Tootsie on Tour: San Jose, CA
**Disclaimer: The content of this post reflects my own personal views, opinions, and experiences.
This post does NOT express the views or opinions of my employer.**
The venue: Center for the Performing Arts
(stock photo)
Covid Tests To Date: 86
TL;DR TikTok:
TikTok by @tromboneontour
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Monday was normal, we were delayed about an hour and a half but considering airline staffing shortages and whatnot, that's really not bad.
We got to the hotel around dinnertime.
This hotel is super-minimalist and modern-looking.
Everything is white and grey and black. See the TikTok to see the room.
Checked the fridge and off to the Whole Paycheck, which is only a half mile from this hotel.
And when I saw it I recognized it; I must have come to this Whole Paycheck while traveling with the circus.
This one is distinctive because it's attached to a brewery and is smaller than most other Whole Paychecks.
In addition to my usual stuff I got roasted artichoke hearts (high in fiber!), a mango spice low-sugar soda, and a new brand of shelf-stable protein shake that was similar nutritionally to the Fairlife I usually get but did not taste nearly as good. There was also a Target and a World Market in the area, so I walked there for some more affordable groceries. At World Market they sell these awesome packets of marinated vegetables that are shelf stable and are a great travel snack, so I grabbed several of those.
Back at the hotel I stocked the fridge, and spent the rest of my night relaxing, reading, and watching Adult Swim.
I'm pretty excited about my "treat meals" for the week!
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Tuesday, I woke up early several times but forced myself to go back to sleep.
I have been getting terrible sleep for the past several weeks because we've ended up in very noisy hotels, plus the time changes.
And for the first time in weeks, I find myself in a QUIET hotel room!
I ate a light breakfast because today will be soufflé pancake day!
Then applied for some jobs and hung around the hotel until covid testing, after which I walked to Sultan Bakery for some whole wheat pitas made on-site.
That's right folks, there are OTHER delicious breads in California BESIDES sourdough! Lol.
Look at these beautiful pitas coming off this conveyor belt this morning!
https://instagram.com/p/CcitL6VJRhj
They look like little puff-balls but as soon as they cool down they flatten out.
The whole bakery smelled AMAZING.
In addition to the pitas rolling off the press, they had a pastry case full of baklava which was sorely tempting:
I somehow managed to ONLY ask for pitas: a bag of whole wheat (which are only made on weekends and were therefore frozen today) and a bag of plain. The plain ones were hot and still steaming. I was careful to keep the bag open so they could cool without sweating.
Of course I couldn't resist tearing a small piece off of a hot, fluffy pita bread made just minutes ago!
It was so fragrant, soft and just a little bit of salt and sweetness. A bag of six for only three dollars!
What a blessing it would be to live near this bakery!! I'd be eating pitas FOREVER.
From that adventure I took a Lyft directly to Gram Cafe & Pancakes in Milpitas.
This was kind of an expensive ride, but necessary.
It is a very rare opportunity to eat real Japanese soufflé pancakes in the US!
Soufflé pancakes originated either in Japan or Hawaii depending on who you ask.
They are made by whipping egg whites, which are then folded into a soufflé-like batter and carefully cooked at low heat, layer by layer (or all at once if you have the right equipment) in a round mold, to build a tall fluffy structure.
The process is very time-intensive, so much so that many Japanese restaurants have a limit for how many they will serve each day!
CLICK HERE to see a video of these pancakes being made by a street vendor.
Gram Cafe had many flavors to choose from, including strawberry creme, Nutella, matcha, and creme brulee.
But since I've never had these before, I wanted to try them plain.
IT'S SO FLUFFY!!
Here is a video of my pancakes, so you can get an idea of texture.
Click to viewAs soon as I added syrup the pancakes started to collapse, even after I'd unstacked them.
Cutting into them and picking them up with a fork was surprisingly difficult, because they were SO light that they disintegrated upon contact with the fork. They were mildly sweet, and soft like a cloud, but with a chewy top and bottom and a little hit of salt from the butter. Oh my goodness. These are really, really worth getting.
I ate two of the three pancakes, packing the third up for later, and got a ride back to the hotel where I divided up my pitas and crashed for the rest of the afternoon.
