#btw why does cherry flavor taste so different then cherries.....

[pirunika]

Cursed skirt

...coffee was good tho

[travelingbytastebuds]

JAPAN

WHERE: Shiki's Sushi Babylon, New York *has since closed*

My first experience with Japanese food was when an old friend of mine took me to Shiki Japanese Restaurant in Babylon, Long Island way back around the early 2000s. She loved sushi but back then sushi was not yet a mainstream thing, so I had never had it before. When she took me there, she asked if I knew how to use chopsticks. I had to confess that I did not. So she told me that they didn't have any forks at this restaurant so it was either use the chopsticks or I wasn't going to be able to eat my lunch.

It took me a good hour of looking like a complete fool, trial by hunger and dropping the pieces over and over again before I finally was able to eat anything. By the end of the meal, I was able to use chopsticks at least a little-- enough to finish my lunch at least. Hunger can be such a motivating teacher!

She smiled as we were leaving and told me, "actually, I lied, they do have forks, but I didn't want you to look like an amateur."

My mouth fell open, dropping right down like one of the pieces of sushi that had fallen to my plate dozens of times.

I forgave her for this after sushi became one of my favorite meals though. And she paid me back for her prank by teaching me the difference between sashimi (raw fish/meat and vegetables), sushi (fish, seaweed, vegetables and rice), nigiri (raw fish, seaweed, veggies and rice) and maki (fish, seaweed and rice). And I was able to pick up a new skill that day, which was fun to show off. I can still remember my grandfather watching me with chopsticks and Chinese food (switching ethnic cuisines a bit here), and he laughed and said, "You don't know how to use those. Just grab a fork." and I smiled at him, winked and used my chopsticks just like my friend had shown me. Life is pretty cool when you've got skills you can show off like that when people are laughing at you.

My favorites types of sushi have always been the cooked versions. Firstly because the sushi episode on The Simpsons still scares me and I don't trust any chef to give me the right part of the blowfish, heh. Secondly, because once I actually tasted raw sushi many years later, I found it far too slimy for me to enjoy. And thirdly, the crunchies and the tempura are the best parts!

AND ALSO...

WHERE: Jimmy's Sushi (600 Portion Rd, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779)

Sushi started to pick up steam in the mainstream throughout the early 2000s and eventually more places were offering it. One of my favorite sushi places to go to on Long Island eventually became Jimmy's Sushi. I LOVE this place! I even had sushi at the fancy Japanese restaurant in EPCOT years later, Teppan Edo, but no one does sushi like Jimmy's. They were a favorite amongst my college friends and I have so many memories of groups of us going there, popping open the edamame appetizers, and talking about random stuff while devouring mango topped tempura shrimp and other delicacies.

Jimmy's Sushi was also where my then-fiancé took me and his family when they visited up from Florida, wherein his little nephew looked over his little marinated octopi and lamented, "why do baby octopuses have to be so delicious?" And then proceeded to gobble every last one on his plate like a madman. It became a running joke for us back then.

AND ALSO...

WHERE: Kit Kats sent from Japan

When I moved to Virginia, my Japanese food eating days were far from over. A friend of mine went to vacation in Japan and asked if he could send me some souvenirs. I'm not one to turn down free gifts, so I replied,  "please do!"

He proceeded to send me a huge box of an assortment of Japanese Kit Kat bars.

The Kit Kats for today only had Japanese writing on them with no picture and I had to search for a translator online to help. Found out that they were green tea. They were... very strange. I think if I knew what flavor I was eating it would have made more sense to my taste buds. According to Wikipedia, "Marketing for Kit Kats in Japan is believed to have benefited from the coincidental false cognate with "Kitto Katsu", a phrase meaning "You will surely win" in Japanese. Some market research has shown that the brand is strongly correlated to good luck charms, particularly among students ahead of exams." And back then, having just come out of my relationship with my fiancé and living in a completely foreign new state with no job yet, I could use all the luck anyone would send me! Why are my friends so good to me?

