanksgiving properly here but certainly not impossible.

And Chad made it home in time for us to see a little bit of the Macy's parade---at 11pm.  ;)

Neighborhood Shrines/Temples, Part I

Today is another national public holiday here, Labor Thanksgiving Day.  As the name would indicate, it is kind of a combination of Labor Day and Thanksgiving.  Minus the turkey and Pilgrims.  I was advised to stay away from the mall today so it appears as if shopping is again a popular way to celebrate, although I hear there are some festivals here and there.   Everyone is supposed to give thanks to one another and think about peace and productivity and so on....

Anyway, a long time ago it was just a harvest festival which leads me to the shrine part of the post.  A few days ago I was looking at our neighborhood on GoogleMaps.  I noticed that the mysterious Shinto shrine a block over from our house was actually on the map.  With a name and everything.   If you recall, Chad and I found it the first week we were here but at the time we just gaped at it cluelessly.  I photographed it, sketched it once and then forgot about it.

Japanese roof tiles are fun to draw

Before I continue, if you want to know more about Shinto, go here and read about the shrines, which I think is more interesting than the page about the religion in general.  In a tiny nutshell, it's heavy on nature worship and not big on proselytizing. 

At any rate, finding this shrine on the map inspired me to visit it again.  And after much mental exertion I managed to translate the name of it ( 賀茂神社), to roughly kamo jinja or rather "celebrate thick growth shrine".  Thus, I believe it to be dedicated to praying for, and celebrating, plentiful harvests.  For the record, I haven't ever seen anyone at this shrine and it looks a little unloved.  There is litter around and it's in need of some repair. 

it says the name of the shrine.....more or less

I think this is an empty temizuya, typically full of
water to clean your mouth and hands before entering.
and I think those are tourou, or stone lanterns, behind it

massha/sessha (extra mini-shrines) off to the side--
also notice the picturesque laundry in the background.

this warehouse looking building off to the side
doesn't look like part of it but this says (roughly)
"shrine duties place" so perhaps it is the admin. offices

I think this is a komainu (lion-dog shrine guardian)
on the roof although usually they are on the ground
by the entrance. 

this is the main building.  above the door is the name of the shrine again.  I
tried translating some of the green banners but my brain locked down before
I could make much of it out.

Oh, and I named this post "part I" because I intend to eventually explore a few others that I've discovered within bicycling distance of our house. ;)