Vocabulary - Family

I like learn languages and in my experience one of the biggest problems is learn new words. I’m making charts to memorize new words and I want to share them. I think I could start with “Family” as topic. The languages are Spanish (es), English (en) and German (de).

I receive sugestions about topics.

Something light

Well, after this cooking marathon, I need a break. But I still have some stuff, like lettuce from somen salad, spinach, carrots and eggs from the maki. As I didn’t have any clue about a dish using them, I just boiled the veggies and fried the eggs. A little bit of salt and they taste perfect.

After that, I felt healthy… but empty, as always I eat vegetables.

Sōmen Salad

Until now, I made dishes I know. When you know the results is easier. What about look for a recipe and try it?

As part of my plan, I googled and found this one, based on sōmen. The only thing I can say is that’s amazing. I want to try it again, but this time more prepared because I couldn’t find kamaboko either char siu at time.

I have to found another wonderful recipe with somen, I still have some packages.

Maki v2.0

Surprise! For second time in my whole life, I prepared Makisushi. I had some ingredients (nori, rice vinegar, rice) from the first time, I only needed to buy the fillings and I chose spinach, omelette, carrots, dried tuna and cucumber.

The most fascinating thing about sushi is that you can fill it with whatever you want, just be original.

I cooked the rice (sushimeshi) and vegetables using microwave. Rice was a little bit difficult, but you can found some nice recipes, like this one courtesy of Sushi day (http://sushiday.com). Also you can found some interesting ideas there. To dry de tuna, I cooked drained tuna from a can in an omelete pan, very slowly. Be patient.

The secret of make a good roll is the makisu. I had one from my mom and I already bought mine. It’s really useful and necesary.

I don’t have pictures of the results just the maki before roll it, sorry. I was hungry.

Tuna and eggs

Today was one of those days I got home and didn’t have food. Also it was too late to call delivery and sum with my boredom about fast food; my only choice was trying to cook something.

As my mom used to do, I checked what I had in the kitchen and what I could do with this. I had eggs and cans of tuna, so I mixed them and made a tuna omelet. There is no mystical recipe behind this, just mix 2 eggs and tuna (without its oil). Be careful don’t use too much tuna or your omelet is going to break down in pieces. Add salt.

It wasn’t as good as I expected, but at least my stomach is not empty. I didn't drain the tuna's oil for my first omelete. No good results.

About my plan, I really have a good idea of what I want to do this weekend; list is ready.

Cooking’s habits

I am really bored about pizza and fast food on weekends. This Saturday I tried again somen (recipe here) for lunch and dinner. Officially, I have a problem.

It’s particularly hard for me find some motivation to cook, especially because I’m workaholic (yes, I admit it) and I don’t have too much time and energy after work to buy and prepare something. Fortunately for me and my laziness, there is a little store close to home and I could buy some ingredients, but if I want to prepare something more complex I need a supermarket and a plan.

I got an idea! Next weekend it’s going to be different. I need a plan...

Tanabata

Every year August brings an special date: Tanabata. I’m not sure that the correct name for this special season is that, because after my recently researching I think it is more correctly called Obon Festival. For me, it is the date when ancestor's spirits come back for visits us.

My grandparents were Okinawan, and our family always tried to preserve all the traditions as possible. My aunt has a butsudan at her house and my cousins as well.

Obon is celebrated for three days according with the lunar calendar. The first day is called "Unke" (Welcome Day), the second "Nakanuhi", and the penultimate day "Ukui" (Escorting Day).

As child I used to be visiting my aunt in Unke and Ukui, but the last years I only could attend on Ukui, to say goodbye. In this day, family offers food to the spirits and light senko (incense). Always represented for me a chance to spend some time with my family.

Fear

Everybody always tell me that I should feel fear. World is dangerous, people are mean and Murphy is the law.

But years ago I found an excerpt from a poem of Rainer Maria Rilke:

Denn es ist nicht die Trägheit allein, welche macht, daß die menschlichen Verhältnisse sich so unsäglich eintönig und unerneut von Fall zu Fall wiederholen, es ist die Scheu vor irgendeinem neuen, nicht absehbaren Erlebnis, dem man sich nicht gewachsen glaubt.

Aber nur wer auf alles gefaßt ist, wer nichts, auch das Rätselhafteste nicht, ausschließt, wird die Beziehung zu einem andren als etwas Lebendiges leben und wird selbst sein eigenes Dasein ausschöpfen.

English:

For it is not inertia alone that is responsible for human relationships repeating themselves from case to case, indescribably monotonous and unrenewed: it is the fear of any sort of new, unforeseeable experience with which one does not think oneself able to cope.

But only someone who is ready for everything, who excludes nothing, not even the most enigmatical will live the relation to another as something alive, even out of his own existence.

That was the day that I chose live without fear. I started to take risks, measuring the consequences. I took decisions that would change the course of my life and that is how I rule my days.

I decided to live.