I taste tested all of them as I devoured every single one (partially due to the fact that I didn't have a lot of food around that time to begin with). My findings were that peanut butter Kit Kats are pretty good (not as good as Reese's which I love, but Reese's is like professional at that kind of peanut butter/chocolate combination). And strawberry was my favorite at first, until the cherry cheesecake flavored ones beat those by a nose.

AND ALSO...

WHERE: King's Sushi (9125 W Broad St & 9111 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond, VA)

Once I was successfully living in Richmond, I found my new sushi joint which really has been the only place to ever tie with Jimmy's Sushi. It's called King Sushi, and as far as Virginia goes, it is the absolute best Sushi joint down here! It's part buffet but also table service-- you pay one price and then just keep pointing at the menu, ordering things until your stomach feels like it might explode with food... but like in a happy way, you know? heh. I'll never get tired of this place. It filled my heart with the power of sushi when I could no longer go to Jimmy's, so it definitely gets a nod.

AND ALSO...

WHERE: Random Pocky snacks and Universal Yum Yums Subscription Box

I have also had my fair share of Pocky chocolate-coated biscuit sticks just being around a lot of people who are into anime at geek conventions and such.

Universal Yum Yums has also been a great place for me to get some Japanese snacks. In May 2017, they send a box of kawaii snacks and treats, my favorite being the little baby gummy hamburgers that made me feel like I was a giant Godzilla here to eat all the human food in one bite. Rawr!! Always fun to chow down on some Japanese treats when playing Sushi Go (such an adorable game, btw!).

AND ALSO...

WHERE: EPCOT Festival of The Arts 2020

Also want to just point out the frozen sake they have in Epcot. Sake might have been first produced in 500 BC with its invention predating recorded history, but freezing the traditional rice wine is a new style of eating it straight out of Florida. A little of the new world and old world, creating something so very tasty. I think all alcohol drink should be slushies! I would drink so many more of them that way. I ran away that weekend, heading out of town because I was annoyed and needed to go someplace other than home for a while and I just somehow ended up at Disney that Valentine's Day.

In my own drunken social media words, "I'm drunk in Japan in EPCOT drinking frozen sake. There are some manic episodes I regret, but this is not one of them."

[howiamhealthy-blog]