Here is a picture of the refrigerator in my hotel to remind you all that I eat EIGHTEEN home-cooked meals each week.
This fridge is full of lean proteins, vegetables, and high-fiber fruits.
On the shelf I have whole grain breads and cereals, and healthy fats like avocados and nuts.
Only two or three of my meals each week are "foodie" meals, like the pancakes.
I am NOT eating entire bags of pita bread!
I am NOT gobbling down towers of pancakes at all times!
What you see on Instagram is HIGHLIGHTS.
For the other eighteen meals I am eating what you see in this fridge.
There's no secret here, folks.
Being mindful and having a healthy relationship with food. That's it.
Sound check at the theatre went well. The theatre is beautiful on the outside and looks like a plain auditorium on the inside.
It has a lot of features similar to the theatre in Tempe--birthday cake shape, round orb lights, sweeping ramps to get in and out--and it turns out the two theatres were indeed designed by the same architect. Cool!
The pit is very forward and open, so just like in the Fox in Atlanta we get to see much more of the stage than usual!
I'm very excited about this. It'll probably be my last chance to see parts of the show.
I enjoyed watching as much as I could, although I probably made more mistakes because of it!
Tomorrow I will be more careful.
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Wednesday I woke up a bit early to wish Jameson luck, he was going for a consult for his hernia.
It turns out they will have to use a mesh to contain the hernia, and the surgery will be on June 3rd.
OF COURSE it's when I can't be there :(
Well, I COULD be there if needed. But Jameson will ask some friends first.
I wish he didn't have to worry about these things. I wish I could keep him young, and make these issues disappear.
But we all age, and soon enough I will have things start to break down and change in my own body as well.
I think it is fair to say, there is no escaping it.
I had a slow morning just because I'd had nothing planned and also I know I'll be stomping all around Japantown on Thursday so wanted to save a little energy. I spent the morning applying for jobs and talking to relatives and meal planning and watching Netflix.
And then it was time to eat grasshoppers.
No, really! Not even as a touristy gimmick.
Grasshoppers, or "chapulines", are a common snack in Mexico and especially in Oaxaca.
They are more widely available during the rainy season because this is when they hatch.
They are gathered, washed, and roasted or fried with chiles, garlic, lime, and salt, then eaten the same as you would roasted nuts or popcorn.
Or sometimes they are served with guac and corn tortillas.
A local San Jose restaurant called Mezcal has them on the menu as an appetizer.
I figure if I'm going to try them at all, why not have them done right?
I'd rather eat them this way than encased in chocolate or a nasty lolipop (who wants to LICK a grasshopper??).
So I ordered them to go and they were ready right on time.
Here is an individual one.
I decided to first try them with the guac and tortilla.
Here we go!
They were quite good!
Actually, I didn't care for the guac as it was really spicy, so I ended up eating most of the grasshoppers by themselves.
They were very light and crispy (I think they had been roasted, not fried), and had a nice smoked flavor to them.
The seasonings were very good, and honestly, as long as I didn't stop to think about how I was eating bugs, they were totally enjoyable.
Before I knew it I'd eaten all of them!
My one complaint is I would have preferred less salt (this is a common complaint from me).
Other than that, I would definitely eat these again! What a nice snack food.
After that I was tempted to take a nap, but upon googling around I found a "municipal rose garden" that I realized must be in full bloom at this time of year. It was two miles away, but hey, I could always use some exercise, and there's a lightrail to Japantown if I feel tired tomorrow.
About 40 minutes later, I arrived.
Wow! When I think of roses, I think of red, pink, or white flowers, about the size of a golf ball, with a natural Fibonacci spiral of soft petals.
But this was some kind of otherworldly, Alice In Wonderland-type fantasy rose garden. I have NEVER seen roses like this.
First of all the blooms were GIGANTIC. Many of them were the size of grapefruits.
And then, they seemed to come in almost every conceivable color, with the palest being white, and cream, and pink, and soft peach,
and incredibly pale butter shades of yellow and milky purple.
Color combinations that were so intense and so varied, I had trouble believing they were real.
I couldn't stop taking photos. It was the best possible oversaturation.
This one had dark orange outer petals and pale peach inner petals, which was a really striking effect in person.
