Chicken kabobs on ninja foodi grill
How to Cook with Lao Gan Ma
2023.06.10 04:26 Huge-Cockroach8878 How to Cook with Lao Gan Ma
Lao Gan Ma is a Chinese spicy sauce that can make any dish more delicious and exciting. It has a rich and spicy flavor that can complement any cuisine. You can use Lao Gan Ma in many ways to create your own dishes. Here are some ideas on how to cook with Lao Gan Ma:
Lao Gan Ma Fried Rice. This is a simple and easy way to use Lao Gan Ma. You just need to cook some rice, scramble some eggs, chop some scallions, and heat some oil in a wok. Then, add the rice, eggs, scallions, and Lao Gan Ma to the wok and stir-fry until well combined. You can also add some ham, bacon, chicken, shrimp, or vegetables to make it more hearty and nutritious.
Lao Gan Ma Noodles. This is another simple and easy way to use Lao Gan Ma. You just need to cook some noodles, drain them, and toss them with some Lao Gan Ma. You can also add some soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and cilantro to make it more flavorful and refreshing. You can also add some boiled eggs, shredded chicken, sliced beef, or roasted peanuts to make it more satisfying and protein-rich.
Lao Gan Ma Chicken. This is a more elaborate and delicious way to use Lao Gan Ma. You just need to marinate some chicken pieces with some soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and ginger for about 15 minutes. Then, heat some oil in a skillet and fry the chicken pieces until golden and crisp. Then, transfer the chicken pieces to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, add some garlic, onion, bell pepper, and Lao Gan Ma and stir-fry until fragrant and soft. Then, add some water, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch and bring to a boil. Then, return the chicken pieces to the skillet and simmer until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and scallions on top and serve hot.
Lao Gan Ma Salad. This is a more healthy and refreshing way to use Lao Gan Ma. You just need to chop some lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrot, and avocado and toss them in a large bowl. Then, whisk some Lao Gan Ma, yogurt, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well. You can also add some grilled chicken, tuna, cheese, or nuts to make it more filling and tasty.
These are just some of the ways you can cook with Lao Gan Ma. You can also experiment with your own recipes and ingredients. Lao Gan Ma is a versatile sauce that can make any dish more delicious and exciting.
If you want to buy Lao Gan Ma from me, please contact me [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). I will give you more details and offer you a good deal. Don’t hesitate, contact me today and enjoy the benefits of eating Lao Gan Ma.
submitted by Huge-Cockroach8878 to OldGodmother [link] [comments]
Lao Gan Ma Fried Rice. This is a simple and easy way to use Lao Gan Ma. You just need to cook some rice, scramble some eggs, chop some scallions, and heat some oil in a wok. Then, add the rice, eggs, scallions, and Lao Gan Ma to the wok and stir-fry until well combined. You can also add some ham, bacon, chicken, shrimp, or vegetables to make it more hearty and nutritious.
Lao Gan Ma Noodles. This is another simple and easy way to use Lao Gan Ma. You just need to cook some noodles, drain them, and toss them with some Lao Gan Ma. You can also add some soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and cilantro to make it more flavorful and refreshing. You can also add some boiled eggs, shredded chicken, sliced beef, or roasted peanuts to make it more satisfying and protein-rich.
Lao Gan Ma Chicken. This is a more elaborate and delicious way to use Lao Gan Ma. You just need to marinate some chicken pieces with some soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and ginger for about 15 minutes. Then, heat some oil in a skillet and fry the chicken pieces until golden and crisp. Then, transfer the chicken pieces to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, add some garlic, onion, bell pepper, and Lao Gan Ma and stir-fry until fragrant and soft. Then, add some water, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch and bring to a boil. Then, return the chicken pieces to the skillet and simmer until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and scallions on top and serve hot.
Lao Gan Ma Salad. This is a more healthy and refreshing way to use Lao Gan Ma. You just need to chop some lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrot, and avocado and toss them in a large bowl. Then, whisk some Lao Gan Ma, yogurt, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well. You can also add some grilled chicken, tuna, cheese, or nuts to make it more filling and tasty.
These are just some of the ways you can cook with Lao Gan Ma. You can also experiment with your own recipes and ingredients. Lao Gan Ma is a versatile sauce that can make any dish more delicious and exciting.
If you want to buy Lao Gan Ma from me, please contact me [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). I will give you more details and offer you a good deal. Don’t hesitate, contact me today and enjoy the benefits of eating Lao Gan Ma.
2023.06.10 00:38 baconfriez Rate my trip to LA itinerary?
I just want to preface before I post it all that I have looked through the previous posts about this and picked what I think is the best use of my visit with the 10 days that I have. I have never been WC before, and I mapped out each thing to do/see in order by location so I’m not ping ponging back and forth during each day. I am staying one block south of the Hollywood strip, I know most of it is barren, and it’s not as safe, and there’s probably a bunch a crackheads, but I managed to find a police scanner online to geographically see what areas of the Hollywood strip have cops go to mostly, and picked my Airbnb in the areas where cops don’t really go to. I picked that area because I’m close to everything I’m kinda in the middle, and even if it isn’t as safe there’s always a lot of people there, so I’m not expecting much just a lot of lights and witnesses. And before anything else yes I have a car for my whole stay I’m picking it straight from LAX the day I arrive.
So here is my list, I’m a big foodie, im big on pop culture, and I love blink so some of these landmarks that I’m going to eat at/see are definite. I’m a nerd so I need to go to super Mario world, I love animals so I need to go to the safari, and I have to compare your Disney to my Disney in FL. i saw the great suggestions on this subreddit already so I tried to pick the “best ones” solely from read of post. Any recommendations of places for me to swap out during my days there I would 100% appreciate, I want to have a good time in LA and I couldn’t search anywhere more knowledgeable than this subreddit. Thanks in advance!
DAY 1 Arrive Pick up car Check in Airbnb In-n-out Walk around area groceries Mario’s Peruvian & seafood Gettys center bar
DAY 2 Franklin hills (?) [I hear this is nice but have no idea why] Griffith observatory park Hollywood bowl Hollywood blvd WOF (in b/w la brea and highland only) WB studios tour [idk if I’ll have time] Missonary & frank grill (dinner) Dolby theater Oscar’s tour [idk if I’ll have time] No vacancy (bar)
DAY 3 Drive thru (rodeo drive) Beverly Hills Tehran market bbq backlot Santa Monica beach ⁃ doughnuts from sidecar ⁃ Sandwich from bay cities Rent bikes and go down bike path to Venice beach Venice canals Monty’s good burger on the way back Korea town
DAY 4 Wake up EARLY AF The office building (13927 Saticoy street) Universal studios Luv2eat Thai food The Roosevelt hotel pool bar
DAY 5 San Diego Safari Park (closes at 7) Sombreros (11040 rancho Carmel dr)
DAY 6 Disneyland Sun nong dan 24/7
DAY 7 Grand central market for breakfast Last book store Broad museum Little Tokyo Grand park Cathedral of our lady of the Angeles Union station China town Echo park
DAY 8 Drive down to Europa winery in Temecula Go down to San Diego Balboa park Liberty public market bars Cesarina dinner (italian) Dog beach
DAY 9 Tar pits museum LAVO brunch in WeHo WeHo sunset strip crosslands (dinner) Catch movie at Chinese/Egypt theater
DAY 10 Syncamore cove beach Nobu (lunch) Malibu beach Taverna tony Dinner (Greek)
DAY 11 Go home
PS- sucks the diner from pulp fiction is closed down, that was gonna be one of my first visit ideas as soon as I decided to book my flight
submitted by baconfriez to AskLosAngeles [link] [comments]
So here is my list, I’m a big foodie, im big on pop culture, and I love blink so some of these landmarks that I’m going to eat at/see are definite. I’m a nerd so I need to go to super Mario world, I love animals so I need to go to the safari, and I have to compare your Disney to my Disney in FL. i saw the great suggestions on this subreddit already so I tried to pick the “best ones” solely from read of post. Any recommendations of places for me to swap out during my days there I would 100% appreciate, I want to have a good time in LA and I couldn’t search anywhere more knowledgeable than this subreddit. Thanks in advance!
DAY 1 Arrive Pick up car Check in Airbnb In-n-out Walk around area groceries Mario’s Peruvian & seafood Gettys center bar
DAY 2 Franklin hills (?) [I hear this is nice but have no idea why] Griffith observatory park Hollywood bowl Hollywood blvd WOF (in b/w la brea and highland only) WB studios tour [idk if I’ll have time] Missonary & frank grill (dinner) Dolby theater Oscar’s tour [idk if I’ll have time] No vacancy (bar)
DAY 3 Drive thru (rodeo drive) Beverly Hills Tehran market bbq backlot Santa Monica beach ⁃ doughnuts from sidecar ⁃ Sandwich from bay cities Rent bikes and go down bike path to Venice beach Venice canals Monty’s good burger on the way back Korea town
DAY 4 Wake up EARLY AF The office building (13927 Saticoy street) Universal studios Luv2eat Thai food The Roosevelt hotel pool bar
DAY 5 San Diego Safari Park (closes at 7) Sombreros (11040 rancho Carmel dr)
DAY 6 Disneyland Sun nong dan 24/7
DAY 7 Grand central market for breakfast Last book store Broad museum Little Tokyo Grand park Cathedral of our lady of the Angeles Union station China town Echo park
DAY 8 Drive down to Europa winery in Temecula Go down to San Diego Balboa park Liberty public market bars Cesarina dinner (italian) Dog beach
DAY 9 Tar pits museum LAVO brunch in WeHo WeHo sunset strip crosslands (dinner) Catch movie at Chinese/Egypt theater
DAY 10 Syncamore cove beach Nobu (lunch) Malibu beach Taverna tony Dinner (Greek)
DAY 11 Go home
PS- sucks the diner from pulp fiction is closed down, that was gonna be one of my first visit ideas as soon as I decided to book my flight
2023.06.09 22:25 Olbaidon Our free Spring Market is still on today, the location has moved to the top of the East Garage of Northtown Mall (indoors across the sky walk). Kid Zone, Food Trucks, Raffles (including PS5 and Switch), dozens of local vendors, music, and more!
 | submitted by Olbaidon to Spokane [link] [comments] |
2023.06.09 22:17 JunoDraws Cardiff foodies?
 | Hi folks submitted by JunoDraws to Cardiff [link] [comments] I'm interested in starting a small group / club of foodies, maybe we get together every couple weeks and one of us cooks something for everyone, maybe sometimes wr do a pot luck? I would love to try new cuisines and meet other people passionate about cooking. Ive been considering going into private catering, but I have a hidden physical disability, so I figured I'd start with a food club / see if ones about, and see how I handle that first? I'm in my 20's, I am part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and one of my favourite ingredients to work with is chicken thighs, be them roasted w a skin on Mash and garlic roasted tomatos, or diced and fried in Chorizo fat for enchiladas. (Pictured dishes I've cooked: steak, steak ciabatta w fresh Mozzarella and rocket,Japanese buttermilk fried chicken sando, chicken thigh shwarma w rosemary lemon potatoes, lemon turmeric olive oil loaf cake, pork belly tacos w roasted red pepper salsa, pomegranate, wild garlic , pickles and other toppings) Diolch x |
2023.06.09 22:15 HorrorJunkie123 I Work at a Small Town McDonald's. My Manager Makes us Follow a Strange Set of Rules - I Think I'm in Way Over my Head.
If you need to catch up, you can do so here.
A couple of college kids stumbled in, trying to hide the fact that they were obviously stoned out of their minds, and retrieved a pickup order. I watched as they clumsily staggered out the door. One of them held it politely for a small old lady. An old lady wearing a shawl. She didn’t utter so much as a thank you, beelining up to the register with purpose. I was exhausted, up well past my normal operating hours, so I had completely forgotten about the rules. Big mistake.
The woman glowered up at me, face obscured from view. Her head covering was black as well as the rest of her outfit, not unlike a ninja you’d see in a movie. The aura she radiated frightened me, but not enough to release me from my sleepy haze.
“Hello, how can I help you?” I yawned, lazily covering my mouth.
The woman didn’t move a muscle. She scowled at me, yellow reptilian eyes piercing my psyche and sending my heart into overdrive.
“Ma’am? Would you like to order something?”
Nothing. The longer we continued our staring match, the more sedated I felt, and not just due to the lack of sleep. She had some sort of strange pull over me. I nearly nodded off, my mind wandering back to the instructions.
Before I passed out, I murmured, “where’s Tony?”
Suddenly, I was released from my trance and the woman was nowhere to be found. Like she had simply vanished into thin air. My eyes widened. That was close. Too close. I trudged to the sink and splashed some cool water in my face, then poured myself a large cup of coffee. I knew it would probably keep me up well past closing, but hey, if it helped me avoid another incident like that, I was all for it.
I had just finished dumping the dustpan into the trash when I felt it. A peculiar sensation crept over me like bugs crawling on the back of my neck. I was being watched. But from where? I sensed it coming from the drive thru. I whipped my head in its direction. Empty. It shifted to the dining area. No one was there. I grew lightheaded and panic began to surge through my system. A breeze swept past my ear, and I swear I could hear a soft almost imperceptible voice whisper, “Blair.”
I bolted to the office, slamming the door shut as quickly as I could. What was that? I paced around the office like a caged animal, anxiously waiting for something, anything to happen. After what felt like an eternity, it began to dissipate without incident. I sat there for a moment, contemplating if this was really the right career path for me.
Was every night like this? I was snapped back to reality by static emanating from my headset. I ripped it off until the noise stopped. A bumbling male voice crackled through it.
“Hey, uh, is this place open?” he slurred, obviously under the influence.
“Yeah. What do you want to order?”
I was beginning to lose my cool. Between all the strange occurrences and the inebriated customers, my patience was wearing thin.
“I’ll have a filet-o-fish meal.”
“Coming right up.”
I made my way back to the kitchen and began preparing his order.
“Who the hell comes to McDonald’s at one-thirty in the morning for a freaking filet-o-fish?” I grumbled, purposely dousing his sandwich in sauce.
I served the man, hoping to be rid of him as soon as possible.
“Thanks. Hey, is that a kid at the counter?”
I turned my head and sure enough, there he was. A mess of blonde tangles and deep blue eyes peered at me from the register. I sighed.
“Yeah, I’ll take care of him. Have a good night.”
A child. Unaccompanied in my restaurant. Just what I needed. I began to approach the counter when rule seven blared in my mind like a tornado siren. I froze mid-stride.
“Just ignore him, Blair. It’s almost two. You got this,” I reassured myself, starting my closing duties early.
That was easier said than done. The child began wailing, shrill high-pitched screams reverberating off the walls. He ran into the kitchen area, allowing me a full view of his tiny frame. The boy couldn’t have been older than six. His Pac-Man T-shirt looked well outdated, and he was filthy, as if he hadn’t showered in years. He began tugging on my shirt, begging for attention.
“Please help me, lady. I can’t find my mommy,” he cried, tears streaming down his rosy cheeks.
He was relentlessly pulling at my clothing. That was it. I’d reached my breaking point. If this child, monster, demon, whatever he was, planned on killing me, he could go ahead and put me out of my misery. I was done.
“Get out! Just screw off and leave me the hell alone!”
