More Japanese vending machine action

Posted on November 2, 2010 by Yoshi

So a friend on Facebook pointed out a link to an interesting article about Japanese vending machines that grow lettuce without sunlight. You’ve got to check it out. It would seem the target buyers are restaurants, since they can grow quite a bit in there.

This brings me to the question of this: When are we going to see some really cool vending machines in the USA? What I’m really aiming for are the canned coffees and hot chocolate they have. Georgia coffee is really awesome in the morning and all throughout the day. (No, I have not received any money from Georgia coffee) The big thing about this is about it all is that they’re heated. Have I stressed this before? Because this is what I want. I don’t expect anyone to install beer vending machines anytime soon. I just want coffee man! Canned coffee and hot chocolate from a machine in a can. I’m guessing there’s a bunch of people who are saying that biodegradable cups are a better solution than cans, but honestly, I love the cans. Can’t the USA move into the 21st century already?

Let's talk instant ramen

Posted on October 30, 2010 by Yoshi

If you’ve ever been to Japan, you’ll know that they sell everything in a vending machine. It can be almost anything from hot coffee to adult magazines. You can also buy beer in the vending machines, which honestly isn’t too much of a surprise. But you could never find that here. Can you imagine what would happen if you could buy a 32 oz. can of beer from a vending machine? How many parents would vote against that?

Anyways, I was reading up on my Google Reader, and came across this video on the ramen blog & other goodies. Why oh why don’t we have these kind of vending machines here in the States? I’d settle for a vending machine with hot Georgia coffee. That was some of the best coffee I’ve ever had. This video shows an vending machine that serves ramen. Video after the bump.

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OCDness takes over yet again!

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Yoshi

First of all, I want to start out by saying I love you Food Network. Food network has provided many hours of entertainment and learning for me. I love it. My cooking has really improved directly because of them.

On that note, I am going to use a bulleted list of things that really annoy or make me want to fix it. My OCDness takes over and I can’t really help it!

I’m sure there will be a number of people complaining to me about all this but I really don’t think the 5 people who read this blog will really care. :D

When I watch Ina Garten on Barefoot Contessa, I love it. I love her, the show, everything about it. Except for when she puts her utensils on her counter. I realize the countertop is clean and very beautiful. Why ruin the beautiful-ness by putting dirty utensils you just mixed something with on it? It’s really small, and but honestly can’t you put it on say a paper plate or paper towel or better yet, the cutting board? Just wondering.
Giada De Laurentiis. Oh my, I love your show. I love your food. But I’m wondering if you could tone down on the cleavage. It almost seems like it’s on purpose. Now, I’m not complaining about it, I think you’re very beautiful, but I’m not watching your show for your cleavage. LOL I’m watching to see what kind of awesome recipes you got. Also, the camera seems to linger around it sometimes. I’m just saying.
The Neelys. First of all, let me say this. I love your recipes, even if they’re not exactly healthy. That’s not what your show is about. I understand. Your food is awesome and gives me great ideas. But seriously? I know you guys love each other. I get it. But do you have to flaunt your happiness in front of everyone else? There’s no need to get cheesy. There’s a bedroom for that. It might be OK in your kitchen, but honestly, I’m trying to watch a COOKING show, not Loveline. You might also wanna cut down on the number of times you say “y’all”.

I’m sure I have more, but I can’t think of them right at this time. Those are the ones that are clearly on the top of my list. What do you guys think? Any pet peeves of your own?

Spam, the real Spam that is

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Yoshi

First of all, this post isn’t about the spam you might get in your mailbox. It’s not about the amount of messages you might get overloaded by playing your favorite online game. I’m talking about the real thing. The Spam in the can and has some really tasty goodness.

Why is it that people hate spam so much? Ok, so it’s not exactly healthy or it might not be what you think of as good quality food. But when you open it up, fry it up in the frying pan, or bake it, does it really matter as long as it tastes good? There must be thousands of recipes out there with spam as the main ingredient. You can even find recipes at the official spam site. And for this, I’m going to open up a poll. This will be the end all be all. I’m thinking that most of my friends will not vote for spam. But here’s hoping they change their minds.

What is it about spam you don’t like? Seriously now!

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More Ramen Goodness

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Yoshi

Ok, since Melanie was in town and she reminded me that I love ramen, I had to have some more ramen – again. This time it’s slightly a bit different on the toppings.

I’ve spiced it up a bit with some seaweed in the back, and also making it look a little “prettier” I suppose. It’s supposed to add to the presentation. That the green looking things in the back of the bowl.

I also added some spinach which I had blanched and seasoned with ponzu and sesame seeds. Pretty tasty on it’s own, even better in my ramen. It’s on the left.

On the right I added corn, because you have to add corn. Ever since I had it at a ramen shop in Japan, I totally fell in love.

Finally I added some bamboo shoots. It was a total last minute thing. It didn’t taste as good as I thought at first, but it did absorb some of the ramen soup, and it made it taste a little better. I’ll try better next time.

No charsiu, since I have made any (which makes me think I should), and actually no protein either. I don’t have any tofu anymore. This goes to show you that ramen isn’t just something college kids eat because they’re broke. Ramen can be a somewhat fancy meal if you wish, and top it off with a variety of items. Which reminds me, I should buy some bean sprouts for ramen…

Ramen Goodness

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Yoshi

This post is actually for Melanie. She sent me a post of her highly modified ramen dish, which was essentially a “big ass cup” of ramen. So I had to take a picture of a “real” bowl of ramen. It was recommended to me by her daughter for me to deliver the ramen to them, but alas, I don’t have the mad skills to make a bunch of ramen and deliver it without spillage happening. Besides, I only have 2 ramen bowls. So they’ll have to live with just a picture for now.

To recap what’s in the ramen bowl, I have corn, green onions and some tofu. I didn’t have any real protein (chashu) to put in there, so I settled with some tofu with some katsuobushi. It was actually pretty tasty if I say so myself.

This ramen is just a plain shoyu (soy sauce) flavored ramen. Pretty simple stuff. Everyone knows that the best part of ramen is the toppings anyways. Oh, well, maybe not everyone. But you know now!

Why I love my Keurig Coffee Maker

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Yoshi

So for my birthday this past week, my wife bought me one of the best inventions ever. A Keurig Coffee Maker. I don’t often drink a bunch of coffee, so a single cup coffee maker is perfect for me. Sometimes I might drink 2 cups, but never more than that. I can’t justify brewing up 10 cups of coffee just for me. If there were another person who drank coffee in the house, it would work. But for now, the coffee maker just sits next to the Keurig, with the dunkin donuts coffee on top of it, waiting for me to get a hankering for DD coffee. Now that I think of it, I got that coffee maker from Joelle. It’s gotta be worth something right? She’s like a celebrity now. LOL

Anyways, why do I love the Keurig coffee maker? It makes perfect portioned coffee every time. Although I do have to say that my cups must be a bit bigger than the “standard” since it doesn’t fill it to the rim. But that’s ok. It also makes it the perfect temperature. Seriously. I know some people like their coffee scalding hot, but I’m certainly not one of them. While I like it hot, I don’t like it when it’s about as hot as the sun. I don’t need to burn my tongue drinking a good cup of joe. But the Keurig makes it just right. Another reason is the choices. There are plenty of K-cup manufacturers out there. And if you can’t find one that you like, you can also buy a re-usable K-cup. That way you can use your own preferred cup of coffee. Awesome right? I thought so too.

I’m so grateful to have a wife that bought me one of the best birthday presents ever. She’s pretty awesome too.

Yoshi has not been paid to endorse this coffee maker. He just loves a good cup of joe. Tasty! And HOT!