The Healthy Foods to Lose Weight

  Why are You looking for HEALTHY foods to lose weight? Think about it for a second. The Healthy Foods to Lose Weight are really ALL the healthy foods :) Isn't it logical that what is GOOD for your body will also help you lose weight - help you to optimize for greatness in any way (lose belly fat, lose weight, have more energy and feel better in any way). Do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments below! Great thing is, all the healthy foods to lose weight have one thing in common - YOU FEEL AMAZING after a proper meal. And by a proper meal I mean a dish, that mostly contains vegetables and a portion of healthy fat and protein (e.g. ingredients from this article). Here's my example of proper meal :) And just to remind, fat does not make you fat, sugar makes you fat, because it is quickly converted into fat cells. I have carefully put together this list for you. It has been tested by me and many others. Therefore, please take it seriously and keep in mind if you overeat healthy foods you will still gain weight. 1. Most important - Greens, Vegetables This group of foods is best for you. Vegetables may seem pointless but they give the highest amount of nutrients and variety in diet. They are also high in fiber so when eating proper amount of vegetables with every meal you feel satisfied. And you being satisfied means: you don't need to snack in-between meals, which will result in you eating fewer calories overall. Additionally, it is harder to overeat because you feel fuller sooner. I am a big believer in vegetables, especially when it comes to weight loss! You are interested in losing weight with eating healthy and that means you MUST eat lots of vegetables with EVERY MEAL. Here are just some healthiest examples, what to use. However, keep in mind there are lots of different vegetables. So test, listen to your body and be creative - find vegetables that you like the most. Make your meals with the ones that appeal delicious at the time. And if vegetables taste boring for you, please feel free to flavor them with herbs and spices. (P.S. Herbs and spices are extremely beneficial for your brain activity, your metabolism and therefore your focus and weight loss.) BROCCOLI, KALE - these two are truly magic weapons. They are high in vitamins and minerals that are VITAL! All the vegetables below are HIGH IN FIBER, contain natural protein, and are low in calories. Additionally, they contain high amount of vitamins, and minerals that you can't find from any processed food! Spinach Asparagus Carrots Cucumber Onions and Garlic Brussels Sprouts Lettuce Squash 2. Berries The reason I say berries not fruits is that berries have low glycemic index, which means that they don't raise your blood sugar as much as a pice of fruit would. Eating berries rather that fruits will make you more satisfied and stable. Which will result in you making better choices, especially about food. To make it clear, after a few hours you don't feel as hungry and as you would when eating a fruit. Strawberries Raspberries BLUREBERRIES LEMON - gives metabolism a nice kick to get it moving!!! :) BTW blueberry muffin DOES NOT HELP WITH LOSING WEIGHT - don't lie to yourself, if you want and feel like you deserve the cheat meal then get it. Choose what you want and ENJOY it, but don't lie, it'll only lower your self-esteem and keep you from achieving your goal! 3. Protein and Fat This is really the second magic weapon in weight loss. First weapon is eating lots of vegetables, second is eating foods that are high protein and natural/ healthy quality fat. And just to remind, fat does not make you fat! Sugar makes you fat, because it is quickly converted into fat cells. Fat then again helps to keep your blood sugar low and this means you store less fat and you can burn calories more easily. Additionally, when you eat fat with protein it keeps you satisfied for longer and this means you eat less. Also very important is that you can make more conscious decisions and choices about food. Eggs - eggs are very fulfilling and high in protein. They also contain practically everything we need to live rich :) Studies have also shown that when eating eggs for breakfast, you consume fever calories throughout the day. And like a cherry on top of the cake, eggs are very low on calorie. One boiled egg contains under 100 kcal - fever than most "healthy protein" bars!!! Chicken, Beef, TURKEY - for meat eaters these lean meats are high quality source of protein and great and easily digestible. (Be careful! When you eat out, especially with chicken, keep in mind that all oils are not good and deep-fried foods lose much of its good value. Quinoa, Oats - For everyone, especially for vegetarians are these two a great source of quality protein with lots of good vitamins. Sardines, Tuna, Salmon - These all are high in healthy and good fat and also contain natural protein, which makes a meal satisfying. OLIVE OIL - Olive oil contains large amounts of antioxidants, has strong anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Olive oil has shown to be by far the best oil we can consume. Last advice on this section: leave out PORK and bacon because it slows down metabolism and its hard to digest. It may be hard at first but after a while you won't even miss them! And believe me - the results are really worth the effort! 4. Drinks This is really easy and quick way to totally change your diet. Sugary drinks contain COUNTLESS CALORIES. And the main problem is: you can never be satisfied by just drinking a can of soda. You probably won't even notice before the whole can is empty. Just leaving out such drinks as juices, fresh juices (although seem to be healthy, contain still lots of sugar), sodas, and really any sweet/ sugary drinks, will move you a big step towards your goal!!! In my experience best drinks to lose weight are: COFFEE - black without sugar is best, some milk (normal, almond, soy) is OK GREEN TEA - it speeds up metabolism and really burns fat WATER - is EXTREMELY HEALTHFUL! It purifies organism. Water cleans organism even from fat :). Water truly makes you LOSE WEIGHT. Plus you can't over drink water. To Sum Up I have been there, and I have tested foods and technics I wrote above! Believe me, I know its not easy, but it's POSSIBLE! And if you truly desire to lose weight that's all you need! Just try it out for a week and let me know down below, how you feel! See you soon, Silme     https://howiamhealthy.com/the-healthy-foods-to-lose-weight