He immediately quit sniffling and straightened up as if I’d flipped a switch. Red tinged his striking pupils. Dread began sinking into my gut. A malicious grin blossomed across his lips.
“You made the right choice,” he growled as he headed toward the exit.
“Weirdo kid,” I mumbled, returning to cleaning.
I finished up and waited around for two to hit, praying for a quiet, uneventful end to my first nightmare closing shift. Of course, my prayers went unanswered. I had a mere three minutes until I was supposed to clock out when I spotted it. A dark red viscous liquid oozing from beneath the stove.
“Great. Awesome. Just what I needed.”
I filled up a mop bucket in the storage closet and began sopping up the mystery fluid. If it wasn’t blood, you could’ve fooled me. A persistent copper taste assaulted my tongue every time I opened my mouth. I gagged, forcing vomit back down my throat. The stuff just wouldn’t stop coming. On my third bucket-full of sloshing crimson, I finally started gaining an upper hand.
I mopped fervently as blisters erupted across my hands from the friction of the wooden handle. All the not-blood had been disposed of. I breathed a sigh of relief, careful to avoid splashing myself as I dumped the last of it down the drain. I’d done it.
“Take that, bitches! I win!” I cheered as if I’d just claimed first prize at the Indy 500.
My celebration was short-lived once I glanced down at my phone. 2:35 A.M. I bolted to the freezer, scooping up a couple bags of frozen patties. I slashed them open as quickly as I could, hoping in vain that I’d be able to make it out in time. I dumped their contents on the grill, then turned to toss the packaging in the trash. My heart plummeted into my gut.
A man stood before me. His black dead eyes matched that of the small mask encompassing the top half of his face. Wispy red hair sprouted from his floppy hat. A matching tattered black and white striped uniform framed his features, accompanied by a dingy red tie dotted with images of burgers. He grinned at me, jagged rotten teeth sending a chill undulating through my entire body. He spoke, a rough gravelly voice shattering the tense silence.
“Look, I know you’re new here, so I’ll spare you this time. But if I ever catch you in here this late again, I won’t think twice about increasing my calorie intake.”
His wicked smile exuded a malevolent hunger that still haunts my nightmares. A wet gray tongue wormed its way around his cracked withered lips. I felt like a mouse about to be devoured by a rattlesnake. He scowled at me.
“What are you still doing here? GET OUT!”
I suddenly regained my mobility. I tore through the dining area and burst into the cool night air. The Hamburglar’s soulless stare followed me into the vacant parking lot. I hurriedly locked him inside and raced to my car as a torrent of emotions flooded through me at once. Fear, anger, and confusion were all prominent on my desolate drive home. In the end, rage won out.
I wasn’t scheduled the next day, but I was determined to make that smug prick in charge at least give me some sort of explanation. I returned to the golden arches around four hours later running on zero sleep and a whole pot of Maxwell House. With fire in my eyes, I flung the door open and marched straight to Dave’s office.
“Oh, yeah, it was great. Had his car repossessed and everything. Oh, hey Blitz. Uh huh. Yep. I-”
“For the last freaking time, it's Blair! B-L-A-I-R. Not Blitzen, not Blaziken, not Blakely. BLAIR.”
Dave furrowed his brow, mouth slightly agape.
“Yeah Jim, I’ll have to get back to you.”
He ended the call and furiously pocketed his phone.
“Do you even know who that was? I mean, why the hell do you think you can just storm into my office like this-”
“No, you listen to me, Davey boy. I just had the worst night of my life. Every weird thing that could’ve happened, happened. And you don’t care one bit.”
“I see you’ve become acquainted with our more… troublesome clientele.”
“Yeah. I have. And I’m not dealing with that crap again. I quit,” I hissed, dramatically slapping my hat onto his polished cedarwood desk before turning to walk out the door.
“Wait! Twenty-five an hour.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. I reluctantly faced him. A sly toothy grin was stamped on his greasy face. I mulled it over. That was almost double what I was currently making. I could have my college paid for in no time.
“Twenty-seven and you’ve got a deal.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Mrs. Blair. I accept,” he said, extending his hand.
I begrudgingly shook it, cringing as his sweaty palm gripped mine.
“I’m glad you were able to see reason. Welcome to the night crew.”
SR
submitted by HorrorJunkie123 to nosleep [link] [comments]
If you need to catch up, you can do so here.
A couple of college kids stumbled in, trying to hide the fact that they were obviously stoned out of their minds, and retrieved a pickup order. I watched as they clumsily staggered out the door. One of them held it politely for a small old lady. An old lady wearing a shawl. She didn’t utter so much as a thank you, beelining up to the register with purpose. I was exhausted, up well past my normal operating hours, so I had completely forgotten about the rules. Big mistake.
The woman glowered up at me, face obscured from view. Her head covering was black as well as the rest of her outfit, not unlike a ninja you’d see in a movie. The aura she radiated frightened me, but not enough to release me from my sleepy haze.
“Hello, how can I help you?” I yawned, lazily covering my mouth.
The woman didn’t move a muscle. She scowled at me, yellow reptilian eyes piercing my psyche and sending my heart into overdrive.
“Ma’am? Would you like to order something?”
Nothing. The longer we continued our staring match, the more sedated I felt, and not just due to the lack of sleep. She had some sort of strange pull over me. I nearly nodded off, my mind wandering back to the instructions.
Before I passed out, I murmured, “where’s Tony?”
Suddenly, I was released from my trance and the woman was nowhere to be found. Like she had simply vanished into thin air. My eyes widened. That was close. Too close. I trudged to the sink and splashed some cool water in my face, then poured myself a large cup of coffee. I knew it would probably keep me up well past closing, but hey, if it helped me avoid another incident like that, I was all for it.
I had just finished dumping the dustpan into the trash when I felt it. A peculiar sensation crept over me like bugs crawling on the back of my neck. I was being watched. But from where? I sensed it coming from the drive thru. I whipped my head in its direction. Empty. It shifted to the dining area. No one was there. I grew lightheaded and panic began to surge through my system. A breeze swept past my ear, and I swear I could hear a soft almost imperceptible voice whisper, “Blair.”
I bolted to the office, slamming the door shut as quickly as I could. What was that? I paced around the office like a caged animal, anxiously waiting for something, anything to happen. After what felt like an eternity, it began to dissipate without incident. I sat there for a moment, contemplating if this was really the right career path for me.
Was every night like this? I was snapped back to reality by static emanating from my headset. I ripped it off until the noise stopped. A bumbling male voice crackled through it.
“Hey, uh, is this place open?” he slurred, obviously under the influence.
“Yeah. What do you want to order?”
I was beginning to lose my cool. Between all the strange occurrences and the inebriated customers, my patience was wearing thin.
“I’ll have a filet-o-fish meal.”
“Coming right up.”
I made my way back to the kitchen and began preparing his order.
“Who the hell comes to McDonald’s at one-thirty in the morning for a freaking filet-o-fish?” I grumbled, purposely dousing his sandwich in sauce.
I served the man, hoping to be rid of him as soon as possible.
“Thanks. Hey, is that a kid at the counter?”
I turned my head and sure enough, there he was. A mess of blonde tangles and deep blue eyes peered at me from the register. I sighed.
“Yeah, I’ll take care of him. Have a good night.”
A child. Unaccompanied in my restaurant. Just what I needed. I began to approach the counter when rule seven blared in my mind like a tornado siren. I froze mid-stride.
“Just ignore him, Blair. It’s almost two. You got this,” I reassured myself, starting my closing duties early.
That was easier said than done. The child began wailing, shrill high-pitched screams reverberating off the walls. He ran into the kitchen area, allowing me a full view of his tiny frame. The boy couldn’t have been older than six. His Pac-Man T-shirt looked well outdated, and he was filthy, as if he hadn’t showered in years. He began tugging on my shirt, begging for attention.
“Please help me, lady. I can’t find my mommy,” he cried, tears streaming down his rosy cheeks.
He was relentlessly pulling at my clothing. That was it. I’d reached my breaking point. If this child, monster, demon, whatever he was, planned on killing me, he could go ahead and put me out of my misery. I was done.
“Get out! Just screw off and leave me the hell alone!”
He immediately quit sniffling and straightened up as if I’d flipped a switch. Red tinged his striking pupils. Dread began sinking into my gut. A malicious grin blossomed across his lips.
“You made the right choice,” he growled as he headed toward the exit.
“Weirdo kid,” I mumbled, returning to cleaning.
I finished up and waited around for two to hit, praying for a quiet, uneventful end to my first nightmare closing shift. Of course, my prayers went unanswered. I had a mere three minutes until I was supposed to clock out when I spotted it. A dark red viscous liquid oozing from beneath the stove.
“Great. Awesome. Just what I needed.”
I filled up a mop bucket in the storage closet and began sopping up the mystery fluid. If it wasn’t blood, you could’ve fooled me. A persistent copper taste assaulted my tongue every time I opened my mouth. I gagged, forcing vomit back down my throat. The stuff just wouldn’t stop coming. On my third bucket-full of sloshing crimson, I finally started gaining an upper hand.
I mopped fervently as blisters erupted across my hands from the friction of the wooden handle. All the not-blood had been disposed of. I breathed a sigh of relief, careful to avoid splashing myself as I dumped the last of it down the drain. I’d done it.
“Take that, bitches! I win!” I cheered as if I’d just claimed first prize at the Indy 500.
My celebration was short-lived once I glanced down at my phone. 2:35 A.M. I bolted to the freezer, scooping up a couple bags of frozen patties. I slashed them open as quickly as I could, hoping in vain that I’d be able to make it out in time. I dumped their contents on the grill, then turned to toss the packaging in the trash. My heart plummeted into my gut.
A man stood before me. His black dead eyes matched that of the small mask encompassing the top half of his face. Wispy red hair sprouted from his floppy hat. A matching tattered black and white striped uniform framed his features, accompanied by a dingy red tie dotted with images of burgers. He grinned at me, jagged rotten teeth sending a chill undulating through my entire body. He spoke, a rough gravelly voice shattering the tense silence.
“Look, I know you’re new here, so I’ll spare you this time. But if I ever catch you in here this late again, I won’t think twice about increasing my calorie intake.”
His wicked smile exuded a malevolent hunger that still haunts my nightmares. A wet gray tongue wormed its way around his cracked withered lips. I felt like a mouse about to be devoured by a rattlesnake. He scowled at me.
“What are you still doing here? GET OUT!”
I suddenly regained my mobility. I tore through the dining area and burst into the cool night air. The Hamburglar’s soulless stare followed me into the vacant parking lot. I hurriedly locked him inside and raced to my car as a torrent of emotions flooded through me at once. Fear, anger, and confusion were all prominent on my desolate drive home. In the end, rage won out.
I wasn’t scheduled the next day, but I was determined to make that smug prick in charge at least give me some sort of explanation. I returned to the golden arches around four hours later running on zero sleep and a whole pot of Maxwell House. With fire in my eyes, I flung the door open and marched straight to Dave’s office.
“Oh, yeah, it was great. Had his car repossessed and everything. Oh, hey Blitz. Uh huh. Yep. I-”
“For the last freaking time, it's Blair! B-L-A-I-R. Not Blitzen, not Blaziken, not Blakely. BLAIR.”
Dave furrowed his brow, mouth slightly agape.
“Yeah Jim, I’ll have to get back to you.”
He ended the call and furiously pocketed his phone.
“Do you even know who that was? I mean, why the hell do you think you can just storm into my office like this-”
“No, you listen to me, Davey boy. I just had the worst night of my life. Every weird thing that could’ve happened, happened. And you don’t care one bit.”
“I see you’ve become acquainted with our more… troublesome clientele.”
“Yeah. I have. And I’m not dealing with that crap again. I quit,” I hissed, dramatically slapping my hat onto his polished cedarwood desk before turning to walk out the door.
“Wait! Twenty-five an hour.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. I reluctantly faced him. A sly toothy grin was stamped on his greasy face. I mulled it over. That was almost double what I was currently making. I could have my college paid for in no time.
“Twenty-seven and you’ve got a deal.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Mrs. Blair. I accept,” he said, extending his hand.
I begrudgingly shook it, cringing as his sweaty palm gripped mine.
“I’m glad you were able to see reason. Welcome to the night crew.”
SR
2023.06.09 21:39 lbabinz Weekly Top Deals Sale at Best Buy: June 9 - 15 (PS Days of Play, Xbox Digital Games / Controllers, Meta Quest 2, SEGA, Square Enix, Play at Best Buy, more)
Top Deals
Play at Best Buy
Smart Home Sale
Outlet Center Sale
LEGO Sale
Video Games
submitted by lbabinz to VideoGameDealsCanada [link] [comments]
Play at Best Buy
Smart Home Sale
Outlet Center Sale
LEGO Sale
Video Games
Video Games
Play at Best Buy
Top Deals
Outlet Center Sale
Smart Home Sale
2023.06.09 20:56 Tumblrhoe I'm somewhat failing to see the usefulness of the yogurt function?
I've been making my own yogurt for a while now and the process is usually:
The most confusing part for me though is the fermentation setting? Yes, it worked...but it's the exact same consistency and tang as if I'd put it in my oven with the light on for the exact same period of time.
I guess I'd imagined that it would cycle the heat in such a way that a shorter ferment would be necessary, but now I'm watching videos and tutorials that all call for 8-24 hour ferments - identical to the ol' throw it in the oven technique.
So I guess I'm just lost on what the benefit of using this system is? It feels like outside of saving myself 10 minutes of gently stirring the milk on the stovetop I'm effectively adding 3 hours of cooling time and no improvement in ferment time.
Am I missing something here?
submitted by Tumblrhoe to NinjaFoodi [link] [comments]
- Heat the milk up on the stove top to ~185F
- Let it cool to ~110F
- Cover the pot and put it in the oven with the oven light on overnight
- Strain and eat
The most confusing part for me though is the fermentation setting? Yes, it worked...but it's the exact same consistency and tang as if I'd put it in my oven with the light on for the exact same period of time.
I guess I'd imagined that it would cycle the heat in such a way that a shorter ferment would be necessary, but now I'm watching videos and tutorials that all call for 8-24 hour ferments - identical to the ol' throw it in the oven technique.
So I guess I'm just lost on what the benefit of using this system is? It feels like outside of saving myself 10 minutes of gently stirring the milk on the stovetop I'm effectively adding 3 hours of cooling time and no improvement in ferment time.
Am I missing something here?
2023.06.09 20:30 Timely-Elk8291 Trip report: Geezer first-timers--May 8-June 5. Kyoto, Izu Peninsula, Tokyo, Nara, Kamakura (Part II)
It was a long trip. This is a long post. Apologies in advance.
HIGHLIGHTS (Days 1-14 of 28) KYOTO--Kiyomizu temple; Nanzenji temple; Nijo Castle; Sanjusangendo temple; Shugakuin Imperial Villa; Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion); Fushimi Inari shrine; 184th Kamogawa-Odori geisha show HIMEJI-The castle and garden. NARA-Todaiji temple UJI-Byodoin temple IZU KOGEN--Jogasaki Coast nature trail
TOKYO, Monday 5/8
We arrived mid-afternoon at Tokyo/Haneda, right after Golden Week ended. It turned out to be, coincidentally, the day when the Japanese government officially downgraded the Covid pandemic to the level of a seasonal flu.
