Mirakutei vs. Biwa AKA apples and oranges when the apples are in season and the oranges are under ripe AKA this is a total cop out post from facebook

I was asked on Facebook to compare my first impressions of Mirakutei (a new Japanese restaurant touting their Ramen) with my favorite, Biwa:


Okay, First impressions on Mirakutei (and keep in mind that they just opened) aren't strong. The bowl of Ramen I had was the "Mirakutei Original Ramen" which on the Japanese language menu said was a Tonkotsu ramen. I would personally call it a hybrid; the broth had some of the richness of a true Tonkotsu, but really is more of a Shoyu broth. The toppings were a spartan selection of lean chashyu, bean sprout, sliced negi, and bamboo shoot. The noodles were, as far as I could tell, descent fresh chukasoba made in a factory.

Overall the Mirakutei Original Ramen was a simple, clean bowl of noodles. Nothing flashy, nothing to gush over. I felt the portion, though not small, didn't fill me. I was disappointed by the skimpy portions of the toppings. the price is eight dollars.

As far as I could tell, the rest of the menu is primarily sushi. I didn't have any, but I've eaten at Hiroshi (Mirakutei's parent restaurant) several times and the sushi there is my gold standard by which I measure all other sushi. So I can assume it's good at Mirakutei.

ALL THAT BEING SAID:

Biwa is the better restaurant. The Biwa ramen is also a hybrid, albeit totally different than mirakutei, so I can't claim they make a truer ramen (and in all honesty, that claim would probably go to mirakutei, shoyu broth being the original and most common style). For just a few more dollars Biwa gives you about twice the ramen, six times the (better) chashyu, a shoyu egg, and a pile of sliced green onion. Not to mention the nightly bar menu (9-10) where the ramen is only $5(!)

I must recall that I hated Biwa when they first opened, so I'll be giving Mirakutei another chance in the future.

The big selling point for me is the vast menu beyond the ramen at Biwa. What they offer is real Japanese food, unlike any I've seen offered anywhere in the US. Biwa is the shit.

A bitter taste

I sometimes have a hard time accepting things as they are. I'll get an idea in my head of how things will turn out, and when I find it to not be that way it hurts. What is disappointment? Why is it a feeling that is felt? I find that in most cases, not all, but most cases disappointment comes from a self created idea of the way things are gonna be. Rarely is it external. Usually once I realize that I have deluded myself I can recognize it and move past it. This process can take as short as the moment it took to think it, or as long as months. These are learning experiences.

It can be easy to forget that the world is not about me.

Have booty, will shake

I'm not sure how I began dancing, what influenced me, why I felt the need. I think of myself as somewhat of a shy person. I try not to flaunt, make a spectacle, or show off too much, thinking it to be boorish. But that is precisely what dancing is. It's putting yourself out there on the dance floor and moving in all sorts of awkward, crass, and suggestive ways for all to see.

I love it.

I have always had a strong affinity for music, and long ago noticed that it takes much less from a song to make me nod my head or tap my toe than other people. I can't help it, I feel the same kind of exertion when trying to not move my body to a beat as one might feel while attempting not to visibly flinch at a buddy swiping at their face. It's animal, it's innate, a reflex. There is no resisting it.

I remember clearly the summer of 2002 as the beginning of my desire to dance. I had attended many concerts in those months and just couldn't not dance. Unfortunately I had no idea how to, and resorted to the only movement I was familiar with: Martial arts. I must have looked a fool out there, doing high speed tai chi to the beat, but it felt good. As I've said, I have always loved music, but never participated in it's creation; Dancing revealed to me a means for active participation. Unfortunately, I was Single-Whipping, Roll-Back-And-Pushing, and Snake-Creeps-Downing to the point that I was once called out, over the sound system, by the lead singer of a band for doing chopsocky on the dance floor.