These looked like they had been spattered in paint.
This one had dark maroon petals and stripes, it was called "tropical lightning" and it was my favorite.
Everywhere there were people having picnics, playing with their kids, having photo ops, or just sitting among the flowers and talking.
Some people were clearly getting a nice buzz with bottles of wine; others were smoking (because 4/20, heyoooo)
And everyone was having a lovely time :)
I took as many photos as I could, then felt annoyed because I didn't want to delete any of them.
I don't usually care for flowers, but these were so beyond any roses I'd ever seen, that I was glad I'd come here and grateful to be able to saturate my eyeballs to my heart's content.
What a beautiful public space. I'm glad someone thought to make it a reality.
The walk back was less pleasant because I was sneezing and my eyes were watering from all of that pollen, and I was hungry and thirsty, however I made the best of it and stopped at the Whole Paycheck for a coconut water and an iced coffee and a stroopwaffle, which made me feel a lot better.
Back at the hotel, a nice cool shower and a quick dinner before the evening show, which went well.
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Thursday! I was awake at 5:30am again. My body is still convinced it's 8:30 and time to get up.
But no matter. I read for a bit and fell back asleep and woke up again.
Then after a light breakfast it was off to Japantown!
The town itself was pretty sleepy at 10am. Few shops were open just yet.
But there is a confectionary there called Shuei-do that makes fresh Japanese manju, and they're only open four days a week.
So I wanted to get there right at opening. And yes, there was a line already formed.
You don't actually go into the store anymore due to covid, it was counter-serve.
I asked for a raspberry "chi chi dango", a peanut butter/lima bean/soybean flour manju, and a brown sugar/red bean/wheat flour manju.
Manju looks very similar to what a lot of us think of as "mochi", but they are not the same.
MOCHI is an unflavored rice paste. It is an ingredient, not a stand-alone food.
Which is why you can have ice cream mochi, or red bean mochi, or mochi soup dumplings...or mochi manju!
Once mochi has been made, it can be incorporated either in its raw form by stretching it around fillings, or preparing it as a component of other foods (manju, soup dumplings, donuts, etc)
MANJU is a steamed bun made from any of a wide variety of flours like wheat or soybean or buckwheat flour OR mochi.
It is it's own thing, a type of dessert of itself.
A manju bun may contain mochi as an ingredient, but mochi cannot contain manju because mochi ISN'T manju.
Does any of this make sense? Lol.
The raspberry manju that I got today was made from mochi.
You can buy manju prepackaged at Asian grocery stores, but the texture will be NOTHING like this.
It was soft like a marshmallow, and deliciously chewy. Somehow dense and light at the same time.
The flavor was gentle and fragrant. I enjoyed this raspberry dango so, so much.
The others were good too, much softer than store bought and just incredibly fresh.
They had very clearly been made either today or last night.
Here's the wheat flour/red bean/brown sugar. You can see how the texture is more pastry-like.
I've never had fresh manju before, and unless you know a Japanese person who can make it, or live in a major city with a large Japanese population, I think you are unlikely to find same-day manju in passing. I cannot tell you how grateful I was to get to try these today.
In fact this whole week has been an exercise in gratitude.
How many people get to eat freshly-made manju? Or expertly-roasted grasshoppers?
How many people get to select new foods from Whole Paycheck just to try, or enjoy pancakes that are only good in the moment that they are made, or view flowers in that small window where they are at their full glory?
It really is a privilege, all of it.
Which is why you all are getting bombarded with pictures this week :)
I wish everyone could be with me here.
Everyone deserves to experience these moments.
Well anyway, once I got my manju I wandered around and found Nichi Bei Bussan, a Japanese clothing and home goods store that has been in San Jose for 74 years (wow!). I was the only customer, and as I wandered around the store gawking at everything I chatted with the cashier. She says that since covid started, the businesses in Japantown have had it rough. Many of them are still unwilling to even allow customers inside (I noticed that, even the places that were open were often either counter-serve only or required masking AND proof of vaccination). She says that they are hoping to hold the annual Obon Festival (a celebration of ancestors) this year for the first time in two years, but it is already planned to be scaled back.