Fresh off a 13-hour flight and experiencing Japan for the first time, we went from touchdown to hotel check-in in something like 90 minutes, braving an almost-rush-hour crush on the Keikyu Line train from the Terminal 3 station.
Experience has taught us that meticulously planning every step of arrival in a new country is crucial to avoiding confusion, getting lost or simply wasting time.
Pre-loaded Suica cards on our smartphones led us straight to the train without standing in any lines.
We' chose the Shinagawa Station area of central Tokyo to spare our jetlagged selves another leg of indeterminate length--four or five hours at least--to reach our Kyoto base. Shinagawa is a straight shot--no transfers--from Haneda and a great place to catch a bullet train.
It was a geezer move that gave us plenty of time to familiarize ourselves with the layout and operation of one of Japan's busiest train stations.
Before crashing for the night, we'd taken care of some business by getting cash from an ATM and picking up reserved seat tickets for a post-Kyoto leg. We used a JR Railway ticket machine to print out the tickets, using QR codes emailed to us the previous month when we bought the tickets online directly from JR-East railway (we avoided costly middlemen in all our travel and entertainment purchases, something that requires planning but is easily doable from abroad). Like all our electronic machine transactions in Japan, there was an English language option on the touch-screen.
A machine also checked us in at the Prince Hotel Shinagawa, part of a modern high-rise development, chosen mainly for convenience. It's a one-block walk from the train station and was perfect for a couple jet-lagged Japan newbies. What we got, for the princely sum of $116 USD, was a spacious (by Japan standards) room on the 34th floor with a dead-on view of Tokyo Tower. Dinner was carryout sushi from the Queen's Isetan department store on the opposite side of the station, plus beer and sake from a convenience store, all consumed in the hotel room with Tokyo's skyline at our feet.
KYOTO , Tuesday 5/9
On the advice of an old Japan hand, we made Kyoto our base for the first two weeks. It worked well. We explored a fabulous city, took three day trips (Himeji/Osaka; Nara; Uji) and left town wishing we'd had time for more.
We expected our first full day to be a blur, due to jetlag, but it wasn't too bad. Following advice from this sub for first-time shinkansen travelers, we got to the station an hour early.
We bought far enough in advance on the Smart EX app to get a slight discount. We booked back row seats on the right-hand side for easy luggage storage but discovered that both our bags (including my larger one, which measures 142 cm [L+H+W]) also fit on the overhead rack. We never had luggage problems on trains during our trip.
Our train to Kyoto had great Fuji views, our first. After depositing the bags in a Kyoto station storage locker (rented with the smartphone Suica card), we made our first sightseeing stop: Toji Temple, a quick subway ride and walk away.
About picking hotels
We used triangulation to pick hotels; that is, cross-checking information from various sources to give us the best possible chance of getting a good place at a decent price. Sources included a handful of guidebooks from the public library, Trip Advisor and this sub.
Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Kyoto Premier ($221 USD per night with massive breakfast buffet, best of the trip) turned out to be a great base. We paid extra for a room facing the Kamo River, a popular gathering spot for locals, tourists and joggers. We benefited from early booking (more than six months in advance, shortly after Japan began opening up). Inflation and other factors have since raised the price of the same room by about 10 percent.
The newish (opened in 2017) hotel attracts mainly Japanese/Asian travelers who, like me, enjoyed the onsen in the basement. We also put the coin-operated washedryers to good use.
KYOTO, Wednesday 5/10
Up and out, thanks to jetlag, shortly after 5 a.m., walking deserted streets to the foot of magical Kiyomizu temple, arriving just as it opened at 6 a.m. We were back at the hotel for breakfast by 8, after walking down the picturesque, cobbled streets of Sannenzaka, shops still closed, with more tourists starting to trickle in.
About choosing sightseeing spots
I'm a sucker for ratings, assuming they're done well. So, guidebook must-sees, like DK Eyewitness's or Lonely Planet's, star ratings in the Michelin Green Guide to Japan or in the downloaded Gateway to Japan guide (a steal at $10 and in your pocket for free on Kindle app) and, finally, Japan Guide's recommendations helped guide our steps.
That's how we ended up spending the afternoon at Nanzenji, a must-see Zen temple, which, like Kiyomizu, is laid out at the foot of the mountains east of town.
Lunch this day was at Junsei, a yudofo (boiled tofu) restaurant we stumbled onto near the temple. We used wooden sticks to skim the surface of an iron vat filled with simmering soy milk, that was set before us over a gas flame.
About finding restaurants
If you've never been to Japan but lurk on this sub, you've already heard that it's practically impossible to get a bad meal. We booked a handful of places before leaving home but agree with others that you rarely need to do that to eat well. If you're determined to hit a place that's highly popular, often with deep-pocketed foreign tourists, reservations may be required.
We're foodies, up to a point, but Japan's profusion of starred Michelin restaurants was wasted on us. We've learned over the years that we seldom enjoy paying the inflated cost. Over four weeks, we ate once at a Michelin one-star, chosen for other reasons.
That said, Michelin's Bib Gourmands (good, affordable restaurants) never disappointed us. They are plentiful in Japan, especially in Kyoto and Tokyo, and worth seeking out. Most of the time, though, we picked places to eat by cross-checking Google (asking for "soba noodles" near me, for example) and Tabelog, the indispensible crowd-sourced Japanese website (we looked for places in the 3.5 range).
Non-speakers of Japanese can have a hard time making reservations. We found that we could make them in advance from abroad through services like TableCheck (and an apparently expanding number of others aimed at tourists, usually charging a fee; sometimes small, sometimes steep). On the ground in Japan, we sometimes reserved for free through Google and Tabelog (at random places which you can find on Google or Tabelog restaurant listings); they were always honored. We also asked hotel reception desks for reservation help on occasion. We went to a couple restaurants in person and booked a table for later. But the easiest and often best way to get in is simply to arrive on the early side for lunch (by 11:30 or so) or dinner (between 5 and 5:30). More than once, we walked right into a place and were seated, only to discover lots of people waiting in line outside when we left. That said, if you're looking for an above-average meal on a Saturday night, especially in a popular location, you might want to book in advance.
Konbinis (convenience stores) are cheap, good and extremely reliable sources of takeout. And though we liked what we got there (mainly onigiri), we wound up relying on them less and less as the trip went along. The same was true of department store basements, which lived up to their reputation as fantastic food sources, for locals and tourists alike. We learned that we could often eat for the same amount or less in restaurants geared to locals or foreigners on limited budgets, rather than chowing down in our hotel room.
KYOTO, Thursday 5/11
We hit Nijo Castle in the morning and Sento Imperial Palace, one of several attractions we reserved in advance through the Imperial Household Agency. All were well worth it (and free of charge). The agency website explains the rules, which vary somewhat from site to site. We also toured Kyoto Imperial Palace.
About navigation
Just as the Google Translate app (and similar devices) have broken down language barriers, several travel apps have vastly simplified the business of getting around. Google Maps was our basic navigational tool and it rarely failed us. Another app that helped work in concert with Google Maps was Navitime's Japan Travel guide. Both provide alternate routes, detailed information on trains and stations and much more. Sometimes, when we popped out of subway station, we'd check the compass app on the smartphone to make sure we were heading off in the right direction. It doesn't hurt that public transit throughout the country increasingly uses English or romaji to translate Japanese. Over four weeks, we only found one place where we had trouble deciphering the destination signs on buses (oddly enough, in Himeji, a tourist magnet).
KYOTO, Friday, 5/12
A busy day started at Katsura Imperial Villa. Like other Imperial Household venues, a guided tour (in Japanese, but with free English audio guide) is the only way to see the place and its beautiful gardens.
We also caught a kabuki for beginners show at sumptuous Minamiza Theatre--tickets purchased online in advance--after briefly stopping by bustling Yasaka-jinja shrine down the street.
Dinner was our priciest splurge: Itoh, a serene, traditional style steak house in the atmospheric Gion neighborhood. We hadn't initially planned on eating Kobe beef, since we've pretty much given up beef in our everyday lives, but we were persuaded by a family member who correctly posed the question: If not now, when? Worth the steep tab ($264), not least because our table overlooked the tiny Shirakawa canal, the service was great and now we can say we know what Kobe beef is all about. Like buttah.
KYOTO, Saturday 5/13
We were at Sanjusangendo when it opened and glad we'd gone. The display of 500 life-size, gilded 1000-armed kannon in Japan's longest wooden structure was unforgettable.
We're museum people--either you are or you ain't--and the special exhibition at Kyoto National Museum on the 850th anniversary of the founder of Shin Buddhism was well worth it. Unfortunately, like most Japanese museums, photos were prohibited inside. In this regard, technically advanced Japan lags much of the civilized world; even Old Europe has greatly loosened such restrictions in recent years. Smartphone cameras can be a nuisance to other visitors, but they are a quick and easy way of capturing what you've seen and preserving it for later study.
Lunch was at Vegan Ramen Uzu Kyoto, a Bib Gourmand and the weirdest place we ate. Expanded availability of vegetarian ramen is a promising, healthier trend, and we enjoyed it at several places in Tokyo and Kyoto. A TableCheck reservation, made well in advance, got us seats at this cutting-edge spot. Dining is at a polished black surface in a darkened room bathed by the illumination of a giant, swirling teamLab artwork. Pricey but good.
KYOTO, Sunday 5/14
We're horseplayers and enjoyed a day at recently reopened Kyoto Racecourse, capacity 120,000. Betting is easy; just stop by the information desk for instructions in English.
Dinner at Tiger Gyoza Hall was lively, inexpensive and delicious. It was the only restaurant on our trip that we visited twice; reservable on Google.
KYOTO, Monday 5/15
No place put us through more hoops than Kokedera, better known at Moss Temple. It was well worth the difficulty of getting a needed reservation; if you do it by mail from abroad--the least expensive way to go--you need a couple months head start (and an International Reply Coupon, which you have to buy online from the Swiss Postal System). We got there and back via city buses. Along the way we crossed Togetsukyo Bridge in the very congested tourist hotbed of Arashiyama. It didn't make us regret our decision to skip the area.
Afterward we visited Ninnaji temple. Ryoanji temple and its famous rock garden (where noisy fellow tourists made a Zen experience impossible) and Kinkakuji, the incredible Golden Pavilion. The place was jammed but crowd control is excellent and we're glad we made it.
KYOTO, Tuesday 5/16
Shugakuin Imperial Villa, a vast imperial property of gardens and buildings (which you cannot enter) on the northeastern outskirts, was our favorite Imperial Household Agency site. We felt fortunate to get advance tickets through their lottery but saw that same-day tickets were also available there and at other Agency sites; it would be a long way to go, however, if all tickets were gone on the day you wanted to enter. Since we made a conscious decision to visit Japan after the cherry blossom and Golden Week crowds were gone, we have no idea what things are like during busier times.
We strolled the Philosopher's Path after lunch. Perhaps if it had been a quiet early or cherry blossom time, we might have been blown away. Instead, it was a rare disappointment. It struck us as a very conventional touristy trail; nothing special at all.
On the other hand, Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), near one end of the path, lived up to the hype. We capped the day by off by catching the procession of Aoi Matsuri, or Hollyhock Festival, one of Kyoto's three big annual festivals. The parade of hundreds of elaborately costumed people, some on horseback, highlighted by a pair of ox-drawn carts, was a hoot. What surprised us was the absence of music or any sort of percussion.
HIMEJI and OSAKA, Wednesday 5/17
A shinkansen whisked us to Himeji for a tour of the incomparable castle and impressive gardens. We took advantage of the unique Himeji Castle English Speaking Guide service, which generously provides personal tours with an area resident, in English, at no cost (book online in advance).
Lunch was at Mentetsu, a very good ramen shop at a mall located between the train station and the castle. Recommended.
We finished the excursion at Osaka's famous, crazy Dotonburi neighborhood, a cross between Times Square and Disney. Dinner was our first okonomiyaki, deliciously prepared at Okonomiyaki Mizuno (a Bib Gourmand). We're allergic to standing in line---life is too short--and we never waited more than 30 minutes for a table on our trip. They took our order at Mizuno while we were in line, and it was prepared before our countertop seats shortly after we got in. Oishī!
UJI, Thursday 5/18
Uji is renowned for its tea and Byodoin temple, best known for its elegant phoenix hall, which is pictured on the back of the 10 Yen coin. It was a great day trip, including lunch at a traditional local soba shop that served cold noodles sobayu style; you pour hot soba stock--the cloudy water the noodles were boiled in--into what's left of your soy-based dipping sauce and drink the (supposedly) healthy brew. Definitely the way to go. Mampukuji, a Zen temple, was a worthwhile stop before we caught a train back to Kyoto.
NARA, Friday 5/19
Our first day of heavy rain failed to dampen the visit to one of the best places on our trip. The town, a tourist favorite because, or in spite of, the overpopulation of overly friendly deer, is well-described elsewhere. We toured Todai-ji, with its giant Bronze Buddha, had lunch at the cute and delicious Pizzeria Trattoria Magazzino (Bib Gourmand) and checked out Kohfukuji temple, too.
KYOTO, Saturday 5/20
Fushimi Inari shrine, on almost every Kyoto must-see list, lives up to its reputation. We followed good advice from this sub and arrived early, a few minutes before 8 a.m. Already, crowds were building. We detoured from the main path through thousands of torii gates and wandered instead up an almost totally deserted sylvan trail on the south side of Mt. Inari, past bamboo groves, a few minor shrines and some houses. After about 45 minutes, we reached a set of stone stairs to the summit. From the top, we took the main path down, dodging the stream of fellow tourists as best we could and gaping at the gates and the view from the halfway point. We highly recommend this alternative way of seeing the best of two Fushimi Inari worlds.
We celebrated our last full day in Kyoto, and our 40th wedding anniversary, with a memorable kaiseki lunch at Hana Kitcho, a Michelin one-star booked weeks in advance from home. The beautifully decorated private room, attentive service, imaginative presentation, museum-quality stoneware and delicious food were certainly up to one-star standards.
The minute that advance online tickets went on sale for the 184th Kamogawa Odori, I jumped on them. The tourist-oriented geisha dance performance is held in May at a theater that overlooks the Kamo River. We were lucky to have been given seats in the front row and when one of the geishas tossed a white cloth package in my direction I snatched it. I now have an unexpected souvenir, a cloth banner autographed by the geisha herself. The fantastic show will remain in memory.
IZU KOGEN, Sunday 5/21
We left Kyoto for the Izu Peninsula and what turned out to be the best single night of our trip. Hanafubuki, a modern ryokan I learned about on this sub, was everything we could have wanted. It features 9 private outdoor onsens on beautifully landscaped property and elegant guest rooms with fluffy futons for sleeping on tatami mats. The ten-course dinner was exquisite. Breakfast, a seven-course feast that featured whole grilled horse mackerel and golden-eye sea bream, was simply amazing.
IZU KOGEN, Monday 5/22
A short walk from the ryokan is the scenic Jogasaki Coast nature trail, a rugged stretch of rocks and pounding surf. A guy I met there who introduced himself as Zeus, a Japanese native currently living in California and in town to visit his parents, compared the coastline to Monterey Bay. We could have used another night to allow us to explore the trail at greater length.
