Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are enjoying opening presents, sipping steaming mugs of hot cocoa, and spending time with family and friends! Okay, well that's all....So hope everybody's enjoying their breaks and Christmas day!

Japan: Day 6-14

Just one more post about Japan and then I'll be back to posting more CCC recipes! 

So for about a week or so I stayed with my first host family (I had two). They were amazing, and so much fun! Not only was their (very very) large house very inviting, but I had 5 siblings. 5! Amazing in Japan! While I was staying with them I attended Keio High School. It was a lot of fun, and I made so many new friends! My first night there, I went to an omatsuri or festival with my host sister. I even got to borrow one of their yukatas (summer version of a kimono).

See that gate behind us? Well that's actually her house! Yes, really, I'm not kidding. That's her gate for her house! At the festival there were so many people, and so many things to do! We played some games, like catching fish with a paper net (yes, it's do-able. I caught three :) ) or using rubber band guns to shoot down objects you want as your prize (no, I was not good at this...) Oh, and there was dancing!

I remember doing the same exact dance when I was little for Japanese class. I was really, really bad..and I still am! But it was a lot of fun, and I even tried a new candy. It's called mizu ame. Literally water candy. It was weird. The lady making it had huge pans of colored gel looking stuff, and she'd take a piece of fruit on a stick and roll it in the goo, slathering it using some sort of knife. Then she'd lay it on I think a block of ice with dents for the candy. It was really weird..but tasty! It melted the longer you held it, but it was definitely a strange thing. It tasted like sweet goo. Can you imagine that? Sorry I'm not the best describer. Have a picture instead!

My host family had the coolest fish tank. They had like 5 nemos (clown fish), a couple starfish, tons of blue fish, some other fish, shrimp, sea urchin, tons of cool creatures. :) Those are two (of my three) brothers. We're feeding the fish!

OMG! I almost forgot to write about the NINJA RESTAURANT! (Caps are for emphasis) Yes, it's seriously called the Ninja Restaurant, and they're in Akasaka, and..guess what?! They seriously have ninjas. Or at least everyone working at the restaurant looks like a ninja. When you walk in the door, you find yourself in this teeny tiny little room with what looks like no doors and stuff. But then, when the hostess calls out (in Japanese of course) all these doors open and your ushered into this dark passage. After a series of dimly lit moats, bridges, stairs, and passage ways with lots of smoke and steam, you finally arrive at your table. The presentation was amazing! Ninja crackers anyone?

Or how about some dessert? I know you want your own ice cream frog!

What do we have here? It looks like a gold coin, doesn't it?!

Well it's also....wait for it....an ice cream sandwich. No actually that's not the right name. It's THE BEST ICE CREAM SANDWICH, EVER!!!

Doesn't it just look so tasty! So decadent! So icy, creamy, and delicious! Well it was!!! Everything was so cool! When they served us our chickens, they first had an empty plate with only two little quail eggs, then, they poured some liquid flames on, and then, they put a cover over it. And BAM when they opened it there were two little roasted chickens!!! SO AMAZINGLY COOL! And probably one of my favorite meals!! I absolutely loved the desserts! But....I did have some pretty good musubis!

Ikura sake musubi anyone? It's ikura (salmon eggs) and sake (salmon) all wrapped up in to a delicious and oh so nutritious (it has protein..and carbs..and the nori counts as a veggie!) musubi. I had one (or sometimes two) of these for lunch at school. Nearby, actually just across the street, was a department store, and for lunch we had an hour to go to the depachika or any where really. Oh, depachika is what they call the basement of a department store. You know, the level with all the food...the level I mainly go to. Ikura is my all time favorite food. I know it's not a sweet, but it's just sooo tasty! The little bubbles of saltyness are like heaven! It's a party in your mouth! :)

Oh! I have to tell you about Sweets Forest. It's located in Jiyugaoka, and it's amazing. If you like sweets, then this is the place for you. It's a place that only sells sweets. This is me in front of the store.

Can't you just tell it's gonna be good? There were so many shops inside. You could buy ice cream, chocolate, souffles, cake, cookies, pastries! Shhh, don't tell, but I know the owner!!! My host sister and I went to Mix n Cream. It's like a cold stone but wayyyy better.

I know it doesn't look all that good, but trust me. It was delicious. Azuki + Kinako = <3! They had so many different toppings that are mixed in. My host sis got this really good looking one (idk why mine looks so weird..) and they were both amazingly tasty!

I'm the shorter one...haha

This is my host sis and me in front of mix n cream. Don't look at me like that! I'm channeling my inner Japanese! You wanna know what else I did? Fireworks!

This is one of my host brothers. He's 5. Isn't he cute?

This is me. I'm 15. Aren't I cute? I'm just kidding. Don't answer that.

3 Japanese boys and 2 "Hawaiian" Girls (my friend is on the right)

Oh! This is Venus Fort. It's a shoppers paradise! See all those bags in my hand?!!

A picture of my host family and me! (I'm the one in the purple). Lookit those shakas! My host family was super super nice!! I miss you! They made that week one of the most fun weeks I've ever had!

Cupmen

Do you guys eat cup noodle? Have you ever heard of it? I bet you have. It’s those Styrofoam cups filled with dried noodles that you just pour some hot water into, wait 3 minutes, and then eat. I’m not a fan of them, but my brother definitely loves them. Like I bet he would eat it everyday for a year if he could.

