Tag: food

Morning Work and Afternoon Eats

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/60 sec, ISO320
 “Chestnut French Toast” Tatsuno, 2026

While I’m in Japan, my work hours are 5 am to 2 pm, which means I have a nice 3-hour overlap with the team in Austin each day. ⏰ Usually it’s super busy when I start because people have been sending me work during their day. When I log in, it’s 2 pm for the Texas team (they’re a day behind me) and for those couple of hours, I’m responding to emails, Slack messages, and hopping on calls. It’s kind of intense! But from about 8 am onwards, it gets very quiet and I get a ton of work done. I think I like it! 💻✨

This schedule also means I have my afternoons free to do as I please. Today, Mariko and I went to Kurisu Chestunut café to get some dessert. She got a strawberry parfait, while I enjoyed a marron (chestnut) and cream French toast. It was yummy! 🍓🌰

After that we took care of errands before getting dinner at Matsu-ya, a fast-food gyu-don (beef bowl) restaurant. It was just okay. Very salty. 🍚 We probably won’t be returning, but it’s good to try out the options in town!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/120 sec, ISO64
 “Soup and Gyudon” Tatsuno, 2026

Party at the New House

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/120 sec, ISO200
 “Party Food” Tatsuno, 2026

Tonight we hosted our very first party in the new house, and it could not have been a better mix of people. Our new town continues to surprise me in the best way. We had a craft beer brewer, a shrine priest, a landscape artist, a restaurant owner, a university professor, and a café and gallery owner all under one roof. Talk about an interesting dinner table 🍻

I made carnitas tacos, complete with fixings I hauled over from Texas like precious cargo. Totally worth it. Our guests showed up with an incredible spread of sashimi, sushi, okonomiyaki, yakisoba, tamagoyaki, plus plenty of beer and saké. It turned into the most delicious cultural mashup feast you can imagine 🌮🍣

What a beautiful first party in our new home. So happy! 🏡✨

Dry January

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/120 sec, ISO200
 “Lonely Saké” Cedar Park, 2026

This year I gave Dry January a try and made it through the entire month without drinking alcohol. Well, almost. On New Year’s Day I had a tiny sip of saké with our traditional Japanese osechi meal, and I also tasted a cocktail my son had made. But those barely count, right?

I’m not a big drinker to begin with, so getting to the end of the month wasn’t difficult. What I was really curious about was whether cutting out alcohol would have any effect on my eczema. The verdict? Hard to say. Maybe it’s a little better, but it’s definitely not gone. Still, it was an interesting experiment.

The best part is that I finished Dry January without any cravings at all, which feels like a small win. And now… that lonely little bottle of saké in the fridge is calling my name.

Burger Nite

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/40 sec, ISO200
 “Mariko’s Burger” Cedar Park, 2026

Mariko and Bay are heading off to Japan for a long visit, and before they left, Bay made one important request. Burgers. Happy to oblige! I thought I did a pretty solid job with mine, as pictured below, but let’s be honest. Mariko’s burger assembly skills are on another level.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/40 sec, ISO200
 “My Burger” Cedar Park, 2026