#Saba Fish Bento

[buffetlicious]

Later in the evening, I went back to the same Korean/Japanese fusion stall to buy their bento for dinner. The pan-fried blue mackerel in mum’s Saba Fish Bento is considerably bigger than those from other competitors and just as cheap if not cheaper than them. I had the Teriyaki Chicken & Saba Fish Bento which gives me the best from both worlds.

[xshu]

Saba Bento

Part of The Cat’s lunch assembly. Saba Bento Some kinda mackerel. Rice enough for two portions, fish enough for two, maybe three portions. Considering multiple portions, the bento is considered “cheap eats”. 🙂 The Mouse adds steamed sweet potato, a small portion of Japanese or Korean “red” rice, and vegetables of the day. Getting white rice and protein pre-made helps the process. Be well,…

[irenasang]

Bento set

[not-dere]

[levi-supreme]

Levi's Valentine: A multi-chaptered story

Hi all, I'll be dropping a multi-chaptered Valentine's Day story for Levi which will be posted every Monday from 14 February (Valentine's Day) until 14 March (White Day)!!

This story will be set in 2009 in Senior High School in Japan. As such, there might be certain Japanese words, food, terms and tropes that some of you might be unfamiliar with, so here are the words and terms that will be appearing in the story!

The list will be updated as I write the story so keep watching this post for more things that I will post and write about!

Also, yes I based the setting of the story to be in Japan, but I won't be using actual street or city names, so do not worry about getting 'lost' in the story, or not knowing where are the places I'm talking about.

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚗𝚎

Education in Japan

Schools in Japan adopt a three-term system where there are three semesters of study, mainly:

Semester 1: April to August (summer break from end July to end August)

Semester 2: September to December (winter break from end December to beginning of January)

Semester 3: January to March (spring break from end March to Beginning of April)

School typically begins at 8:30 am with assembly, and end at 3:30 pm, where students will go for their extracurricular activities. High schools do not typically have a canteen or cafeteria, as such students will usually bring their bento from home and eat in their classrooms.

Dōjō

Dōjō (道場 'way of a place'): A hall for immersive learning or meditation. It is traditionally used in the field of martial arts, but in recent days can be seen in other fields as well.

Kendo

Kendo (剣道 ' sword way', 'sword path', or 'way of the sword') is a modern Japanese martial art that is descended from kenjutsu (old martial art/swordsmanship) which uses bamboo swords (shinai) and protective armour (bōgu). Kendo practitioners wear a keikogi for practise.

Shinai (竹刀): A bamboo sword used in kendo for practice and actual competition. Shinai uses lighter and softer wood which differs from a bokken (木剣) which uses harder and sturdier wood.

Bōgu (防具): Properly known as kendōgu (剣道具), it consists of four components; men (面 - helmet), kote (小手 - gauntlets), dō (胴 - breastplate), tare (垂れ - faulds).

Keikogi (稽古着): A uniform worn for different Japanese martial arts such as Aikido, Judo, Karate etc. Kendo practitioners wear a kendogi (剣道着) which comprises of an uwagi (上着 - kimono-like jacket/upper top) and hakama (袴 - trousers with wide trousers legs).

Japanese honorifics

The honorific 'chan (ちゃん)' is mentioned by a certain someone. 'Chan' is frequently used for girls and between them, small children, close friends, or lovers.

Food

Here are some of the food that will be mentioned. Some of you might already know what are they, but some of you don't. Therefore, I'll just list out all of them here!

Omurice (オムライス): Short form for omelette rice, usually found in Western style diners. The rice is fried with chicken, ketchup, and garden vegetables, and wrapped in a thin sheet of fried scrambled eggs.

Karaage (から揚げ): Japanese fried chicken. Boneless chicken thigh cut to bite-sized pieces and coated with flour and batter before deep frying.

Saba (鯖): Japanese mackerel, eaten with white rice. The mackerel is salted overnight and grilled the next day. Usually eaten for breakfast, but can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚃𝚠𝚘

Food

Here are some of the food that will be mentioned. Some of you might already know what are they, but some of you don't. Therefore, I'll just list out all of them here!

Ramen (���麺): Japanese noodle soup dish made with wheat noodles and served in a meat or fish-based broth, often flavoured with soy sauce or miso paste. Ramen toppings include sliced pork (叉焼 - chāshū), nori (海苔 - dried seaweed), menma (メンマ - sliced bamboo shoots), or scallions. Different regions in Japan have their own unique variation of how ramen noodles and broth is prepared.

Cheese hamburg: Hamburger beef patty and cheese

Cha soba (蕎麦): Soba (蕎麦) is noodles made of buckwheat and the dish can be eaten in many ways, both hot and cold. Cha soba is noodles flavoured with green tea powder.

Tonkatsu (とんかつ): Breaded deep-fried pork cutlets. Often eaten with rice and shredded cabbage.

Tempura (天麩羅): A seafood, meat, or vegetable that has been battered and deep fried. Some types of tempura dishes include shrimp, prawn, scallops, bamboo shoots, broccoli, mushroom, eggplants etc.