Lunch was at a great local restaurant, walking distance from the train station, Honke Maguroya, featuring local fish and top-grade tuna. The wasabi rhizome, which you grate yourself, is a tipoff to the quality of the sushi, but the prices are extremely reasonable. Recommended.
From there we headed back to Tokyo and the remainder of our trip. Highlights and a full (too full?) final report coming soon.
submitted by Timely-Elk8291 to JapanTravel [link] [comments]
HIGHLIGHTS (Days 1-14 of 28) KYOTO--Kiyomizu temple; Nanzenji temple; Nijo Castle; Sanjusangendo temple; Shugakuin Imperial Villa; Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion); Fushimi Inari shrine; 184th Kamogawa-Odori geisha show HIMEJI-The castle and garden. NARA-Todaiji temple UJI-Byodoin temple IZU KOGEN--Jogasaki Coast nature trail
TOKYO, Monday 5/8
We arrived mid-afternoon at Tokyo/Haneda, right after Golden Week ended. It turned out to be, coincidentally, the day when the Japanese government officially downgraded the Covid pandemic to the level of a seasonal flu.
Fresh off a 13-hour flight and experiencing Japan for the first time, we went from touchdown to hotel check-in in something like 90 minutes, braving an almost-rush-hour crush on the Keikyu Line train from the Terminal 3 station.
Experience has taught us that meticulously planning every step of arrival in a new country is crucial to avoiding confusion, getting lost or simply wasting time.
Pre-loaded Suica cards on our smartphones led us straight to the train without standing in any lines.
We' chose the Shinagawa Station area of central Tokyo to spare our jetlagged selves another leg of indeterminate length--four or five hours at least--to reach our Kyoto base. Shinagawa is a straight shot--no transfers--from Haneda and a great place to catch a bullet train.
It was a geezer move that gave us plenty of time to familiarize ourselves with the layout and operation of one of Japan's busiest train stations.
Before crashing for the night, we'd taken care of some business by getting cash from an ATM and picking up reserved seat tickets for a post-Kyoto leg. We used a JR Railway ticket machine to print out the tickets, using QR codes emailed to us the previous month when we bought the tickets online directly from JR-East railway (we avoided costly middlemen in all our travel and entertainment purchases, something that requires planning but is easily doable from abroad). Like all our electronic machine transactions in Japan, there was an English language option on the touch-screen.
A machine also checked us in at the Prince Hotel Shinagawa, part of a modern high-rise development, chosen mainly for convenience. It's a one-block walk from the train station and was perfect for a couple jet-lagged Japan newbies. What we got, for the princely sum of $116 USD, was a spacious (by Japan standards) room on the 34th floor with a dead-on view of Tokyo Tower. Dinner was carryout sushi from the Queen's Isetan department store on the opposite side of the station, plus beer and sake from a convenience store, all consumed in the hotel room with Tokyo's skyline at our feet.
KYOTO , Tuesday 5/9
On the advice of an old Japan hand, we made Kyoto our base for the first two weeks. It worked well. We explored a fabulous city, took three day trips (Himeji/Osaka; Nara; Uji) and left town wishing we'd had time for more.
We expected our first full day to be a blur, due to jetlag, but it wasn't too bad. Following advice from this sub for first-time shinkansen travelers, we got to the station an hour early.
We bought far enough in advance on the Smart EX app to get a slight discount. We booked back row seats on the right-hand side for easy luggage storage but discovered that both our bags (including my larger one, which measures 142 cm [L+H+W]) also fit on the overhead rack. We never had luggage problems on trains during our trip.
Our train to Kyoto had great Fuji views, our first. After depositing the bags in a Kyoto station storage locker (rented with the smartphone Suica card), we made our first sightseeing stop: Toji Temple, a quick subway ride and walk away.
About picking hotels
We used triangulation to pick hotels; that is, cross-checking information from various sources to give us the best possible chance of getting a good place at a decent price. Sources included a handful of guidebooks from the public library, Trip Advisor and this sub.
Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Kyoto Premier ($221 USD per night with massive breakfast buffet, best of the trip) turned out to be a great base. We paid extra for a room facing the Kamo River, a popular gathering spot for locals, tourists and joggers. We benefited from early booking (more than six months in advance, shortly after Japan began opening up). Inflation and other factors have since raised the price of the same room by about 10 percent.
The newish (opened in 2017) hotel attracts mainly Japanese/Asian travelers who, like me, enjoyed the onsen in the basement. We also put the coin-operated washedryers to good use.
KYOTO, Wednesday 5/10
Up and out, thanks to jetlag, shortly after 5 a.m., walking deserted streets to the foot of magical Kiyomizu temple, arriving just as it opened at 6 a.m. We were back at the hotel for breakfast by 8, after walking down the picturesque, cobbled streets of Sannenzaka, shops still closed, with more tourists starting to trickle in.
About choosing sightseeing spots
I'm a sucker for ratings, assuming they're done well. So, guidebook must-sees, like DK Eyewitness's or Lonely Planet's, star ratings in the Michelin Green Guide to Japan or in the downloaded Gateway to Japan guide (a steal at $10 and in your pocket for free on Kindle app) and, finally, Japan Guide's recommendations helped guide our steps.
That's how we ended up spending the afternoon at Nanzenji, a must-see Zen temple, which, like Kiyomizu, is laid out at the foot of the mountains east of town.
Lunch this day was at Junsei, a yudofo (boiled tofu) restaurant we stumbled onto near the temple. We used wooden sticks to skim the surface of an iron vat filled with simmering soy milk, that was set before us over a gas flame.
About finding restaurants
If you've never been to Japan but lurk on this sub, you've already heard that it's practically impossible to get a bad meal. We booked a handful of places before leaving home but agree with others that you rarely need to do that to eat well. If you're determined to hit a place that's highly popular, often with deep-pocketed foreign tourists, reservations may be required.
We're foodies, up to a point, but Japan's profusion of starred Michelin restaurants was wasted on us. We've learned over the years that we seldom enjoy paying the inflated cost. Over four weeks, we ate once at a Michelin one-star, chosen for other reasons.
That said, Michelin's Bib Gourmands (good, affordable restaurants) never disappointed us. They are plentiful in Japan, especially in Kyoto and Tokyo, and worth seeking out. Most of the time, though, we picked places to eat by cross-checking Google (asking for "soba noodles" near me, for example) and Tabelog, the indispensible crowd-sourced Japanese website (we looked for places in the 3.5 range).
Non-speakers of Japanese can have a hard time making reservations. We found that we could make them in advance from abroad through services like TableCheck (and an apparently expanding number of others aimed at tourists, usually charging a fee; sometimes small, sometimes steep). On the ground in Japan, we sometimes reserved for free through Google and Tabelog (at random places which you can find on Google or Tabelog restaurant listings); they were always honored. We also asked hotel reception desks for reservation help on occasion. We went to a couple restaurants in person and booked a table for later. But the easiest and often best way to get in is simply to arrive on the early side for lunch (by 11:30 or so) or dinner (between 5 and 5:30). More than once, we walked right into a place and were seated, only to discover lots of people waiting in line outside when we left. That said, if you're looking for an above-average meal on a Saturday night, especially in a popular location, you might want to book in advance.
Konbinis (convenience stores) are cheap, good and extremely reliable sources of takeout. And though we liked what we got there (mainly onigiri), we wound up relying on them less and less as the trip went along. The same was true of department store basements, which lived up to their reputation as fantastic food sources, for locals and tourists alike. We learned that we could often eat for the same amount or less in restaurants geared to locals or foreigners on limited budgets, rather than chowing down in our hotel room.
KYOTO, Thursday 5/11
We hit Nijo Castle in the morning and Sento Imperial Palace, one of several attractions we reserved in advance through the Imperial Household Agency. All were well worth it (and free of charge). The agency website explains the rules, which vary somewhat from site to site. We also toured Kyoto Imperial Palace.
About navigation
Just as the Google Translate app (and similar devices) have broken down language barriers, several travel apps have vastly simplified the business of getting around. Google Maps was our basic navigational tool and it rarely failed us. Another app that helped work in concert with Google Maps was Navitime's Japan Travel guide. Both provide alternate routes, detailed information on trains and stations and much more. Sometimes, when we popped out of subway station, we'd check the compass app on the smartphone to make sure we were heading off in the right direction. It doesn't hurt that public transit throughout the country increasingly uses English or romaji to translate Japanese. Over four weeks, we only found one place where we had trouble deciphering the destination signs on buses (oddly enough, in Himeji, a tourist magnet).
KYOTO, Friday, 5/12
A busy day started at Katsura Imperial Villa. Like other Imperial Household venues, a guided tour (in Japanese, but with free English audio guide) is the only way to see the place and its beautiful gardens.
We also caught a kabuki for beginners show at sumptuous Minamiza Theatre--tickets purchased online in advance--after briefly stopping by bustling Yasaka-jinja shrine down the street.
Dinner was our priciest splurge: Itoh, a serene, traditional style steak house in the atmospheric Gion neighborhood. We hadn't initially planned on eating Kobe beef, since we've pretty much given up beef in our everyday lives, but we were persuaded by a family member who correctly posed the question: If not now, when? Worth the steep tab ($264), not least because our table overlooked the tiny Shirakawa canal, the service was great and now we can say we know what Kobe beef is all about. Like buttah.
KYOTO, Saturday 5/13
We were at Sanjusangendo when it opened and glad we'd gone. The display of 500 life-size, gilded 1000-armed kannon in Japan's longest wooden structure was unforgettable.
We're museum people--either you are or you ain't--and the special exhibition at Kyoto National Museum on the 850th anniversary of the founder of Shin Buddhism was well worth it. Unfortunately, like most Japanese museums, photos were prohibited inside. In this regard, technically advanced Japan lags much of the civilized world; even Old Europe has greatly loosened such restrictions in recent years. Smartphone cameras can be a nuisance to other visitors, but they are a quick and easy way of capturing what you've seen and preserving it for later study.
Lunch was at Vegan Ramen Uzu Kyoto, a Bib Gourmand and the weirdest place we ate. Expanded availability of vegetarian ramen is a promising, healthier trend, and we enjoyed it at several places in Tokyo and Kyoto. A TableCheck reservation, made well in advance, got us seats at this cutting-edge spot. Dining is at a polished black surface in a darkened room bathed by the illumination of a giant, swirling teamLab artwork. Pricey but good.
KYOTO, Sunday 5/14
We're horseplayers and enjoyed a day at recently reopened Kyoto Racecourse, capacity 120,000. Betting is easy; just stop by the information desk for instructions in English.
Dinner at Tiger Gyoza Hall was lively, inexpensive and delicious. It was the only restaurant on our trip that we visited twice; reservable on Google.
KYOTO, Monday 5/15
No place put us through more hoops than Kokedera, better known at Moss Temple. It was well worth the difficulty of getting a needed reservation; if you do it by mail from abroad--the least expensive way to go--you need a couple months head start (and an International Reply Coupon, which you have to buy online from the Swiss Postal System). We got there and back via city buses. Along the way we crossed Togetsukyo Bridge in the very congested tourist hotbed of Arashiyama. It didn't make us regret our decision to skip the area.
Afterward we visited Ninnaji temple. Ryoanji temple and its famous rock garden (where noisy fellow tourists made a Zen experience impossible) and Kinkakuji, the incredible Golden Pavilion. The place was jammed but crowd control is excellent and we're glad we made it.
KYOTO, Tuesday 5/16
Shugakuin Imperial Villa, a vast imperial property of gardens and buildings (which you cannot enter) on the northeastern outskirts, was our favorite Imperial Household Agency site. We felt fortunate to get advance tickets through their lottery but saw that same-day tickets were also available there and at other Agency sites; it would be a long way to go, however, if all tickets were gone on the day you wanted to enter. Since we made a conscious decision to visit Japan after the cherry blossom and Golden Week crowds were gone, we have no idea what things are like during busier times.
We strolled the Philosopher's Path after lunch. Perhaps if it had been a quiet early or cherry blossom time, we might have been blown away. Instead, it was a rare disappointment. It struck us as a very conventional touristy trail; nothing special at all.
On the other hand, Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), near one end of the path, lived up to the hype. We capped the day by off by catching the procession of Aoi Matsuri, or Hollyhock Festival, one of Kyoto's three big annual festivals. The parade of hundreds of elaborately costumed people, some on horseback, highlighted by a pair of ox-drawn carts, was a hoot. What surprised us was the absence of music or any sort of percussion.
HIMEJI and OSAKA, Wednesday 5/17
A shinkansen whisked us to Himeji for a tour of the incomparable castle and impressive gardens. We took advantage of the unique Himeji Castle English Speaking Guide service, which generously provides personal tours with an area resident, in English, at no cost (book online in advance).
Lunch was at Mentetsu, a very good ramen shop at a mall located between the train station and the castle. Recommended.
We finished the excursion at Osaka's famous, crazy Dotonburi neighborhood, a cross between Times Square and Disney. Dinner was our first okonomiyaki, deliciously prepared at Okonomiyaki Mizuno (a Bib Gourmand). We're allergic to standing in line---life is too short--and we never waited more than 30 minutes for a table on our trip. They took our order at Mizuno while we were in line, and it was prepared before our countertop seats shortly after we got in. Oishī!
UJI, Thursday 5/18
Uji is renowned for its tea and Byodoin temple, best known for its elegant phoenix hall, which is pictured on the back of the 10 Yen coin. It was a great day trip, including lunch at a traditional local soba shop that served cold noodles sobayu style; you pour hot soba stock--the cloudy water the noodles were boiled in--into what's left of your soy-based dipping sauce and drink the (supposedly) healthy brew. Definitely the way to go. Mampukuji, a Zen temple, was a worthwhile stop before we caught a train back to Kyoto.
NARA, Friday 5/19
Our first day of heavy rain failed to dampen the visit to one of the best places on our trip. The town, a tourist favorite because, or in spite of, the overpopulation of overly friendly deer, is well-described elsewhere. We toured Todai-ji, with its giant Bronze Buddha, had lunch at the cute and delicious Pizzeria Trattoria Magazzino (Bib Gourmand) and checked out Kohfukuji temple, too.
KYOTO, Saturday 5/20
Fushimi Inari shrine, on almost every Kyoto must-see list, lives up to its reputation. We followed good advice from this sub and arrived early, a few minutes before 8 a.m. Already, crowds were building. We detoured from the main path through thousands of torii gates and wandered instead up an almost totally deserted sylvan trail on the south side of Mt. Inari, past bamboo groves, a few minor shrines and some houses. After about 45 minutes, we reached a set of stone stairs to the summit. From the top, we took the main path down, dodging the stream of fellow tourists as best we could and gaping at the gates and the view from the halfway point. We highly recommend this alternative way of seeing the best of two Fushimi Inari worlds.
We celebrated our last full day in Kyoto, and our 40th wedding anniversary, with a memorable kaiseki lunch at Hana Kitcho, a Michelin one-star booked weeks in advance from home. The beautifully decorated private room, attentive service, imaginative presentation, museum-quality stoneware and delicious food were certainly up to one-star standards.
