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How has the year been for you? 2009 has been a year of change and turmoil for me. It looks like 2010 is going to be just as exciting and turbulent as 2009 was. There's a lot to look forward to though!

For New Year's Eve, we are just going to have a quiet evening in, with some sparkling cider from our old home town. Tomorrow we'll be having ozouni. We still don't know where we are settling yet -- it may be France, it may be Switzerland, or...somewhere else. I still have a lot of work to do, on the bento book and other things, and I am leaving for 3 month stay in Japan in 2 weeks. That will be the longest time I've spent there in ages, and I'll have lots to report on from there.

In any case, thank you so much for your continued support of Just Hungry and Just Bento this year. :) Happy New Year!

Filed under:  essays food travel

Longtime readers of Just Hungry may know that I am a big fan of the UK cooking-competition show MasterChef. I've written about it here several times, and even did my own ingredient challenge for six weeks one year. I also watched most of the Australian version, and commented on it a bit too. Well now there is going to be a U.S. version of MasterChef. Here's the pertinent part of the press release:

Filed under:  masterchef tv

I'm in the New York area at the moment, doing some family things, required government-oriented paperwork and so on. Whenever I'm here I do like to treat myself to at least one interesting restaurant meal. So, this time around I thought of going to Per Se, the famed Thomas Keller establishment. I've never been to a Thomas Keller establishment.

I went to their pretty but so user-unfriendly Flash-only website (see my rant against this deplorable practice) and, after having to reload the site because it was coming up blank a few times, was dismayed to find that they require jackets (though not ties) and 'no tennis shoes' (I guess they mean sneakers...tennis shoes, how quaint) for lunch and dinner. I am travelling light and only have shoes of the 'tennis' variety, and my planned dining partner (who is a much more exacting and well-travelled gourmet than I am) is rather firmly anti-jacket, so it looks like Per Se is out for us. Bummer.

Filed under:  restaurants

Thank you for all of your comments about the new theme/event! I have been mulling over it, and I while I still haven't decided on the name yet, I have more or less decided on what it will be:

Filed under:  site news

I know that I have sadly neglected this blog for some weeks now, as I struggle with completing the first draft of my book. (My main problem is I keep revising the recipes...but that's another story.) I know that digging up things from the archives does not really constitute true updating! Anyway, I do have an idea for a regular theme or event of sorts, to commence probably in the new year (or when the book is further along in the birthing process).

The tentative title of the theme/event is Japanese Ingredient Focus Seminar (too formal?). I know that many Japanese ingredients are unfamiliar to non-Japanese readers. So the goal will be to become as familiar as possible with it, in a specific time period, say 2-3 weeks. I'll announce the ingredient beforehand, so people have time to get a hold of it. Then we will try various recipes using that ingredient, from simple to not-so-simple.

How does this sound? Let me know if this sounds interesting to you. I'll also accept suggestions for ingredients to tackle.

Filed under:  site news

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My niece Rena tucks into teuchi udon (handmade udon).

I am occasionally asked via email or Twitter or even in person, to post a recipe that is Asian but not Japanese. In most cases, I have to say that I have no idea how to make it. Well that wouldn't be exactly true: I could look it up online or in cookbooks and replicate a recipe here. But then, so could you. So could anyone.

Filed under:  essays philosophy

3 years ago, I mentioned a handy list of produce ranked by how much pesticide is used to grow them. The higher (=more pesticides) the ranking, the better it would be to stick to organically grown.

I recently got a new iPhone (yes...I'm the very opposite of an Early Adopter of tech gadgets) and discovered that the same list is available as a free iPhone app called DirtyProduce. Here's a screenshot of the opening page:

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It doesn't do much beyond list the Dirty Dozen (the most heavily pesticide-treated fruits and vegetables), the Clean 15 (the last pesticide-used) and the full list of 47 produce items, but it's handy to have around with you. Who knew for instance that peaches were the most pesticide-laden fruit or vegetable? I tend not to peel my peaches, and I ate, oh I don't know, a few tons of them over the summer. I may start peeling them next season, or look for non-treated ones.

Anyway, if you do have an iPhone, take a look. And if you don't, there is still the PDF list to print out and carry in your wallet.

Filed under:  fruit vegetables ethics shopping

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iSnack 2.0? Really? Were they serious?

Filed under:  offbeat food news

The winner of the Izakaya Cookbook is... Mireia! Congratulations to Mireia, and thank you to everyone who entered. Look for more great giveaways on Just Hungry in the future!

A small update

I'm in the throes of frantic 'must-meet-deadline' mode for my own book. If I meet my first deadline (in less than 2 weeks!!!), I should at least be able to take a shower...I mean, pull my head above water for a bit and update here. Until then, please bear with me!

(Incidentally, doesn't it bug you when people say 'please bare with me'? No I don't want to take my clothes off with you. Geez.

I'm going off on a tangent. Back to work.)

Filed under:  site news

So, I'm writing a book, and a deadline looms.

Filed under:  site news

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