Sencha (煎茶): A type of Japanese green tea. The tea leaves are infused in hot water before straining and pouring for serving.

Shoujo manga (少女漫画): Shoujo means 'young woman', as such shoujo manga are mangas that are catered to younger woman. Shoujo manga has mnay different narrative styles. but they mainly focus on romantic relationships or emotions.

Nee-san (姉さん): Older sister.

Sensei (先生): Teacher. Can also be used to address other persons of authority such as lawyers, politicians, physicians etc. It can also be used to address people with a certain mastery in a skill or art form, such as martial arts, novelists, musicians, and artists etc.

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎

Food

Here are some of the food that will be mentioned. Some of you might already know what are they, but some of you don't. Therefore, I'll just list out all of them here!

Onigiri (お握り): Rice balls, usually wrapped in nori (海苔 - dried seaweed). Rice balls can be filled with pickled plum, salmon, or anything salty or sour.

Wafu (和風): Japanese-style. 'Wa' stands for Japanese-style food such as wagyu (和牛 - Japanese beef), washoku (和食 - Japanese meal), wagashi (和菓子 - Japanese snack) etc.

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚛

Valentine's Day

In Japan, females usually gift the person she has feelings for chocolate, and females also gift chocolate to friends and family. Females usually confess their feelings to the males that they like during this day. There are two types of chocolate that can be gifted:

Giri chocolate ('obligatory' chocolate): Ready-made chocolate that are gifted to family, friends, and people that you have no romantic interest in.

Honmei chocolate ('true feeling' chocolate): Chocolate that are more expensive, fancy, or homemade. Usually given to someone you have romantic feelings for, or a romantic partner.

Food

Here are some of the food that will be mentioned. Some of you might already know what are they, but some of you don't. Therefore, I'll just list out all of them here!

Tamagoyaki (卵焼き): Japanese rolled omelette. Usually resemble little pillows and taste slightly sweet.

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙵𝚒𝚟𝚎

White Day

White Day is observed one month after Valentine's Day on 14 March where males who received chocolate from females on Valentine's Day will reciprocate their feelings or appreciation by gifting them presents. The return gifts are usually thrice the value of the Valentine's Day gift they have received. The gifts can be anything ranging from chocolate, candy, jewelry, bags, lotion etc.

Levi's Valentine master list

Last edited: 20 February 2022

[luvnami]

𝐫𝐢-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧! 🍒 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐢

𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: @reddriot​ 

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 885

sakura petals flutter from tree branches, swirling gently in the wind before falling to the ground in droves of light pink. spring came late this year, meaning that classes began during the dreary grays of winter. 

miya atsumu didn’t like that. 

firstly, it messed up step one of his very, very important ‘absolute plan to make ri-chan fall in love with me!!!!!!!!!’. he had wanted to take you out on a hanami picnic with yummy food made by osamu (without him actually being there, of course), but homework and studying had already filled up your free time on weekends.

atsumu struggles to pay attention in class, bouncing his thigh and ruffling his hair as muttered grumbles escape his lips. mathematics has never really been his strong suit, despite how much tutoring he had gone through thanks to you. 

osamu glances over at him. the twins meet eyes, and atsumu narrows his own in frustration. osamu flicks his gaze to you.

atsumu gulps, knee coming to a still as he watches you zoning out.

you’re seated by the windows, where the sakura trees surrounding the school can be seen. you have your chin resting on your palm. clearly, you’re not paying attention to class either. the red bobble that holds your hair back glistens in the morning sunlight while you squint at the warm rays that are just beginning to warm the cool air outside.

“...and that’s all for today’s class.”

as if right on cue, the school bell rings, signalling the end of your mathematics lesson and the start of lunch time. chairs scrape against linoleum floors as students thank the teacher for their lesson, before the classroom bursts into a flurry of activity.

usually, the twins would have brought their own bento boxes while you occasionally purchased something from the canteen downstairs. today was one of those days. rifling through your bag for your coin purse, you tried to decide what would be a good choice for that day. 

yakisoba bread? udon? how about saba fish and some miso soup?

“ri-chan!” atsumu calls out cheerfully.

holding your coin purse in hand, you look up to see the blonde waving you over to his desk. frankly speaking, you had no clue why your homeroom teachers had decided seating the twins next to each other was a good idea. 

you weave through tables and soon arrive by atsumu’s table. osamu’s too busy stuffing his mouth full of food to acknowledge you, but you give him a wave anyways. you cock your head to the side in question. 

“did ya bring yer lunch today?” atsumu asks. 

you shake your head. grandma’s hands hurt more these days, and it’s difficult for her to even cook simple meals for herself. you try not to think about her fingers, all painfully curled up like chicken claws. 

“well, ri-chan… i, the ever amazing, one and only, miya atsumu, have decided to bless you with this-”

atsumu sticks his hand into his bag to search for something, before his face drops. you blink in confusion. 

