"Tebasaki-Gyouza"

Yesterday, I tried a new recipe for "tebasaki-gyouza"（手羽先餃子）.　It is a dish that a content of consisting of  "gyouza" is stuffed into a chicken wing. It was a little bit difficult to get rid of small bones from chicken wings, but other things was  were not difficult. I will try again it again, but at that next time, with other its content I will try making it with something else such as chicken meat mice mince.

guide for a Taiwanese

On Nov.12, I had a little bit international experience. He is a Taiwanese man who has travel with his bike for 10 days in the northern part of Kyushu.  He came to Kitakyushu at 6:30 pm from Fukuoka after he stayed for his first two days in Japan.

At first I took him to a "soba" restaurant named "Shiraisi"（しらいし）. We ate "Tempura-soba"that is a set of "soba" and "tempura". Tempura were mainly "anago"（アナゴ）, but including an ingredient, rarely used for tempura, a fig. Later, we went to a hotel that is the highest building in the area to see the night view of the city.

We communicated each other by using English. Occasionally, our conversation did not go well, but we could understand something we meant by writing some "kanji".

I have already learned that there are some internal issues in Taiwan, but I was glad do hear about them directly from a native.

He gave me a "karasumi" as a souvenir. It is a dried mullet roe that is s special product in his province where is the southern part of Taiwan. And it is a very expensive food in Japan. "Thank you very much".    

"Nama-gomi-syoriki" a device for processing kitchen wastes

I am not an activist for environment, but like friendly environmental actions. Last month, I bought a device that can reduce weight and volume of kitchen wastes by heating them. And I can use them as fertilizer when growing corps. The price of device is about 40,000 yen and not low, but I can get subsidy that is about half of its price from my town. I am looking forward to eating good vegetables that grow in my garden where processed wastes are buried.

"kuri"=a chestnut

Yesterday, I went to "Kawachi-chosui-chi"（河内貯水池）in Yahata-higashi ward by riding my bike. In the area I found several chestnuts on the ground along road for a bicycle. I collected them there and boiled and ate them. 

"Mottai-nai"

I have now prepared several goods for a bike event called "Tour de Saiki" held in Oita prefecture on Oct. 12. I took part in the event last year and unfortunately I fell down from bike and was severely injured in my left shoulder and right hand.

The accident made a hole in right nee part on my cycle wear. Since then, I had been not making decision to throw away this wear because other parts of it do not worsen and I felt "mottai-nai".

Several days ago, I found a repair kit for this type cloth. This time, I tried it. Now,  I am satisfied with this this repair although "it looks a little bit poor".

Asahi's failure

I am a about 50-years-old reader for Asahi Shimbun. But recently I am considering to quit reading it because of its important mistakes on several issues. Some people say "comfort women issue by Japan's Imperial Army" has been lead internationally by Asahi's mistaken reports. I have agreed on a part of their saying.

We, especially ordinary people, are making thought, opinion and idea on social issues by getting information about them from mass media. So media's responsibilities are very important.

I have felt betrayed by Asahi on these problems.

On last Wednesday, a document, this picture, was brought to my house with Asahi newspaper. It has expressed Asahi's apologies on problems and also has said it starts some committees including outsiders that will examine why the corruptions had happened. I have to keep my attention on these movements.

fishing and cook

Last Saturday, I went fishing early morning to a fisher's port in Okagaki-town. My target fish was a small "horse mackerel"（アジ）,about 15 centimeters long. I caught more than 30 horse mackerels and several "thread-sail file-fishes"（カワハギ）. At that day's night, I made "nanbanzuke", a deep-fried fish, marinated in a spicy sauce, by using the horse mackerels. And yesterday's night , I ate broiled fishes cooked by my wife by using rest of fishes.

"Hokusai-ten"

I went to the "Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Riverwalk Gallery"（北九州市立美術館別館） on August 30 to see "Katsushika Hokusai"（葛飾北斎）'s arts that are housed in Boston Museum. I think that Hokusai is the greatest artist in the Japanese painters. Especially,　the composition and lines in his arts are very good, I think. He left a lot of works in his life and they have very different characteristic in the period of when they were drawn. The exhibition had several ones that I had not seen ever. Seeing them has increased my love for Hokusai.  

Mt. Sarakura

Yesterday, I climbed Mt.Sarakura that is the highest mountain in the city of Kitakyushu and is very familiar to its citizens. It was a very fine after rainy or cloudy days had continued. We enjoyed climbing in the last weekend of August with nonsense conversation and comfortable sweat.

to resume riding a bike

Yesterday, I rode my bike for the first time in four months. I stopped it temporally because of the injury on my right hand's third finger. I have prepare for "Tour de Saiki" that is held on　October 12 in Saiki city, Oita prefecture.

I could enjoy this riding with short stop for seeing some people's fishing.