Friday March 6, 2009
ABC Cooking
Tokyo, Japan
Torrential Rain, Cold and Very Windy
This week was a very strange and frustrating week. There was a strange force that wanted to make sure key machinery that I depend on was not there for me.
First, it was my work laptop. The battery pack died so basically I was working with a desktop computer – unplug it, it dies. Usually, a replacement shows up within a day but there was a fire at the Lenovo plant in China so I was told it will take about a week. While presenting for a client, the power cord accidentally was unplugged from my laptop and when I tried booting it up again – BLUE SCREEN. Not good. So I took it to the repair center to find out that my harddrive was permanently damaged. The team worked really hard to at least recover "my documents". There was ecstasy for about a day when they claimed they recovered "my documents" but later I found out about 90% of my files were still missing as majority of the folders were empty. Since majority of "my documents" weren't backed up (its too complicated to explain the reason but suffice it to say it was due to security), I'm hosed. The one key folder that I had "backed up" was my tax file. My back up was the printout of my taxes. So I got the file out, made sure all the docs were there including my 1099 forms etc. I made the mistake of leaving it on the coffee table while going out to dinner with my friends. I came home to find my sweet dog Yuki-chan decided to shred the folder and all the documents into tiny little pieces. So there goes my tax back up!
Second, I could not find a working ATM in pouring rain this Wednesday. I was running low on cash where I only had about 1500 yen in my wallet. I usually carry alot of cash with me as afterall this is Japan, a very cash oriented society. But the day before I did some major grocery shopping and paid with cash so was running low. My plan was to go the Citibank ATM terminal at Hakozaki TCAT in the morning before work. But on the subway ride to Hakozaki, I started thinking about work so forgot all about getting cash. In addition, my Pasmo card (IC card for subway rides) was running low so I used my last bill – 1000 yen to add money to my card so by the time I reached work I had a little less than 500 yen. I got so engrossed in work that I forgot about my cash situation until about 6pm where I had to leave for Shinjuku. So I go to the Citibank at TCAT to find out that it no longer exists!! Now for most Japanese this is not a problem as they can go to any ATM, but my account in Japan is Citibank and the other ATM card I have is with a US bank, so I can only go to an ATM that takes international cards. So I can't use the other available ATMs at TCAT. But, I think, no problem, there is a 7/11 at Shinjuku that has an international ATM. I get to Shinjuku, look for the 7/11 and find its GONE!!! In addition, it started to pour outside and I have no umbrella and not enough cash to buy an umbrella! I knew there was a Citibank at Shinjuku but its about a 20 minute walk in the pouring rain. However, I have no choice so ended up walking while everyone is staring at me ( I'm wearing my suit with a cashmere coat) and arrive at Citibank soaked. At least I finally was able to get some cash!
And lastly, the DISHWASHER. I love dishwashers. I hate doing dishes by hand. After the fiasco of getting cash on Wednesday, to de-stress, I decided to cook and watch TV. I decided to make Lentil soup and watch 24. It did the job and I put all the pots, utensils, dishes, etc in the dishwasher. Turned it on before I went to sleep, woke up at 4am on Thursday to get some work done only to find a puddle of water in the kitchen. I open the dishwasher and there is lots of water. I try turning it on again and realize its broken! I call the concierge and I need my dishwasher to work as I'm hosting a dinner for a couple of friends this Saturday and will be doing some major cooking. The earliest they can get a repair man is Friday. The repair man shows up and tells my cleaning lady, that the "expert" needs to take a look at it as he can't fix it. So now , the earliest they can come fix it is next Thursday!! Not good. So I'll have to do dishes by hand this weekend. I know some people reading this will think I'm spoiled. But I love my dishwasher! A friend told me it was better for the dishwasher to break than my washing machine. How true!
Mousse a la Fraise
So Friday comes along, and its cold, damp, windy with torrential rain. I'm very busy at work and with all the mechanical breakdowns, I'm thinking of cancelling my cake class. But I really enjoy it and it does help me de-stress and is a great way to start the weekend. So I decide to go and am very glad I did. I learned how to make a strawberry mouse dessert. The base is a thin layer of sponge cake. We then made strawberry mouse, which is basically made with pureed strawberry, sugar, gelatin, whipped cream, strawberry liquor and lemon juice. The key is in the mixing as you do need to keep it fluffy. We filled the casing with the mousse until half full, added another layer of sponge cake and then filled it to the top. We then topped it with a strawberry jelly topping and decorated it with raspberries. I loved the way it looked and it tasted like spring. By the time I was finished and ready to head back home, the rain stopped and it was a beautiful night – I knew then that everything will be OK.