“what do ya have for me, tsumu?” you question.

“samu, ya didn’t…” atsumu turns to face his twin. 

osamu chews slowly and wipes some sauce off of the corner of his mouth before swallowing. 

“what?” 

“ya didn’t eat that tuna onigiri i bought this morning, right?”

“oh, ya mean that special edition one? yeah, i ate it, but i-”

osamu doesn’t get to complete his sentence as atsumu hurls his textbook right into his face. with a gasp, you take a step back and the twins jump at each other. the class has grown used to their antics, so most of them block the commotion out and continue with their lunch. 

“what was that for! i’m just trying ta eat!” osamu yells.

“i was gonna give that ‘giri to ri-chan, ya dumbass! ya should’ve know!”

“how would i have known if ya didn’t tell me!” 

“tsumu, really, it’s fine! i’ll just go buy something… don’t fight, samu!” you grab onto atsumu’s sleeve and try to tug him away from osamu. 

atsumu slows to a stop, chest heaving and eyes still staring daggers into osamu. he shoves atsumu off of him and sits back down heavily into his seat, muttering curses at him as he returns to his bento. 

“freakin’ asshole…” 

“come on, tsumu. it’s not that big of a deal. let’s just go buy something together,” you soothe, patting down his ruffled uniform. 

atsumu quietens down at your soft and gentle touches. your fingers graze over his chest, and he’s almost sure you might be able to feel his pulsing heart through the thin material. 

“ya okay, samu?” you peek over atsumu’s shoulder and receive a nod from him. 

why did you have to ask osamu and not him? atsumu pulls you out of the classroom, practically shoving you towards the canteen. 

“let’s go already, no need to care about him.”

“he’s yer brother, tsumu.”

he falls quiet and shoves his hands into his pockets, stalking down the corridor. your hand rests against his arm again briefly. 

“don’t be angry,” you say softly.

atsumu holds his breath, before letting it out heavily. if there’s one thing he does better than setting, it’s listening to you. to you, only you.

“let’s get some tuna ‘giri.”

“sure, tsumu.”

[feverwritingandtextposts]

Misunderstanding (Giyuu X Reader)

Im back with a new kny fic... finally... This is for everyone who requested Giyuu!!! Sorry but I altered the request a bit, I hope you dont mind!

If you like my work, please support me on ko-fi!

As usual you can read it here on AO3 if you’d like! https://archiveofourown.org/works/24164389

You didn't like Tomioka Giyuu. He only speaks to nag at you, to point out your mistakes.

"Are you listening to me?" Tomioka asks, in that soft, velvet smooth voice of his. A long finger taps a point on the page sharply. "You’ve filled this report wrongly. Please redo it." Ice blue eyes bore into yours as he peers down his elegant nose at you.

You glance at the report you’d only just submitted in his hand. He was so nosy. It wasn't even his business to check your reports, he just started doing it out of the blue. He cited something about it being a senior teacher's job to review a new hire's work before it reaches the principal.

In your opinion, he takes it way too far. He even leans over your shoulder to point out things on your computer screen, icy blues flickering to you whenever he speaks, as if checking if you're truly listening. Give me some space!

Tomioka Giyuu only ever speaks about work. He never goes to lunch with anyone, never makes small talk, never misses a work submission. He never tones down his 'upstanding teacher' persona.

You have long wondered. Is he like that even on weekends? So cold, so restrained, so.. Tomioka Giyuu?

You see him once for yourself, on a Saturday run to a convenience store.

He's crouched near a gutter dressed in a ratty old tshirt that looks barely any more presentable than his tracksuit. He's wildly flailing a soggy piece of canned anchovy at an obviously disdainful tabby cat.

Perhaps its the need to annoy him, perhaps its just morbid curiosity, but you wander over.

"It doesn't seem to like you," you comment idly. He looks up, and his eyes are clear as the blue skies. He says nothing.

You crouch down beside him, beckoning over the stray cat.

"It does," Tomioka says, out of the blue. "I've fed it before."

You snorted, not quite believing him. You manage to pat a little of the cat's fur after scooting closer. The creature hisses, clearly offended.

It extends its small paw, ready to scratch and punish you for your hubris. Tomioka moves faster.

Catching your wrist he tugs you none too gently out of harms way. His hand is large and impossibly warm. His eyes are blue as ice.

"You'll get hurt," he says, like its a fact. Unintentionally you bristle, flushing in annoyance.

You pull your arm out of his grip, and without another word, you continue your walk to the store.

Cold blue eyes watch you go.

…

Tomioka Giyuu eats his lunches alone. But today, so do you. Your only other friends in the staff room were off campus for a course, leaving you to pick at your cafeteria ramen alone.

You look up at the gentle sound of someone moving into the seat in front of you. Tomioka gives you his signature flat look, as he sits, ramrod straight in the chair, looking all at once highly picturesque and incredibly uncomfortable.

Before you can ask him what he wants, he places his bento box on the table with a thump. "You're eating alone."

