Samouraï Sauce

"Samouraï" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/110 sec, ISO6400
“Samouraï” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight I had to “fend for myself” for dinner, so I did what I often do which is head on over to In-N-Out burger for a cheeseburger and fries. But this time, instead of ketchup, I tried some Samouraï (Samurai) Sauce that Mariko brought back from Belgium. I had never had this before, but apparently, it’s the condiment of choice for fries over there. I enjoyed it! It’s a little rich (mayonnaise, ketchup, and hot pepper) so you have to use it sparingly. You know, I think it’s actually a lot like the spread that In-N-Out uses on their burgers so maybe there was too much of that taste in the overall dinner. Do I like it more than ketchup? Not sure, but it’s definitely worth a try!

I hope you had a nice day.

またね~

Indonesian Dinner and Percussion Concert

"Indonesian Take-out" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO1600
“Indonesian Take-out” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight we stopped by Twin Panda restaurant and picked up some Indonesian food for dinner. I’ve only had Indonesian food a few times before but enjoyed it every time. Even the one time we went to an Indonesian restaurant in Akasaka and the food was too spicy to eat!

Anyways, the dinner was delicious (I am not sure what the names of the dishes were) and it was fun to chat with the owner (I think he was the owner) about Indonesia and Japan, where he recently visited. He recommends we come back on Sunday and ask for the special Indonesian dish, which changes every weekend. I can’t wait!

Later on, we went to the high school to listen to the percussion ensemble of which Koa is a part of. It is a preview concert of the music they will perform next month in November as part of the PASIC program. They sounded awesome!

"Percussion Ensemble" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 34.3mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250
“Percussion Ensemble” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a nice day!

またね~

Car Maintenance, Voting, and Fried Rice

”Orange Subie" Georgetown, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4.5, 1/35 sec, ISO800
”Orange Subie” Georgetown, 2018

こんばんは。Howzit?

Today I took my Subaru Crosstrek in for its 12,000-mile service. You know what? I love my Subaru and the dealership treats me so well. My whole experience there has been excellent. Today’s maintenance was performed in about half an hour, which was so quick that I barely got started working before I had to close my laptop and head home. But the Subaru experience and brand matches my personality nicely. With the other cars that we’ve owned (Toyota, Honda, and Nissan), I’ve never felt anything special about them. But Subaru is different… I guess that is the power of customer service and brand. Plus the quirkiness of Subaru is cool. 🤣 I like it!

They had a couple more Crosstreks on the lot today, including this metallic blue one:

"Red and Blue" Georgetown, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4.5, 1/125 sec, ISO320
“Red and Blue” Georgetown, 2018

This is the color I originally wanted, but when I saw the “Cool Gray Khaki” color, I just had to have it! I haven’t regretted my decision once. But look at that red WRX STI next to the blue Crosstrek. That is one sexy car! I’d love to take one out for a spin. I bet it’s fun, but can it compare to a motorbike? Probably just a different experience I suppose. Vroom!

Later in the afternoon, I went to my local library to vote. I was so surprised to see how long the line was! It’s not even election day, and not the first day of early voting, and yet it was the longest line I’ve ever seen – even more than a presidential election! The line went pretty quickly, and I got my vote in, received the sticker, and headed back home and back to work.

"Early Voting" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/45 sec, ISO800
“Early Voting” Cedar Park, 2018

And finally, dinner! Mariko prepared some fried rice for us before heading to work, so we feasted on that and some wontons that I steamed/fried like we do our gyoza. To kick it up a few notches, I diced some Scotch Bonnet peppers that my mom gave me. These peppers are soooo hot that I made sure to wear gloves while dicing them. But they did add a really nice fire to my meal.

Another yummy dinner. 😌

"Dinner" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/8 sec, ISO800
“Dinner” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a nice Wednesday!

またね~

Fresh Eggs and すき焼き

"Fresh Eggs" Austin, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO640
“Fresh Eggs” Austin, 2018

こんばんは。

I’m so lucky that I have a coworker who has chickens and is kind enough to share eggs with us. Fresh eggs are so delicious! They really are so much better than store-bought. And just look at how pretty they are!

This evening, we had sukiyaki (すき焼き). Especially on a chilly night like tonight, it is great to sit around the table with a big pot of sukiyaki bubbling away. Plus the bonus of fresh eggs for dipping made it just about perfect. 😌

"すき焼き" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO3200
“すき焼き” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a nice day!

またね~