The minute that advance online tickets went on sale for the 184th Kamogawa Odori, I jumped on them. The tourist-oriented geisha dance performance is held in May at a theater that overlooks the Kamo River. We were lucky to have been given seats in the front row and when one of the geishas tossed a white cloth package in my direction I snatched it. I now have an unexpected souvenir, a cloth banner autographed by the geisha herself. The fantastic show will remain in memory.
IZU KOGEN, Sunday 5/21
We left Kyoto for the Izu Peninsula and what turned out to be the best single night of our trip. Hanafubuki, a modern ryokan I learned about on this sub, was everything we could have wanted. It features 9 private outdoor onsens on beautifully landscaped property and elegant guest rooms with fluffy futons for sleeping on tatami mats. The ten-course dinner was exquisite. Breakfast, a seven-course feast that featured whole grilled horse mackerel and golden-eye sea bream, was simply amazing.
IZU KOGEN, Monday 5/22
A short walk from the ryokan is the scenic Jogasaki Coast nature trail, a rugged stretch of rocks and pounding surf. A guy I met there who introduced himself as Zeus, a Japanese native currently living in California and in town to visit his parents, compared the coastline to Monterey Bay. We could have used another night to allow us to explore the trail at greater length.
Lunch was at a great local restaurant, walking distance from the train station, Honke Maguroya, featuring local fish and top-grade tuna. The wasabi rhizome, which you grate yourself, is a tipoff to the quality of the sushi, but the prices are extremely reasonable. Recommended.
From there we headed back to Tokyo and the remainder of our trip. Highlights and a full (too full?) final report coming soon.
2023.06.09 20:23 TripleNerdScore1 Trip Report: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone (30s couple, traveling while visibly trans)
Hi everyone! This sub was so incredibly helpful to me in the planning process - I was deeply grateful for everything I learned, so I thought I'd post a trip report now that we're back!
About us: We're a 30s couple from the Midwest US. We're pretty experienced travelers (South America, UK/Ireland, Europe, lots of places in the US), but this was our first visit to Asia and first visit to Japan. As travelers, we love getting out on foot, local food/drink (especially street food), live music, nerd shit, weird art/vending machines. Also, my partner is a cis guy, but I am a trans masc person who is visibly trans (post-op in a few ways, but not passing/not stealth).
Dates: May 13 - May 29
What we did: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone Back to Tokyo
Tips and tricks:
DAY 1 ARRIVAL 📍 Flew into Haneda; made it to our hotel (lovely experience at Hotel Plaza Sunroute); had our first world-famous konbini 7/11 experience; walked around Shinjuku; went out for dinner at Ryu no Miyako Inshokugai - talk about jumping in the deep end 🍣 Onigiri and vending machine green tea; little whipped cream treats; Nagahama ramen and sesame mackerel donburi 👣 10,400 steps 🏁 4.8 miles
DAY 2 SHIBUYA 📍 Meiji Shrine and Gardens - got goshuin and omamori; Harajuku, went to 7/11; back to the hotel for a nap; Shibuya, including Don Quijote, Center Gai and Dogenzaka Street; Nonbei Yokocho for late night 🍣 7/11 (plum onigiri and corn/mayo sandwich, some kind of spam musubi situation, matcha roll); Ichiran coin-op ramen with extra chashu and a matcha tofu custard thing; banana shock smoothie at Shibuya109 in Center Gai; chicken and pork belly yakitori with beers at Morimoto; brown sugar shoju and shoju-infused Oolong tea cocktails at Tight Bar (strong recommend for this joint!); grilled squid, octopus, and okonomiyaki for afters at Tsukishima Monja Kuuya Shibuya 👣 32,000 steps 🏁 14.5 miles 😮💨
DAY 3 SHINJUKU 📍 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden; Shinjuku area (including Disk Union, Disney, Onitsuka); Kabukicho and Kabukicho Tower; GODZ metal bar; Golden Gai; Omoide Yokocho 🍣 7/11 (onigiri, matcha filled roll thing, royal milk tea, tomago sushi, strawberry donut, cafe latte); many types of dango (sesame oil, soy sauce, and apricot mochi were our favs); McDonald's (weirdly good chicken sandwich with yuzu radish topping, vanilla custard chocolate pie, white grape soda); yummy little warm imagawayaki filled with adzuki bean paste + royal milk from depachika); a couple of Asahis at GODZ; simple yakitori snacks at Golden Gai (including some… mystery offal items); back to 7/11 for drunk matcha ice cream and waffle snacks 👣 28,800 steps 🏁 13.0 miles
DAY 4 ASAKUSA 📍 Went out for coffee; walked around Kinarimon Gate and Nakamise; toured Asakusa Shrine, Senso-ji Temple, surrounding Shinto and Buddhist shrines; stopped for sushi and mochi; went for a walk up Sumida River; dipped into Shoden and Imado shrines; crossed Kototoi Bridge to Tokyo Skytree; went up Tokyo Skytree; back to Senso-ji for night photos; capped off evening with gyoza 🍣 Lattes at cute puppet theater coffeeshop (espresso, dandelion tea); 7/11 for breakfast-y fuel; strawberries from a street stall at Nakamise; sushi lunch; beautiful mochi + tea dessert; grilled gyoza, soup dumpling gyoza, shoujo Oolong tea cocktail for afters 👣 25,500 steps 🏁 11.66 miles
DAY 5 JIMBŌCHŌ, AKIHABARA 📍 Train to Ichigaya - notable French-inspired neighborhood; breakfast at local French café; Yasakuni Shrine; Kanda River walk by Hosei University; Tokyo Daijingu Shrine; Jimbōchō Old Book Town; walked from there to Akihibara; hit up noodles, arcade, nerd shops (comics, TCGs/CCGs, retro video games systems, TTRPGS, etc); gachapons; hit up the bizarre rare vending machines 🍣 Vending machine coffee and milk tea; yummy French pastries (bacon and sour cream roll, quiche, sour cream raisin custard thing); had to try some avocado and cheese Doritos; cold udon with duck broth soup, curry rice for Chris; fish-shaped taiyaki with custard cream dessert treat; dope gyoza place ("weekday" version with pork and cabbage, shrimp and chili mayo, yakitori with tare, and shogayaki with onions) 👣 Forgot watch at hotel - we’ll say 10,000 steps 🏁 Guessing about 5 or 6?
DAY 6 TEAMLAB PLANETS, TRAVEL TO KYOTO 📍 Hit up teamLabs, had an amazing time exploring the exhibits - the infinite light crystal room was our fav; train to Tokyo Station; lunch at underground Ramen Street restaurants under the station - went with Soranoiro, one of the few veg/vegan ramen shops in Japan - delicious; shinkansen to Kyoto; out for nightlife in Kiyamachi-Dori and Pontocho 🍣 Quick 7/11 snacks; train snacks (pocky, coffee, little teriyaki cutlet sandwich); Soranoiro ramen bowls; killer yakitori we fried right at our table in izakaya in Pontocho (honestly probably a meal highlight of the whole trip); brown sugar shoujo; 7/11 for ice cream on the way back 👣 18,900 steps 🏁 8.63 miles
DAY 7 KINKAKUJI, NISHIKI, GION 📍 Kinkakuji Temple; bus back to Kiyamachi-dori; spent whole afternoon walking and eating street food at Nishiki Market; back to hotel for rest, laundry, rooftop drink; out for nightlife in Gion 🍣 Family Mart for coffee and doughnuts; Nishiki Market Street street food delights - seared yakitori style crab stick, little octopus chuka idako on skewers, kara-age on skewers, sea squid croquettes and beer, strawberry and adzuki bean mochi balls; mimosas and red wine; Kyoto Gion Okaru - geisha-decorated izakaya with insane curry udon bowls and beers; picked up box of mochi dango for dessert 👣 20,200 steps 🏁 9.07 miles
DAY 8 SHRINE DAY 📍 OK, this is a lot:
DAY 9 FUSHIMI-INARI 📍 Fushimi Inari, the famous shrine of over 1,000 torii gates - super amazing (and intense!) summit of Mt Inari! Back to Nishiki Market for reward street food and drinks; back to hotel for a rooftop drink and soak; finally out for soba at Kawamichiya Ginka in Pontocho. 🍣 Snack pack on our hike (sausages, cheese, some kind of fish meat/cheese stick, and surume - sweet chewy dried squid stuff); orange smoothie; conveyor belt sushi; strawberry mochi roll; whisky highball and red wine; massive soba spreads (chicken seared with wasabi/yuzu/horseradish dipped in ponzu sauce, fried soba noodles in a rich soup, cold soba noodles dipped tsukemen-style in a really amazing umami soy sauce soup, tempura shrimp and veggies, a hot soba noodles in a clear broth soup) 👣 27,600 steps 🏁 Supposedly 12.3 miles, but that hike to summit Mt Inari was something else 😤
DAY 10 TRAVEL TO OSAKA, SHINSABASHISUJI, AMEMURA, DOTONBURI 📍 Beautiful brunch on the bank of the canal in Kyoto; local train to Osaka-Umeda; checked into Osaka hotel; walked around Shinsaibashisuji and Dotonburi a little bit; scoped out Amemura ("Ameri-mura") for dope American-inspired Japanese streetwear; wandered up and down street food stalls in Dotonbori; swung by Namba Hips (mostly pachinko); found a couple of fun little hole-in-the-wall places (little Japanese craft beer brewery, retro video games bar) 🍣 Brunch at Kawa Cafe (croque monsieur, ramen, tea and delicious apple tart); takoyaki, cheesy waffle shaped like a massive 10yen coin, sweet chili hotdogs from stands in Dotonbori; dashi gose craft beer (by Derailleur Brew Works) from Umineko, shots at Space Station bar 👣 19,500 steps 🏁 9.01 miles
DAY 11 NAMBAYASAKIJINA, DOTONBURI 📍 Morning Japanese breakfast at a wonderful little 24-hour diner; Hozen-ji (moss shrine); Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum across the street (focusing on Osaka woodcuts celebrating Dotonburi's kabuki and entertainment history); Nambayasaka-jinja (lion head shrine); Den Den Town (Osaka's Akihabara); ended up at a cozy little kushikatsu bar which actually was playing the Tigers game (away game vs the Swallows at Tokyo); street food waffles for dessert; hit up a late-night batting cage - ended up at Round1 (a big multi-floor arcade complex) and did the rooftop batting cage! My partner won a giant plushie for me from a claw machine! 🍣 Dope traditional japanese omelette and fish breakfast; cute macarons from market stand; Family Mart for snacks before nightlife; skewers, beer, and highballs from Dotonbori kushikatsu place; ridiculous nutella, whip, and strawberry stuffed waffle from Waffle Khan 👣 29,100 steps 🏁 13.31 miles
DAY 12 KUROMON ICHIBA, OSAKA CASTLE, DOTONBURI 📍 Kuromon Ichiba Market for street food; Osaka Castle Park and Nishinomaru Gardens; toured Osaka Castle and museum all the way up to the top; subway to Tanimachi-9-chome subway station for amazing live jazz at Sub Jazz Cafe. (This was amazing! Akira "Ro" Hasegawa (sax) and Yukie Fujikawa (keys) - Ro is also the owner and was bartending on this particular night too.) Out to Don Don for killer yakiniku and beer; found our way to Oboradaren, an Tokunoshima-themed island vibes bar and music spot where there was a great live band playing fun island vibes beach rock - big crowd of 40s+ Japanese women who knew all the songs, wound up drinking passionfruit chuhai and joining them in the conga line around the bar 🍣 Oden hot pot, wagyu skewer, otoro sashimi, crab gratin in the half-shell, bracken green tea soy cakes at Kuromon Market; ice cream sandwiches at Osaka Castle; milk tea, little roast beef sandwich, and cheesecake at Sub Jazz Cafe; yakiniku-style wagyu, ribs, ox tongue, assorted mushrooms; passionfruit chuhai and red wine at the island vibes spot; taro and brown sugar boba teas 👣 23,000 steps 🏁 10.42 miles
DAY 13 KAIYUKAN, SHINSEKAI, DOTONBURI 📍 Fun trip to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan; quick pass through Shinsekai; lunch at spot where you can fish your own catch from an indoor fishing boat pool; out for one last Dotonburi night - wound up getting konbini snacks and sitting on the waterfront talking and people-watching for hours 🍣 Not a banger food-wise, but interesting little spread at the fish-your-own place - huge prawn for grilling, kara-age, and fatty tuna nigiri for Max, tempura veggies and whitefish with doteyaki for Chris; from Family Mart, fruit smoothie, ice cup, and KitKat for Max, onigiri and lemonade for Chris 👣 19,100 steps 🏁 8.64 miles
DAY 14 TRAVEL TO HAKONE, HAKONE SHRINE 📍 Bombed to Shin-Osaka for an early shinkansen to Odawara; trained to Odawara to Hakone; dropped luggage off at ryokan, then bus to Motohakone; saw Hakone Shrine and Onshi-Hakone Park (as well as a segment of the actual Old Tokaido!); returned to ryokan for the night, where we were treated to a gorgeous 1:1 kaiseki from a Michelin-star chef, private hot spring onsen, and private in-room hot spring bath 🍣 Konbini snacks before shinkansen; snacks and coffee on train; late lunch in Motohakone (curry and soba, pork cutlet); incredible, massive multi-course kaiseki and sake for dinner, plus strawberry cake, champagne, and more sake for dessert 👣 13,900 steps 🏁 6.26 miles
DAY 15 HAKONE OPEN AIR MUSEUM, TRAVEL TO TOKYO, LAST NIGHT IN SHINJUKU 📍 Woke up in gorgeous ryokan; leisurely kaiseki breakfast with leftover cake; final soak in the private onsen; Hakone Open Air Museum - very cool; had kind of a challenging trip back but finally made it from Museum back to ryokan to bus stop to Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara to Shinjuku to the hotel 😮💨 Considering the last night as our real "last night" of the trip, our final night out in Tokyo was all just extra icing on the cake - went out for yakitori skewers and Asahi Superdrys in cozy alley in Omoide Yokocho, found really wonderful cake and tea dessert open late also in Omoide, hit up 🎵 Donki! 🎵 for a final round of bulk snacks and souvenirs, ended up on a late-night excursion to find Park Hyatt Hotel (featured in Lost in Translation); finished night at hotel watching the city go to sleep from our balcony 👣 22,700 steps 🏁 10.3 miles
FINAL SCORE 📸 Pics: 1,929 👣 Steps: 337,700 🏁 Miles: 153.78 (we averaged 9.6 miles per day, every day, for 16 days) 🇯🇵 “Nihongo jōzu!”: 4 (I know more proficient Japanese speakers are insulted, but it's honestly a pretty nice comment when you're at my level) 👶 Comments on how young we look/how we can’t possibly be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary: 3 ✨ Gratitude: Infinite.
submitted by TripleNerdScore1 to JapanTravel [link] [comments]
About us: We're a 30s couple from the Midwest US. We're pretty experienced travelers (South America, UK/Ireland, Europe, lots of places in the US), but this was our first visit to Asia and first visit to Japan. As travelers, we love getting out on foot, local food/drink (especially street food), live music, nerd shit, weird art/vending machines. Also, my partner is a cis guy, but I am a trans masc person who is visibly trans (post-op in a few ways, but not passing/not stealth).