It's not a question. You assent to it anyway, telling him that the other teachers were busy. You trail off as you talk, uncertain if he's even listening. Tomioka Giyuu's silence never fails to make you feel like you talk too much.

As you shut yourself up awkwardly, he turns to you, eyes questioning. You squirm uncomfortably under his gaze, breaking eye contact to prod at your cooling noodles.

The silence drags on, punctuated by the soft sound of Tomioka unpacking his lunch. You had nearly brought a mouthful of noodles to your lips before a flash of yellow intruded its way into your vision. It was a bulging roll of egg, held delicately by worn wooden chopsticks, suspended inches from your face.

You meet Tomioka's unflinching gaze as he holds the egg up to you.

"Have some egg," he murmurs, like this was all completely normal. "It's good," he adds when you don't move.

Tentatively, you drop your noodles back into your bowl and take the egg, chopsticks clacking against his. You thank him, voice coming out soft and uncertain, but he nods resolutely at it and watches you intently as you lifted it to your lips.

He was right, it was good. You tell him as such and his lips quirk into a tiny approximation of a smile that leaves you strangely breathless with shock. Wholly oblivious to your reaction, he resumes eating his food in complete silence, and after a little more staring to confirm that he wasn't going to turn to you again, you go back to your own food.

The next time you speak to Tomioka Giyuu, its over his desk near the end of the day, as he reviews your work. You could feel the grimace, painting your face as you stood there, waiting for the inevitable scolding you were sure to get.

Tomioka shuffles the papers in his hand, peering at you over the top of them, eyes a stormy blue under the office's dingy fluorescent lights. Its an intense gaze, making you shiver.

"Well done," he says, still staring intently at you. "I can tell you've really improved."

You blink in shock at that, wondering if you've misheard him. At your lack of response, Kanroji Mitsuri manages to sidle in behind you, beaming.

"Isn't that wonderful, (Y/N)? You're getting the hang of the work now!" Kanroji smiles, smacking you reassuringly in the back with a bit too much force, pitching you forward.

You catch a glimpse of Tomioka's raised eyebrows before his hands are on your shoulders, steadying you, and your papers are scattered on the ground. You're deaf to Kanroji's frantic apologies as she bustles around you and Tomioka's feet, gathering up the papers.

Tomioka was too close. At this distance, there was nothing to distract you from the blue of his eyes, the regal incline of his nose, or his soft lips, parted slightly in concern.

You shook yourself out of your daze quickly, leaning back out of his grasp with a barely muttered thanks.

Glancing away, you accept the papers back from an apologetic Kanroji, unable to meet Tomioka's eyes again as you feel his stare bare into you.

"Are you okay?" Tomioka asks, softly.

Not looking back, and cursing your sudden bout of shyness, you nod quickly, giving him a hurried thanks for his concern. Quickly, you turn to shuffle back to your desk, lying to both of them about having to leave soon, just to escape the awkward vibe in the room.

…

The next day brings no respite from the strange turn your relationship with Tomioka Giyuu has gotten to. In fact, its only gotten stranger.

Tomioka had sat himself again in front of you at lunch, this time looking strangely pleased at the arrangement, even as you sent him obvious looks of confusion over this. Your discomfort with the situation went completely unnoticed by even the other teachers at the table. In fact, Kanroji and Kochou Kanae looked completely at ease with Tomioka's presence, as if he sat with you guys every single day of the week. As if he hadn't spent the last three months of your working there, eating all alone in the sanctity of his office desk so far.

Today he offers you an entire egg roll, pristine and looking absolutely delicious, which he hands over to you almost reverently, perching it atop your bowl of white rice. Tomioka ignores your look of confusion, accepting your thanks with dignified stride, blue eyes sparkling with an unreadable emotion.

Your own dry school cafeteria issued saba fish goes forgotten as you tuck into your surprising prize, eating with far too much gusto to fake disinterest in the gesture. Beside you, Kanroji and Kochou share a giggle at your expense, watching this unfold with glee. They turn down your offers to share, and that was enough to send you into a suspicious tilt. Kanroji never turns down food.

You look between them and Tomioka, trying to discern if there was something happening here that was escaping your notice. But Tomioka says nothing, tucking into his food at last, and neither do the girls, although they won’t stop giggling over it.

If it annoys you, you don’t say it. You’re too busy peeking over at Tomioka over the rim of your bowl, watching as he smiles contentedly into his salmon soup.

…

The train station was as busy as ever when you reach it, and you walked quickly along with the flow of people, careful to avoid any stray elbows as you went.

In your insistence to avoid bumping into anyone, you walked straight into a path of an energetic looking man, his clipboard blocking you from moving past him. Dressed in the gaudy red shirt of an insurance agent, you had a moment to realise your folly before the man started his spiel.

“Miss! How are you! May I have a moment of your time?” he asked, a forced, smarmy grin pulling at his face. You started, darting away to avoid eye contact and trying unsuccessfully to walk around him.

