What is in your cup?

[ProfCrash]

hmmm it is lunch time but my late snack at McDonalds (2 sausage biscuits) has me pretty full.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by VeggieCat

Currently drinking wine that came from a box. At nine in the morning. But it's okay, because I work night shift so this is technically my bedtime.

Yup, spent more than 20 years working graveyard shift. Actually, it was always my favourite. Days off were great, I'd stay on the same schedule, of course, and have all night in peace and quiet.

The big thing for me was to treat it exactly like Day Shift. I'd get up, have breakfast, and go to work. Get off work, hit the gym, do my daily shopping/whatever, and then come home and cook dinner. I'd stay up a while after dinner, reading or watching TV (this was before the days of TiVo, so the choices were extremely limited. ) Then, about noon or so, I'd go to bed and sleep until it was time to get up and start the cycle over.

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

hmmm it is lunch time but my late snack at McDonalds (2 sausage biscuits) has me pretty full.

Boo, hiss. Truly, you need to read The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollen. It has made it almost impossible for me to eat at MickeyD's. I'd be happy to lend you my copy, except that I have no idea how to do so from the Amazon site. (I obviously have it with DRM removed, but that's a completely different topic.)

Mr. Pollen follows the complete history and total costs of four meals. A fast food meal, a commercial Organic meal, a local/small sustainable farm meal, and a hunter/gatherer meal. Besides being fairly eye-openning, it also is well written and entertaining. I highly recommend the book for anyone who cares about the food they eat.

In my cup: Peet's Major Dickason's

[ProfCrash]

I don't eat there all that often but I love the sausage biscuit and allow myself to have them every once in a while as a treat.

[CRussel]

Oh, I understand treats. And even the necessity of the occasional fast food meal. But sausage biscuits are so very easy to do completely from scratch, with known good ingredients. To put it within your terms of reference -- the MickeyD version is to a real version as no-name tea bags are to tea.

[Stitchawl]

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
To call Alice, when she was just small

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6QiM...eature=related )

Remember... what door mouse said...

Good morning, all! Yorkshire tea in my mug, lot's of it today... late night last night... pouring over topographic maps of Honshu with my wife, planing out the best routes.

Originally Posted by CRussel

Scotch broom is a major problem here. Some idiot imported it, and now we can't get rid of it.

Call a hippie.

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

hmmm it is lunch time but my late snack at McDonalds (2 sausage biscuits) has me pretty full.

I crave McD's sausage muffins (not biscuits) For the longest time the McD's in Japan didn't offer them and the only times I could eat them was when traveling to other countries. But then usually my first stop would be Singapore, (air line hub) and there the McD's sausage is made from chicken because of the high percentage of Muslims in the country, so I'd have to wait until I got to my next destination!

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I don't eat there all that often but I love the sausage biscuit and allow myself to have them every once in a while as a treat.

When I go to the US, sausage McMuffin is my usual breakfast. I don't particularly care for 'typical' American breakfasts; i.e. eggs, pancakes, cereal, etc., and I DO love Sausage McMuffin! Here in Japan I only eat them when we are bike touring around the country. It's the only time we are away from home around breakfast time.

Originally Posted by CRussel

Oh, I understand treats. And even the necessity of the occasional fast food meal. But sausage biscuits are so very easy to do completely from scratch, with known good ingredients.

Very true, but then, it wouldn't 'taste' like McD's Sausage McMuffins or Sausage Biscuits. When I eat, especially 'treats.' I'm not thinking 'healthy' or 'quality' the way I do when I cook at home. I'm looking for a specific flavor that can only be found in a specific dish served within the ambiance of that food's origin. I don't eat Sausage McMuffin as a take-away. It doesn't taste the same.

Now... more Yorkshire tea... and I'm really thinking about getting dressed and going to McD's for....

Stitchawl

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

When I go to the US, sausage McMuffin is my usual breakfast. I don't particularly care for 'typical' American breakfasts; i.e. eggs, pancakes, cereal, etc., and I DO love Sausage McMuffin! Here in Japan I only eat them when we are bike touring around the country. It's the only time we are away from home around breakfast time.
Stitchawl

What is the typical Japanese breakfast?

[maianhvk]

You do have wonderful children, KK. Congrats on that!

Passion fruit juice (and seeds) in my glass. It's madly sour, but adding a dozen of spoons of sugar and we're good to go.

[Stitchawl]

Time for my afternoon tea! Today, some East India Company's "Assam," brewed then poured over ice!

Originally Posted by VydorScope

What is the typical Japanese breakfast?

Quite typical; a bowl of miso soup, a bowl of rice, some tsukemono (the Japanese idea of pickles, usually made from cucumber, daikon, or cabage, and a piece of smoked fish, and often something left over from last night's dinner such as a piece or two of raw fish, and green tea. All this is a 'standard' breakfast.

For variety, add a boiled, fried, or raw egg, a square of tofu, perhaps some natto (fermented soy beans.)

In the photo, the plate in the left back corner has the pickles, the little white square bowl is natto, and the green/black package beside the chopsticks is seaweed. Give all this to my wife and she'll love you forever!

Give me warm croissants, Brie, smoked bacon, bagels with cream cheese, Sausage McMuffin, or humus, olives, and pita bread. What the heck am I doing in Japan?!?