I don't really like them cause I’d much rather eat something else. Not some salt laden, instant noodles made in a Styrofoam cup. But, I would make a cup if I could use this gadget thing I got from my host mother. He’s called Cupmen! He’s this little guy that you put on the lid after pouring in hot water. He's the orange little guy on the cup! Isn't he cute?

His upper body turns a different color when your noodles are ready. Neat, huh? I think it’s a tad excessive, but you know, you can never have too many gadgets! (I think….)

Note about where to buy him:
 Oops! Sorry guys I forgot to say where to buy this little guy! My bad..
My host mother (in Japan) actually ordered him online (to be shipped to her house in Japan), so if you live in Japan they're practically at any store that sells kitchen gadget things. It was 800 yen, when I was Japan. I just looked up how much it would be to buy in the US, and um..well it's a little pricey! It's about 50 dollars...and I even looked on Amazon japan, but it doesn't ship to the US. bummer, yea? My advice is if someone you know, or you are going to Japan, definitely buy a couple of these little guys!  

Blurb about my trip

Okay, so I know it doesn't seem like it, but I actually went on a trip. Yes, I went on a trip and still posted. That's just how dedicated I am. Haha, I'm just kidding. But no really, I went on a trip to the east coast. Actually more like 2 states on the east coast: New Jersey and New York. Oh wait, and Pennsylvania. So 3 states, but  I'm not sure I can count New York though, it was only for like 22 hours!!

Oh, and as you may know, or not know, I have a younger brother. And, since I'm going to be away from my computer for a little while (japan!!!), I told him he could write a couple reviews and stuff. Don't worry, he actually wanted to...I'm not sure why though.... So yea, basically there will be reviews and recipes, and some will be written by him and some by me. Okay? Well, I'm off to pack for Japan. I hope I don't forget anything!

Thank You!

Hi everyone, I know this is a little late, but thank you so much if you voted for my recipe. I was 4th place! This was my first ever contest I've ever won and I am soooo happy! :) Fischer and Wieser sent me, and the other 4 finalists, a case of their CEO's favorite sauces. It got shipped in this huge box. See:

What was inside???.........

Tah Dah!!

12 different sauces! There were marinades, vinaigrette, salsa, marmalades! And a queso starter. Uh can anyone tell me what that it? I totally have never heard of it. Is it good? Like a dip? It says to just add cheese. But anyways so far we've tried to of them. The vinaigrette is pretty good. It's a raspberry chipotle vinaigrette. It was sooo spicy. (Well at least to me. Okay, mainly me) The other sauce we tried was their #1 sauce, the name's blanking on my right now, but it's the one with the gold wrapper. It tasted like a sweet BBQ sauce. Okay, well I'm off to go finish my packing!! And thanks again to everyone!!!! :)

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Happy father's day!

Sorry, no new recipes today....probably tomorrow though! But I had to make a post to wish all the fathers a very happy happy father's day!!! So, to all those fathers out there: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! okay, well now i am going to spend time with my dad. :)

p.s. don't forget to vote! sweet and spicy chicken? *wink wink*

OMG!!!

OMG I'm one of the finalist for the Fischer and Wieser Summer Grilling Recipe Contest! I can't believe it. This is so cool! I've never been a finalist for anything! Right now is the voting period so make sure to VOTE!!! All the recipes sound super yummy so choose carefully! (hint hint: I made the Sweet and Spicy Chicken. Just saying. But don't let me sway your decision!! Everything sounds so good!!!)

Oh, I was so excited I forgot to talk about the company. My bad... So Fischer and Wieser is a company that makes delicious jellies, sauces, and much much more! Their sauces are great marinaders (uhh is that a word?) and perfect for a backyard BBQ. They have a wide selection of products; from pasta sauces to pie fillings!! I didn't even know there was such a thing as pie filling! man, am I out of it!

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Waikiki


Diamond Head Beach


Rainbow

Hawaii

Ten Food Contests That Should Exist

You know how there are so many different food contests? I mean they have like sooo many; from oyster shucking to hot dog eating! I thought of some I think would be pretty cool. Can you think of any contests that should exist?

here's my list :) (they're not in any specific order btw)

1. Watermelon Smashing
Smashing watermelons. So cool. Need I say more?

2. Fastest Raspberry Picking
Raspberries are so delicious, but I mean like really, they take sooo long to pick.

3. Tofu Carving
Wouldn’t that be so weird? It’s almost like ice sculpting, but with big blobs of soy.

4. Cake Stacking
How high can you go? Sounds delicious too, but I wouldn’t want to be the clean up crew.

5. Kashi Original Cereal Eating Contest
Have you ever tried eating a bowl of it without gagging? Fiber twigs, really?

6. Durian Eating Contest
Ugh, just thinking of that stuff makes my stomach churn. And the smell! Yuck.

7. Fastest peeling skin off grapes
I’d volunteer to eat the skinless grapes!

8. Fastest dinner
By dinner, I mean an edible tasty meal.

9. Biggest gingerbread house
Wouldn’t that be so cool if you could live in a house with cookie walls?!?

10. Taste testing different brands of water
Everyone thinks I’m weird, but can’t you just taste the difference between brands of water? It’s totally obvious!!

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Hawaii

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Thailand

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Thailand

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Big Island, Hawaii