Tuesday, May 10, 2011

retail therapy

I have been meaning to buy a gas burner for our table so that we can have proper shabu shabu (boiled meats and veg) at home for the longest time. Better late than never...

Tonight we ate our first dinner cooked using our new portable flame. Drop sliced pork into the pot of broth, fish it out a minute later, dip in ponzu or sesame sauce and eat. Yum. (I flavored the water with a little soy sauce... no dashi in the house... surely there are other better ideas out there... must research.)

All directions for hooking up the gas canister were in Japanese, yet somehow I managed not to blow up the joint.

I have my friend Katy H. to thank for this. It was she who suggested this week that we go to Kappabashi, a.k.a. Kitchenware Town, which is chock full of restaurant-supply stores selling everything and anything to cook and eat with. I've been there a few times before but always on a different mission. Giant lacquered salad bowl, check. Pack of 100 paper placemats, check. Random assortment of tiny plates from sales basket outside the pottery shop, check. Fake gyoza fridge magnet from the plastic food sample store, check...

This time I would also be investing in another fancy knife from Kamata.

The friendly salesman oiled it for me before taking my money.
My pick: 4th from the right. Pretty bad-ass, no?

Katy bought this paper lantern (adorned with the three characters that spell out the phrase eigyo chu, as in, we're open for business, come in and we'll give you a menu). I told her to hang it next to her side of the bed. (Naw she di-int...)

"Kappa" sprite (Japanese mythical sea creature) for which the 'hood is named.

1 comment:

Terry B said...

Also, kappa-maki are named after him! He wears a plate on his head...not sure why...