Fish and Brewis in Japan

I've been feeling a bit homesick recently, so I decided to embark on a journey to find a way to make fish and brewis in Japan. This quest helped me do something new and fun, as well as re-connect with home, in a way, both of which toned down my feelings of longing.

For the non-Newfoundlanders who may or may not read this post, fish and brewis is an old Newfoundland meal consisting of salt cod and hard bread, both soaked overnight and then fried up in a big, delicious, lumpy mess. Trust me, it's much better than it sounds and looks, as long as you like fish.

My first step was making hard bread. Japan does actually have forms of hard bread, but it's not readily available, and I think it's often flavoured, like with green tea or strawberry, so It was much easier to make my own.

Tada! Hard bread: mix flour, water and salt, then bake until it approximates the consistency of a brick.

My next trick was to find cod. Originally, I thought cod was a rare fish to find here, so I went through the supermarket trying to find something that looked like cod. I picked up something labelled "madara (somethingsomething)" and hoped for the best. As it turns out, "madara" is the name for pacific cod! Go me, and my apparent cod-radar!

Finally, after mutilating the ingredients by soaking the hard bread in water, and rubbing an ocean's worth of salt on the fish, I was ready to turn it into a tasty brown mush.

Mmm, fish and brewis... . Scrunchions (fried fat back pork) and/or onion would have made this even better, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! It tasted like home, and that's one of the best things I can ask for when feeling homesick in the inaka (Japanese countryside).

The Reasons I Like Japan, 1

I've been told that when I'm feeling down in Japan, missing home, or feeling the culture shock, it's good to have a list of things I like about Japan to keep me going. I haven't actually made such a list yet, so I decided to make it here, and share it with the world! (Don't you feel special?).

Once I leave Japan, I know of many things I'll miss, just from the top of my head. Mochi, curry bread, and awesome dollar stores finds are all things I'll end up craving from time to time in Canada, but I think the things to remember about Japan that will remind that I love it here are the aspects that hit home a little deeper. So that this post isn't overly long, I'm going to break it up, and start with number 1.

1. Emphasis on Community. First and foremost, I love the atmosphere of friendliness and peacefulness. People here always think of the community before themselves, which is why such a large campaign has been set and continues to flourish for the recent earthquake victims (がんばろ日本 ！）And, to a lesser extent, is why the streets are never full of litter and why ad campaigns are full of "let's be friends!"-esque slogans instead of the more "buy this or you'll be sorry you didn't" feel I get from North American advertising.

2. Politeness and Respect. Granted, this point has it's ups and downs. On one hand, it feels great to walk into a convenience store and be treated with the same politeness as in a high-end mall, to have everyone welcome you and look you in the eye with a smile even if it's clear that they're run off their feet. However, I believe that this level of politeness creates distance and even social barriers that I won't get into here. Despite this, I've personally come to like the fact that I'm treated like a respectful person even when I know I look like a crazy foreigner.

That's it for now!

Earthquake

The internet, news media and personal experiences have made sure the world knows about Japan's recent earthquake. Pictures and video of the worst of the worst are ubiquitous. The inherent adrenaline boost from these images and ideas makes everything exciting -- even if it's in that gut-wrenching way that makes you feel pity, or a fear for others.

However, at the end of the day, you keep coming back to the same thoughts: "I'm SO lucky to be living here and not there" or "Thank god we decided not to travel!"

I've seen it before; there have been quite a few natural disasters in the last few years that I know only through external media. Hurricane Igor would be one exception, but even after experiencing Igor, I only saw the worst of the worst when it was all over and the news got hold of the most adrenaline-boosting images.

Thankfully, this hasn't changed for me. I am lucky to be living here, and it is a good thing that we decided not to travel this week. However, the situation has changed. Because I live in Japan now, all my friends and family worry that I might fall into the earth, or get swept out to sea. Because I live in Japan, I worry myself that some day, a ground-breaking earthquake might not spare me or the people here that I care about. Given my circumstances, my sigh of relief this time was much more pronounced than anything I sighed about at home.

But being that I live where I live, experience what I experience, and know who I know, I think my worrying should be pushed to the back. I still wouldn't give up this experience for anything, and I still love Japan for all it's quirkiness and awesome ingenuity, and emphasis on peace. Moving here is still one of the best decisions I've made, and I don't expect that to change for better or for worse.

For now, people much further north than us need thoughts, prayers (and, *ahem* money) much more right now.

Just gonna leave this here for info, interest, and just in case you feel like donating.

http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=000005&tid=003

Different Country, Different Purse Contents

Now that I've been in Japan for about a month, my general lifestyle has changed in many ways, as was expected. However, one thing in particular I found (and still find) interesting is just how much the contents of my purse has changed. My purse directly reflects my day-to-day life! Since I've been in Japan, many things have found their way into my purse that I would have no use for at home, and several things have come out because I simply don't need them anymore. So, I'd like to share a sneek-peek at (my) Japanese purse.

1. My Wallet. I should first note that the wallet I'm using is the same wallet I used at home, but here I use it differently. My wallet now functions as a coin purse as well as a tissue holder, (as well as a regular wallet) where at home, it did not. If I had a different kind of wallet, or no wallet at all, both a Japanese-style coin purse and a fabric tissue holder would also be in my bag. The coin purse is necessary because it needs to hold the huge amount of coin one inevitably ends up with in a cash-prominent society, and the tissue holder, of course, holds tissue, which I use to clear my sinuses thanks to the constant cold. For some reason, my nose can't handle being taken from a warm room into a cold room several times a day.

2. Facecloth. "Why, Sarah!" One may ask, "Why do you have a facecloth in your purse?" At first, I thought, if I have tissues, why would I also need one of these little cloths as well? As it turns out, most Japanese public toilets do not have paper towels for drying your hands, and few have electric hand dryers. Also, at most shrines, the purification ritual involves washing one's hands. This towel becomes very useful any time I'm out doing anything.

3. Slippers. I originally bought these black fold-able slippers at home, to use as back-up footwear when wearing heels. Here, they have another purpose. Japanese homes require one to wear slippers most of the time. Not only do they make one's feet warm, but it's just polite to wear them as well, especially if one is not wearing socks. Generally, many Japanese homeowners would have a couple of pairs of guest-slippers kicking around, but I like to carry these just in case.

4. Travel Chopsticks. This one might seem obvious, (oh, she's in Japan, she needs to have chopsticks!) however, these have not been particularly useful to me yet. If I usually ate lunch in an office, then they would be more useful, but as it is, when one buys a pre-made lunch, be it at a supermarket or a restaurant, disposable chopsticks come with the food regardless. I might try cutting down on the wastage by simply asking for the chopsticks to be left out in the future so I can use my own.

Apart from those things, my purse hasn't changed too much more. A couple of things I used to keep in my purse at home that I don't keep now include a bulky make-up bag, a smaller wallet that contained important cards, and off and on, I would even carry around an extra shirt or pair of socks. Here, for various reasons, I've found that I just don't need these things like I did at home.

It's amazing the things that will surprise you when you move to a different country. I would never have thought that my purse contents would change so much, but it's been fun picking out new things to carry around!