(no subject)
So lunch actually turned into inari zushi, fried chicken, bacon-wrapped asparagus, tako wieners, and turkey with muenster, rolled up in pita, with spreadable herb-garlic cheese instead of mayonnaise. You have to be pretty creative when it comes to food allergies. I thought about mayo, but then realized that it contains eggs, so that was out. Fortunately, soft cheese works just as well.
Dinner was sukiyaki at my house, and I think everyone liked it. I can't say that they finished everything, but today was the first time I've ever seen anyone come close; so either that means I've gotten better at portioning, or we were really hungry. Two full pans of sukiyaki, and a whole pot of rice. Yum.
The sakura matsuri was pretty nice. The usual vendors were there, and also, a couple of groups I wasn't expecting, including the US census and Geico. We saw some nice costumes, and it got REALLY crowded around lunch.
One of the coolest booths was the Japan Science and Technology booth. They were giving away pins and cloth patches with the Kibo module on them. They also had a one-page handout that was geared toward elementary school teachers describing step by step how to make a coil and magnet paperclip motor. They had a couple set up, but the wind was screwing it up.
At the J-Pop stage, we were just in time to catch the tail end of the Spirit + Noise performance. I swear that the drummer looked around 14, and the bassist looked not much past high school. But the shamisen player was also very good. They had a really good rhythm going.
The sakura were way past peak, so there was nothing but green trees around the Tidal Basin, but just off a ways we found a small island amidst the streets where four trees were still in bloom. And there were a good fifty people there trying to get pictures. Still, my friends got some photos, and everything turned out well. Except for the part where I'm allergic to tree pollen, that is. Fortunately, I brought some allergy masks with me--they came in handy.
Anyway, my friends have returned to their hotel to prepare for the trip home tomorrow, and now I am tired, sad that they are gone, slightly sunburned, smell of sukiyaki, and am going to get cleaned up and go to bed.
Oh, and thank you again N for putting together our table and chairs! *is very happy* Jerry did not notice when she came in, but when she did, she was quite pleased!
Edit: Oh, I forgot the chicken gyoza with sauce with lunch. I almost forgot. Thank goodness we had one extra person join us--we'd never have finished all of lunch.
Dinner was sukiyaki at my house, and I think everyone liked it. I can't say that they finished everything, but today was the first time I've ever seen anyone come close; so either that means I've gotten better at portioning, or we were really hungry. Two full pans of sukiyaki, and a whole pot of rice. Yum.
The sakura matsuri was pretty nice. The usual vendors were there, and also, a couple of groups I wasn't expecting, including the US census and Geico. We saw some nice costumes, and it got REALLY crowded around lunch.
One of the coolest booths was the Japan Science and Technology booth. They were giving away pins and cloth patches with the Kibo module on them. They also had a one-page handout that was geared toward elementary school teachers describing step by step how to make a coil and magnet paperclip motor. They had a couple set up, but the wind was screwing it up.
At the J-Pop stage, we were just in time to catch the tail end of the Spirit + Noise performance. I swear that the drummer looked around 14, and the bassist looked not much past high school. But the shamisen player was also very good. They had a really good rhythm going.
The sakura were way past peak, so there was nothing but green trees around the Tidal Basin, but just off a ways we found a small island amidst the streets where four trees were still in bloom. And there were a good fifty people there trying to get pictures. Still, my friends got some photos, and everything turned out well. Except for the part where I'm allergic to tree pollen, that is. Fortunately, I brought some allergy masks with me--they came in handy.
Anyway, my friends have returned to their hotel to prepare for the trip home tomorrow, and now I am tired, sad that they are gone, slightly sunburned, smell of sukiyaki, and am going to get cleaned up and go to bed.
Oh, and thank you again N for putting together our table and chairs! *is very happy* Jerry did not notice when she came in, but when she did, she was quite pleased!
Edit: Oh, I forgot the chicken gyoza with sauce with lunch. I almost forgot. Thank goodness we had one extra person join us--we'd never have finished all of lunch.