Dates: May 13 - May 29
What we did: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone Back to Tokyo
Tips and tricks:
- Definitely get your walking training in ahead of time! We walked 10 miles a day on the trip. We're pretty avid backcountry camping/hiking fans who regularly put in 8 - 10 miles on the trail (not to mention taking our dog for multiple walks a day in the neighborhood), so I figured we'd be good - but it was A LOT, especially since you're also trying to translate and navigate at the same time. Japan is not generally a super accessible place from a disability perspective; benches and public seating areas are not common. I found myself wishing I'd packed a collapsible seat of some kind, tbh!
- Good shoes a must! Merrell Moabs are my go-to for hiking, but for this trip I went with Nike Dunk 6 high-tops, which rocked. My partner went with Onitsukas and didn't do as well - he wound up buying inserts partway through the trip, which helped.
- Work on a little Japanese ahead of time! We came in with about a dozen words/phrases, which was honestly truly helpful. So many people are so kind and thoughtful anyway, but it was an appreciated gesture that we had planned ahead and were trying our best. Google Translate's camera feature (Google Lens) was a life-saver for translating written words on signs!
- We had a great experience with Ubigi for an eSIM. The days of purchasing an actual SIM card or even a burner device (like we used to do when backpacking in Europe) are long past. We hooked up our Ubigi eSIMs beforehand, flipped the switch when we got there, and we were golden. Just in case, we'd set up our Verizon coverage to include a Pay-As-You-Go international plan, but we didn't end up using it. We also didn't use half as much data as we thought we would - we both came home with extra GB on our Ubigi plan still. We didn't do a PocketWifi and I don't think we needed it - Ubigi did most of the heavy lifting, and free WiFi at various places did the rest.
- Fly into Haneda, not Narita - way closer to Tokyo city center.
- Get your Suica right away at the airport - our beloved Suica got us through so many things! We also withdrew some cash and split it up between us - we withdrew a few more times on the trip and it worked like a charm. (Just make sure it's an international ATM that includes your card type - not all of them do. Also, notify your bank you'll be traveling, so your card doesn't throw a flag!) We used our credit card as well - the Chase card was accepted pretty much all places CCs are, but many places remain cash-only, especially bars and restaurants.
- Had a great experience using the Friendly Limousine Airport Bus service straight from Haneda to our hotel area.
- I booked shinkansen tix ahead of time, so I got nice discounts on weekday Green Car tix for two - but I really needn't have worried, there were plenty of seats available day-of.
- Don't bother with shinkansen for Kyoto to Osaka - we wound up just hopping on a local with our Suicas and it was fine.
- Don't bother with the Romancecar from Hakone back to Tokyo - it's fastemaybe a nicer seating experience, but just hopping on a local with your Suica is an order of magnitude cheaper.
- Look things up in Japanese if using Google Translate; use Tabelog for restaurants if possible. Google Maps in English is more touristy reviews/reactions.
- Tokyo Skytree was hit-or-miss - only real letdown of the trip.
- Tokyo teamLab PLANETS was completely worth it - absolutely worth the hype in my opinion.
- Queer and trans travelers - I felt completely safe, but as a plus-size trans masc nonbinary queerdo, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn't feel in danger, but I was absolutely aware that I did not fit in. Stares were common, especially from older men and young kids. (Weirdly, local women seemed more friendly and curious about me!) Just be prepared for it and remember you're not in any danger physically - it's all just curiosity.
- I have to thank this subreddit for recommending Hakone, especially for the tip to book a ryokan with private onsen access. We had an absolutely beautiful experience at Yamanochaya in Hakone, which included both a private "onsen" soaking tub in our room and private 1:1 access to a larger, actual hot spring onsen on the property. I otherwise would not have been able to experience a real hot spring onsen at all, as they are gender-segregated. Thank you, /JapanTravel!
DAY 1 ARRIVAL 📍 Flew into Haneda; made it to our hotel (lovely experience at Hotel Plaza Sunroute); had our first world-famous konbini 7/11 experience; walked around Shinjuku; went out for dinner at Ryu no Miyako Inshokugai - talk about jumping in the deep end 🍣 Onigiri and vending machine green tea; little whipped cream treats; Nagahama ramen and sesame mackerel donburi 👣 10,400 steps 🏁 4.8 miles
DAY 2 SHIBUYA 📍 Meiji Shrine and Gardens - got goshuin and omamori; Harajuku, went to 7/11; back to the hotel for a nap; Shibuya, including Don Quijote, Center Gai and Dogenzaka Street; Nonbei Yokocho for late night 🍣 7/11 (plum onigiri and corn/mayo sandwich, some kind of spam musubi situation, matcha roll); Ichiran coin-op ramen with extra chashu and a matcha tofu custard thing; banana shock smoothie at Shibuya109 in Center Gai; chicken and pork belly yakitori with beers at Morimoto; brown sugar shoju and shoju-infused Oolong tea cocktails at Tight Bar (strong recommend for this joint!); grilled squid, octopus, and okonomiyaki for afters at Tsukishima Monja Kuuya Shibuya 👣 32,000 steps 🏁 14.5 miles 😮💨
DAY 3 SHINJUKU 📍 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden; Shinjuku area (including Disk Union, Disney, Onitsuka); Kabukicho and Kabukicho Tower; GODZ metal bar; Golden Gai; Omoide Yokocho 🍣 7/11 (onigiri, matcha filled roll thing, royal milk tea, tomago sushi, strawberry donut, cafe latte); many types of dango (sesame oil, soy sauce, and apricot mochi were our favs); McDonald's (weirdly good chicken sandwich with yuzu radish topping, vanilla custard chocolate pie, white grape soda); yummy little warm imagawayaki filled with adzuki bean paste + royal milk from depachika); a couple of Asahis at GODZ; simple yakitori snacks at Golden Gai (including some… mystery offal items); back to 7/11 for drunk matcha ice cream and waffle snacks 👣 28,800 steps 🏁 13.0 miles
DAY 4 ASAKUSA 📍 Went out for coffee; walked around Kinarimon Gate and Nakamise; toured Asakusa Shrine, Senso-ji Temple, surrounding Shinto and Buddhist shrines; stopped for sushi and mochi; went for a walk up Sumida River; dipped into Shoden and Imado shrines; crossed Kototoi Bridge to Tokyo Skytree; went up Tokyo Skytree; back to Senso-ji for night photos; capped off evening with gyoza 🍣 Lattes at cute puppet theater coffeeshop (espresso, dandelion tea); 7/11 for breakfast-y fuel; strawberries from a street stall at Nakamise; sushi lunch; beautiful mochi + tea dessert; grilled gyoza, soup dumpling gyoza, shoujo Oolong tea cocktail for afters 👣 25,500 steps 🏁 11.66 miles
DAY 5 JIMBŌCHŌ, AKIHABARA 📍 Train to Ichigaya - notable French-inspired neighborhood; breakfast at local French café; Yasakuni Shrine; Kanda River walk by Hosei University; Tokyo Daijingu Shrine; Jimbōchō Old Book Town; walked from there to Akihibara; hit up noodles, arcade, nerd shops (comics, TCGs/CCGs, retro video games systems, TTRPGS, etc); gachapons; hit up the bizarre rare vending machines 🍣 Vending machine coffee and milk tea; yummy French pastries (bacon and sour cream roll, quiche, sour cream raisin custard thing); had to try some avocado and cheese Doritos; cold udon with duck broth soup, curry rice for Chris; fish-shaped taiyaki with custard cream dessert treat; dope gyoza place ("weekday" version with pork and cabbage, shrimp and chili mayo, yakitori with tare, and shogayaki with onions) 👣 Forgot watch at hotel - we’ll say 10,000 steps 🏁 Guessing about 5 or 6?
DAY 6 TEAMLAB PLANETS, TRAVEL TO KYOTO 📍 Hit up teamLabs, had an amazing time exploring the exhibits - the infinite light crystal room was our fav; train to Tokyo Station; lunch at underground Ramen Street restaurants under the station - went with Soranoiro, one of the few veg/vegan ramen shops in Japan - delicious; shinkansen to Kyoto; out for nightlife in Kiyamachi-Dori and Pontocho 🍣 Quick 7/11 snacks; train snacks (pocky, coffee, little teriyaki cutlet sandwich); Soranoiro ramen bowls; killer yakitori we fried right at our table in izakaya in Pontocho (honestly probably a meal highlight of the whole trip); brown sugar shoujo; 7/11 for ice cream on the way back 👣 18,900 steps 🏁 8.63 miles
DAY 7 KINKAKUJI, NISHIKI, GION 📍 Kinkakuji Temple; bus back to Kiyamachi-dori; spent whole afternoon walking and eating street food at Nishiki Market; back to hotel for rest, laundry, rooftop drink; out for nightlife in Gion 🍣 Family Mart for coffee and doughnuts; Nishiki Market Street street food delights - seared yakitori style crab stick, little octopus chuka idako on skewers, kara-age on skewers, sea squid croquettes and beer, strawberry and adzuki bean mochi balls; mimosas and red wine; Kyoto Gion Okaru - geisha-decorated izakaya with insane curry udon bowls and beers; picked up box of mochi dango for dessert 👣 20,200 steps 🏁 9.07 miles
DAY 8 SHRINE DAY 📍 OK, this is a lot:
- Yasakajinja (we happened to be here while a young couple was having a Shinto wedding ceremony!)
- Yasui Kompira-gū (built 1170, shrine for ending bad relationships and starting new ones, has special stone that you pin your wishes to - many young girls will crawl through the stone to mark a breakup or wish for love)
- Kennin-ji (built 1202, large grounds - among the oldest in Kyoto);
- Reigen-in (part of Kennin-ji grounds, a Zen teahouse with a tea garden where they served adzuki bean buns with tea made from the actual hydrangeas of the tea garden outside!)
- Zenkyoan (boar shrine which we initially thought were cute hedgehogs)
- Kyoto Ebisu Shrine (dedicated to fishermen - we happened to be here during the shrine's annual mikoshi festival - a battalion of locals in traditional clothes, hoisting and dancing with the mikoshi around the neighborhood)
- Kodai-ji (built 1606, gorgeous grounds - we skipped the tour)
- Hōkan-ji/Yasaka Pagoda (dating back to 589 and rebuilt in 1400s, huge black 5-story pagoda featuring massive shakyamuni pole inside and reliquary of a bone of the Buddha in the foundations)
- Ryōzen Kannon (built 1955 after WW2, massive Buddha statue and active Buddhist temple)
- Of course the world-famous Kiyomizudera (built 778, enormous Kyoto-red temple with beautiful buildings spiraling up into the forest)
DAY 9 FUSHIMI-INARI 📍 Fushimi Inari, the famous shrine of over 1,000 torii gates - super amazing (and intense!) summit of Mt Inari! Back to Nishiki Market for reward street food and drinks; back to hotel for a rooftop drink and soak; finally out for soba at Kawamichiya Ginka in Pontocho. 🍣 Snack pack on our hike (sausages, cheese, some kind of fish meat/cheese stick, and surume - sweet chewy dried squid stuff); orange smoothie; conveyor belt sushi; strawberry mochi roll; whisky highball and red wine; massive soba spreads (chicken seared with wasabi/yuzu/horseradish dipped in ponzu sauce, fried soba noodles in a rich soup, cold soba noodles dipped tsukemen-style in a really amazing umami soy sauce soup, tempura shrimp and veggies, a hot soba noodles in a clear broth soup) 👣 27,600 steps 🏁 Supposedly 12.3 miles, but that hike to summit Mt Inari was something else 😤
DAY 10 TRAVEL TO OSAKA, SHINSABASHISUJI, AMEMURA, DOTONBURI 📍 Beautiful brunch on the bank of the canal in Kyoto; local train to Osaka-Umeda; checked into Osaka hotel; walked around Shinsaibashisuji and Dotonburi a little bit; scoped out Amemura ("Ameri-mura") for dope American-inspired Japanese streetwear; wandered up and down street food stalls in Dotonbori; swung by Namba Hips (mostly pachinko); found a couple of fun little hole-in-the-wall places (little Japanese craft beer brewery, retro video games bar) 🍣 Brunch at Kawa Cafe (croque monsieur, ramen, tea and delicious apple tart); takoyaki, cheesy waffle shaped like a massive 10yen coin, sweet chili hotdogs from stands in Dotonbori; dashi gose craft beer (by Derailleur Brew Works) from Umineko, shots at Space Station bar 👣 19,500 steps 🏁 9.01 miles
DAY 11 NAMBAYASAKIJINA, DOTONBURI 📍 Morning Japanese breakfast at a wonderful little 24-hour diner; Hozen-ji (moss shrine); Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum across the street (focusing on Osaka woodcuts celebrating Dotonburi's kabuki and entertainment history); Nambayasaka-jinja (lion head shrine); Den Den Town (Osaka's Akihabara); ended up at a cozy little kushikatsu bar which actually was playing the Tigers game (away game vs the Swallows at Tokyo); street food waffles for dessert; hit up a late-night batting cage - ended up at Round1 (a big multi-floor arcade complex) and did the rooftop batting cage! My partner won a giant plushie for me from a claw machine! 🍣 Dope traditional japanese omelette and fish breakfast; cute macarons from market stand; Family Mart for snacks before nightlife; skewers, beer, and highballs from Dotonbori kushikatsu place; ridiculous nutella, whip, and strawberry stuffed waffle from Waffle Khan 👣 29,100 steps 🏁 13.31 miles
DAY 12 KUROMON ICHIBA, OSAKA CASTLE, DOTONBURI 📍 Kuromon Ichiba Market for street food; Osaka Castle Park and Nishinomaru Gardens; toured Osaka Castle and museum all the way up to the top; subway to Tanimachi-9-chome subway station for amazing live jazz at Sub Jazz Cafe. (This was amazing! Akira "Ro" Hasegawa (sax) and Yukie Fujikawa (keys) - Ro is also the owner and was bartending on this particular night too.) Out to Don Don for killer yakiniku and beer; found our way to Oboradaren, an Tokunoshima-themed island vibes bar and music spot where there was a great live band playing fun island vibes beach rock - big crowd of 40s+ Japanese women who knew all the songs, wound up drinking passionfruit chuhai and joining them in the conga line around the bar 🍣 Oden hot pot, wagyu skewer, otoro sashimi, crab gratin in the half-shell, bracken green tea soy cakes at Kuromon Market; ice cream sandwiches at Osaka Castle; milk tea, little roast beef sandwich, and cheesecake at Sub Jazz Cafe; yakiniku-style wagyu, ribs, ox tongue, assorted mushrooms; passionfruit chuhai and red wine at the island vibes spot; taro and brown sugar boba teas 👣 23,000 steps 🏁 10.42 miles
DAY 13 KAIYUKAN, SHINSEKAI, DOTONBURI 📍 Fun trip to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan; quick pass through Shinsekai; lunch at spot where you can fish your own catch from an indoor fishing boat pool; out for one last Dotonburi night - wound up getting konbini snacks and sitting on the waterfront talking and people-watching for hours 🍣 Not a banger food-wise, but interesting little spread at the fish-your-own place - huge prawn for grilling, kara-age, and fatty tuna nigiri for Max, tempura veggies and whitefish with doteyaki for Chris; from Family Mart, fruit smoothie, ice cup, and KitKat for Max, onigiri and lemonade for Chris 👣 19,100 steps 🏁 8.64 miles
DAY 14 TRAVEL TO HAKONE, HAKONE SHRINE 📍 Bombed to Shin-Osaka for an early shinkansen to Odawara; trained to Odawara to Hakone; dropped luggage off at ryokan, then bus to Motohakone; saw Hakone Shrine and Onshi-Hakone Park (as well as a segment of the actual Old Tokaido!); returned to ryokan for the night, where we were treated to a gorgeous 1:1 kaiseki from a Michelin-star chef, private hot spring onsen, and private in-room hot spring bath 🍣 Konbini snacks before shinkansen; snacks and coffee on train; late lunch in Motohakone (curry and soba, pork cutlet); incredible, massive multi-course kaiseki and sake for dinner, plus strawberry cake, champagne, and more sake for dessert 👣 13,900 steps 🏁 6.26 miles
DAY 15 HAKONE OPEN AIR MUSEUM, TRAVEL TO TOKYO, LAST NIGHT IN SHINJUKU 📍 Woke up in gorgeous ryokan; leisurely kaiseki breakfast with leftover cake; final soak in the private onsen; Hakone Open Air Museum - very cool; had kind of a challenging trip back but finally made it from Museum back to ryokan to bus stop to Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara to Shinjuku to the hotel 😮💨 Considering the last night as our real "last night" of the trip, our final night out in Tokyo was all just extra icing on the cake - went out for yakitori skewers and Asahi Superdrys in cozy alley in Omoide Yokocho, found really wonderful cake and tea dessert open late also in Omoide, hit up 🎵 Donki! 🎵 for a final round of bulk snacks and souvenirs, ended up on a late-night excursion to find Park Hyatt Hotel (featured in Lost in Translation); finished night at hotel watching the city go to sleep from our balcony 👣 22,700 steps 🏁 10.3 miles
FINAL SCORE 📸 Pics: 1,929 👣 Steps: 337,700 🏁 Miles: 153.78 (we averaged 9.6 miles per day, every day, for 16 days) 🇯🇵 “Nihongo jōzu!”: 4 (I know more proficient Japanese speakers are insulted, but it's honestly a pretty nice comment when you're at my level) 👶 Comments on how young we look/how we can’t possibly be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary: 3 ✨ Gratitude: Infinite.