Stitchawl

[orlok]

I'm definitely with you on the Sausage McMuffin - I only manage to get one once every couple of months or worse, but there's nothing quite like it with a hash brown and an early morning coffee or orange juice.

As for the Japanese breakfast - not sure I could move for the rest of the morning after that lot...

First cup of Rooibos in my mug.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by orlok

As for the Japanese breakfast - not sure I could move for the rest of the morning after that lot...

First cup of Rooibos in my mug.

You should see a traditional New England Breakfast! They are bigger then some peoples thanksgiving dinners.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Time for my afternoon tea! Today, some East India Company's "Assam," brewed then poured over ice!



Quite typical; a bowl of miso soup, a bowl of rice, some tsukemono (the Japanese idea of pickles, usually made from cucumber, daikon, or cabage, and a piece of smoked fish, and often something left over from last night's dinner such as a piece or two of raw fish, and green tea. All this is a 'standard' breakfast.

For variety, add a boiled, fried, or raw egg, a square of tofu, perhaps some natto (fermented soy beans.)

In the photo, the plate in the left back corner has the pickles, the little white square bowl is natto, and the green/black package beside the chopsticks is seaweed. Give all this to my wife and she'll love you forever!

Give me warm croissants, Brie, smoked bacon, bagels with cream cheese, Sausage McMuffin, or humus, olives, and pita bread. What the heck am I doing in Japan?!?


Stitchawl

That picture has everything sorted... do you mix the rice with anything when you eat it? Do people really still use chop sticks in Japan? I though that was a goofy American Tourist thing.

Coffee in the cup!

[Latinandgreek]

Earl Grey tea, no sugar and a splash of milk. I've gone back to sugarless tea.

[Stitchawl]

Big mug of afterdinner unbranded Keemun tea...

Originally Posted by orlok

As for the Japanese breakfast - not sure I could move for the rest of the morning after that lot...

In fact, you'd be starved... The bowl of rice is typically smaller than a teacup. The piece of fish is about the size of a McD's hashbrown. The bowl of soup IS the size of a teacup. The tsukemono (pickles) are roughly 3-4 slices of hamburger dill chip pickles.... I scandalized my Japanese family by putting my rice in a larger bowl (size of an extra large mug) during my first visit. It simply isn't done! Rice is eaten from rice bowls. Period. Fortunately they are a very loving group and forgive me my insanity. They even went out and bought Twining's 'Prince of Wales' tea for me to drink while I'm there so I don't have to bring my own. (My SIL called my wife to ask what she should buy.)

Originally Posted by VydorScope

You should see a traditional New England Breakfast! They are bigger then some peoples thanksgiving dinners.

I lived in Vermont for 25 years... Give me fresh scones loaded with Cabot butter!!

Originally Posted by VydorScope

That picture has everything sorted... do you mix the rice with anything when you eat it?

While a lot of older books still insist that the Japanese NEVER mix anything with their rice, the truth is that they mix all sorts of stuff in, especially at breakfast time. The most common is called 'Furikake' and is a mix of salt, seaweed, sesame seeds, dried tuna flakes, etc., etc. that is sprinkled onto the rice and mixed in. There are dozens of different 'flavors' sold in the supermarkets. Here are some of them.

It's also VERY common to mix in a raw egg, sliced egg, or crumbled seaweed. I doubt any Japanese child eats 'plain' rice at breakfast time. My wife would be happy to mix a raw egg into her rice anytime! Even the idea makes me gag...

Do people really still use chop sticks in Japan? I though that was a goofy American Tourist thing.

Nope. People really still use chopsticks ALL the time, and if you want a fork, you usually have to ask for one... if they actually have one! Larger restaurants will have silverware available, but few people will use it. If you buy a prepared meal (bento) at the 7-Eleven, you are given disposable chopsticks as a matter of course.

Chopsticks are the 'go to' eating utensils in Japan and China, as well as found on the table available all over Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The last three will use spoons/chopsticks 50-50, but Japan is 99-2. Those two times, where the Japanese will use spoons, are a dish called Curryrice and a dish that is actually a Chinese item very popular in Japan called Mapwo tofu. For all other Japanese foods, including noodles, meats, fish, veggies.... chopsticks. Ramen noodles? Chopsticks! Garden salad? Chopsticks! The Singaporeans usually eat noodles with chopsticks in one hand and a large spoon in the other. They pick up the noodles with the chopsticks and load them into the bowl of the spoon, then put the spoon in their mouths!

Silverware is usually used for western dishes served in restaurants, (spaghetti is eaten with a fork...) though chopsticks will still be on the table.

... which now brings me to.... a glass of rum and a movie!


Stitchawl

[orlok]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

In fact, you'd be starved...

They look much bigger than that in the picture. Certainly beats jam on toast, which is what I had this morning...

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

... which now brings me to.... a glass of rum and a movie!

Speaking of which, I've finally managed to get hold of Billy Jack in a Region 2 version so I can watch it on my DVD player. Hope to get to it this weekend. .

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by orlok

Speaking of which, I've finally managed to get hold of Billy Jack in a Region 2 version so I can watch it on my DVD player. Hope to get to it this weekend. .

Keep in mind that this is NOT academy award winning stuff... It's 'camp.' Think of the words to the music... 'One Tin Soldier.'

And now... I've seen my show, drank my glass empty, and will trundle (I like that word) off to bed... er... floor.


Stitchawl