“Please,” he says, and there’s a hint of desperation under that cheery candour that makes you feel just as guilty as you are uncomfortable to hear his sales pitch. “It won’t take but a moment! I just want to tell you about our latest insurance plans, perfect for a working adult like yourself! Why don’t you come to our booth over there to hear more?”

His hand shoots out to grab your wrist in a vice like grip, preventing your further attempts to shy away.

You had never been good at telling people no, and this time was no different. You squirmed uncomfortably trying to find the politest way out of this situation, twisting your hand this way and that, unable to shake off the iron grip of the agent as he continued to talk, unperturbed.

All of a sudden, the man's unnervingly cheerful speech cut right off, as a heavy hand descended upon his shoulder with an audible thump.

From behind him, you could hear a chillingly curt voice speak out, low and dangerous. "I think she isn't interested in what you're selling. Let her go."

Peering past the agent's shoulder, you were met with the steely blues of the one and only Tomioka, his glare, usually so blank, pointed enough to cut glass. A thrill of emotion you can't quite place raced through you. Was it relief to see him come to your aid? Or was it admiration to see him stand up for someone like that? You've certainly never seen him look so... Authoritative.

It was kind of hot.

You tried to immediately banish that thought.

The agent faltered; his eyebrows raised in shock at Tomioka's sudden appearance. If you didn't know better, you'd think he looked scared.

"Leave her alone," Tomioka repeated, his hand squeezing down slightly on the agent's shoulder, causing him to squeak.

"Of course, of course!" the man blubbered, his smarmy grin sliding off to reveal a horrified, placating smile, "my mistake! You uh have a good day now miss, and uh sir!"

Noticing that he'd let your wrist go, Tomioka released the man from his grasp. He wasted no time in scampering off immediately, not even daring to look back at either of you.

You shuffled on the spot awkwardly, looking at your shoes before tentatively looking up to meet Tomioka's gaze. You were surprised to find that the harsh look in his eyes was gone. He looked at you gently, eyebrows just so slightly down turned, as if he was distressed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, voice low and gentle.

You nodded fervently, feeling more than a little silly all of a sudden. It felt like you keep running into him in the strangest situations recently. It was actually getting a bit embarrassing that he had to help you out so often. "Sorry, you're always having to help me out."

Tomioka's eyes widened inestimably. It was slight enough for a stranger not to notice, and you were surprised you did. You were shocked at how in tune you were getting to his emotions, as vastly difficult as they can be to discern.

"You don't have to apologise. It’s not your fault," he says, still looking a bit taken aback.

"Still," you mutter, wondering at the nagging feeling in your chest, and how much of that you can blame on Tomioka, and how much you can blame on yourself. "You help me at work, and now even outside of work, I just-" you stopped to take a breath.

When Tomioka sensed that you weren't about to continue, he hummed softly. "I don’t think I'm much help. But I don't mind it either way."

"I'm sorry," you repeated, and what you were apologising for, you didn't even know.

Tomioka bowed his head at you, concerned. "Its fine. I like helping you."

The words were so kind, and his gaze was so gentle that you felt your heart clench tightly. A foreign feeling swelled in your chest, and you were far too tired to make any sense of it.

"Why?" you asked, voice coming out strained and choked. Why was he always barging into your business? Why did he care? "Why would you care about me? I can't do anything right, you've said so yourself."

Tomioka's brow furrowed slightly and you hated how well you knew his face to tell. "When did I ever say that?"

"You think that," you shoot back without thinking. It was like a dam had burst in you, and all your bottled emotions and stress that had been stewing in you was leaking out. "You're always telling me that my work isn't good enough, that I'm not good enough. Every single time I hand anything to you, you have something to nit-pick! So, isn't that what you think? That- that I'm useless." you stutter, breaking his gaze to stare angrily at his shoes.

"That," Tomioka said sharply, "is not true."

At the sudden change in tone you glanced up, and was surprised to see his gaze dark, his blue eyes stormy, full lips set into a thin grim line. He looked angry.

Distantly you thought that you were seeing more emotion from him in these ten minutes than you've had from him all year.

"I was never trying to put you down," Tomioka says, and his voice is uncharacteristically loud and sharp, betraying his mood like never before. "I wanted to help you improve. And you always do. You are a tireless worker, and a dedicated teacher. You have so much potential that me, and everyone else can see."

You blink at him, struck completely dumb by his sudden tirade.

"Stop saying such negative things about yourself. It helps no one, much less yourself, to put yourself down like that. You work hard, and take criticism into stride. You never make the same mistake twice, and you're always improving. I-" he faltered, as if recollecting himself and remembering that he was in public. He pauses and you wait for him to continue, watching him with bated breath.

The next time he speaks, his voice is calm and soft as it always had been. "I've always admired that about you."

The people in the busy station rush around the two of you, leaving you both in a small cocoon of silence, the sort of surreal privacy one can only find in a crowd.

It takes you a moment to process his words, his praises and his emotions, as raw as you've ever seen it from him. Tomioka doesn't seem to mind, waiting patiently as you try to get your thoughts in order.