2023.06.09 19:52 B055MAN56 Four Course Dinner*
Looking for some insight on what to serve in a four course meal (Salad, Soup, Main, Dessert). The main choice is selected as Peruvian Grilled chicken (Leg Quarters) w/ cilantro lime Crema. However it needs to be served with two veg and starch. I have limited resources to get certain ingredients such as plantains or yucca. I was thinking something along the lines of corn and spinach sautéed with lemon butter and a bit of cumin. Going with a Spanish style rice. For the salad, I was thinking tomato with pickled red onion and maybe some sort of simple vinaigrette. I also was looking at a beet salad but the look of the salad doesn’t look to great but almost a pink mushy ball.
T.L.D.R - Need help with menu below.
Salad - ? Soup - Caldo Verda Main - Peruvian Grilled Chicken w/ Cilantro Lime Crema Veg - ? Veg - ? Starch - ? Dessert - Caramel & Peach Choux
submitted by B055MAN56 to Cooking [link] [comments]
T.L.D.R - Need help with menu below.
Salad - ? Soup - Caldo Verda Main - Peruvian Grilled Chicken w/ Cilantro Lime Crema Veg - ? Veg - ? Starch - ? Dessert - Caramel & Peach Choux
2023.06.09 19:27 United-Hall-6449 Fun stuff in and around Bentonville this weekend
For anyone looking for things to do this weekend, here's a roundup of what's going on in NWA from the NWA Daily newsletter.
submitted by United-Hall-6449 to bentonville [link] [comments]
- Gone fishin': Drop a line this weekend during the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's annual free fishing weekend, and fish anywhere in Arkansas without a fishing license or trout permit from noon on Friday, Jun 9, until midnight on Jun 11.
- Cluckin' good time: Strut down the Chicken Strip during the 63rd Annual Poultry Festival at the Rogers Convention Center from Jun 9-10.
- Strut your stuff: NWA Fashion Week continues at the Momentary with the second runway show on Friday, June 9, and the final showcase on Saturday, Jun 10, followed by a free afterparty with music by Yuni Wa at the Momentary Tower Bar from 10p-12a.
- Ninja warriors: Let the kids loose to run and ninja warrior-climb their way through the Young Lions Obstacle Course NWA 2023 on Saturday, Jun 10, from 9a-1p at JB Hunt Park in Springdale.
- Holy toledo, Batman: Devil's Den State Park will host the 33rd Annual Bat-A-Rama this weekend, celebrating the importance of bats who live in the park's cave systems from Jun 9-11.
- Girl party: Hear ten vibrant DJs and musical acts, shop over 20 businesses and local artists, dress to impress, and dance the night away during the Her Set Her Sound Festival in Fayetteville this weekend, Jun 10-11.
- Cardboat: Ozark Beer Co will host its 3rd Annual Ozark Cardboard Boat Regatta this weekend with a Boat Building & Inspection on Saturday, Jun 10, from 6-8:30p at the brewery and the cardboard boat races at Lake Atalanta on Sunday, Jun 11, at 1p.
- Fore! The Benton County Sheriff's Cup Cocktail Event and Golf Tournament are back for the 3rd year, with a cocktail party on Sunday, Jun 11, before the tournament kicks off Monday, Jun 12.
2023.06.09 19:26 United-Hall-6449 Fun Stuff Going on this Weekend
For anyone looking for things to do this weekend, here's a roundup of what's going on in NWA from the NWA Daily newsletter.
submitted by United-Hall-6449 to northwestarkansas [link] [comments]
- Gone fishin': Drop a line this weekend during the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's annual free fishing weekend, and fish anywhere in Arkansas without a fishing license or trout permit from noon on Friday, Jun 9, until midnight on Jun 11.
- Cluckin' good time: Strut down the Chicken Strip during the 63rd Annual Poultry Festival at the Rogers Convention Center from Jun 9-10.
- Strut your stuff: NWA Fashion Week continues at the Momentary with the second runway show on Friday, June 9, and the final showcase on Saturday, Jun 10, followed by a free afterparty with music by Yuni Wa at the Momentary Tower Bar from 10p-12a.
- Ninja warriors: Let the kids loose to run and ninja warrior-climb their way through the Young Lions Obstacle Course NWA 2023 on Saturday, Jun 10, from 9a-1p at JB Hunt Park in Springdale.
- Holy toledo, Batman: Devil's Den State Park will host the 33rd Annual Bat-A-Rama this weekend, celebrating the importance of bats who live in the park's cave systems from Jun 9-11.
- Girl party: Hear ten vibrant DJs and musical acts, shop over 20 businesses and local artists, dress to impress, and dance the night away during the Her Set Her Sound Festival in Fayetteville this weekend, Jun 10-11.
- Cardboat: Ozark Beer Co will host its 3rd Annual Ozark Cardboard Boat Regatta this weekend with a Boat Building & Inspection on Saturday, Jun 10, from 6-8:30p at the brewery and the cardboard boat races at Lake Atalanta on Sunday, Jun 11, at 1p.
- Fore! The Benton County Sheriff's Cup Cocktail Event and Golf Tournament are back for the 3rd year, with a cocktail party on Sunday, Jun 11, before the tournament kicks off Monday, Jun 12.
2023.06.09 19:20 redsox1226 The quest to get back to 195
32M I was at my heaviest in 2011 at 286. Lowest I’ve ever been 2014 183. I’m 6’2. The weight that I look good imo is 195. Weight has always been a struggle for me, I was definitely a fat kid. Starting getting into running in 2012, even ran a marathon. In 2019 I got back up to 225 and was uncomfortable with the way I looked so I started training for another marathon and by the fall of 21 was back down to 195 but then exercise panned off . In the past what always pushed me in training was I’d create an enemy,someone that wronged me or that I wanted to prove wrong.
The problem is I’m in a good place in life, no enemies, happy in my career, etc so I’m lacking motivation. I’m pretty good about weight lifting, I go in the morning with my buddy. I’m lacking on the cardio and definitely the diet, my weight is back to 220.
Here’s my plan-
Weight lifting 4x a week Running 3x a week, 2.5,2.5,4 miles plus 8:30 pace.
Diet- Breakfast oatmeal 6 days a week, 2 eggs fried side turkey bacon rye toast 1 day a week.
Lunch turkey and cheese on rye with a small quantity of chips on weekdays. I don’t typically eat lunch on weekends.
Dinner I usually do pizza Fridays (3 slices) Steak Sundays 10oz on black stone,mashed potatoes, side broccoli I could do grilled chicken the other nights with a vegetable side.
I usually have a protein shake each day with 2 scoops whey, scoop of powdered greens and scoop of collagen on the days I lift. I’m thinking I should even have a shake the days I don’t lift and maybe 2 on the days I do?
Drinking-I like my mich ultras and I’m not giving up drinking. If I switch to kettle and club 5 drinks max per week would that be acceptable?
Sorry for the rant and thank you for your time.
submitted by redsox1226 to WeightLossAdvice [link] [comments]
The problem is I’m in a good place in life, no enemies, happy in my career, etc so I’m lacking motivation. I’m pretty good about weight lifting, I go in the morning with my buddy. I’m lacking on the cardio and definitely the diet, my weight is back to 220.
Here’s my plan-
Weight lifting 4x a week Running 3x a week, 2.5,2.5,4 miles plus 8:30 pace.
Diet- Breakfast oatmeal 6 days a week, 2 eggs fried side turkey bacon rye toast 1 day a week.
Lunch turkey and cheese on rye with a small quantity of chips on weekdays. I don’t typically eat lunch on weekends.
Dinner I usually do pizza Fridays (3 slices) Steak Sundays 10oz on black stone,mashed potatoes, side broccoli I could do grilled chicken the other nights with a vegetable side.
I usually have a protein shake each day with 2 scoops whey, scoop of powdered greens and scoop of collagen on the days I lift. I’m thinking I should even have a shake the days I don’t lift and maybe 2 on the days I do?
Drinking-I like my mich ultras and I’m not giving up drinking. If I switch to kettle and club 5 drinks max per week would that be acceptable?
Sorry for the rant and thank you for your time.
2023.06.09 18:19 ItsJoe_YT Tell me your favorite candy/food
Mine is Reeses without a doubt. I will eat every Resses cup on the planet and not be tired of them.
Hey hey dudes. 22 year old from US here looking for a possible life-long friend (males only please!) Before I talk about myself I want to express that I want actual conversations where we ask each other questions and actually learn about each other. I don't like carrying the conversation myself
A little about me:
I suffer from depression and BPD, among some other shit I'm sure. I might go back to therapy soon for it. If you ever need someone to talk to, you're in good company bro ❤️
I have a girlfriend of almost 2 years so I'm not really interested in any gay/sus stuff really. You do you but it's not for me, sorry!
My humor has basically devolved into the most stupid shit. Like surreal deep-fried memes of grasshoppers is what makes me laugh for some reason. So if we get along well, expect a fuckton of this kind of stuff.
I'm really into music, especially Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold, Tool, Breaking Benjamin, Jinjer, Pearl Jam, Mac Miller, NF, I also play guitar, bass, and am t r y i n g to learn piano but I'm too stupid dumb dumb.
I have a big interest in technology, specifically computePC hardware, as well as video editing, since I used to do it as a side gig.
I love God of War, Minecraft, various horror games, etc. I like getting in a good workout but since I move appliances for a living I don't really need to anymore. I'm a huge foodie and love cooking anything new. My favorite thing to cook is probably Cajun chicken alfredo from scratch. It's always amazing. I also like just about any Gordon Ramsay show, specifically Hell's Kitchen, i could watch that shit for days at a time.
I watch quite a bit of YouTube but only a few of the same channels like Blarg, Soup, TheDooo, Mcnasty, Grizzy, Puffer, Good Mythical Morning, yada yada.
I have 4 dogs and a cat, and yes I have plenty pictures of them all. Their names are Winnie, Rocky, Bumpy, and Stumpy. The cat's name is Rosie.
I'm not particularly religious but idgaf if you are, just don't try to convert me. Same with smoking weed or drinking alcohol. I'm really a boring person for the most part but if you think I'm interesting, let's strike up a chat! If we get along well we can chat somewhere besides reddit!
submitted by ItsJoe_YT to friendship [link] [comments]
Hey hey dudes. 22 year old from US here looking for a possible life-long friend (males only please!) Before I talk about myself I want to express that I want actual conversations where we ask each other questions and actually learn about each other. I don't like carrying the conversation myself
A little about me:
I suffer from depression and BPD, among some other shit I'm sure. I might go back to therapy soon for it. If you ever need someone to talk to, you're in good company bro ❤️
I have a girlfriend of almost 2 years so I'm not really interested in any gay/sus stuff really. You do you but it's not for me, sorry!
My humor has basically devolved into the most stupid shit. Like surreal deep-fried memes of grasshoppers is what makes me laugh for some reason. So if we get along well, expect a fuckton of this kind of stuff.
I'm really into music, especially Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold, Tool, Breaking Benjamin, Jinjer, Pearl Jam, Mac Miller, NF, I also play guitar, bass, and am t r y i n g to learn piano but I'm too stupid dumb dumb.
I have a big interest in technology, specifically computePC hardware, as well as video editing, since I used to do it as a side gig.
I love God of War, Minecraft, various horror games, etc. I like getting in a good workout but since I move appliances for a living I don't really need to anymore. I'm a huge foodie and love cooking anything new. My favorite thing to cook is probably Cajun chicken alfredo from scratch. It's always amazing. I also like just about any Gordon Ramsay show, specifically Hell's Kitchen, i could watch that shit for days at a time.
I watch quite a bit of YouTube but only a few of the same channels like Blarg, Soup, TheDooo, Mcnasty, Grizzy, Puffer, Good Mythical Morning, yada yada.
I have 4 dogs and a cat, and yes I have plenty pictures of them all. Their names are Winnie, Rocky, Bumpy, and Stumpy. The cat's name is Rosie.
I'm not particularly religious but idgaf if you are, just don't try to convert me. Same with smoking weed or drinking alcohol. I'm really a boring person for the most part but if you think I'm interesting, let's strike up a chat! If we get along well we can chat somewhere besides reddit!
