Weekend 2: Italian Restaurant

This is an Italian Restaurant we went to on Friday night to begin our second weekend in Japan.  I am in love!!!  I think it was the ambiance or maybe because the food tasted exactly like something we eat at home.  You know how after you've been sick for a couple days, you think bologna tastes good?  It could be that was part of it.  Although, I'm not comparing this food to bologna, I'm just saying we haven't had a meal for a week and a half that is exactly like we are used to, so finding that could multiply it's wonder.

But, also the restaurant was so charming, the manager was so cute (in his manner) and he gave the girls ice cream after they finished their dinner...which he described to us as a 'present' because he spoke little English. I suspect he felt it was special to be hosting guests from America.

The restaurant had seriously three tables.  And, it still makes me laugh when Jim was trying to order the girls a bowl of plain noodles.  It tickled us to watch the manager first understand the order and then to watch his face as he tried to make sure he understood that we wanted a bowl of plain noodles and to digest that thought while trying to appear to not think we were crazy.  The look on his face still makes me giggle.  But, it was for the girls...so that explains it to you and I.

So, Jim and I both had a meal and a glass of beer/wine, we ordered an appetizer, the girls shared a bowl of noodles and Grace had orange juice and Sarah water.  We were not undercharged (except for the 'present' of ice cream) and our bill was $35.  That's it.  Jim and I feel like we can't go to the Olive Garden and get similar meals, just for the two of us, for that.

And, here is the thing.  You don't tip in Japan.  And of course we've had this great experience and just totally love this guy and we don't know how to express our deep appreciation for the great food, nice environment, happy time, etc.  We decided to ask if it would be acceptable to tip even though we thought it was not the custom, the manager (of course) replied no.  But, he said the largest compliment would be that he knew what was felt in 'the heart.'    I felt that was just the best description of gratitude that I've ever heard.  A perfectly, perfect evening.



Bakery

The girls and I decided to venture to a bakery.  Truth be told, I just wanted a cookie. Not an Oreo - a baked cookie...you know sugar, peanut butter, any cookie.  We don't have a typical oven in the apartment so baking is not going to be part of our summer (and I'm not complaining about that because there is so much more that will be part of our summer)!

So, I asked Miyuki where we could find a bakery.  Isn't this the cutest little place???  It's off the main street and if you aren't looking for it you just may miss it.  I was in love with it from the outside.

Inside, the girls and I picked out the confectionery treat below.  A wonderful confectionery sugared, cakey treat...and when you bit inside we found a custard with a cherry added in the very center.

Definitely better than a cookie! 

Grocery Store

These were our grocery purchases from our second grocery trip.  During this trip I learned how it felt when your little girl (Sarah) knocks over about 30+ individual containers of noodles from an end-cap in the middle of the grocery store where you cannot convey an apology to the three store clerks that quickly came over to clean it up.  I helped of course.  And, I was embarrassed.  And I realized that I need to learn how to say "I am sorry" in Japanese...after all, I do have two children.  (Learning to say 'moshiwakearimasen' will take some practice.)

I thought I would show you some of the things and tell you some stories from this trip:

This is ground beef...I almost came home with ground pork - which looks only a shade lighter than ground beef.  I had chosen that first, but thankfully, I asked to make sure the package I selected was actually cow.  Really, if I did bring home ground pork my husband, would have ate it anyway because he is easy-going and eats everything I make.  However, he may have been the only one eating it ;)

Another thing I wanted to try to share with you is the size of the package.  I tried to show you by placing it next to this regular sized coloring book...the package is about 1/4 of it's size.  It cost 304 Yen ($3.89).  I'm not sure what it weighs, but I'd guess 1/3 of a pound??? 

And this, my friends, is rice.  If you look back at the picture I posted from our first trip to the grocery store, Sarah is standing in front of all the choices of rice.  Lots of very large bags.  Thankfully, I found a shopper who knew someone else in the store who spoke English.  That woman, told me this package of rice says that you do not have to rinse the rice before cooking.  Many varieties of rice need to be rinsed before made.  Which is simple to do, but since I come from the land of 'minute' rice - rinsing it would definitely be a necessary detail.

I opted for the rice that doesn't need rinsing.  One less thing to worry about.  And when I got home, Miyuiki graciously read

 the package to me to tell me how to cook it in the rice cooker.  What would I do without her????  Seriously, I'd be lost.

Here are some carrots we bought.  They are the largest (in diameter) carrots we've ever seen.  I tried to show in this picture that one of them is a wide of my thumb.  I cut them up, boiled them with one of our meals (the seasoned chicken you see in the picture above).  Very good, taste the same as any other carrot.

This grocery trip...2906 Yen = $37.20.