You couldn't remember why you'd ever think he was cold.

He appeared apathetic and uncaring, but with a sudden clarity you realised that with Tomioka, it was the little things that counted. The small acts of kindness and concern that he bestowed on you. What he avoided saying in words, he made up for in his actions, and in his careful observations, a kind of calm collected sweetness that before tonight, you may have never realised. You knew full well he wouldn't have minded even if you never did. He would just go on, being quietly kind, and being unjustly hated by you.

You felt like a complete jackass.

The realisation made your tumultuous emotions overflow, and with a choked cry, you could feel your eyes tearing up.

Tomioka gasped audibly at your tears, hands shooting forward as if to shield you from your own sadness. Wavering, he shoved them back into his coat, pulling out a packet of tissues. He held the tissues out, motioning as if to dab at your cheeks before changing his mind and instead holding them out to you desperately. You sniffed, rather amused by his frantic antics despite it all, accepting the wad of tissues gratefully.

"I'm..." Tomioka gaped, staring at you. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It's fine," you blubber, dabbing at your eyes and feeling simultaneously incredibly foolish and amused. "I'm not crying because of you."

"Oh," he murmurs, eyes never leaving yours. "Then, are you tired? Are you hurt anywhere?"

You shake your head, still unable to stop your sudden unreasonable bout of tears.

Tomioka tried again. "Do you want to sit down?"

You nod, and Tomioka gently gathers you in his arms, ushering you to a nearby bench. The other commuters take one look at your crying face and try to stay clear out of the way, providing the both of you with a wide enough berth to get to the bench unhindered.

You settle down beside Tomioka, and sit in silence while he gently pats your back, still looking very confused but not asking you any questions, for which you're grateful for.

"I'm sorry," you repeat, once your tears have blissfully made way for slight hiccups, allowing you to speak again.

"What for?"

"For not noticing sooner," you wave a hand around for emphasis.

Tomioka tilts his head, and you have to work hard not to smile at the cute gesture. "That we're in public?"

"What? No. I mean about how nice you always are to me."

"Oh," Tomioka says, his expression betraying nothing, although a slight blush that dusts his cheeks suggest otherwise. "It's nothing special."

"You even give me food on the regular."

"You... Looked a bit sad," murmured Tomioka, blue eyes swimming with sincerity. "Kanroji mentioned that food is the best way to cheer someone up."

You gave him a shaky smile. "She's right."

Tomioka smiles at you, stunning you immediately to silence. "I'm glad to hear that."

You couldn't help a blush of your own, and could feel it burning across your cheeks as you watched him smile serenely at you, his already unreasonably handsome face becoming near blinding.

Thinking to get out of that powerful gaze, and also maybe hoping to push your luck to its limits, you shift closer, wrapping your arms around him and tucking your face into his shoulder.

You feel him stiffen under your touch and you pause worriedly wondering if you should pull back. But in the next second you feel warm arms coming to rest around you pulling you in closer.

The blush on your face was well and truly threatening to burn your skin right off.

You feel soft lips press itself to the top of your head, lingering longer than necessary, and leaving your skin tingling in its wake. You part slightly and meet Tomioka's gaze straight on, at the joy dancing in his cerulean blue eyes and the curve of his full lips.

And for the first time in a while, you think that everything's going to be okay.

[rfung8]

Sushi 🍣 Sunday . A special weekend calls for a return visit to our favorite sushiya, Sushi Yoshizumi . These are among the fanciest sushi bento boxes in the Bay Area and there is something for everyone from the chirashi lover to the uni toro lover to the saba lover . Authentic sushi is more than sliced fish and this is evident nowhere more than the kaisen chirashi where every slice of seafood exhibits flavors mastered only with years of training . Thank you Yoshi-san and highly recommend everyone support their favorite restaurants everywhere . 📷 Kaisen Chirashi $75 ~ Uni Toro Ikura Box $80 ~ Saba Bou Zushi $55 ~ Futomaki $40 . 📍Sushi Yoshizumi (San Mateo, CA) . #instafood #foodstagram #yelpsouthbay #yelpsf #yelppeninsula #eatersf #sanmateoeats #sushi #nigiri #onemichelin #michelinstar #chirashi #japanesefood #shelterinplace #takeout #smallbusiness #outdoordining #bestfoodbayarea #topcitybites #sffoodie #foodie #nomnom #feedfeed #eeeeeats #foodpics #eeeeeats #foodgasm #dailyfoodfeed #foodlover #foodphotography (at Sushi Yoshizumi) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFYQQd_jMTv/?igshid=4idl7ou5zt4h

[silver-willow-cactus-blog]

15/4/19

oop I'm back to the food diary again!! I can't miss meals when I'm with family so I can't fast,,, I usually just eat meals when I'm forced to so everything else is considered a "binge" to me.

