Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/125 sec, ISO5000 “Temaki Dinner” Cedar Park, 2019
As the year comes to a close, a foodie’s last dinner should have some significance. Well, for us there isn’t any special meaning behind it, but we do want it to be something yummy! So, in her infinite wisdom, Mariko ordered a Temaki set from Uroko and it was awesome! We totally destroyed it. All the fish was delicious, and the sushi rice was perfect. Making sushi at home is a great experience and one I wish we could have more often. What a wonderful way to close out the year!
At Daiso I found the camping section, which had a few interesting items. Most were more suited for car-camping, but there were a few that might be good for backpackers (lightweight is important). As I’ve researched lightweight gear, there are a few items that are popular with backpackers that don’t cost a fortune. Smartwater bottles are a good examples of that. But I think Daiso might hold some undiscovered gems as well.
One such item just might be their portable cushion. It’s a similar idea to the Therm-a-Rest Z-Seat pad, but at US $1.50, is a tenth of the cost. And it weighs less than an ounce! Anyway, we’ll see how it works out on the next camping trip.
I also bought the pictured aluminum sheet, which is also very lightweight but might be helpful as another layer of insulation under the sleeping bag/pad. Lastly, I bought an aluminum stove shield which is commonly used in Japanese kitchens to keep the area clean from splattering, but I think I can cut it down to make a nice wind shield for the camp stove. Again, US $1.50 for each of these items is a steal and definitely worth trying out.
I could spend a couple hours in Daiso, and wish there was one in Austin. But I’ll enjoy keeping it a destination when we visit my hometown each December.
One of our holiday traditions that we all look forward to is my mom’s huge Jamaican food feast. We usually have it as a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner, but this year we delayed it a bit since my brother’s family joined us after. But of course the food was awesome! Here’s a list of some of the items on the menu:
Jerk Pork
Jerk Chicken
Oxtail
Crab run-down
Plantain
Rice and Peas
Stew Peas
Fricassee Chicken
Callaloo
Patties
Scotch Bonnet Peppers
Yes, we were stuffed! I’m certainly “bulking up” on the calories this vacation. 😆
We thought it would be cool to take Koa to listen to some live jazz so we visited the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood to see the Frank Vardaros Jazz Orchestra perform. It was a really great time, and the musicians were fantastic. After the show, Koa said that it was awesome. I’m so glad he enjoyed himself!