Nichi Bei Bussan was not gimmicky at all; it was full of authentic Japanese wares, consigned clothing and heirlooms, and traditional Japanese toys and crafts and dishware. I loved looking at all the beautiful kimono fabrics.
These yukatas for men gave me a deep and intense nostalgia.
That's because I have a photo of my mom, dad, aunt, and uncle all wearing blue-and-white yukata like this, given to them by my Obaachan.
The children's kimonos were absolutely adorable. I wanted to get one for Elliotte SO BAD!
But she is tall for her age, and I was having trouble finding a good size, plus they didn't have her shoe size.
I decided to hold off for now and just bookmark the store for later, for when they could either get all of the items in to complete an ensemble for her or until I could separately order the missing pieces. She'll need a kimono, an obi, the sandals, and the white sandal-socks.
Note to self.
After that pleasant visit it was nearing lunch time, so I went to my planned meal stop, Aloha Fresh.
This is an authentic Hawaiian restaurant...so authentic, in fact, that their ahi tuna ONLY comes directly from Hawaii!
I got a salad of mixed greens topped with kuikui nut marinated ahi, sesame tako, lomi lomi salmon, and kimchi.
The tuna, while it was smooth and rich and the kuikui nut flavor was delicious, was overly salty (here I go again with that) so it wasn't my favorite. The tako on the other hand was great, sliced thin and chewy and seasoned very nicely.
The kimchi was tangy and delicious. The lomi lomi salmon was good but a little disappointing because there was very little salmon, it was mostly vegetables. Still, it was a yummy healthy lunch and I enjoyed it very much along with half-pieces of my fresh manju buns.
Finally I popped into the Nijiya Market to see if there was anything interesting.
I found a peach-flavored tea, a sour plum onigiri, and a miniature "tree ring cake" like the one I'd seen at Mitsuwa last week but hadn't bought because it was too big to eat by myself.
So I picked up those things, and that was pretty much it for my whole day.
I was back at the hotel by noon, and ready to call it quits.
This week has been more active than anticipated, but it's also my last chance to explore new things before three weeks back in Orlando (which I am VERY much looking forward to!)
The foodie stops were planned ahead of time, but the rose garden was an unexpected pleasure that I will never forget.
And now, to chill for the entire weekend!
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Friday, I woke up around 7:30 and had coffee and breakfast.
Then a covid test, then a walk to Whole Paycheck for eggs, avocado, and nut butter to supplement my groceries for these last few days in San Jose.
Then a load of laundry because even though I'm home in a few days I hate letting laundry pile up, can't help it!
Then, relaxation for the rest of the day.
Enjoying my Asian snacks and my fresh healthy groceries.
Watching Netflix and anime movies and doing a halfhearted job hunt.
Playing the evening show.
A good day.
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Saturday, slow morning.
I must have been REALLY tired because I slept until (gasp) 8:30, and even then didn't want to get up.
I was indeed walking all over the place this week, plus the mile to/from the theatre each performance, so perhaps my body wanted extra sleeps.
Breakfast and job applications in the city/state/county sectors because those are easier to slam through all at once and I swear no one looks at the applications anyway, I never ever get a response. Then some Downton Abbey (Season 4 and Mr. Bates has finally made his move, YESSS) and I ended up binging a new anime called Ousama Ranking, which I would normally have ignored due to the low quality animation but it turns out it's a FANTASTIC storyline, so I'm really glad I looked up some reviews and dove in. I'll probably finish the series by the end of next week.
The shows went well. Absolutely nothing of interest to report.
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Sunday, a normal morning and the beginnings of packing up.
Breakfast, getting dressed, applying for jobs, walking to Whole Paycheck just for the exercise and to get one protein because I wound up short for Sunday dinner. Two shows.
After the shows I packed as much as I could, because tomorrow is a very early flight.
A straight shot from SFO to Orlando, that's five or six hours on a plane!
If everything is on time and I'm not completely exhausted, I'll Uber home (Jameson will be in rehearsal) and get some groceries before unpacking and probably cleaning just a little before crashing.
And then, three weeks at home! Wow. It feels like it's been forever.
So much to do! And yet I feel I'll probably have it all done in the first week, haha.
Looking forward to it :)