Roasted and Salted Nuts

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/25 sec, ISO1600
“Roasted and Salted” Cedar Park, 2020

We’ve been enjoying eating raw almonds and pecans lately, but sometimes I get the craving for roasted and salted nuts, so I’ll roast a small batch in our toaster oven. Basically, I put the nuts in a bowl, sprinkle with a little olive oil (not too much) and a few generous pinches of salt, then mix it so the nuts are coated before putting them on a baking sheet. Roast at 350° F for 7 minutes, then cool for at least 10 minutes. After that, they’re ready to enjoy! 😀

One recipe I followed had the nuts roasting for 12 minutes, but that was way too long for our oven. So, just play with the timing until you get them dialed in to exactly how you like them. And always make sure to let them cool, because the oils in the nuts get very hot, and if they are not cooled down enough, they’ll be too soft for that satisfying crunch.

Life (1982) – Book Review

Yu Lao’s Life is the story of Gao Jialin, a young man in his 20s who recently lost his job as a teacher and has to move back to his rural village and peasant life. From there, the story explores the relationship with his elders, his romantic relationship with the peasant girl Qiaozheng, and the city girl Yaping. Although he makes some big decisions that affect his personal life, Jialin’s (and everyone else) fortunes and future are greatly dependent on the government of 1980 China and the bureaucracies it creates. This social structure combined with family connections can give you advantages and also take them away, as we witness as the story plays out. Jialin deals with conflicting motivations and pressures that shift with his job situation, which take him between rural and city settings, and also between the groups of people who live in each.

Some things about the characters that resonated with me (SPOILER ALERT in the bullets):

  • Jialin’s spirit and talent even in the face of challenges. His conflicted feelings towards Qiaozhen versus Yaping were palpable, and the ultimate decision he made was certainly understandable, even if the results are somewhat heartbreaking.
  • Qioazhen’s pure heart and devotion. Even though she knows the limits that her illiteracy places on her, she takes the chance to spend her life with Jialin. I found Qiaozhen the most interesting and admirable person in Life.
  • Yaping’s prudent and opportunistic nature. She realizes her love for Jialin, and how he fits in with her future life. However, when situations change, she’s not afraid to re-evaluate.

I watched the movie version of Life / 人生 (1984) right after finishing the book, and believe that it’s best viewed as a support for the book. As a stand-alone movie, I don’t think it’s very good because events just seem to happen one after another, but you won’t know the motivations or the relationships between the people. It’s a classic case of the book having much more detail and insight than the movie. However, for me, the film added welcomed color to the book. As someone not familiar with the setting, it was great to see what the village looked like, as well as the city and the people. Lao describes the clothing they work, like the Dacron pants or patterns on Qiaozhen’s shirts and voila – there they are on the screen! Not only that, but the dialog in the movie was pretty much exactly like the book (the translations, at least). The scenes were like little visual depictions of the book’s chapters. I thought it was very helpful!

“Qiaozhen and Jialin”

I give the book my rating of 8.5, and the movie a rating of 7.

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Deck Lighting

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO320
“Friday Mood” Cedar Park, 2020

A few weeks ago, we strung up some lights for our deck patio. It creates a relaxing ambiance as the sun goes down. And as an added bonus, the birds love them! In fact, I’ve noticed that the smaller birds, such as the Carolina Wrens and Black-Crested Titmouse come by quite often in pairs, while the larger Bluejays don’t. I prefer this situation because the smaller birds have nicer songs and they tend to make less of a mess. 😀

Japanese Curry

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1600
“Japanese Curry” Cedar Park, 2020

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight was curry nite at the Fujimoto house! When Mariko mentions in the morning that we’re having curry, I look forward to it all day – that’s how much I love the dish. And I’m sure she gets tired of me saying, “It’s curry nite!” several times during the day. 😀 But hey, curry is something to celebrate!

This time, the curry had sliced pork in it, which was delicious. A month or so ago I thinly sliced a large piece of pork using our meat slicer. It takes a while to slice a large piece of meat and requires a small amount of elbow grease, but it’s much cheaper than buying pre-sliced pork from H-Mart. We portion out the sliced pork into 200-gram stacks, then freeze for later use. It’s a nice system!

I hope you had a nice, relaxing day.

またね~