2023.06.09 18:01 Key_Journalist3726 How to set up a kettle bbq beginners help needed uk based
Hi, I’m mid 30s based in uk and never set up a bbq, I have been given a kettle bbq so looking to use this, from research on YouTube I need a chimney, lump wood coal, firewool. And meats burgers, sausages, chicken
Please confirm if I have understood correctly
1) get the chimney, add in coal 3/4 full, then put 2 firewool, light it up and put the chimney filled with coal over it for 15 mins. Was told lump wood is better as not looking to cook for long, say I do a trial run with 4 beef burgers, 8 pork sausages, 2 chicken breast to start with
Remove top grill, Put the lumpwood coal to one side of the kettle, make sure the bottom vents are open and vents on lid are open.Place grill back . Cook meats over the coal side for a few mins each side (searing), then place them on the other side for 10-15mins till cooked. Is it as simple as this ??
submitted by Key_Journalist3726 to BBQ [link] [comments]
Please confirm if I have understood correctly
1) get the chimney, add in coal 3/4 full, then put 2 firewool, light it up and put the chimney filled with coal over it for 15 mins. Was told lump wood is better as not looking to cook for long, say I do a trial run with 4 beef burgers, 8 pork sausages, 2 chicken breast to start with
Remove top grill, Put the lumpwood coal to one side of the kettle, make sure the bottom vents are open and vents on lid are open.Place grill back . Cook meats over the coal side for a few mins each side (searing), then place them on the other side for 10-15mins till cooked. Is it as simple as this ??
2023.06.09 17:17 fngrl5 Expensive taco!
 | submitted by fngrl5 to restaurants [link] [comments] |
2023.06.09 17:12 ducttapeallday My Majestic Mirage experience
This is just my story so take from it what you will. My wife and 2 kids went to DR with another family of 4. All inclusive swim up room , booked in the family suites (as opposed to the “adult” buildings). Upon arrival we were booked in and given keys. Went to the room… which ended up being in the adult building. Not sure still what distinguishes one from the other but i didnt care. It was late thanks to flight delay and i just wanted to chill. Upon entering the room the odor of piss punched me in the face. It literally smelled like a parking garage stairwell. But as i said it was late and i had a few drinks and figured we settle it the next day. At Mirage they assign you a butler, who really did do his best. So the following day i mentioned this to him and he said hed take care of it. I went to the pool for the afternoon and got a text saying housecleaning did aroma therapy and extra cleaning. When i went back to the room I expected to notice a difference but now it was a combo of pee and a god awful air freshener. I told our butler we needed a new room. I was not obnoxious about it. They granted my wish…. To the room right next door. Guess what? Smelled in there too. I asked again to move but this time they were insistent that it can be taken care of. I said unacceptable and requested a move to the family section where we were booked. This apparently was an issue. They told me it gets this way and theyd bring me a dehumidifier… which they did , which did nothing. I could not fathom how these folks thought this was nothing. It was pungent. Eventually we moved again… but i had to accept a non swim up suite…. But it was nice , smelled good and the pools were still only seconds away.
Moving on ….. even though its all inclusive this obviously doesn’t mean you aren’t going to spend money , mainly on tips and trinkets…. Its part of doing business. However i feel like the pressure to tip here is unprofessional for a resort of this supposed stature. I tip well for a job well done… but it seemed like i was always being solicited for something. I wore a Red Sox hat … so often a convo would begin with someone who works there about Big Papi…. That quickly turns into a sales pitch for photos…. Jewelry… excursions… etc. Im good at saying im all set but some of these dudes are relentless to the point its not comfortable.
The actual pools were awesome met some nice folks. But par for the course mixed drinks taste like they use artificial sweeteners and are weak. The beer selection is comical…. Coors Light, Heineken and Presidente …. Thats it. My suggestion is stick to rum and coke… you know exactly whats going into the glass. There are a couple of nice bars that if you tip well they proof up you cocktails…. But at a resort like this should i have to?
The food was okay. We were a big group and the buffets were popular with us. Lots of the food was fine but things like cold cuts, cheeses, shrimp and sushi arent made for outdoor buffets in 98 degree weather. The restaurants also were underwhelming. Dined at the steak house twice and the teppanyaki place once. These meals were not high caliber. The steak house was non reservation so they try and get you in and out ASAP… which guess is par for the course. The portions were small and they didnt cook the steak as ordered. The Japanese place was also fast paced , despite a reservation . Food was delicious (my kids ate the scrimp fried rice with eggs and they hate seafood and eggs) but once again the portions were a joke. Room service is what it is. Takes minimum an hour and its just mediocre at best. The night we arrives i order the “Chicken Breast Dinner with potatoes and vegetables” i got 2 grilled oversalted chicken tenders with a side of still chilled potatoes. No veggie at all. Snacks and soft drinks as well as the limited beer selection was replenished daily.
Not be entirely down on the place…. Its a nice place. The entertainers and help staff are great. They seem enthusiastic and are good at getting folks up and moving. Obviously the beach is gorgeous and the water beautiful. We went and swam with sharks and stingrays …. Went bottom walking with the space helmets and had a nice party at a sand bar. Once again drinks weak and cheese sandwiches were the lunch we were served. I also went golfing- free green fee but carts and rentals cost some cash. The course was all ours , which was awesome… i saw some cool wildlife and the course is in good shape given the heat. At the turn we got a saran wrapped chicken salad sandwich with almost no chicken in it.
The pool is where spent most of our time and all around the pool are walk out suites. For the first 4 days we were there, a woman allowed her what seemed like a 6 year old kid frolic around buck naked on their outside cabana bed. This suite was literally 30 feet from the swim up bar. Bizarre.. no one ever told her to cover him up- she didnt care. I just set up shop away from them but it stuck how strange the scene was.
The casino is nothing to write home about. We play some roulette. A girl with our group turned 20 bucks into 200 and you think we were in Vegas the way they kept eyeballing her and changing the person spinning the ball. The “pit boss” stayed put right up until she cashed out.
And just to put a cherry on top…. The day we were leaving….. i needed more cash to tip the butler. I had tipped 20-30 a day everyday but ran out of USD The 1 atm at Mirage was out of service …. I walked to the next resort…. Elegance and their atm was down. I walked back and told Jeffry our butlet id borrow some cash from our friends and take care of him. He offered to take me to their 3rd property…so we went and the atm there promptly ate my card.
I had fun …. I can have a good time under any circumstances and my kids had a ball and thats what i pay the money for …. But i expected much more from this place. I was disappointed. I wont return again.
submitted by ducttapeallday to PuntaCana [link] [comments]
Moving on ….. even though its all inclusive this obviously doesn’t mean you aren’t going to spend money , mainly on tips and trinkets…. Its part of doing business. However i feel like the pressure to tip here is unprofessional for a resort of this supposed stature. I tip well for a job well done… but it seemed like i was always being solicited for something. I wore a Red Sox hat … so often a convo would begin with someone who works there about Big Papi…. That quickly turns into a sales pitch for photos…. Jewelry… excursions… etc. Im good at saying im all set but some of these dudes are relentless to the point its not comfortable.
The actual pools were awesome met some nice folks. But par for the course mixed drinks taste like they use artificial sweeteners and are weak. The beer selection is comical…. Coors Light, Heineken and Presidente …. Thats it. My suggestion is stick to rum and coke… you know exactly whats going into the glass. There are a couple of nice bars that if you tip well they proof up you cocktails…. But at a resort like this should i have to?
The food was okay. We were a big group and the buffets were popular with us. Lots of the food was fine but things like cold cuts, cheeses, shrimp and sushi arent made for outdoor buffets in 98 degree weather. The restaurants also were underwhelming. Dined at the steak house twice and the teppanyaki place once. These meals were not high caliber. The steak house was non reservation so they try and get you in and out ASAP… which guess is par for the course. The portions were small and they didnt cook the steak as ordered. The Japanese place was also fast paced , despite a reservation . Food was delicious (my kids ate the scrimp fried rice with eggs and they hate seafood and eggs) but once again the portions were a joke. Room service is what it is. Takes minimum an hour and its just mediocre at best. The night we arrives i order the “Chicken Breast Dinner with potatoes and vegetables” i got 2 grilled oversalted chicken tenders with a side of still chilled potatoes. No veggie at all. Snacks and soft drinks as well as the limited beer selection was replenished daily.
Not be entirely down on the place…. Its a nice place. The entertainers and help staff are great. They seem enthusiastic and are good at getting folks up and moving. Obviously the beach is gorgeous and the water beautiful. We went and swam with sharks and stingrays …. Went bottom walking with the space helmets and had a nice party at a sand bar. Once again drinks weak and cheese sandwiches were the lunch we were served. I also went golfing- free green fee but carts and rentals cost some cash. The course was all ours , which was awesome… i saw some cool wildlife and the course is in good shape given the heat. At the turn we got a saran wrapped chicken salad sandwich with almost no chicken in it.
The pool is where spent most of our time and all around the pool are walk out suites. For the first 4 days we were there, a woman allowed her what seemed like a 6 year old kid frolic around buck naked on their outside cabana bed. This suite was literally 30 feet from the swim up bar. Bizarre.. no one ever told her to cover him up- she didnt care. I just set up shop away from them but it stuck how strange the scene was.
The casino is nothing to write home about. We play some roulette. A girl with our group turned 20 bucks into 200 and you think we were in Vegas the way they kept eyeballing her and changing the person spinning the ball. The “pit boss” stayed put right up until she cashed out.
And just to put a cherry on top…. The day we were leaving….. i needed more cash to tip the butler. I had tipped 20-30 a day everyday but ran out of USD The 1 atm at Mirage was out of service …. I walked to the next resort…. Elegance and their atm was down. I walked back and told Jeffry our butlet id borrow some cash from our friends and take care of him. He offered to take me to their 3rd property…so we went and the atm there promptly ate my card.
I had fun …. I can have a good time under any circumstances and my kids had a ball and thats what i pay the money for …. But i expected much more from this place. I was disappointed. I wont return again.
2023.06.09 16:49 loofyd going to cook (bake?) two boneless chicken breasts in the oven - do i need any other equipment ?
I have two piece of chicken breasts, possibly marinated
they are supposed to be cooked either on the grill or on the oven
i will be cooking them in oven
do i need foil or anything ? or should i simply put them in the oven ?
EDIT : i would also like to know the ideal temperature for cooking (in degrees Celsius)
submitted by loofyd to cookingforbeginners [link] [comments]
they are supposed to be cooked either on the grill or on the oven
i will be cooking them in oven
do i need foil or anything ? or should i simply put them in the oven ?
EDIT : i would also like to know the ideal temperature for cooking (in degrees Celsius)
2023.06.09 15:01 Thumper123 LHR - EWR 7:45am departure
submitted by Thumper123 to unitedairlines [link] [comments]
2023.06.09 14:44 LV2107 Going semi-vegetarian after RNY
I'm about almost 1 year post-op. I'm lucky to have had a good recovery, no complications, weight loss has been steady and on track, all that. Very happy overall.
I've noticed in the last few months, I've developed a bit of an aversion to meat. Which is kind of a bummer because I've always been pretty carnivorous, and I live in a country where beef is very delicious and affordable. Even chicken sometimes, a plain grilled chicken breast, I feel a little bit of nausea after a few bites.
I don't think I'll go full vegetarian, I can still stomach things like lunch meat or ground beef in something. I can also tolerate fish and shrimp, so far.
Anyway, just asking, anyone else develop this aversion? Any experiences or suggestions to share? I want to make sure I do this transition in a healthy way and keep my focus on proteins properly.
submitted by LV2107 to GastricBypass [link] [comments]
I've noticed in the last few months, I've developed a bit of an aversion to meat. Which is kind of a bummer because I've always been pretty carnivorous, and I live in a country where beef is very delicious and affordable. Even chicken sometimes, a plain grilled chicken breast, I feel a little bit of nausea after a few bites.
I don't think I'll go full vegetarian, I can still stomach things like lunch meat or ground beef in something. I can also tolerate fish and shrimp, so far.
Anyway, just asking, anyone else develop this aversion? Any experiences or suggestions to share? I want to make sure I do this transition in a healthy way and keep my focus on proteins properly.
2023.06.09 13:44 MisterPerfect23 BBQ'd chicken breast a few days ago, it was missing something, would love an opinion on my recipe!
i had 3 breasts, this recipe is how to cook an individual and I'm not super into measuring so I've got some approximates here:
take a sheet of tinfoil with 6x surface area of the breast, spread enough lemon juice across the middle of it, basically like 3tsp across the tinfoil
then put on 2 pinches of garlic salt across
then do the same with oregano, mint, basil, chipotle, and onion (all powders, for reference)
then roll the chicken around on the tinfoil til most of it sticks
then, wrap the tinfoil til it looks like a blunt (for visual purposes), with one side exposed with about an inch of "tunnel" where you can see the chicken
i cooked it on a charcoal grill at 375, turned it every 5 mins for 25 mins
i really enjoyed it, and so did my company, but we came to an understanding that it was missing something, any reccomendations for the next time?
submitted by MisterPerfect23 to spices [link] [comments]
take a sheet of tinfoil with 6x surface area of the breast, spread enough lemon juice across the middle of it, basically like 3tsp across the tinfoil
then put on 2 pinches of garlic salt across
then do the same with oregano, mint, basil, chipotle, and onion (all powders, for reference)
then roll the chicken around on the tinfoil til most of it sticks
then, wrap the tinfoil til it looks like a blunt (for visual purposes), with one side exposed with about an inch of "tunnel" where you can see the chicken
i cooked it on a charcoal grill at 375, turned it every 5 mins for 25 mins
i really enjoyed it, and so did my company, but we came to an understanding that it was missing something, any reccomendations for the next time?
2023.06.09 08:54 thefinewinecompany_ What are some good dry Sauvignon Blancs?
 | When it comes to wine, Sauvignon Blanc is a popular choice for many wine enthusiasts. Known for its vibrant flavors and refreshing acidity, Sauvignon Blanc is a versatile white wine that pairs well with various dishes and occasions. In this article, we will explore some excellent dry Sauvignon Blanc options available at The Fine Wine Company Ltd, a renowned online wine retailer in the UK. Whether you're a seasoned wine connoisseur or a novice looking to explore new flavors, these recommendations are sure to satisfy your palate. submitted by thefinewinecompany_ to u/thefinewinecompany_ [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/34wwfvklwx4b1.png?width=152&format=png&auto=webp&s=f22ac9a1c88799d7a02e259b47a9406036aeca43 1. Understanding Sauvignon Blanc Before diving into the recommendations, it's important to understand what sets Sauvignon Blanc apart. Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine known for its herbaceous and fruity characteristics. It is typically produced in a dry style, meaning it has little to no residual sugar. This dryness enhances its crispness and makes it an excellent choice for those who prefer a refreshing and lively wine. 2. Top Dry Sauvignon Blancs at The Fine Wine Company Ltd
3. Why Choose The Fine Wine Company Ltd? Aside from their impressive selection of dry Sauvignon Blancs, The Fine Wine Company Ltd offers several advantages for wine enthusiasts. Firstly, they provide a convenient online platform to browse and buy wine from the comfort of your home. Their website features detailed descriptions and tasting notes, allowing you to make informed decisions. Additionally, their knowledgeable staff is always available to assist with any inquiries or recommendations. Lastly, The Fine Wine Company Ltd offers reliable and efficient delivery services, ensuring your wines arrive in pristine condition. Conclusion When it comes to exploring dry Sauvignon Blancs, The Fine Wine Company Ltd offers an array of excellent options. From the zesty citrus flavors of Sauvignon Blanc A to the complexity of Sauvignon Blanc B and the aromatic delight of Sauvignon Blanc C, there is something to suit every palate. Remember to consider your personal preferences and food pairings when making your selection. By choosing The Fine Wine Company Ltd, you can confidently embark on a journey to discover the best dry Sauvignon Blancs available, all with the convenience of buying wine online in the UK. |