Tag: food

Black and White

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"Mouthful of Sushi" Carrollton, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Mouthful of Sushi” Carrollton, 2016

こんばんは！Hi, how’s it going?

So, today’s photo is one I took a couple Sundays ago when we went to Kula Sushi 🍣 in Carrollton (a suburb of Dallas). I was going through my RSS feed and came across an excellent post about black and white conversion in Lightroom and I thought I’d give it a try.

Usually I will rely on my crutch, Nik Silver FX, but I edited the above photo entirely in Lightroom mainly using the color sliders in the B&W adjustment panel. Many people think that black and white conversion is just selecting “desaturate” or “grayscale” in Photoshop, but there is so much more than that (if you want to delve into it). I’m no expert, but it’s fun to see what the different color sliders will do in a black and white image, and I enjoy learning.

Another thing about the photo is that for the past year I have been making a photo every day, and posting that photo. But today I decided I would just post this older photo. Honestly, the four photos I took today were of my phone, a couple slices of pizza, and a receipt. Not the most interesting (to me) nor the nicest to look at.

But I’m fine with posting an older photo. It’s not the end of the world, is it? Anyways, I really like the image above, and wanted to share it. 😄

I hope you had a nice Monday!

おやすみなさい！

– バロン Barron Fujimoto

Catching a Ballgame

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"Kids at the Game" Arlington, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/1250 sec, ISO200
 “Kids at the Game” Arlington, 2016

こんばんは！

Today we drove up to watch the Texas Rangers play the Oakland A’s in Arlington. It’s a bit of a drive to get up there from Austin but it was fun because all six of us (my family plus our friends Matt and Kumiko) drove up in my mini-van. 🚐

The weather was blazing at the park ☀, and the seats that I had bought were in full sun… it was way too hot and we only sat there for an inning before relocating to a shadier part of the park. In fact, the women didn’t even venture down to the seats in the sun! I don’t blame them. 😩

Must remember to only buy covered seats for the day games!

"Spectators" Arlington, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/640 sec, ISO800
 “Spectators” Arlington, 2016

We then found some other seats in the shade, and watched the rest of the ballgame. Too bad the Rangers lost, but it was still fun!

After the game, it was time to head over to Kula Sushi for dinner. That was a great experience! Kula Sushi is a kaiten-zushi, or conveyor belt serving style. But Kula takes it even further, because you can order anything on the menu via a tablet, and it will be prepared and sent to the table via another conveyor belt which is above the main belt. It’s very hi-tech! Loved it!

"Sushi Time" Carrollton, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/90 sec, ISO3200
 “Sushi Time” Carrollton, 2016

Anyways, that is all for today. It was a long drive back home, and now it’s late. In fact, I need to cheat a little and set the posting time an hour back so that I can have a Sunday post. 😜

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Texas Wine Tasting

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"Round 2" Austin, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Round 2” Austin, 2016

こんばんは！How’s it going?

This evening my wife and I went to a two-hour “Texas Wine Talk & Tasting” by Texas Wine Journal held at Whole Foods. It was all about Texas wines, and we learned a lot about the different regions in Texas, the history of Texas wine, and how Texas wine saved the European wine industry. It was very interesting!

"Wine Class" Austin, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/25 sec, ISO3200
 “Wine Class” Austin, 2016

And of course we sampled 8 different wines and were treated to talks by two Texas wineries – Llano Estacado Winery and Brennan Vineyards. Interesting, educational, and fun. Plus the wine! 🍷

I enjoyed it quite a bit. 😄

"Yummy" Austin, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/150 sec, ISO400
 “Yummy” Austin, 2016

After the tasting, Mariko and I visited the “Draft Shack Oyster Bar” inside the market and had a flight of beers and some oysters and jerk-chicken. It was a perfect meal after the wine-tasting.

"Oysters and Beer" Austin, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/55 sec, ISO3200
 “Oysters and Beer” Austin, 2016

A fantastic Friday evening, and now it’s time for the weekend!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

First Dish – Spaghetti with Meatballs

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"Spaghetti Time" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1000
 “Spaghetti Time” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！How’s it going?

Here in Texas it’s still very warm out. Today reached a high of 90° F (32° C) so it still feels like summer. But it’s a perfect temperature for me! I love it. 🌞

This afternoon my fifteen-year-old son Bay prepared his first meal for the family! It’s a simple but delicious spaghetti recipe that we’ve had in the family for years so it was a perfect introduction to cooking. 🍝 He’ll be going off to college in a couple of years so we thought it would be good for him to get some experience in the kitchen.

"Making Meatballs" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Making Meatballs” Cedar Park, 2016

I helped Bay dice the onions and garlic, then saute those in olive oil. He measured out all the spices and opened all the cans of tomatoes. The recipe calls for meatballs, so he ground the beef in the Kitchen Aid grinder using a 2 lb. cut of chuck roast, then combined with all the other ingredients and formed the meatballs. Next, he browned them in the skillet and added them to the sauce.

He also cooked some hot Italian sausages and added those to the sauce. Part of making the recipe his own was slicing the sausages in a different way, and making the meatballs a smaller size than I usually do. There were a couple other “safe” deviations from the standard recipe, for instance, adding more egg to the meatballs, going without breadcrumbs, etc. It was a chance for Bay to make this spaghetti his own.

Lastly, he boiled the water, cooked, and drained the noodles. Then it was time to eat! 🍴

"Spaghetti Dinner" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/75 sec, ISO3200
 “Spaghetti Dinner” Cedar Park, 2016

I was pleased that Bay wanted to cook and was enthusiastic throughout the entire process, And Koa (his 12-year-old brother) said that the spaghetti was delicious. I think that made Bay feel pretty good! 😄

This dish is a perfect one for him to know because it is easy and delicious, plus it would be easy to adjust the amount depending on how many people will be eating.

Bay’s first meal was a huge success and I’m confident that my mom’s spaghetti recipe will be passed on to the next generation. 😊

Hope you had a nice weekend!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto