#Rice Noodles Market Top Companies

[jalibi]

Jollibee, One or if not the largest fast-food chain in the Philippines

Is it a Who or a What?

Have you at any point seen a honey bee wearing red overcoat, shirt, and cook's cap? That is Jollibee!

Jollibee is the fundamental mascot of the biggest fast-food chain in the Philippines. Although adored by individuals across ages, it is particularly interesting to youngsters because of its adorable figure. Unlike the scary clown, Jollibee is a delightful and gifted mascot as it performs dances per the latest. The stores oblige gatherings and occasions and you can demand the mascot's extraordinary appearance alone or with the posse. The gathering incorporates Hetty (spaghetti), Yum (burger), Twirlie (sundae), and Popo (French fries).

Yet, why a honey bee? As indicated by the pioneer, it looks at the average Filipino worker, occupied yet happy.

Jollibee products, for example, dancing Jollibee dolls, and cushions can be purchased at stores including limited editions on special occasions and events.

How it Began

Jollibee Food Corporation was established by a Filipino-Chinese businessman Tony Tan Caktiong and his family in 1975. Caktiong was brought up in an unfortunate family in China and moved to the Philippines along with his 6 siblings in expecting a better future. The business was initially a frozen yogurt parlor yet because of clients' interest, they began to serve sandwiches and hot feasts. Subsequent to seeing that the dinners were more famous, the family chose to supplant the frozen yogurt shops into cheap food outlets in 1978.

Mcdonald's was demonstrated to be hard to beat yet Jollibee had the option to match and endured it. Why? The adversary Mcdonald's, as per Caktiong, "didn't realize nearby food culture". In a meeting where Caktiong was gotten some information about the business' confidential, he said, "Simply ensure your food is truly delectable".

As of now, there are north of 1000 stores in the Philippines alone and 150 branches in unfamiliar business sectors like the US, UK, Southeast Asia, and the UAE. The Company additionally claims famous pecking orders like Chowking, Greenwich Pizza, Red Lace Bakeshop, Mang Inasal, and Burger Lord Philippines. The President's assessed total assets are about $4.0B and are on the Main 5 most extravagant Filipinos.

What's Famous and What is Must Try

The chain works day in and day out, where the menu changes from breakfast to main meals and desserts. I will share my personal top choices on the menu.

Chickenjoy! The fried chicken meal is likely the most famous item in the store. It has a crunchy surface from an external perspective and is truly delicate and succulent inside. They have the first and fiery assortments. Aside from the chicken and rice feast, chicken joy is likewise matched with their spaghetti.

Peach-mango pie! A treat that is incredible. The outside is firm and flaky however it's sweet with pieces of peach and mangoes in a thick sauce inside. It is served Truly hot!

Yumburger. It is one of the principal items served in the beginning of the business. It's an ordinary burger yet in some way or another, the taste is effectively recognizable from those of different stores.

Jolly spaghetti. A #1 among kids and more youthful clients, Filipino-style pasta can be a shock to unfamiliar tongues. Their translation of spaghetti is sweet and substantial, with pieces of wieners and meatballs. The pleasantness of the dish can be trying to the people who favor Italian-style pasta. And, expect to see a serving of seared chicken and spaghetti in one plate!

Palabok. It's a Filipino-style bihon noodles presented with an exceptional sauce and garnishes of pork chicharon bits, sauteed pork, shrimps, and cuts of egg. It has a remarkable taste and integrates neighborhood fixings and flavors. Drinks. In the Philippines, the primary drink was Coca-Cola yet in certain nations, they serve Pepsi. Be that as it may, presently, various beverages are accessible like pineapple juice and tea.

Jollibee Overseas

It very well might be hard to enter the global market yet Jollibee has set up stores in nations like the US, Canada, and the UK among others. So how can it admission? As is commonly said, Filipinos are tracked down wherever in the globe so it's nothing unexpected that Jollibee stores are loaded up with clients, generally, Filipinos, while others are interested local people. To numerous Filipinos, Jollibee is a spot to meet individual Filipinos. The flavor of the dishes causes one to feel nostalgic and recollect their experience growing up. From the people who miss their home-prepared Filipino dinners, it's a welcome retreat. It's a cut of the Philippines brought to their doorstep. It resembles a usual hangout spot.

[mojithenooooob]

At first, I was like "What, how do they do that?!" But, when we think about how Japanese people reacted to the new trend each time, this might show us that it was normal. I have heard that Japanese people did not taste that much Asian food or we can say they did not feel common to it. If we talked about Japanese food we would think about Chinese food or curry rice. Before when we talked about coriander whatever species of coriander it was, Japanese people might show disgusting or smelly faces to it. So, at that time to find Japanese people eating coriander was hard to see someone eating it. 

A long time ago when we want to buy some coriander, we need to find the Asai Market Place, but we still saw it selling for a ridiculously small amount about one handful the price, and the price was 200 yens no more than that. Right now, since coriander went popular, especially Thai Coriander, I have heard some news that before it goes popular at Chinese or Thai restaurants in Japan, Japanese people might refuse for adding coriander on top of the dishes also at that time coriander was expensive too. 

Right now, coriander was extremely popular, there are only one species of coriander that people talked about it a lot, and might be only one species that people have mostly eaten, it was "Thai coriander". It was extremely popular so they pronounced it like Thai people. In Thai, it is pronounced "pukchee" and Japanese people adapt to there's own accent which was "Puk-ku-chi-i", but they still maintain the Thai original word. 

Since "pukkuchii" went so popular, Japanese people start to eat it more than 75% of people know what it was and tasted it. Many people said, "It doesn't that bad it's sweet and smells good and also has little bitter tastes". Not long there were a lot of companies that added the "pukkuchii" flavors into there's products. The "pukchii" recipes were very trendy. There are a lot of restaurants that have added "pukkuchii" dishes, drinks, and desserts to their menu too. There are many indictable menu types that can surprise you including me. Such as  "pukkuchii" ice cream, "pukkuchii" drinks including smoothies, "pukkuchii" cake, and more! this menu looks impossible to exist...Whatever it does. These not all yet, there is are many ready meals or snack products too such as "pukkuchii" instant noodles Flavors, "pukkuchii" chips flavors, "pukkuchii" cookies, "pukkuchii" soup flavors that need to add water and heated before eating. Another thing that I gave discovered there is are even the pukkuchii song exists! People started to eat it regularly so they start the "pukkuchii" festival! I also have a few more fun facts there are also games called super "pukkuchii" ramen challenge, the chef will give you 40% of noodles and 60% of "pukkuchii". You need to eat it as fast as you can and the reward is a big bowl of ramen. This super "pukkuchii" menu might have appeared in some restaurant menus. 

Lastly, I am not one of the "pukkuchii" eaters it tastes taste so bitter and a little spicy in Thailand there is also an idiom called “pukkchii roy na” is mean that we only use coriander for topping to make it look good or the mean is Doing good is superficial, doing good only then. So, as I said so the idiom is just a little fun fact, I want you to know, and everything I want to say to coriander is obviously I hated it, but Japanese peoples are very addicted to it, and this surprises me a lot! 

[qocsuing]

CHOUBAO Luosifen cooperates in the construction of bamboo shoot planting base

CHOUBAO Luosifen cooperates in the construction of bamboo shoot planting base

Liuzhou River Snails Rice Noodles is a very famous local traditional food in China. In recent years, it has become popular among young Chinese people because of its fresh, sour appetizer, delicious soup and unique "stinky" flavour. Pickled bamboo is made from bamboo shoots, the source of its unique flavour. Unlike the bamboo eaten by China's national treasure, the giant panda, bamboo shoots are young bamboo shoots, which are also common ingredients of Chinese cuisine. It is known that Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou and Sichuan in China are provinces where bamboo forest resources are concentrated. Liuzhou, the hometown of river snail rice noodles, belongs to Guangxi.To get more news about luosifen, you can visit shine news official website.

Every summer in the Dendrocalamus latiflorus forest of Liuzhou, China, large areas of fresh bamboo shoots spring up from the ground. After they have been dug up and the husks have been peeled off, the white, tender bamboo flesh inside is the most excellent raw material and is a very tasty choice for both stir-frying and pickling. Pickled bamboo shoots, or sour bamboo shoots, are even more special. As the soul ingredient of river snail rice noodles, their taste and production sources are highly valued by various river snail rice noodle brands. As a leading enterprise, CHOUBAO has been deeply involved in the whole river snail rice noodle industry chain, starting from the source. It has cooperated with local farmers and cooperatives in Liuzhou to build rice snail breeding bases and bamboo shoot planting bases, and promoted the implementation of a green breeding cycle model.

The development of rural agriculture in Liuzhou has been greatly promoted by the development of Liuzhou River Snail Rice Noodles industry. In 2022, the raw material base of Liuzhou River Snail Rice Noodles's size is about 650,000 acres, the new construction of bamboo shoot base is 26,000 acres, and the bamboo shoot localization supply rate is 45%. The development of the whole industrial chain of Liuzhou River Snail Rice Noodles has created more than 300,000 jobs for Liuzhou, lifted 5,500 poor households and 28,000 poor people out of poverty, and helped more than 200,000 rural people to increase their income by nearly 10,000 yuan per capita.

The advantages of integration and synergistic development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries are naturally found in the food industry. And Liuzhou River Snail Rice Noodles is a model of deep industrial integration. Data shows that in 2022, the sales of Liuzhou River Snail Rice Noodles whole industrial chain will reach 60.07 billion yuan, which is a real taste of China. And among them, CHOUBAO Lousifen, as the industry's leading brand, has made remarkable achievements in Tik tok, Tmall and other Chinese sales platforms. According to the Tmall list, CHOUBAO Lousifen is ranked as the TOP 1 in the two best-selling lists of river snail rice noodles with the indexes of monthly sales of 10w+ and the repurchase rate.

"A company can only develop well for a long time by making good products seriously. Liuzhou River Snail Rice Noodles market has a very wide development space and good prospects, and we are fortunate to be an experiencer, promoter and witness of the development of Lousifen industry," said the general manager of CHOUBAO Company in an interview.

[marketing123456789]

Rice-based Products Market Trends, Top Manufactures, Share, Industry Growth Analysis & Forecast 2033

The rice-based products market is anticipated to expand its roots at an average CAGR of 6.1% between 2023 and 2033. The market is expected to cross a market share of US$ 379.86 billion by 2033 while it is likely to be valued at US$ 210.12 billion in 2023

The restoration of the food and beverages industry along with the expansion of packaged food and ready-to-eat food items is flourishing the market growth. Furthermore, the search for authentic Asian rice cakes and rice ramen is transforming marketing tactics.

The penetration of Chinese or Asian restaurants in the Western part of the world along with Europe adopting multi-cuisine café culture is anticipated to fuel the market growth. Alongside this, the food delivery companies introducing rice ramen meal bowls are flourishing in the market.

New companies are mixing rice with other grains like maize and corn to make the food more nutritional and easy to digest. Thus, the other market elements are flourishing in the overall demand for rice-based products.

Different authenticity tags along with vegan and organic tags are helping products find their potential consumer base. Furthermore, the addition of packaged rice ramen with added flavor is likely to transform the market during the forecast period.

Request Report Sample@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-17011

Key Points

The United States market leads the rice-based products market in terms of market share in North America. The growth in this region is promoted by new Asian restaurants, the craze for multi-cuisine foods, and the higher migration of Asians into the food culture.

The United Kingdom rice-based products market is another significant market from the European region. Europe with high tourist footfall welcomes visitors with its multi-cuisine restaurants.

The Chinese rice-based products market is anticipated to thrive at a healthy CAGR during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to it being the home of these food products.

Asia Pacific region leads the market as it held a share of 35% in 2022. The Asia Pacific region thrives at a CAGR of 6.6% between 2023 and 2033

The rice noodles product type segment is leading the segment as it held a market share of 30% in 2022. It's due to its higher consumption and ready-to-eat byproducts.

Based on the distribution channel, the supermarket/hypermarket segment leads as it held a global share of 50% in 2022.

The key vendors work on delivering high authenticity, better packaging, and enhanced taste & texture. Key competitors and also merge, acquire, and partner with other companies to increase their supply chain, and distribution channel.

Preview Full Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/rice-based-products-market

Recent Market Developments

Ottogi Corporation, a South Korea-based food manufacturer introduced a new range of rice-based products. The products include rice ramen with added flavors, rice-based plain noodles, and classic/authentic rice cakes.

Ricegrowers Limited has launched their authentic and organic rice cake that is available for shipping and comes in different pouch sizes.

About FMI

Future Market Insights (ESOMAR certified market research organization and a member of Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) provides in-depth insights into governing factors elevating the demand in the market. It discloses opportunities that will favor the market growth in various segments on the basis of Source, Application, Sales Channel and End Use over the next 10-years.

[colleenmurphy]

Col's Cookbook

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

1 large chuck roast ( about 5-6 pounds )

1 large jar pepperoncini peppers

Onion, Garlic, Thyme, Oregano, Goya Sazon ( optional) Salt and pepper ( to your liking )

Beef stock ( or about 3 bouillon cubes )

1 stick of butter

Cut your roast in half length wise, place in slow cooker side by side. Measure out your spices and pour over meat.

Plop you butter in on top.

Measure out 1 Cup of the pepper juice and pour over your meat/spices/butter.

De-stem your peppers if needed and cut if desired. ( BE CAREFUL! Pepper juice HURTS ) Put them into your slow cooker.

Pour in beef stock ( or bouillon ) you just need enough water or stock to cover the beef. Put the lid on and turn it on low for up 8 hours. If done on high it may be done in 4-5. ( It all depends on your slow cooker)

This can be served with whipped mashed potatoes, over egg noodles or veggie noodles or even boiled rice. *It also makes a fantastic sandwich on a fresh baked roll.

Notes:

Additionally if you'd like to do this in the oven you can. I've found a lovely conversion chart for slow cooker times compared to their traditional oven settings. It can be found here.

If you can't find Goya Sazon seasoning at your market you can make your own right in the spice aisle. Equal parts ( try teaspoons to start) of the following:

Ground Coriander

Ground Cumin

Ground Annatto Seed

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Dried Oregano

I also believe the Le Fe food company puts it's own blend out as well.

The Budget Friendlier Version

1 beef roast ( as above )

1 Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning / dip packet

1 McKormick Aus Jus packet

1 small jar of pepperoncini peppers ( destem if needed )

I stick of butter

3 boullion cubes and enough water to cover roast.

Follow all other instructions as above and you're done!

[thehungrykat1]

Sunae Asian Cantina & Crazy Carabao Team Up For P88 All-Day Craft Beers

Sunae Asian Cantina in Bonifacio Global City is partnering with Crazy Carabao Brewing Company to bring their craft beers to diners all-day everyday starting at only P88 each. This is a great promotion for those living and working near the BGC area as you can drop by any time of the day to enjoy ice-cold beers with workmates, friends, and barkadas.

You can find Sunae at the second floor terraces of One Bonifacio High Street. The mall occupies the same building which houses the Philippine Stock Exchange and is right along the vibrant Bonifacio High Street area, so this is the perfect venue to grab some ice-cold beers together with their Southeast Asian cuisine right after a long and tiring work day.

Get ready to rumble as Sunae brings you their Crazy Carabao Promo available daily. Don’t miss out on the special rates for their Craft Beers on Tap starting at only P88! Aside from that, they also have a Happy Hour Promo where you can get three drinks for only P550+.

Together with some of my friends, we dropped by Sunae last week for the launch of their Crazy Carabo tie up. It was just my first time visiting the festive Sunae so I was quite impressed with their location overlooking Bonifacio High Street. We also had great music to accompany us during the event.

Sunae is Chef Christina Sunae’s love letter to Filipino cuisine and the Southeast Asian spices that have inspired her, from the dishes her Kapampangan grandma served to the cross-cultural deliciousness she brings from her Argentina homebase. Together with Crazy Carabao, they will be bringing this dining experieince to another level as you pair your Southeast Asian bites with these craft beers.

Crazy Carabao owner and founder Brad Hannam welcomed everyone to the grand launch and introduced us to the history of Crazy Carabao and craft beers in the Philippines. He also discussed the difference between the different beer variants and made us all appreciated the finer details about beers in general.

Crazy Carabao Premium Craft Beer is meticulously microbrewed and bottled in Sta. Rosa, Laguna to provide Filipinos with a range of beer styles leagues away from the usual over-the-counter beer brand. The persistence in their brewing process and unchanging taste of all their brews sets them apart from other craft beer brews available locally. Crazy Carabao is the second biggest craft beer manufacturer in the country today.

We got to sample their different craft beers on tap during the launch. You can choose from among the mild Pilsner Draft (P88), the balanced Golden Ale Draft (P98) or the pretty strong IPA Draft (P108).

Sunae features Southeast Asian fusion cuisine so we started with some of their complimentary crispy chips and dip on the table.

Then we were introduced to Sunae’s signature pao appetizers like the Adobo Pao (P250). This packed and meaty bun comes topped with pork adobo, cucumber, kimchi, aioli, and cilantro.

I really like the Fried Wontons (P220) with its pork wontons served with homemade Thai sweet chili sauce. This really goes well with a refreshing glass of Crazy Carabao craft beer.

My favorite that afternoon was the Tiger Crackers with Tofu & Rice Noodles (P220). This is a new on the menu and I already want to go back for more. This healthy dish comes with rice crackers, fried tofu, herbs, and peanut sauce.

If you want a heavier bar chow or a full meal by itself, go try the Sunae's Sisig (P365) with its meaty combination of pork belly, ear, and snout in a hot skillet with egg. Add a cup of garlic rice plus a glass of Crazy Carabao draft beer and you have everything you need.

We also had some trivia and beer drinking games with Crazy Carabao during the launch. The guests were divided into two groups who went fighting for the honor of being call beer champions that afternoon.

We would like to thank Monica Modomo, PR, Events, and Marketing Communications Manager of The Nikkei Group for inviting us to the grand launching of Sunae and Crazy Carabao’s craft beer promotion. Head over to Sunae any time of the day and enjoy these delightful treats for yourselves.

Sunae X Crazy Carabao

2/F View Deck, One Bonifacio High Street Mall, 28th Street PSE Tower, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

(0916) 607-4903

https://www.nikkei.com.ph/sunae-asian-cantina-ph

www.facebook.com/sunaemnl

https://crazycarabao.ph

[bbangsoonie]

overtime

member: jaehyun (hyunjae) genre: fluff (corporate au) word count: 1,326 synopsis: as a new employee, you rely on hyunjae a lot to adjust to the company.

a/n: on a sort of unrelated note, i am EXCITED for hyunjae’s upcoming drama !! 🥺

On your first day of work, you had arrived extra early to avoid being late. It was your first job after graduation and you were incredibly nervous.

Unfortunately, you hadn’t considered what to do when you were alone in the office. You needed to meet your team manager to be given your tasks and duties. So you waited around, fiddling with the lanyard displaying your employee identification card.

A tall man was the first to arrive after you. He was surprised to see that the lights were on and was even more surprised to see you. Connecting the dots in his head, he reached out his hand and smiled.

“Hi, I’m Lee Jaehyun. You must be the new hire,” he spoke. You quickly reached your own hand out to shake his.

“Hello, sunbae-nim!” you bowed. “My name is Y/ln Y/n and I will be joining the marketing department as a marketing assistant.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve heard about you. I will be your direct superior and in charge of training you. I hope we get along well,” he walked towards an empty desk and gestured at it. “This is your spot.”

Your first few days at the company were clumsy. You spilled coffee on your blouse, accidentally made 22 copies of a document instead of 2, and knocked over a pile of papers in the meeting room. Nonetheless, you persevered and tried your best to make a good impression on your colleagues.

Unbeknownst to you, you had quickly earned quite a reputation. Despite your mistakes, you were a hard worker and a people pleaser. Your superiors grew fond of you and were reminded of their own rookie days.

So when a project came in, you were placed in the same team as Jaehyun to brainstorm and execute a marketing campaign for a client. Jaehyun, as an experienced employee, took the initiative and led the team as the project manager. You were eager to learn and participate in your first project.

Over the next couple of weeks, he helped you out a lot. More than he was obligated to. You felt extremely grateful and even a bit sorry that he had to take care of you on top of his other responsibilities. You racked your head for ideas on how to express your appreciation and ended up baking a batch of cookies. Most of it ended up being inedible, forcing you to throw out your failed attempt.

You opted for a homemade batch of cookies sold at your local bakery to spare him from your glorified sweet chunks of rocks. The packaging was a bit too… romantic for your comfort, making you contemplate on whether this was an appropriate gesture or not.

You decided that it wasn’t romantic if you didn’t intend it to be and bravely presented it to him during his lunch break.

“For you to munch on when your blood sugar gets low,” you shyly explained. “It’s a token of my gratitude for being my mentor.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t misunderstand,” he chuckled. “Thank you.”

You definitely didn’t want him to misunderstand but for some reason, hearing him say that made your stomach churn. You definitely didn’t have feelings for him but for some reason, his words made you feel some type of way.

The next day, nothing seemed to be going right. You were half an hour late to work thanks to you not plugging in your charger. Your phone wasn’t charging and died overnight, thus your alarm never went off. In an attempt to redeem yourself, you volunteered to go on a coffee errand but ended up burning your hand after spilling a drink. And left the chief without his hot americano. To top it off, you got lectured by the chief for your error in an important Excel sheet.

“Y/n, this is a rookie mistake I would expect from an intern, not a full-time employee,” he criticized. You hung your head in shame, unable to meet his eyes.

You were drained by the time lunchtime came around. After getting your tray of food, you scanned the company cafeteria for an empty seat. You didn’t know where to sit amidst all the higher ups.

To your surprise and relief, you saw Jaehyun call you over. He motioned at the empty spot next to him and smiled. Timidly, you joined him at the table.

“Having a rough day, huh?” Haknyeon asked.

“That would be the understatement of the year,” you groaned.

“Don’t let Chief Kim get to you. He’s notorious for being harsh on everyone. It’s nothing personal,” Jaehyun comforted.

“I can’t complain,” you sighed. “It was my fault. I should've double checked.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Everyone makes mistakes,” he said as he returned his attention back to his food.

Haknyeon shot you a knowing glance, making you tilt your head in confusion. He snickered before shoving a spoon of rice into his mouth.

When everyone else got off work, you stayed back to write up a proposal for the project. A couple of hours passed and you were the only one left in the office. You typed away at your keyboard, finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Jaehyun didn’t expect to see anyone when he returned to retrieve the wallet he left on his desk. His lips curled up when he saw you slouching in your seat as you put your face closer to the screen. With a yawn, you suddenly leaned back to stretch. When you made eye contact with him, your eyes widened as you quickly got up.

“I’m sorry, did I startle you?” he laughed.

“N-No, it’s okay,” you awkwardly chuckled, embarrassed.

“What are you doing working overtime on a Friday? No plans for the weekend?” he asked as he picked up his wallet.

“Other than catching up on missed sleep? Nope,” you answered.

“Well did you at least eat dinner?” he raised a brow when you shook your head to say no.

He pursed his lips, pondering for a moment before asking if you wanted to eat dinner with him. Surprised by his sudden offer, you blankly stared. When it finally registered in your head, you stammered out a barely coherent “yes”.

That was how you ended up at a noodle shop together. He had insisted on treating you to something better and more expensive but you insisted on warming your body with soup.

It wasn’t as uncomfortable as you thought it’d be to spend time alone with him. He was very extroverted and led the conversation well.

The two of you talked about your previous internships, his past experiences with other companies, and even first impressions of your co-workers. You both agreed that Haknyeon left the most memorable—and pleasant—impression. Afterall, he was incredibly friendly and outgoing.

“Can I ask what you first thought of me?” Jaehyun asked curiously.

You pinked, not wanting to tell him that the first thought that went through your head when you saw him was “wow”.

“I was hoping that you’d be nice. And you were. You are, I mean.”

That wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t the full truth. This time, you threw the question back at him. He pretended to think hard, making you laugh.

“I thought you were really pretty,” he said honestly. You froze at his bluntness, not knowing how to react.

“You are, I mean,” he added with a grin.

Your heart was definitely beating faster than it should in front of your superior. Feeling your throat go dry, you sipped on your cup of water.

“Since you don’t have any plans this weekend, would you mind watching a movie with me tomorrow night?” he carefully asked. You almost spat the water in your mouth back out.

“As in… a date?” you slowly said.

“Yes, Y/n, I’m asking you out on a date,” he blushed. You wanted to squeal at how adorable he was.

“I’d like that,” you smiled.

[baeklooming-day]

Birds And Foxes | 01

♤ Sehun series ⇒ 01 ⇒ ?

Link to masterlist

♤ Summary: You are a powerful demon, roaming the streets of human world and causing damage and mischief for your own amusement. When one night your evil illusions start a series of unfortunate deaths of those who were not supposed to die, an unamused death bird makes sure to step on at least one of your eleven tails to stop you.

♤ Genre: Folktale!AU, Mythology!AU, Kitsune!AU, Death Bird!AU

♤ Word Count: 3.3k

♤ A/N: Sehun is inspired by Paddy from Ghost Theater on Webtoon. ♡ The first one or two chapters might be more narrating but I promise that the story will get more interesting with time!

A beautiful, luxurious apartment.

Marble floors and walls, giant windows which made the rooms even more luminous than they already appeared to the eye, deep scarlet carpets laying on the cold floors everywhere adding even more luxury to the view as a whole, leaving the guest flabbergasted and amazed at the sight welcoming them.

Who wouldn’t want to visit a heavenly looking place like that, would you ask? Or, who wouldn’t want to live in a place like that, who wouldn’t want to own all the pleasures and joys which a similarly wealthy home would offer them?

Could you imagine meeting someone who would casually tell you that they knew a place exactly like that, a place with all the luxuries and nice things you could ever think of, a place which they could just give to you?

That someone would have probably the sweetest voice you have ever heard in your entire life, their aura mesmerizing like nothing else before, whilst their beauty making you want to look at them, only at them, agreeing to follow them anywhere they planned to take you.

You would be thinking that you knew the destination, you would never even suspect that something just slipped past your awareness, leading you always deeper and deeper into the well planned trap.

That was exactly what never stopped to amuse you.

You entered the luminous room, pulling a young boy behind you, your long fingers gently yet firmly clasped around his wrist.

You failed to hold back a mischievous smile.

Men, particularly young boys who were thirsty for new experiences were the easiest target to lure in.

Not that you have ever encountered someone who wasn’t an easy target for whatever kind of scheme you were in the mood for.

Humans and their weak minds weren’t a challenge for you, never were.

You slowly let go of the boy’s wrist, giving him a charming look.

He looked at you too, his pretty lips curling up into a smile.

He was handsome.

That’s why you chose him, even though in reality it didn’t have any meaning.

You observed how his smug smile grew always wider as his brown eyes traveled from your face to your body, the red dress fitting perfectly in all the right places.

He was too absorbed in looking at you, too hypnotized to notice the evil spark in your inhuman eye which quickly flickered only to disappear again.

You smiled delightfully.

Soon he wouldn’t be smiling like that anymore.

You took one step closer to him, without any warning running your long fingers through his soft brown hair in a seductive manner, only for him to instantaneously lose the consciousness, the last thing he saw being a pair of big and fluffy brown ears appearing on your head.

When he woke up, he wasn’t inside the beautiful and luxurious apartment you lead him to anymore.

The thing was, he never even actually was in that apartment.

He couldn’t be in a place which didn’t exist.

Instead, he found himself laying in what felt like the deepest part of the woods, the earth being wet from the rain and only old fallen leaves around him.

It was all an illusion.

He wasn’t sure how he ended up there or where exactly he was in that moment, but suddenly he heard a melodic, feminine laugh in the distance.

He looked over to the direction where the laugh came from, only to see a big brown fox disappearing between the trees.

You walked through the green woods, your only company being the soft bird singing in the distance and a comforting sound of gold coins bumping into each other in the little sack, every time as you happily threw it up just to catch it in your hand again.

Not that the so called money which humans valued often more than their own life was of a particular use to you.

Sure, you could use it whilst blending into a crowd in the downtown, pretending an innocent girl who came by just to buy some rice for dinner.

Sometimes, when you were feeling particularly generous and in a good mood, usually when you were really bored, you appeared in a little girl’s form and lived a day amongst the humans just as if you were one.

But most of the time, if you were in a mood for a whole bowl of steaming rice, you just stole it.

Sometimes it went unnoticed, sometimes someone completely unrelated to the situation was accused of stealing, in that case everyone making a scene in the middle of the market.

Sometimes though, to create even more mess, you „lent” someone’s body to make some damage in their name and, what followed, getting the nothing guilty human into serious trouble.

„Lent”, what in your own language meant as much as possessing.

You found it amusing.

It amused you, watching as the temporary disease of a fox possession messed with people, making it even more entertaining to see in your opinion given that different people were met with different effects of such.

The usual and most seen result would be just an inappropriate or noticeably odd behavior on the part of the possessed human, expressing oneself in a bad language, being violent, spitting or throwing money around as if one was a millionaire with no care in the world.

Sometimes they started to make some noises, as if an attempt to imitate a bark that of a fox.

The more extreme outcomes would be pain, hysteria, madness, taking off one’s clothes to run through the streets naked only to collapse in a random spot, feeling lost and dazed after the fox finally left.

That was some part of the schemes you liked to perform on the human folks, for you this world was merely a playground whilst the people served as toys.

But toys who knew how to cook, you thought as soon as you felt a knot forming in your stomach, followed by a loud grumble.

You looked at the little sack filled with some gold coins in your right hand, raising your left one to gently stroke the soft fur on your left pointy ear, thinking.

To pay, or to steal, that was the question of the day.

Before you entered the town you made sure to conceal your ears, as well as your tail, making yourself appear just as if you were a normal human girl.

You walked through the central market street of the town which you came to know so well, looking for a good place where you could find the particular tasty food your tummy was calling for always louder.

You didn’t have to walk for too long, a smell of delicious fried tofu reaching your nostrils almost right away after walking around the next corner, soon revealing an entrance to a small restaurant.

You opened the door with a thud, a quiet, but not too quiet thud, enough to make the people sitting inside aware of your presence.

You walked over to the bar, resting both of your elbows on the wooden surface, waiting for someone from the staff to take your order.

While you were waiting, you looked around the restaurant.

You couldn’t really recall visiting this place in a human form before, but you were almost sure you might have stolen a plate of freshly made fried tofu pockets stuffed with sushi rice, commonly known as inari zushi, from exactly that place one day in the near past.

The type of food foxes liked the most.

You impatiently tapped your long pointy fingernails on the wood, feeling the knot in your grumbling tummy becoming always tighter, as if calling out to you for a very much needed delivery of nutrients and energy.

In other words, food.

“Welcome, miss.” Said a man in a black apron, from the looks of it probably the head chef, after finally acknowledging your presence. “I apologize for the wait. What would you like to eat?”

Without a word, you just slid the sleek menu card in his direction, slowly tapping your fingernail on the name of the dish you wanted to get.

Tap, tap, tap, gently tapping concentrated the chef’s attention on the words in the menu.

Kitsune udon.

The soft noodles swimming in a steaming soup with a fried tofu topping was exactly what you needed right in that moment.

“Excuse me miss, I don’t really see what’s written here in this weak light. Could you read it loud?” The chef asked.

You stopped your tapping on the smooth paper, instead giving him a quick look with an unreadable expression.

You turned the menu card around without any hurry, so that you could have a more proper look at the neatly listed names of the dishes again.

“Kitsu... on...” You said.

Or more like, you attempted to say.

Illusions were one thing, but the skill of convincingly speaking in the human language was the noticeable weakness point of all foxes.

It was no difficulty being able to understand what they were saying, but for some reason their language seemed to be some weird kind of a tongue twister, leaving a fox merely with the ability to pronounce part only words, but never a whole word, not even mentioning the ability to pronounce a whole build sentence.

Being practical masters of illusions and excellent shapeshifters, even foxes could be exposed if one was familiar enough with their real nature.

You didn’t fail to notice the suspiciously alarmed look in the chef’s eyes, watching still as he slowly put the white towel which was laying loosely on his shoulder down on the wooden counter.

“Um, I apologize miss, it’s really loud in here, I couldn’t hear you well.” He said, his voice trying to stay steady. “Let me pull the curtains open to let some sunlight in.”

He quickly walked over to the nearest window, practically snatching the red curtains open without any hesitation.

Given the position you were in, and the position of the window through which the warm sunlight was now illuminating the room, you found yourself standing pretty much right in front of it.

The sudden brightness managed to disorient you for a brief moment, but not to that extent where you failed to acknowledge the equally sudden silence which fell upon the restaurant.

The light illuminated your entire figure, making you look absolutely divine.

There wouldn’t be any particular problem with it, if not the fact that the shadow your body was casting on the wall behind you didn’t look very human anymore.

You made sure to properly conceal your ears and tails before making an appearance in the town, but the natural light wasn’t lying.

Your shadow was showing a pair of big pointy ears on the top of your head, and eleven fluffy fox tails, looking as if they were softly floating in the air behind you.

You heard some well audible gasp in the background, followed by a muffled voice of the chef.

“It’s a fox.”

Another this time louder gasp, followed by some seats shifting and more voices.

“Oh my god.”

“I could tell that it was a dirty fox, look at my little dog! He’s been so uneasy ever since it entered the room!”

A dirty fox? It?

Instead of reacting, you were left there a little surprised at how careless the human folks became.

Since when were they speaking so disrespectfully to the superior beings?

In your eyes, they just willingly put a death sentence on themselves.

You would stay there frozen for a while longer, if not the voice of the chef which snapped you out of your trance and back to the reality around you.

“Bring the guard dogs.”

Dogs.

Dogs were probably the only thing of which foxes were actually scared.

Dogs could be fast enough to catch up on a running fox, trapping it behind the next corner to bite its head off.

No, no, no, you thought.

Was a bowl of noodles worth risking your own head for it?

Definitely not.

Before anyone could make any more move, the earth started trembling, the walls started shaking always more, dust falling down on everyone’s heads.

Earthquake.

Naturally, not a real one.

Another one of the fox’s illusions.

You figured that the chef could probably tell that the unexpected earthquake wasn’t real, but given the fact that there were also other people who never had the pleasure of meeting a fox demon, now panicking and crying, it was more than enough to let you escape without being harmed.

Once you were out of their sight, you let the illusion last for a little while longer, even if you were already far and safe from the incident scene.

You could let slide a whole bunch of things, except for disturbing you during your afternoon nap, and calling you a dirty fox.

It seemed like people forgot who you were, and you decided to remind them of it.

Starting from tonight.

It may be that lately your usual pranks weren’t that entertaining anymore, lost their previous power, or maybe you had simply been too nice these days.

Well, then it surely was one solid reason enough to make a visible change.

You waited patiently until the night falls, in the meantime roaming freely around the streets.

This time you made sure that you stayed invisible, not letting any human spot you.

Only from time to time, when you knew that someone sensed your presence, you gave the one a small warning in form of a high pitched bark, so sharp that it seemed to be piercing through the ears if you happened to be within its reach, or a brief sighting of your fluffy tail slowly disappearing behind a building.

It wasn’t much, but enough to give the chills and fill the air with an eerie aura, what didn’t go unnoticed by the folks, letting them know that something was happening, but not revealing what.

With the last light of the day, as the sun disappeared behind the mountains, you found yourself standing in the middle of a dark alley, your only company being one single dim light coming from an old lantern nearby.

The night was warm and peaceful, the sky tinted in one of the most beautiful dark shades of deep blue, no sight of any clouds, just the pale countenance of the moon and flickering stars gracing the firmament, as if little fireflies in the dark woods.

You extended your arm, catching a few droplets of rain on your bare milky skin.

A silence before the storm.

You straightened your ears, making them appear even longer and pointier than usual, as soon as you heard the first steps and clacking of shoes on the ground.

The first prey of the night.

You stepped back into the darkness of the alleyway, starting to imitate a little child’s cry to lure the unaware humans into the dark.

And of course as you anticipated, it worked just perfectly.

It were two girls, letting themselves immerse always deeper and deeper into the alleyway, trying to navigate where the child’s cry was coming from.

Unfortunately for them, little did they know that they were two chickens within the eyesight of a hungry fox.

As soon as they stepped forward and reached the old lantern, you dashed out of the shadows and mercilessly pinned them both to the cold and slippery wall by their throats.

You heard a quiet and mortified muffled scream of one of the girls, the word „fox” being the only thing that she managed to say.

You were right before them in your divine form of a big brown fox, all of your eleven tails floating behind your back, your whole being illuminating like some majestic light and filling their hearts with fear.

Your long nails started to dig into the skin of their necks, your inhuman eyes glowing in an evil way as your mouth formed a mischievous and creepy smile, the sharp fox teeth glistening like pearls.

It didn’t even take one minute when after you released them from your strong grip they started to run for their life ignoring everything else around them.

Your illusion made them see a fire, the town being consumed in angry flames which threatened to burn them alive if they didn’t run.

Meanwhile you created other illusions putting the entire town in a state of complete madness.

The two girls who thought they are escaping the fire, fell off a cliff and drowned in the ocean thinking they are running into a firefighter base.

Another pair of people, a man and a woman, thought that they were on their way home whilst in reality, your illusion led them to the middle of the dark woods where they suddenly became possessed by madness and led to one another’s death by hanging themselves on tree branches.

Other illusions made people think that they were spilling water to cancel the non existent fire, whilst in reality they were the ones soaking the room in an inflammable liquid only to die in the flames minutes later, taking a few other lives along with them.

The dark and mysterious night transformed into nothing other than one big illusion, unfortunate series of deadly accidents not seeming to find an end.

The town was a complete unimaginable mess, all kinds of freaky and disturbing sceneries being displayed under the pale, cold light of the moon and stars, them being the only witnesses of the widespread madness caused by a fox.

Meanwhile, when everyone else was running around and screaming, some buildings in flames, some folks just sitting outside on the ground letting the light warm rain soak them and sobbing uncontrollably, you were strolling through the messy streets, not bothered even a little.

You put your hands behind your back, interlocking your long fingers and closing your eyes, gently swinging to the left and to the right to the rhythm of the soft melody which you were humming.

The rain didn’t stop, the crystal clear droplets of water shining in the white moonlight once fallen on your exposed ears and tails, making the soft fur look as if it wasn’t real, but painted with delicate brush strokes on a flawless canvas.

You thought about disappearing into the woods to have a rest, away from this half destroyed town, when out of nowhere you heard a loud sound of some massive wings batting against the air.

Your furry ears instinctively went up, straightening, listening carefully and trying to figure out what made a similar sound.

You didn’t need to wait for too long, when you found yourself in a shadow of a big bird, black feathers falling all around you.

You stood there still, watching as the black bird landed on the street in the weak yellow light still illuminating the scenery from the few lanterns which survived tonight’s performance.

As soon as the bird landed, with a loud WHOOSH it transformed into a tall and slender man wearing a dark blue suit. His light hair seemed to be a resemblance of a pastel sunset above the mountains, whilst his cold eyes were now scanning the surroundings.

He reached his hands to his knees, dusting off whatever dirt which could be on the smooth material of his pants before, now supporting himself by placing both of his hands on his knees standing in a half bent position, finally meeting your gaze with a hint of visible disapproval.

“You know what-” He said. “I think that Inari should keep his pup on a tighter leash.”

“Well, if so” You answered. “Then maybe Hades should keep his bird in a safer cage.” You couldn’t stop yourself from smiling creepily. “You know. Foxes catch birds.”

The man took a step closer to you, enough for you to see his luminous face clearly, as well as the lopsided smile forming on his pale lips despite the still present disapproval in his eyes.

The wide, creepy fox smile seemed to be glued to your face now as you took in the appearance of the man before you.

“Hello, Sehun.”

A/N: This story is my baby, please leave your thoughts if you don’t want to be deceived by a fox 😰 remember to reblog if you liked this part!!

[sravanisp]

Food Processing Industry A Sunrise Sector in Bangalore

Food Processing Industry A Sunrise Sector in Bangalore is a sector which has been growing rapidly due to various reasons. The main reason is that there are many opportunities available in the field of food science and related sectors in India. Also the government of India has been providing various supports to the emerging food processing industry of India. In fact there is hardly any city in India, which has not seen the presence of any advanced Food Processing Industries.

There are several reasons due to which food processing industries of India have been able to make a mark in the field of food science. There are numerous students and professional from all across the country who are interested in getting jobs in this sector. This is mainly because there is high demand for skilled professionals in this field in the country. People are also attracted towards this career because it is interesting, glamorous, lucrative, and highly rewarding.

The food processing industry of India is gaining pace and progressing at a very rapid rate. This is mainly due to the increased consumption of packaged food in the country as well as due to the growth of developed countries in the world. The main aim of the companies of India is to serve the food requirements of the people of almost every part of the world. There are several reasons behind this.

The government of the country has taken proper steps to promote the manufacturing of processed food products. Apart, from that they are also taking proper care of the farmers of the country. Since this has become one of the most lucrative careers there are thousands of graduates and students who are trying their luck in this sector. They are also interested in starting their own companies in this field.

With the advancement in technology there are numerous processed food products available in the markets. These include customized food, frozen food, ready to eat food items, fruits and vegetables, dairy products etc. These processed food items occupy a very large amount of space in the warehouses of the companies. This is one reason why the prices of these processed food products are very low. Since these food items are very cheap they are easily available in the market.

The processing industry of India is gaining popularity at a very rapid pace. This is mainly because the government of the country has taken a special interest in promoting this industry. This has led to increase in the number of employees in this industry. In addition to this, various new companies are also sprouting up in this field. As a result, the competition has actually increased in this industry.

Food processing companies of India are engaged in several activities. These include food processing of milk, food processing of eggs and meat, food processing of fruits and vegetables, pet food manufacturing and several other specialized activities. Today, most of the processed food items are packed, sealed and delivered to different parts of the world. The food processing industry of India is developing at a great pace. There has been phenomenal growth in this sector. As a result, the manufacturing of different kinds of food items has become quite easy.

In today’s world, there are many products which are prepared and manufactured using the processed food products. Some of these are chocolates, instant rice, noodles, fruits and vegetables, meat and fish products etc. Thus the food processing industry of India is really playing a vital role in the development of the country. It has been helping the manufacturing of processed food items tremendously.

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[vldaera]

task .002—

with special thanks for, and featuring, @vldareum​—

JEON AERA ✉ ⇢ manager yes ys i kniw JEON AERA ✉ ⇢ manager ill addition 4 fanny pack outing later :P JEON AERA ✉ ⇢ manager i’m bussy rite now tho ;)  it’ areum time MANAGER ✉ ⇢ jeon aera Busy doing what?! What’s Areum time?! JEON AERA ✉ ⇢ manager s MANAGER ✉ ⇢ jeon aera Aera TT MANAGER ✉ ⇢ jeon aera Aera, why did you send a winky face? Is Areum okay? MANAGER ✉ ⇢ jeon aera Aera please I do not have time for this you are so aggravating JEON AERA ✉ ⇢ manager ;) ;) ;_   MANAGER ✉ ⇢ jeon aera Aera!!

Aera’s not so mean that she leaves their manager on delivered when she knows she’s probably gonna bust a nerve; no, she chooses to leave her on open, instead, so she knows she’s at least alive. Because for tonight, she has planning to do.

Phase One of Operation: Surprise the Socks Off Areum is long since over and was a huge success. Phase One is the simplest part: text Areum to come over tonight for another Star Wars marathon. They never got to the sequels.

Phase Two is the thick of it: cook a fancy dinner fit for a princess, hire a masseuse to pamper both of them in— ahem— Aera’s brand new(!) apartment, turn on absolutely any movie of Areum’s choice, give each other mani/pedis, and then end the night with giving her sister a woven bracelet that Aera personally made for Areum herself.

Phase Three: catalogue every second of it on her phone and watch the look on her sister’s face.

Ha. And Areum thinks it’s just going to be Star Wars.

It’s a bit of a thank you, in a way, for her sister to know that Aera really appreciates her, and also to let her know that Aera’s doing just fine, thank you very much, living alone. Sure, it gets lonely sometimes, but besides Areum, Naeun comes over! And Saeun! And Hamin! And... that’s pretty much it...

Clowns! One time Aera hired a clown to come and entertain her while she cried on the sofa over a stupid romantic comedy. It was sorta funny to watch how obviously uncomfortable the clown was ‘cause she paid him double to leave a kid’s party early to keep her company. He wasn’t expecting one of the members of one of the nation’s top girl groups to be sprawled out on the floor with a bottle of wine, she doesn’t think, but whatever. As you can see, she’s having the time of her life.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Step One of Phase Two (that’s right, she’s that organized) is to go figure out what to eat. After their excursion to Tokyo, she’s thinking some miso broth ramen and spicy tuna rolls, so she makes a quick stop by the market to go pick up some seaweed and fish. She has a plan and everything; she’s gonna cut up some seaweed to say “I Love You, Areum!” and stick it in the broth like alphabet soup. It’s gonna be so cute—

Hey, what’s that? Bunnies for adoption??!! Ohmigod no way!!!

Aera hasn’t ever whipped a car into a parking lot so fast. Ten minutes and 40,000 KRW later, she drives home with a bag full of seaweed and fish and the newest addition to the family, John Brad Crumb. She’s pulling away when she realizes 1) she made a HUGE typo on the iPad, 2) both “John Brad Crumb Jeon” and “Jeon John Brad Crumb” are stupid names, and 3), though it came with the intention of paying homage to her fans, with Aera’s Earthshine nickname being John Area, she’s effectively just named a rabbit after herself.

But hey, the adoption certificate says John Brad Crumb, so that’s what he is.

She pulls into her apartment and the elevator dings to the top floor. It’s only recently that she managed to unpack, so she unloads all the groceries into the fridge and puts the rice in the cooker, then gets to work dedicating a sizable corner of her living room for John Brad Crumb. One could call it John’s area.

One thing to note about Aera is that what can go wrong, will go wrong, but it’ll go wrong with a flourish and probably fireworks, too. The cage is actually pretty well set up, and she wants to do this cute thing where she gives Areum her bracelet by wrapping it around John Brad Crumb’s neck like a collar, and she’s in the middle of doing so when she smells something. Umm... what’s burning?

She rushes to the kitchen and smacks her head when she realizes that she forgot to put water in the rice. Now what?

Aera stands there for at least a full solid minute watching the rice as she wonders what her reaction should be. She wonders if it’ll catch fire.

Um, duh.

Fortunately, she keeps a Brita filter in the fridge, and so she begins pouring water on the flames. Really she lucked out, because she manages to put the fire out without the help of the fire department, but her rice cooker is, like, totaled. That’s fine! She’s adaptive. Instead, she decides to cook it manually. She definitely won’t forget the water this time, she thinks smugly as she fills the water almost to the top of the pot. After adding the rice, she returns to the living room...

...only to find that John Brad Crumb has all but gnawed the bracelet to pieces.

“John Brad Crumb-ah! Are you serious?! You are so unaware.”

She lifts the bunny and picks the dangling threads from his mouth, pouting as she witnesses the shreds of what she made with such love and care. Luckily for Aera (and also for John Brad Crumb, whom she’ll forgive eventually because he already means the world to her), it seems to be salvageable? Maybe?

John Brad Crumb fits in the front pocket of her hoodie, so she puts him and some rabbit food in there and returns to the kitchen where the rice has, obviously, boiled over. Cursing, Aera cleans up the mess and tastes the rice that was saved. Well... it’s not bad.

Putting the ramen to a boil, she checks the clock and sees that she’s got a little over an hour before Areum’s supposed to arrive. She fortunately had the hindsight to buy pre-made tare and simmer the broth this morning, so it’s not like she has to simmer things for three hours. but it’s still kinda crunch time.

You know what she just realized? She totally forgot to buy one of those bamboo rolling mats. Printer paper should work... right?

“Let’s do this, John Brad Crumb-ah. For Areummie!”

HHHHHHHHHH OHHHHHH MY GOD ROLLING SUSHI IS SO HARD is what she’d say if there was anyone around to hear her, but there’s not. It’s written clearly across her face, though. The rice is too mushy and also the printer paper keeps falling apart, so it’s kinda... papery rice? Wrapped in nori? Yuck.

It’s kind of a disaster, so she decides that it doesn’t have to be pretty and abandons the paper in favor of trying to hand roll the sushi, which naturally doesn’t work as the sushi falls apart. The result is, like, this weird sushi salad thing that honestly works in the same way that a poke bowl does. Whatever; it’ll have to do. Twenty minutes till Areum gets here.

Turning around, she spoons some noodles into a pot and tastes the broth that she made. Okay, what...? That’s actually super good. Pleased with herself, she dumps in the sauce. But again, this is Aera, and what goes wrong is that, facepalming, she realizes that what she thought was chicken sauce was actually chocolate sauce... ugh...

The whole thing has to be tossed now, so Aera does so quickly and checks the clock. Ten minutes till Areum gets here.

In a last-ditch effort, she throws some instant ramen on the stove and bounds into the kitchen to comb out and rebraid Areum’s bracelet, when her phone pings.

SEOUL THERAPEUTICS ✉ ⇢ jeon aera Jeon Aera-ssi, this is Kim Daeho, owner/operator of Seoul Therapeutics. I am texting to inform you that your masseuse has fallen ill and will be unable to arrive tonight—

(Somewhere, on the other side of town, Kim Daeho, owner/operator of Seoul Therapeutics, feels a chill run down his spine.)

—and, as all other masseurs are booked, I have issued a refund to your account. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Well, she tried. She really did. Sorry, Areum, she really wanted to throw you a big thank-you dinner, but turns out Aera’s actually going into hermitage instead. Would you like to come visit her cave? Oh, please do make yourself at home, don’t mind those scorpions crawling on her bed made out of twigs and sadness...

She stands in the kitchen, contemplating the best mountain beneath which to move all her things, before deciding that she just moved and it would be too much of an inconvenience. The weird chocolate ramen is in the trash. That salad thing is on the counter. The movies aren’t rented, the nail polish isn’t bought, and the bracelet is wearable, but ugly. The instant ramen is literally what they ate everyday for years, and also the weight of John Brad Crumb on her hoodie is starting to hurt her neck. One minute until Areum—

Ding dong!

“Gah! John Brad Crumb-ah, we can’t let her see us like this!”

With a certain kind of determination that only Jeon Aera possesses, she decides to make her grand escape. But the reason it’s Jeon Aera name-brand determination is because it wouldn’t be Aera’s if it wasn’t tinted with just a little bit of recklessness, ‘cause in her attempt to escape the embarrassment, she tries to escape out the front door, where Areum is standing.

“Areummie!”

Her face flushes bright red and she wonders what Areum thinks of the sight before her: Aera, in a hoodie, with a rabbit in her pocket and a ratty bracelet in her hand, covered in chocolate stains and mushy rice and her hair falling out of her bun.

It’s then that she realizes that she probably does know what Areum’s thinking, and that’s why she loves her twin so much in the first place. There’s no one else she’d rather go on this adventure with. No one else would so easily deal with her. Of course her sister wouldn’t judge her for the disaster that was Aera’s poorly planned surprise. Just seeing Areum makes the embarrassment wash away, and Aera gives her a smile. Thanks for being there for me. Thanks for smiling when I’m ditzy instead of rolling your eyes. Thanks for supporting me through thick and thin. Thanks for being the best sister a girl could ask for.

“Thanks for coming, Areummie. Let’s order in some takeout. I’ve got the craziest story to tell you.”

[catsworldlytravels]

Gooooooood morning Vietnam

It’s actually over 3 years since I went to Vietnam, better late than never in writing up about it! This trip was March 2017.

I had a direct flight from London to Hanoi with Vietnam Airlines, an extremely reasonable flight price of around £450 return if I remember rightly. After a 12+ hour flight, I landed at 4.30am local time, and after swiftly clearing immigration (British citizens didn’t – at time of travel – require a visa for stays under 15 days) I had quite a long wait for my bag as it was basically the last one round the carousel – always a slightly worrying time! I’d arranged a transfer to my hotel in central Hanoi, and after arriving at the hotel at around 6.30am I took myself off to bed. Top tip, especially when travelling somewhere where accommodation is cheap by western standards – if you are arriving somewhere first thing in the morning, book a hotel room for the previous night so you can check in and either get some kip for a few hours, or freshen up before you start exploring. The hotel I was staying in was approx £30 per night which was worth every penny to be able to crash for a few hours.

As it turned out, I was absolutely knackered, the product of being in a job I didn’t enjoy (part of the reason I’d gone on sabbatical the year before), and at the time I’d actually just been successful in interviewing for another job in the same company which I would start shortly after returning from this trip. Much less stress and a better work/life balance, but that isn’t the topic of this blog, and as such I pretty much slept through the entire day. Fortunately I’d arrived a day early to join the trip so I didn’t miss out on that much, and it gave my body clock a chance to adjust.

After a long sleep, I awoke refreshed on the second day and after breakfasting in the hotel, I set off exploring Hanoi. One thing I had been warned about prior to this trip was that attempting to cross the street in Hanoi would be an interesting experience, certainly if you waited as you would in the U.K. for a break in the traffic, I’d still be stuck on the wrong side of the street now! It is a little unnerving basically having to walk out into traffic but, unbelievably, it works. Most people in Vietnam ride scooters as the taxes on (usually imported) cars are prohibitively expensive, and they are used to adjusting their speeds for pedestrians. After building up confidence to cross the street, I made my way to Hoan Kiam Lake and walked around it, enjoying the early morning sights including the locals enjoying some early morning yoga/meditation along the shores.

Hoan Kiam Lake, Hanoi

After some more wandering to a temple and to the market, I headed back to my hotel for some much needed air-con. After a short break from the heat, I ventured back outside and grabbed lunch – a delicious Bánh Mì from Banh Mi 25, one of the top-rated places for Bánh Mì in Hanoi. Bánh Mì are a delicious fusion sandwich, a baguette-style bread roll filled with pate, grilled meat, cucumber and pickled veg, and an absolute bargain with a Bánh Mì and bottle of water costing the equivalent of 75p!

In the afternoon I walked to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum complex and around the botanical gardens before retreating back to the hotel. In the evening I met the rest of the group (a G Adventures trip) and we headed out for dinner.

An early start the next morning as we headed to Halong Bay. It was a 4 hour drive punctuated by a stop at a project which creates employment for disabled people by teaching them crafts and needlework which is then sold. A very interesting idea.

We arrived at Halong Bay and boarded our overnight junk boat in time for lunch. As we set sail through the bay, the limestone karsts that we passed through reminded me a little bit of Milford Sound. I’ve since also been to Khao Sok in Thailand which was very reminiscent of Halong Bay. We sailed through the bay in the afternoon, stopping off in a couple of places including Ti Top Island where we climbed up 400 steps to take in the views.

Halong Bay

We had dinner on the boat, all freshly made on board and plate after plate of delicious food was served up. After enjoying the stars with a couple of drinks, I retreated to bed. Another early start the following morning with breakfast at 7am before we visited a Sung Sot Cave, the largest cave in Halong Bay, which had this amazing, wave-like ceiling.

Sung Sot Cave, Halong Bay

We then headed back to land and late morning got off the boat and headed on the 4 hour journey back to Hanoi. We were taking the overnight train south to Hue but had a few hours spare before then, so I went on a street food tour. If you haven’t already gathered, I absolutely loved the food in Vietnam. I think it’s the best food I’ve had anywhere, and certainly the cheapest. We wandered the streets of Hanoi, sampling lots of delicious food before ending up in Hanoi Food Culture where we had the Vietnamese speciality of egg coffee (or egg chocolate in my case as I’m not a coffee drinker)

Egg chocolate – an alternate version of the Vietnamese speciality egg coffee

We boarded the train in the evening, around 9pm. We were travelling in first class which comprised of 4-berth bunks with shared toilets/squats at the ends of the carriages. Second class was 6-berth bunks, followed by soft seats and hard seats (as you might recall from the Top Gear Vietnam special). I took a top bunk. The journey itself was very loud and the train was very shaky, and I don’t remember sleeping too much. The overnight train I’ve since been on in Thailand was a much more comfortable ride.

We arrived in Hue at 10.30am the next morning. It was noticeably hotter and more humid. Despite arriving early, we were able to check in to our hotel where I promptly showered before heading out for a quick wander before we went on our included trips in the afternoon. I ventured for a walk along the Perfume River before retreating to the air con ahead of our afternoon tours. Firstly we went to the Tien Mu Pagoda:

Tien Mu Pagoda, Hue

We then went to the main attraction in Hue, the Imperial Citadel. An imposing collection of buildings, and much, much larger than I imagined. The citadel was built in the early 1800s and was targeted during the Vietnam War. You can see the bullet holes from the Vietnam War in some of the walls.

Imperial citadel, Hue

We also squeezed in a visit to the Royal Tombs on an busy sightseeing afternoon.

At the Royal Tombs, Hue

The next morning I did a motorbike tour (as backseat passenger!) – an absolute must-do in a country where motorbikes/scooters are the primary form of transport. We were taken out to the countryside outside of Hue, seeing rice fields, monasteries and a colosseum where elephants and tigers once fought. We had an included vegetarian lunch at the monastery which was, once again, absolutely delicious.

Colosseum; Biker pose; River views

We arrived back in Hue after lunch and then headed south over the Hai Van Pass towards Hoi An. Unfortunately it was a bit cloudier than ideal which didn’t make for the best photos, but we still saw some great views.

Views on the drive to Hoi An.

We arrived in Hoi An in the late afternoon. Our guide took us on a brief orientation tour as we had 3 nights here to explore. We bumped into Jack Whitehall and his dad filming their Netflix travel series whilst we were wandering down tailors row – an unexpected sight! Hoi An is famous for getting cheap tailoring which can be ready in as little as 24 hours, but I didn’t partake on this occasion.

The following day we had an included excursion in the morning to Planeterra’s project here, Oodles of Noodles. This project taught local kids both the skills of cooking in a professional environment, as well as some English language. We learned to make rice pancakes, and then enjoyed a delicious bowl of noodles for lunch:

Lunch at Oodles of Noodles, Hoi An

We had a free afternoon where I enjoyed walking around Hoi An old town. Sincerely the prettiest place I’ve ever been.

Sights of Hoi An, the prettiest place I’ve ever been

The next day was a free day. The weather was a bit dodgy, grey with the occasionally downpour but still very warm, so after a relaxing morning at the hotel, I went for a hot stone massage in the afternoon. £20 for a 90 minute massage was an absolute bargain, even if I was a bit sore the following day! In the evening we enjoyed a walk (and some bargains) in the night markets.

The next morning was an early start for a flight from nearby Danang to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly Saigon. Even hotter and more sticky than Hue. After checking in to the hotel mid morning, and then going for lunch to have pho (finally!), we then had a free afternoon. Ho Chi Minh City has some pretty spectacular architecture, including many remnants of the French colonial era:

Notre Dame Cathedral, HCMC; City Hall; The Post Office, HCMC

The following day we had an included trip out to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a network of tunnels built by the Viet Cong outside of Saigon during the Vietnam War. It was fascinating to learn about the guerilla tactics used by the Viet Cong, and amazing to see the size of the tunnels, which were utterly minuscule.

Cu Chi Tunnels, barely big enough for a body to fit through

We came back to HCMC for lunch and then had a free afternoon. I decided to go to the War Remnants museum which is is a sobering affair. Be warned – there are some very graphic pictures of the effects of the chemical warfare. It was also horrifying to learn that people still live with the effects having been exposed at the time, but also because some of the effects can be passed on to offspring. A sobering reminder of the legacy of war, and well worth a visit.

That evening was our final group dinner before I left the following day. More delicious food, this time Vietnamese barbecue.

Vietnamese BBQ – cook your own dinner!

I had most of the next day free before an evening flight back to London via Hanoi. It was extremely hot and sticky again, and after a walk in the morning to the Reunification Palace and a failed attempt to find the Jade Emperor Pagoda, I retreated back to the hotel and air con and a shower before heading to the airport in the late afternoon.

So, what were my impressions of Vietnam? Genuinely part of the reason I went was after I’d seen the Top Gear Vietnam show, it looked a beautiful and fascinating country. A few people I’d met on my previous travels had also been and talked about what a wonderful country it is. And it certainly was. Everyone was friendly, I didn’t feel afraid walking around by myself, a solo female traveller (albeit on a group tour). It was very cheap – obviously I’d paid for the trip and accommodation/transport beforehand, and so all I had to buy whilst there was food, drinks, excursions and souvenirs. I was there for 10 days and spent less than £150 – and that included a $40 motorbike trip and a £20 massage. The absolute best food I’ve had anywhere I’ve been either before or since (with Peru close behind). And a fascinating, and devastating, recent history. Would absolutely recommend, and when I do go back again to South East Asia, I wouldn’t think twice about going back.

from WordPress https://catsgreatadventure.wordpress.com/2020/07/25/gooooooood-morning-vietnam/

[thegoodhausfrau]

I’m killing time at work so I figured I'd post a list of some of the NYC food spots on my list. Of course this list is gigantic, not divided up by neighborhoods at all, and doesn't even include everything as I decided to cut it off at 100. But not even my top 100 because I feel I've already posted about a bunch of those spots and you can just search for them. Also I’m not going to give you any context or what I want off these menus. Just know that something here looked like something I need to have in my my mouth. Given the size of this incomplete and forever growing list you see what I mean when I say I can make grown men cry. What can I say except I'm hungry.

Don Angie

An Choi

Scarr's Pizza

Donna

Katana Kitten

District Saigon

Mekelburg's Domino

Chillato

Yungshang Rice Noodle House

GFG Bakery

Legend of Taste

Shanghai You Garden

Lao Bei Fang

Olio e Piu

Sticky's Finger Joint

Boucherie

Doughnut Plant

Russ & Daughters

Cheeky Sandwiches

La Caridad 78

Ganesh Temple Canteen

Blue Sky Deli Grocery Corp

Lilia Ristorante

Indo Java

BZ Grill

Artopolis

Main Street C&L Imperial Taiwanese Gourmet

El Nuevo Bohio Lechonera

Moloko

Via Carota

Sake Bar Decibel

Myung San

Clover Club

Murray's Bagels

Lee Lee's Baked Goods

188 Bakery Cuchifrito's

Asian Jewels Seafood Restaurant

East Harbor Seafood Palace

Kai Feng Fu

Yun Nan Flavor Garden

Empanadas Cafe

Unidentified Flying Chickens

De Mayo Food Market

Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company

Kung Fu Xiao Long Bao

Golden Shopping Mall

New World Mall Food Court

Mamoun's Falafel

The Chipper Truck

Africa Kine Restaurant

Xin Taste Hand Pull Noodle

Nepali Bhanchha Ghar

Chengdu Heaven

Luna de Xelaju Restaurant & Pizzeria

Shanghai Zhen Gong Fu

Dumpling Galaxy

Cheburechnaya

Arepa Lady

Gloria Pizza

Di Fara Pizza

Corner Slice

NY Pizza Suprema

Peppa's Jerk Chicken Restaurant

St. Anslem

Szechuan Mountain Horse

Utopia Bagels

Kossar's

Zucker's Bagels & Smoked Fish

Hwa Yuan

Peking Duck Sandwich Stall

Decoy

The Little One

Joe's Pizza

Emilio's Ballato

New Park Pizza

Best Pizza

Kababish

Eddie's Sweet Shop

Super Taste

Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse

Peter Luger

Delmonico's

Momo Sushi Shack

El Tina Fish Market

Dyckman Bakery

Mama Sushi

Malecon Restaurant

Mario's Restaurant

Cosenza's Fish Market

Teitel Brothers

Ralph's Italian Ices & Ice Cream

Denino's Pizzeria Tavern

The Original Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza

Lee's Tavern

Mi Casa Bar & Restaurant

Alfie's Pizza

Dani's House of Pizza

Imperial Palace

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao

Wonton Noodle Garden Restaurant

[volantedesign]

Letter from Japan

It's quiet. It is really really quiet. There's a gentle white noise from the mini split and that's all. We're in Kyoto sleeping on the floor, inhaling the sweet reedy smell of the tatami mats. We're staying in a major metropolis. It's 4 in the morning because I'm still jet-lagged. The doorways are all too short for me. When I stand up on the train I invariably bang my head on the hanging handles, not hard, just enough to surprise myself and to feel foolish. I am enormous here. I forgot to pack walking shoes and bought a men's size, as the women's sizes stop well before my (size 9) giant feet. We've been doing a lot of walking. There are so many beautiful little streets, with worn fabric banners showing hand printed or drawn letters that look like nothing more than beautiful shapes to me. I am utterly illiterate here. The people I've met have been unbelievably gracious and put up with our knowing nothing in a way that makes it seem like they are at fault for not knowing what strange thing we're asking for in their country, in their home. We've been traveling very low-budget and staying in single rooms in homes and ryokan (tiny hotels run by families mostly). For some reason the images in my mind of Tokyo are not the sweeping torii gates of the shrines that we went to see. I have photographs and will always treasure the memory of seeing them. But what I was most amazed by were smaller things that we did not know to stop and document. There was a set of three ceramic pots, sitting on the street next to some potted plants. They seemed vacant at first, but they were full of water, and tiny fish hiding in the water plants. The tiny shapes of the fish were right there in the street under the sky. The bright flash of this revelation was both so fitting for the setting and so unexpected. I imagine that they belong to some grandmother who sits out in the evening and watches the fish go around. Who cares if this is true or not. I remember also vividly the meh meeeeh-ing sound of the cicadas, such a complaining sound, so loud in a country where even the construction is done with as little impact as possible. There were some houses styled to be European that stuck out. They looked like something from an anime. They didn't look like any European house I've seen. More like a very tidy cake in the shape of a house. The first night we landed and went deliriously in search of some food after flying for about 17 hours, we stumbled into a family run udon shop. David begged me to make a decision about food, because everything seemed bright and loud and utterly indecipherable at that time of night in our strange state. We ordered the first and second thing on the menu, ordered a beer. Blessedly the word for beer is understood everywhere. We got some amazing home-made noodles in broth, some cat-foody tasting fish, a bowl of clams in rich brown sauce? We think they were clams but honestly I'm not sure, and rice with tuna mash and a raw egg yolk on top. It was unbelievable. I think that's when I knew we were in Japan. We ate our udon hot even though they asked us 3 or 4 times if we were sure about that. It was about 90 degrees. It never occurred to us to have it cold. The cook went to sit in the back room and drink with his friends after it seemed there would be no more customers coming in. He poured us a tiny challis' of sake and left us to his wife's watchful eye. She tidied, we ate, and then payed and fled. I love how clean it is here. I love it. I have always liked order and taking off my shoes inside. I am German after all. Everyone seems to carry their own hand towel for a day's outing. There are no paper towels in most of the bathrooms. This same hand towel can cover your hair should it rain. Why you'd want to cover your hair when it rains I'm not sure, but it was clearly an important function of the towel. We enjoyed a late afternoon of watching people run through the rain with various items over their heads while we sat in the window of a restaurant/pub. The fashions and people were equally fun to watch. People wear floor length flowery mom-ish dresses and make them look cute. Can you believe it? The rooms we've been in are spare, clean, everything in the bathroom is white, as though to prove to you that there's no speck of dirt hiding that you might miss on a colorful tile. I love that people don't smoke and throw their butts on the ground, but either wait near an ash-can or carry the butt away in a small pouch designed for this purpose. I don't even mind that there's smoking in some restaurants. I grew up with this in Germany and it seems sort of cozy to me. I know that it's terrible for all involved of course- but what can I say. I've seen folks with gloves for ridding the train so they don't have to touch what other people touched. There are even men in the train stations who clean the ever rotating germ-buffet that is the escalator handrail. There seems to be a whole fleet of people in the parks who's job it is to clear away leaves. I love that they care enough to employ people to make sure that it's nice. We could learn from this America. We came to Japan to see Tokyo Games show and see if it would ever be a viable market for us. It's much cheaper to send me and David (who go for free) than the company and all the stuff required for a con set-up. So, we've reviewed Tokyo games show, and basically it'll be a very long time before we come to exhibit at this show if ever. No judgement of the show, but it doesn't really look like folks are interested in shopping. And what there is to buy is very easy to buy, t-shirts, towels, stuffed critters. It's blastedly full and hot and sort of dark also. But there I am being back at work, analyzing, explaining. I'm done working for the trip. We've got one week to do whatever we want in Japan. The funny thing is we have gone so far away to be able to have a real stopping point. To be able to stop working or even thinking about work it helps to have little to no internet and not to be callable. I think we must learn to be unavailable more often. The most wonderful thing about running a business is that you get to set the terms. You get to chose. This is also the very hardest because you have to chose carefully and then follow up on your choices. It never really ends of course. This has never been more true than now. As we grow, (not as smoothly as it sounds) we also have new growing pains, new overhead costs, new challenges, new systems we have to learn and master. There's nobody to help you "figure it out." It's hard to shut-off, to stop working. It's hard to feel like your ship will stay afloat without you watching it's every move. But it will, it does, it has for the last week.

- Willow Volante

[wakeuphealthy]

11 Women Who Hate To Cook Share Their Go-To Weeknight Meals

To discover the hack-packed, low-lift recipes that keep the cooking-averse satisfied, we asked millennial women who hate to cook to share their go-to weeknight meals. Ahead, you'll find our favorite responses. These meals could inspire even those who enjoy cooking because, let's face it, we all have nights when we don't have the energy to spend too much time in the kitchen.

Spinach, sausage, mushroom, white bean sauté

Occupation: Writer  Age: 41  City: Portland

Why do you like this meal? It's easy to prep, has a quick cook time, and contains solid protein and veg.

What is the recipe for this meal? 1 pound bulk chicken sausage 1 can cannelini beans 1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped 1 cup mushrooms, diced 1/2 cup onion, diced 2+ cloves of garlic, diced Crumble and brown chicken sausage in pan, along with onions and garlic. Add spinach and mushrooms and cook until al dente. Add beans and spices to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes before serving.

Where did this recipe come from? It's a quick recipe my ex (a chef) threw together.

Pimped-out Top Ramen

Occupation: Social media specialist in digital marketing Age: 29     City: Los Angeles, CA

Why do you like this meal? It's always good and you add whatever you have in your fridge.

What is the recipe for this meal? Top Ramen Packet (shrimp, chicken, or really any flavor), a teaspoon of butter, cheese (sliced preferably), salt, pepper, green onion, Sriracha, spam (if you have it), seaweed flakes or seaweed, and an egg.

Where did this recipe come from? My grandma would always add an egg to my top ramen when I was a kid, and all the other additions have been from whatever I had in the kitchen. Butter was a tip from Kylie Jenner. Cheese is my newest addition and it's sooooo good. It makes it creamy.

Rice, tofu, and veggies

Occupation: Graduate student    Age: 22      City: Bethlehem, PA

Why do you like this meal? It's easy, quick, vegan, and healthy.

What is the recipe for this meal? Frozen steam bags of any vegetables (I usually use peas, corn, carrots, green beans, and mix them together in a bigger bowl) Frozen steam bag of brown rice (take as much as needed of rice and veggies for one meal and save the rest in the fridge) Firm tofu, sliced into small squares, seasoned with black pepper and nutritional yeast Mix a serving of rice, tofu, and veggies together in a bowl Flax and sesame seeds sprinkled on top

Where did this recipe come from? It's my own creation.

"Poor Man's Dirty Rice"

Occupation: Librarian    Age: 23     City: Boise, ID

Why do you like this meal? It's super quick, simple, and really flexible.

What is the recipe for this meal? Cauliflower rice, ground meat, and salsa. I usually use two bags of rice and cook those in a pan. In a separate pan, I will cook some ground meat — usually turkey or beef, but it can be anything. Then, when both are cooked, I mix them in a pan and add a few tablespoons of salsa, a little salt and pepper, and maybe some garlic powder.

Where did this recipe come from? It's a family recipe.

Scrambled eggs and veggies with cheese

Occupation: Journalist    Age: 22      City: Davenport, IA

Why do you like this meal? It's super cheap and reasonably healthy, especially since I go so heavy on the veggies. I'm trying to limit my meat intake and most of my attempts to meal prep vegetables have ranged from mediocre to sad, so I also appreciate that it's fast enough to make fresh each time.

What is the recipe for this meal? Two eggs, whatever chopped vegetables you wants (I like kale and tomatoes, a Brussels sprouts slaw I buy pre-cut, or even butternut squash), fresh (or not) herbs, and cheese. If the vegetables are hard, cook those first, otherwise scramble the eggs and add the vegetables at the same time. Add the herbs or any other greens and cheese toward the end. Lately, I've been using smoked cheddar with parsley or Brie and rosemary. I usually try to have an equal amount of vegetables and eggs, but the texture is definitely better with more egg than roughage. I'll add toast or an extra egg if I'm especially hungry.

Where did this recipe come from? It's really just scrambled eggs.

Cilantro-lime rice with chicken apple sausage

Occupation: Graduate student     Age: 23     City: Orange County, CA

Why do you like this meal? Super easy and lasts for about three days.

What is the recipe for this meal? Cook cilantro lime rice packet from target, cook chicken apple sausage, then mix together!

Where did this recipe come from? I came up with it through sheer desperation of something easy and lots of time roaming around Target.

Soy chorizo burrito

Occupation: Graphic designer    Age: 22    City: Washington, D.C.

Why do you like this meal? It's packed full of protein, is quick to make, can be eaten warm or cool, is easy to store for later or meal prep, and contains simple ingredients.

What is the recipe for this meal? Half a link of soy chorizo (from Trader Joe's), 1 egg, 1 flour tortilla, 1 cup of mashed avocado, olive oil, hot sauce for taste (I prefer the Mexican Valentina brand).

Where did this recipe come from? My boyfriend is Costa Rican, and he makes burritos that are to die for. Since I don't eat a lot of meat, this is an adaptation from what he makes.

Spaghetti with a green salad

Occupation: Temporary receptionist   Age: 25  City: Vancouver, British Columbia

Why do you like this meal? It is relatively easy to make and there is enough pasta for at least two other meals.

What is the recipe for this meal? Boil water; start cooking extra lean ground beef until completely brown; add dry pasta to boiling water and cook for 8 minutes, occasionally stirring; add tomato sauce to the cooked ground beef. When the pasta is al dente, you can drain the water and put the pasta in a strainer. Prepare a green salad to go with the spaghetti dinner.

Where did this recipe come from? It is a family recipe but I am sure there are many online recipes for spaghetti.

Rice and chicken with sauce

Occupation: Teacher   Age: 28    City: Dallas, TX

Why do you like this meal? It's incredibly easy to make, balanced, and fast. Almost every part can be store bought, so the only thing left to do is heat it up.

What is the recipe for this meal? There are several options for the rice. I'm Korean, so I like a sticky rice. There are companies who sell a microwaveable bowl of rice - that's the easiest way. You can also, of course, just make rice (easy, but time-consuming). Two cups of water per one cup of rice.

The chicken can either be mixed in with the rice or eaten separately. Take some diced chicken (whenever I buy chicken I dice it and separate it into different Ziploc bags, so they're easy to freeze and thaw as needed) and put them in a pan. Optional: before putting them in a frying pan, cover with flour. This will make them crispy. I put flour in a bowl and toss the chicken around in it. I'm sure you could add egg and whatnot, but this is the easiest way. Once that's done, I heat up some oil in a frying pan and then add in the chicken (if there's flour I try to use a little more oil so it can "fry").

Once the chicken is fully cooked, I add in store-bought General Tso sauce mixed with water, about a 1:1 ratio. Target carries several kinds of General Tso sauce, as does any other grocery store I've looked into. The Panda Express brand is one of my favorites. Once the sauce and water are in there, I swirl everything around to mix and let the sauce simmer. I wait until most of the water has evaporated and the sauce is thick. At this point, you can add in the rice. Add a little more sauce as desired and serve!

Where did this recipe come from? It mostly came from a love of Chinese takeout, rice, and easy dinners.

Mashed cauliflower and tofurkey Italian sausage

Occupation: International PR     Age: 26     City: Brooklyn, NY

Why do you like this meal? It's super easy, quick, and relatively healthy.

What is the recipe for this meal? Mashed Cauliflower: 2 Tablespoons of butter 1 bag of frozen riced cauliflower or medium head of cauliflower 1 cup water 2-3 cloves of garlic 1/2 teaspoon salt Pepper to taste Directions: Add butter and finely chopped garlic gloves in a 4 quart pot over medium-high heat and add cauliflower once the butter is almost melted. Sauté cauliflower for 3-5 minutes until it becomes a little lighter in color. Add in the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot and cook about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/8 of a cup of the cooking liquid and drain the remainder. Purée the cauliflower with food processor or hand blender.

Veggie Italian Tofurkey Sausage: Heat one link with olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Where did this recipe come from? I adapted the mashed cauliflower from a couple of recipes.

Instant noodles with all the (some) trimmings

Occupation: Journalist    Age: 30    City: London, England

Why do you like this meal? It's balanced, tastes great, and ridiculously easy.

What is the recipe for this meal? Chop up some vegetables like peppers, broccoli, pak choi, Chinese leaf. Boil water on the stove, add vegetables and a protein like eggs, prawns, or chicken. Once the vegetables and protein are almost cooked, add a packet of quality, authentic instant noodles like Mama, Indomie or NongShim to the pot, with all their accompanying seasonings. Once everything has been cooked to your desired texture (I would recommend al dente noodles over soggy noodles), you're done. You can vary the proportions of noodles, vegetables, and protein according to your dietary needs.

Where did this recipe come from? I learned it from family

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/11-women-hate-cook-share-200500925.html

[snoozejoon]

Too Much | Park Jimin

pairing: park jimin x black female oc (ft. jung hoseok.. again :))

genre: angst, fluff, a whoole bunch of lovey-dovey stuff n heartbreak

warnings: mental illness (specifically bpd - borderline personality disorder), mature scenes, vulgar language and mentions of suicide and depression.

word count: 2k

DEUXIÉME

Present.

OH God, Jimin thought as he sat, his favorite beach in all of Busan lying underneath him; reliving the most regrettable moments in his life. It's been like this since it happened: he'd wake up in a cold sweat — because his dreams never delivered in his favor — he'd sort around some paperwork for his mother's building that she gave to him to serve as a landlord on, ask for rent, eat whatever his stomach chose not to release back into a toilet, and come here. 

Granted, his two esteemed therapists of friends checked up on him — and he did the same, sometimes — more than Jimin thought was healthy, but his voice never raised in a complaint. he'd rather have them than the heartache he earned with Solace alone.

Oh God. whenever that name flew to his mind on tattered wings — which was often, so fucking often — a fluctuation of joyful and saddening feelings overthrew him wherever he stood. And that was never a good thing. But Solace? Too much of one. A good thing, that is. She was so good and it was painful because the effect she really had on him was unbeatable. Like a hand around his throat that he begged to be placed there, her words roamed the insides of his ears; and she lived in that tiny space on his hands — it's why no one touches them anymore. She was so vibrant to him that she woke him up from his slumber and prevented him from being able to close his eyes, in fear that he'd never see her in front of him if he dared to do so.

Oh God. Jimin heard the water beg him to lift his spirits some, but he ignored its solemn plea. It hasn't even been a full year since that day. No, not a year, but 10 months, 3 days, 27 minutes, 40 seconds, and counting. His fingers on his right hand hold a burning cigarette between them, but he doesn't ever raise the cancer stick to his lips. It just rested there, because that's how he liked it. It made him feel powerful for a moment, something he knew he could control easily and ruin himself — but he doesn't. He had that power. He forgets that a lot, so he forces himself to be reminded.

He leaned back a little where he sat, feeling the sun overwhelm his skin with warmth. He sighs, roaming his hands in the sand for no particular reason; and inevitably dropping the cigarette too: its smoke drifting off into the air blowing across his cheeks and into his nose, his nostrils flaring at the scent. Oh God. No matter how hard he tried to allow his mind to drift somewhere else — anywhere else — it always deliberately disobeyed him, slyly finding its way to her in any way it could. Oh God. he closes his eyes then; if his mind constantly betrayed him like this, maybe he really didn't have that power.

His phone sat unbothered and untouched beside him, probably heating up too much from sitting in the sun as he was. His fingers reach over to make way towards it as it begins to ring; the contact name Jung Hoseok glaring on his screen instantly as the phone vibrated silently in his palm. Jimin's eyes remain steady as he let the phone ring, debating if he should even answer. Right before the call was to be marked as missed he taps the green button on his screen and waited.

He doesn't raise his voice to a greeting, but Hoseok knew he answered anyway. 

"Jimin. Jungkook went down to that Japanese restaurant you talked about and picked up those dumplings for you. Come over so they don't get cold." He paused while Jimin was considering, "I know you're hungry." 

Jimin blinks blankly at his words, knowing he was right. He always was. His stomach grumbles to further justify his thoughts, leaving him to speak restless words as responses back to Hoseok waiting on the other line.

"Alright," he says quietly. "I'm coming." With that, Hoseok acknowledged his words and hung up. 

Jimin now stood, his bare feet still lying under sheets of sand breaking through its captive barrier and beginning their journey to his friends' . . . humble abode.

The water looks back at Jimin's retreating figure and sighs.

Jungkook came as promised with Jimin's favored Gyoza dumplings; the golden dough happily pranced atop his tastebuds gleefully. Jungkook brought rice and noodles as well, but Hoseok came through with the soju that sat in his fridge; although both Jungkook and Jimin tried to turn him away from the rice based drink — Hoseok was the lightest of lightweights. But alas, Hoseok responded to his friend’s attempts with a distasteful glare and proceeded to open his soju bottle, taking a long sip and wincing at the intensity.

"Leave me alone, will you?" He exhaled loudly, tilting his head. "If I wanna drink, I'll drink." 

There was no problem with Hoseok simply drinking, of course; it was what occurred when he drank too much. He placed his soju bottle on his table then, commencing to break apart his appointed chopsticks, beginning to eat as well. His face soon contorted into one of pleasure when the soft breading of the Gyoza dumpling accompanied by grains of rice rested upon his taste buds; he doesn't get this type of cuisine often due to the restaurant being too far for his preferred driving capabilities.

The three of them all sigh mutedly, it's been a while since they all had the comfort of each other's company, so no moment is taken for granted. Jungkook sat at one end of Hoseok’s table, smiling at his two brothers' antics as Jimin says one thing, and Hoseok says another; wittingly replying to Jimin's playful jabs with drunken slurs. The dining area then fills with little bellows of laughter from each of its occupants, and the small glows from the lamps above them seemingly grow brighter.

But Hoseok and his soju. . .he started off slow with the drink, only taking small sips when he grew thirsty from the amount of food he was eating without having anything to drench it in. So gradually, his sips grew into gulps, and those led to empty soju bottles and words that were better left unsaid revealed for those in his presence to hear. What began as a reunion between the three with ludic intentions quickly grew into one full of melancholy.

The laughter between the three of them had gradually died down some, so as they basked in a comfortable silence — still munching on the remnants of their dishes —  Jimin feels his mind begin to float away again. He tries to push the feeling down by running his chopsticks around his plate aimlessly, but it isn't working. Oh God. He sighs loudly then, earning the attention of Jungkook and Hoseok both; Jungkook's sober eyes raise as well as Hoseok's loopy ones. when he notices their sudden interest, he chuckles lowly, playing his burdening feelings off as mere discomfort.

"I'm so tired," he says, setting his chopsticks down. "It's been a long ... week." He wanted to say month, year. Life. But his tongue remains held, and those words in his head remain silenced. Oh God. 

Hoseok nods back at him, having finally finished his food, and when his disappointed expression meets another empty soju bottle, he raises to get one more. Jungkook watches his friend's decisions carefully, pulling his hoodie closer to him, awaiting its comfort.

Hoseok stood in front of his fridge's glaring lights, blindly reaching for the last bottle of soju in his fridge. When he notices that the bottle he held was the last one he currently owned, he hummed, "Last one, damn. I'll have to go to the market tomorrow." He scanned the fridge for the second time that day, noticing its barren shelves, "For more than just soju."

When he sat back down, Jungkook noticed his firm hold on the bottle resting in his hands, and so did Jimin. But truth be told, Hoseok was rather harmless while drunk; he just proved to be the type to talk too much — and it all relied on the type of information he was revealing. Hoseok popped open the top to his bottle, just as a large burp rips through, an even bigger laugh following it zealously.

"Sorry, guys," he giggles, placing the soju to his lips again.

His mind is a constant buzz; his vision is a little hazy and a smile always finds refuge on his features. But words scramble through Hoseok as well, words that some weren't prepared to hear — names people weren't ready to enter into their systems as of yet. But they all escape from him anyway, although through his drunken state, he barely tries to keep them hidden.

"Solace should be coming back to Busan soon," Hoseok chirps, reaching on the table to munch on anything he can get his hands on. His eyes don't stray over to Jimin or Jungkook or anyone, just the remains of whatever delicacy he held in his chopsticks. He munches happily, looking up as he does so.

Jungkook stops slurping abruptly; his eyes glaze over to Jimin's unmoving form immediately. "R-really? That's..." he stabbed his chopsticks in his own box gently. "Great."

"Yeah. She called me about two weeks ago; my dad recruited her again. She's doing pretty well there, too. She really enjoys it there. She called me all excited the other day about how she got to name one of the jellyfish babies. What were they called again?" 

He stops, looking up, thinking deeply for a moment. "Ephyrae?" When he notices his friend's confused gaze, he specified, "Well. That's what they are in English anyway."

Hoseok finally moves to see Jimin's reaction; which wasn't much of a reaction at all. 

He just sat in Hoseok's porcelain chair, staring off aimlessly. His breaths were unusually steady, and no real set of emotions were displayed on his face. But on the inside — inside of him — things were catastrophic. His heart burned, beating too much to be safe; his skin pulsated harshly; growing in its own heat as well. 

His eyes were diamonds — holding a dull glow with awaited tears. Jimin was falling while still being planted firmly by his own atmospheric gravity.

And she wasn’t there anymore to catch him.

"Jimin?" Hoseok's voice echoes in his ears; seemingly being multiplied by many others — hers. It is her voice that draws him back. When Hoseok finally sees the intensity within Jimin's faltering gaze, reality seems to sink in, sobering him just enough to realize that he'd done it. Spoken that one name that always had Jimin in shambles. Oh God.

"Yes?" Jimin finally responds, looking at Hoseok with tired, unexplainable eyes. Fresh tears just waiting to break through at the corners of his eyes. Jungkook sighs again, walking over to Hoseok and slipping the bottle of soju from his fingers; beginning to saunter over to his sink, pouring its remnants down the drain. Hoseok barely feels the bottle being released from him.

"Are you ... okay?" Hoseok curses to himself; the depth of his words palming him in the face repeatedly — a headache begins to brew between his eyebrows. Of course he's not fucking okay.

But instead, Jimin smiles. "I'm just fine, Hoseok." All three of the boys in the room know — he is not fine. He is the furthest from fine he's ever been. Jimin is falling, still; dripping into his pool of catastrophes. Falling into her.

He just really fucking misses her.

Oh god.

Hoseok sighs. The guilt was stronger than the alcohol, it seemed. 

"Jimin-"

Hoseok is interrupted by a single glistening tear sliding down Jimin's left cheek.

[the-asia-trip]

Days 12-15: Taiwan

In a way, this trip has been on a slowly increasing scale of travel difficulty for me. Japan, while still foreign, is like a warm blanket—familiar, safe, and clean. Korea is one or two steps beyond Japan. Still safe, but less familiar. Taiwan is three steps out. It's still very safe, but, for lack of a better word, it's also China. Wild, chaotic, exotic China.

Hordes of scooters weave through every street, big impenetrable Chinese characters dominate every sign (though there's still English secondary signage everywhere you really need it), and everything is considerably less spotless and immaculate than Korea, let alone Japan. To speak in Dungeons and Dragons character alignment terminology: if Japan is Lawful Good, and Korea is Lawful Neutral, Taiwan is Chaotic Good. There's still that East Asian order ethos, but noticeably less than the first two countries I visited on the trip. 

None of this is an insult, mind you. It's also jaw-droppingly scenic, filled with fantastic food and incredibly friendly people.

On Tuesday, after finishing my last entry here, I hopped on the subway out of Seoul. About an hour later, I arrived at Incheon International Airport. 

Incheon deserves special mention here. I didn't get a good look around when I arrived there last Friday night, but it's a really really surreal place—ultramodern, and dripping with the trappings of the international set. In Terminal 2, there's a three-story Chanel store and a three-story Gucci store right next to it. There's every conceivable designer boutique, at least 4 duty-free cosmetics stores, 3 liquor stores, 2 tobacco stores, and 2 nondescript "fashion" stores that sell clothing from brands not prestigious enough to warrant their own storefronts (but pricey enough to benefit from duty-free savings). For actual airport souvenirs, though, it's not much. For my 4 days in Korea, the best I could manage was a fridge magnet. Note to self: buy souvenirs outside next time. 

After some kimchi stew and an impossibly small $8 airport beer, I boarded my flight to Taiwan. It took about 2 hours, during which time I watched about 70 minutes of Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood" on a hilariously low-resolution seatback display. My seatmate was a middle-aged Russian woman with two brand-new iPhones who drank five glasses of white wine and bought three sticks of Burberry lipstick from the duty-free cart.

After clearing customs, I hopped on a city bus into Taipei proper. The buses in Taiwan also deserve special mention here for being one of the most chaotic elements of the whole experience. Inexplicably well-appointed with little frilly lace window curtains and headrests, and consistently driven with a style I can only describe as "New York Cabbie on speed," they're an experience in their own right. 

The trip to my hotel took about an hour, at which point it was well past midnight. After a requisite post-airport shower, I fell fast asleep. 

I'm staying at the CitizenM Taipei on this leg of the trip, a part of a larger chain of hotels that I've stayed at before in New York. It's one of those trendy hotel chains marketed towards young people that tries painfully hard to be cool with every aspect of their branding. Still, their actual hotel rooms are very nice and well-appointed. 

The next morning, after coffee, some scallion pancakes, and Taiwanese sausages, I headed over to Xiangshan. Located on the other side of the city, it's a hiking trail that offers unrestricted views of Taiwan's most internationally-famous attraction, Taipei 101. While taking some photos at the top of the trail, I struck up a conversation with a local—a girl about my age who currently lives in London, back here for two weeks visiting family. We talked for about half an hour, exchanged information, and went our separate ways.

After the hike, I headed back into the center of town and hopped on a train out to Jiufen. One of Taiwan's most photogenic locales, it bears a striking resemblance to the Spirit World from "Spirited Away," one of the best/most influential anime movies of all time, and a personal favorite of mine. The train only got me most of the way there, so I had to transfer to a bus in Ruifang, a little village about 3/4 of the way between Taipei and Juifen's iconic old town.

A highlight of the walk through Ruifang—at one point, I passed an elderly Chinese man sitting on a bench. He gave me a thumbs-up, I gave him a thumbs-up back, and he smiled and said, "good!" 

One more chaotic bus ride through a series of winding mountain roads later, I arrived in Jiufen. After almost 20 years of being associated with one of the most popular movies of all time, it's more than a little touristy, but a whole lot of fun. The photos to follow will do it more justice than I probably can here. If you like stunning jungle mountain scenery, charming small-town vibes, and excellent food, it's a must-see.

A nice thing about visiting Taiwan right now: for some reason, all Mainland Chinese people are banned from visiting the island by the Communist Party until next year. As locals tell it, I basically have the place to myself. 

Also, for about two weeks in advance,  rain was predicted for three of my four days here. Obviously, on paper, Taiwan is the most outdoorsy leg of this trip, which is why I spent my first day so actively outside when the weather proved sunny.

In an extreme stroke of luck, though, it was clear and sunny the whole time I was there.

On my second day, I took full advantage of this. After more scallion pancakes and coffee, I hopped on a train out of Taipei Main Station headed out of the city, this time to Tamsui, another small town located north of the city.

One thing I didn't know about Taiwan prior to this trip: it used to be a territory of the Dutch East India Company during the 16th century. One of the most tangible remnants of this period is still on display in Tamsui, a colonial fort known as Fort San Domingo (the Dutch took it over from the Spanish, some of the first Europeans to reach the island during the European Age of Exploration). The Chinese locals know the fort by another name: 紅毛城. In English, this translates roughly to "fort of the red-headed ones," which I'm still getting a big kick out of. Apparently the Dutch were the first redheads the Taiwanese had ever seen, and the nickname "Ang Mo" (literally "red hair," or sometimes more derogatorily, "red fur,") stuck for some time after that as a catch-all term for Europeans in many parts of Southeast Asia.

While there's a decent amount of foreigners in Taipei, I definitely felt like the odd Ang Mo out in Tamsui, wading through street markets and ducking out of the way of scooters. It's an amazing place, filled with life and chaotic energy in a way few places I've ever seen are. 

Later that day, I returned to Taipei to check off one of the obvious must-sees of any Taiwan visit: Taipei 101. Formerly the tallest structure on earth, and now the 11th tallest behind a variety of Mainland Chinese and Gulf State money laundering projects, it's truly a sight to behold. From the 89th floor, you get an unrestricted panoramic view of the whole of the Taipei metro area and a glimpse into the building's highly sophisticated internal stabilization system. Because Taiwan is prone to earthquakes, the 101 is borderline over-engineered against any conceivable emergency. It's allegedly one of the most stable structures on the planet. 

After a beer at the top floor lounge, I headed over the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial. The leader of the Kuomintang and father of the Republic of China, he's a very very very big deal here. His memorial is every bit the equal to monuments like the Lincoln Memorial and is guarded by a group of very very very very serious Taiwanese soldiers. There's a guard-changing ceremony a few times a day that I was lucky enough to catch the end of during my visit. Video will follow. 

After that, I met up with my new friend from yesterday and a few of her local friends for dinner. Naturally, the best way to try the best food in a foreign place is to make friends with locals.

The next morning, I crossed the final box off my Taiwan list: the National Palace Museum. When the government of the Republic of China fled the mainland in the 40s, they took most of China's artistic and cultural heritage with them from the Forbidden City in Beijing: over 70,000 items now stored in a sprawling gallery just outside Taipei. It's considered to be one of (if not the) finest collections of Chinese art on the planet, and it's where I spent most of my last full day in Taiwan. Pictures will follow and again will do more justice than I ever could. The sheer extent of China's history is really and truly staggering. The second oldest civilization on the planet, and the oldest continuous one, with a mind-blowing amount of art and culture to show for it.

After the museum, I went back into town for a lunch of pork belly with buns, Dan Dan noodles, and fried pork dumplings. They're big on pork here. The other part of the whole "thousands of years of history" thing? The food. Unbelievable. 

I got even more of that aspect of Taiwan's culture later that night when I went back out with my new Taiwanese friend to one of Taipei's famous night markets. Another "chaotic in the best possible way" experience, you can get everything from knockoff designer socks to steaming bowls of beef tendon stew there. By the end of the night, I had both. 

This morning, I got up at around 9:30 and had my last helping of local scallion pancakes for the foreseeable future. I checked out around 11, and one chaotic Taiwanese Citybus ride later I was at the airport. More pork and rice, a beer, a three-hour flight, and I find myself at Hotel Nikko Narita, the last stop on my trip, for a quick overnight before my flight home. Expect more in the coming days in terms of a cohesive "final thoughts" piece. But for now, here's a few things I'm already feeling very clearly:

There's a power that comes with solo travel. A sense of self-assurance and understanding you really don't get from many other experiences. You're spending a lot of time with yourself. For some people, the thought of that is terrifying. Especially on the other side of the world. For me, though, it's energizing and self-actualizing in a way few other things could ever possibly be.

What else. Travel. Of all the places I visited on this trip, Japan is still quite easily my favorite, and I'd still love to live here someday. But I'm not in any rush, and I certainly won't be coming home with the same misplaced urge to return immediately that I had after my last trip.

Two weeks really remains the ticket for this kind of trip. I've been away long enough that traveling almost feels like my routine at this point, pretentious as that may read. It's nice to be able to spend enough time doing something that you're able to drop the mindset of normal day-to-day life for a while, and do Big Thinks About Life Stuff. However, as I've said in previous posts, I think I'd need a concrete reason to be here to stay any longer. After almost 16 very full days on the other side of the world, thousands of miles away from my own, I'm actually very ready to come home. I miss my friends and family (you, reading this, probably), and after 2 weeks of near-nonstop movement, the creature comforts of my apartment will be mighty nice. 

For now, thank you all for following me. I'm honored to have shared this incredible experience with you.