So, I started watching other people dance, picked out what seemed right and excluded what looked bad. I recalled my friend in high school who was always dancing in the halls and doing, what seemed to me at the time, improbable steps. I asked him where he learned to dance and he replied "BET music videos." So I started paying attention to the pro dancers whenever I saw music videos. What's funny is that as I found my own style I realized I was dancing more like the women I saw on MTV and less like the men; I would shimmy and shake, bounce my butt, and shake my shoulders. Dancing in this way is just more fun I think.

Eventually I realized that being self-conscious of my dancing actually made me a better dancer. If I knew someone might be watching me, I didn't want to make too much a fool of myself and would really try to nail the steps and work on my timing. If I'm dancing alone in my house I'm sloppy and carefree. If I'm at a concert or a club, I want to be getting down harder than anyone else out there.

I am by no means a great dancer, at all, but I frequently get complimented by strangers for my moves. I think this is hilarious. I just don't think they expect to see such a plain, non-flashy looking dude shake his ass like Shakira.

I think everyone should feel free to dance, but shyness and a self held belief that they can't often holds people back. If you are reading this and you are afraid to dance, I encourage you to get out there and do it. After all, everyone else is doing it too, and who are they to pass judgment?

African Action

In my varied online perusals today I came across these two loosely related video clips. The first is wildly absurd, but equally awesome:


The next one is wonderful, but derives that wonder from a ridiculous source:


I think both of these videos are a hoot.

Kung fu anew

I'm recovering from what I see as roughly a one year lull in my martial arts practice. I'm going from attending one class a week, if even, to taking two classes and teaching one per week. Now, this is considerably less than the heyday of kung fu when I was going almost every day and practicing at home constantly; I was a kid then with little responsibility, I am a young adult now with still little responsibility, but now I have a demanding job. what can you do.

Anyway, I've really been feeling the kung fu lately. I think it's because of two things. Item the first: I have been going to Sean's new(ish) Monday night classes, which unlike the usual Sunday morning class he leads, this class he teaches, if you can see the distinction there. Sean was and is, a huge influence in my martial studies, and when I was younger he was my primary teacher for some time. So to be back in his class, hearing his instruction and following his direction, it takes my back to when I was first starting this journey. Item the second: I have been teaching my own class again. I took over a year off from teaching my Wednesday night classes for various reasons, but about two months ago I realized that it is something I need in my life. One of the best ways to learn something is by explaining it in detail to another person. That idea really rang true when I began teaching back in 2002; These days I feel like I'm shaking out the cobwebs as I instruct a student, reminding myself of all the skills and techniques that are now second nature to me, analyzing them anew, and concluding that I still have room to grow.

Nippon no more

Anyone who knows me is undoubtedly aware that I have long been planning to move to Japan. There are many reasons for this, notably my strong desire to become fluent in Japanese, a language I have spent years studying but have never fully got a handle on. I believe that total immersion would really supply what I've been missing in my studies. Other reasons include a strong desire to study martial arts in Japan, learn authentic Japanese cookery, and the importance of living somewhere else in a different culture and out of my comfort zone for a bit.

...

guh, I started writing this yesterday, and just don't have the will to relate the whole story. Basically, my goal has always been to apply to JET. Last year I completely screwed up the application, and never even sent it. This year, I rectified this by busting my ass and producing what I thought was one hell of an application packet. I found out yesterday that I was not accepted. I was not even invited in for an interview. This is surprising and highly disappointing. I had been told by many people familiar with the program that with my back ground and particular passion for Japan I was more or less a shoe-in. Not being accepted was always a possibility, but I thought that the rejection, if it came, would be after an interview. To not even qualify for an interview, and not know why, is incredibly hard to swallow.

If I had been going to Japan, I would have been leaving in August. Now I don't know what to do. It made me realize that I need to take a more active role in the direction of my life. I have been very fortunate to have the job that I have, but it is a passive and uncreative (though, admittedly stable) way to live my life.


Let's see what is next.

How to mince garlic

First, peel the garlic. Second, chop off the stem end. Third, split it in half length wise. The rest you see in the video