Breakfast:

Skipped

Lunch:

Skipped

Dinner:

Grilled Saba fish bento (480)

Bowl of pork rib soup (200)

Total: 680

[buffetlicious]

Dinner is not from the usual Japanese/Korean fusion stall across the street but from the Koufu (口福) food court at Sun Plaza. Mum had the Hotplate Saba Fish Set minus the hotplate when doing takeaways. I took the Hotplate Saba Fish & Chicken Set with rice, kimchi and spicy anchovies.

[steve-explores]

Exploring Addiction Aquatic Development

After hearing and reading so much about Addiction Aquatic Development 三井上引水產, I knew that I had to find time in my packed schedule to visit the seafood market to experience it for myself. However, I would highly recommend visitors to take a leisurely stroll to the seafood market instead of taking a cab in order to discover hidden gems along the way.

The start of the route is from Xingtian Temple Station 捷運行天宮站 and although it will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete the journey, you will have the chance to visit various hidden gems in the area.

1st Pit Stop: Xingtian Temple 行天宮 which is a popular destination for locals and tourists.

2nd Pit Stop: Fortune Telling Street which is popular among Japanese tourist visiting the city.

3rd Pit Stop: Rongxing Garden Park 榮星花園公園 where you can take a stroll and try your luck in spotting squirrels residing in the park.

4th Pit Stop: Rongxing Open Air Market with lots of hawkers selling all kinds of produce and goods.

After a 15-20 minute walk, I finally arrived at the famous Addiction Aquatic Development 三井上引水產 which reminds me of similar outfits in Singapore such as the defunct Emporium Shokuhin and Pasar Bella at The Grandstand.

Addiction Aquatic Development 三井上引水產 is stocked with fresh seafood which customers can purchase and consume on the spot.

The seafood market also provides lots of fresh raw ingredients and cooked dishes for patrons to either dine-in or take-away.

After browsing through the market, I settled on the healthy bento set (NT $120) and sashimi set (NT $330).

The healthy bento set is one of the most value-for-money dishes available in the market as diners can select any four dishes from a wide selection of vegetables, meats, and seafood that are steamed, fried, and baked. The popularity of the bento set is evident from the large orders made by locals during lunchtime, ranging from a couple of sets to a massive order of over a dozen.

For my bento set, I selected BBQ Pork (Char Siew), Deep Fried Salmon, Grilled Saba Fish, and Mini Sardines mixed with Chili. Each dish is delicious, and the serving is very generous, making it a suitable lunch set that can be enjoyed by two hungry diners.

As for the sashimi set, it is value-for-money as the slices were thick, plentiful, and fresh, making it one of the must-buy item for visitors to the market.

Addiction Aquatic Development 三井上引水產 is an interesting local attraction which is recommended for the experience if you have time in your travel plans.

Addiction Aquatic Development 三井上引水產

No. 18號, Alley 2, Lane 410, Minzu East Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, 10491 

台北市中山區民族東路410巷2弄18號

Contact: 02 2508 1268

Opening Hours : 6:00-24:00

[boulsterlovespeelow]

19-29 Dec 2016 (JAPAN TRIP!)

YAYYYY JAPAN TRIP FINALLY CAME THROUGH🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🎉🎉🎉 Tokyo-Osaka-kyoto-yuzawa-Tokyo So glad this trip actually came through and thankful that everything was smooth :) Day1: arriving in Tokyo and flying to Osaka!!! Day2: Breakfast at 7-11 heeeeheeeeee disgruntled sad dad but wellz hahaha yummy though 😛 USJ heehee finally wearing or Harry Potter robes! Tried both cold and hot butter beer (boulster chose hot butter beer and it was so bad HAHAHA) and dinner was at dotonbori/ shinsaibashi area☺ such good gyoza and crab and teppanyaki and yakisoba omg 😍went to shop at shinsaibashi for boulster’s bag cos he broke his bag at USJ🙊🙊🙊 Day3: Breakfast at Mos burger~ the soup was so nice!!! Then went on to the instant noodles museum and we made our own instant noodlesssssss!!! So fun~ we went to visit the Pokémon center!!! It was so cool and fun hahaha! Day4: Breakfast at Choco Cro! Yummy pastries and sandwich~😋 Went on to explore Osaka castle🏯where we ate icecreammmmm😍 (boulster tried banana?!?? And peelow ate strawberry!) and FINALLY lunch at the Osaka market (black market) so yumz all the seafood (scallops, squid, oyster, saba, and for the first time sea urchin!)and went on to shopping at factory outlet! (Left daddy at fishing shop heeheee so he didn’t bother us) 🌧🌧🌧bought so many things at factory outlet hoodies, shoes… (such a good steal boulster bought shirts, shorts and shoes hahaha shopaholic inner self revealed) AND omg the udon was so yummy (or maybe we were too hungry?🤔) but holy the rain was so heavy and couldn’t get a cab hahaha but we got back safe and sound🌚💪🏻 Day5: Travel to Kyoto!!! Bought quite a few 护身符for our family and took a lot of nice photos at fukashi inari shrine😍⛩ also, we went to the Kyoto market for lunch~~ so yummy more yummy food😍😍😍 since it was kinda raining, we went on to shop and boulster bought 2 more shoes (omg) hahah and so cool we went to a owl cafe and got to pet owls 🦉😲 pity we didn’t get to go Nara park but it was nice too👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻daddy got a shock by how much Shinkansen would cost HAHAHAA (I thought I shd add this cos it was quite funny hahaha🤣) Day6: Travel from Kyoto to Tokyo and then gala yuzawa!!! ❄️⛄️Ski resort here we come~⛷so cool that we got to see Mount Fuji on the way there!🗻finally got to try train bento~~🍱(it's actually pretty yummy😋) spent the rest of the day exploring yuzawa area and taking silly boomerang vid heeehee~ YASSS ONSEN!🛀🏻 (missing it so bad!) Day7: SKIING HAHAHAHAHA⛷❄️ boulster skied for the first time today~ thankful that there's no accidents whatsoever! It was fun right? Although didn't get to ski that much but it's the company that matters😛💕 hahah took a half way break to eat some ramen 🍜yumz heeeheee and skied awhile before blizzard came (pretty scary heh☠️) Onsen again tonight!!! And 烤肉 at an old man's shop with shabu pot! Love Japanese food hahhahaa🍲🥓🍄 Day8: Wheeeee back to Tokyo! 🚝We shopped at another Pokémon Centre and one piece shop and Sanrio shop etc hahaha boulster bought some small toys and one piece cup! (Still happy with his cup hahaha) we even ate at one of the top ramen restaurants in japan! It's nubbad but the gyoza was better in Osaka hahahaa🙊 checked into the hotel and went to shinjuku! (Takeshita street) yay peelow bought some stuff from the local cheer shop, it's a pity we didn't get to buy our pullovers ): but freshly made calbee was so yummy and that custard puff thingy too!!😍 we went to eat at a random upstairs restaurant which boulster suggested (SUCH GREAT SUGGESTION) wew the Kimchi pork and the yakisoba 😚 so funny we had to use google translate to read the menu heeeheee then we went to look at the famous electronics store in japan! (I think it's yodabashi electronics?) AND try Macs Hahahaha it was 20 nuggets, a burger and chocolate pie?🤢 Day9: DISNEYSEAAAAAA😍 our favourite place again heeeheee theme parks! Although we only got to take abit of rides but I'm sure we had more fun looking at the shops hahahaah and taking random pictures heeeheee☺ going to go to all the Disney lands with you💕 wasn't such a great weather kind of day cos it kept drizzling! (Theme park Popcorn was so good had to keep them from the rain!🍿) heeehee bought a shelliemay popcorn tub 🐻 so happy with our couple bears (shelliemay and Duffy~) on our way back we got to try bake cheese tart for the first time! Yummyyyyyyy😍 Day10: LAST DAY ALR WHAT???! We ate at the hotel for the last morning and train-ed to the airport!(MAD RUSH) because we almost missed the train!!!😱 (so suay though kenna train check and we didn't buy the upgrade thingy hahaha) 🚃ate sushi for the first time in japan 🍣 and bought so many snacks at the airport!!! Hahaha Tokyo banana, KitKat, shiroikoibito, random other snacks AND WE HAD 3 ICECREAM😛🍨🍦and boulster bought something sneaky HAHAHAAH! Day11: HELLO SINGAPORE😰🇸🇬

[buffetlicious]

If I am not bringing mum out for dinner, the likely place to procure our meals is the 24-hour coffee shop opposite as this is the closest to our place. Sis wants the Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs Rice (排骨王饭) from the Tze Char (煮炒) stall. She also asked for a fried egg to be added to the set meal.

Mum and I had the bento sets from the Japanese/Korean stall. She took the Saba Fish Bento with rice and kimchi. Mum loves the warm and fluffy rice to go with the pan-fried blue mackerel. While I had the Teriyaki Chicken & Pork Bento with spicy pork stir-fry, fried chicken cutlet, rice and pickled vegetables.

[buffetlicious]

Back to the Japanese/Korean fusion stall for their bento sets. You get half side of a pan-fried blue mackerel for the Saba Fish Bento. Beside the white rice, there are shredded cabbage and a side of kimchi to complete the set. I opted for the Teriyaki Chicken & Pork Bento with a piece of fried chicken cutlet and spicy pork stir-fry. Mine is has a portion of rice, pickled vegetables and some mayonnaise.

[buffetlicious]

When buying dinner, I always must ask mum what she would like to eat. I would then plan my own meal around hers. At the very least, I would be eating from the same stall or a different stall nearby. A Saba Fish Bento for mum while I took the Teriyaki Chicken & Saba Fish Bento.

[buffetlicious]

My family enjoyed the bento sets at this Japanese/Korean fusion stall so we patronized often. The Saba Fish Bento is for mum and sis took the Saba Fish & Chicken Bento while I had the Teriyaki Chicken & Saba Fish Bento. All bento came with white rice with either kimchi or pickled vegetable.