#eel rice box

[kasa51]

We can't eat domestic eel even if we work for 2 hours by kazu saito Via Flickr: 2時間働いても国産うなぎは食べられない。

[jasmine7031]

Wonderful eel rice box makes me want delicious sake

[daichiduskdrop]

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚⋆·˚ ༘ *𝙎𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 ⋆·˚ ༘ *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Chapter 27

Pairing: BTS Ot7 X fem! reader

Genre: A/B/O AU, Fluff, Angst, Strangers to lovers,

Warnings: slight implications of unhealthy eating habits

Words: 3352

Taglist:@thelilbutifulthings @ilovemoneymorethenmen @singukieee @cherrysainttt @felicityroth @mageprincess7 @lucis-noctiana @danielle143 @osakis-gf @girl-nahh @vintageoldfashion @neverthefirstchoice @juju-227592 @silentreadersthings @i-have-no-life-charlie @everyonehatesshani @iamkookiesforyou @dragons-flare @fangirl125reader @roseidol @frieschan @popcatx0 @liz67900 @exfolitae

Previous:

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Holding you close to his chest, Namjoon let his lips brush up against your neck, only a small bit away from your scent gland. You let him take care of you, the alpha gentle with you in his arms.

It didn't take much longer before a knock sounded, making most of you look up. With the packalpha's arms holding you even closer, gently moving your face into the crook of his neck.

Inside came a soft call from a woman's voice about having some of the ordered meals already delivered. Yoongi, who sat closest to the doors, went over, murmuring thanks, before he took the two paper bags of delivery.

It wasn't everything by no means, but a part of their meal had arrived, so he placed it on the coffee table. Taehyung and Jungkook were the quickest to look over what was inside.

Taking one bag each, they both started pulling out the things inside, with a box of four corndogs first to be opened. They looked quite appetizing, with a bit of ketchup and sugar sprinkled on each one.

„Oh wah...” Jin mumbled, taking one right away before the youngest even got around to it. „Hyung! Bunbun gets the first one! Sweetie, choose which one looks the best, baby."

Jungkook whined softly, frowning at the eldest. Chuckling nervously, the alpha placed the corn dog back in the packaging, letting the young alpha show you the small paper box.

„It's ok-okay, thank you, Oppa." You said softly, your hands tightening onto Namjoon's, the packalpha returned the gesture right away.

Letting your head rest up against his collarbone again, Jungkook sighed softly, placing the package down, his hands wrapping gently around your cheeks.

Turning your face towards him, the alpha's face was filled with concern. He didn't feel right having you not eat while they did. The youngest understood that it most likely wasn't just you not being truly hungry either.

You had been eating so well the whole time, and he was worried about what triggered this. Have you been just feeling too anxious in the building? There were many people you didn't know around, was that it?

Kissing your forehead gently, he smiled softly at you. „It's okay, my little bunny. Don't worry, baby, okay? He whispered softly, letting his fingers gently caress your cheeks.

„How about onigiri kitty? Look what alpha ordered for you, sweet kitten." Handing you a plastic package already opened for you, the second eldest smiled softly at you, his eyes gentle on your form.

Reaching out for the small box, he placed it in your palms—the nicely stacked up rice triangles with neat rows of sushi - there was cooked shrimp, squid and octopus, salmon rue, a shrimp roll, and avocado, eel, and crab hosomaki too.

When they noticed the way your home cuisine sparked a bit of interest in you, Hobi was quick to reach for a pair of chopsticks laying around, breaking them apart for you before he handed them to you.

„Here, sunshine, have a taste, bub.” He smiled softly at you, ruffling up your hair before he quickly tamed it back down, chuckling gently.

Hovering over the takeout for a second, you chose to eat a few of the sushi rolls first, chewing on the crab one first; the colour was intriguing.

Breathing out softly, Namjoon let his lips linger on top of your head for a few good seconds, gently running his hands up and down your arms.

„Thank you, pup.” He whispered softly, watching you fondly while you ate a little bit from the takeout. The packmembers felt their hearts calm down a little bit, and they themselves dug in—another two bags arriving in the mean time.

„Here, princess, take a bite for alpha... It's really tasty, isn't it? You like it, baby? Have some more, my precious little thing."

Jimin gently urged you on, placing the box full of chicken marinated in some sauce and udon noodles hidden underneath, sprinkled with sesame seeds on top of your lap.

He didn't give you the chopstics, picking up a small bite-sized piece himself before he gently moved it to you with a hand underneath, making sure you wouldn't get dirty.

Smiling widely at you and chewing with a satisfied face, the alpha was quick to feed you a bunch of the udon noodles, but when you gently placed the box back in his hands, he only smiled gently.

„Peaches, sweetie, taste this; it's really nice, hm? It's soft and chewy; you'll like it, alpha promises.” Letting you bite into the large, filed-up dumpling, you nodded a little, satisfied with the taste.

You couldn't really tell what the filling was, but there was definitely a bit of beef. It was tasty, but after you chewed everything up, you didn't feel like eating much more.

Sipping on the pink drink you received not long ago, you all enjoyed the lunch together, everyone munching on something.

Declining the offered bites of pizza, noodles, and cucumber salad, you rested back up against Namjoon, the packalpha pulling you to himself gently.

With your stomach feeling full, you felt cosy enough to let your eyes flutter shut. Noticing your tired and sleepy eyes, he left his scent cloud over with calming pheromones, one of the attributes brought in by being an alpha.

His pack members noticed the difference in his scent immediately, looking over as if they thought something was wrong. Seeing you just cuddling up to the man as he helped you rest fully, had them calm down, the alphas soon following suit.

And so, the room changed it's whole aroma into a soft, calm, sleepy-like den. Namjoon finished up the bite of his pizza before he rested back himself, gently caressing your temples and hair.

It didn't take too long for you to fall asleep, having them notice the way your breathing slowed down and turned more soft, your scent going down in intensity.

Placing the plastic cup you still held back on the coffee table, Jungkook smiled gently at you, his eyes lingering on your form for a moment.

„Hyung,... I want Y/N as our 'mega." The youngest whispered, looking up at the packalpha. Namjoon smiled widely, chuckling at the sudden confession.

To be truthful, it was quite unnatural for the young alpha to get attached so quickly; since he was the youngest, he got cared for for a long time, even though he discovered his second gender pretty much just as they debuted and formed a pack.

Jungkook struggled sometimes with it, agitated that his packmates would feel the need to take care of him—he didn't need it after all; he was an alpha and therefore could take care of himself well enough.

But still, with the packmembers often pampering him a little bit, have it be teasing or not, he grew used to it for a few years, his naturally dominant side hiding for a while.

The youngest struggled getting to know different girls and getting attached to them; no matter how many omegas their company offered them, none of them felt right, whether they were older or younger than him, girls or not—it just didn't work.

He would sometimes think that it didn't matter if it felt right or not; since he technically couldn't know how it would feel when the puzzle pieces fell together, how could he know this wasn't how it would go?

Still, over the years, Jungkook always felt weird, taking care of omegas or even betas, even though it should have fulfilled any of his urges.

Now that he was maturing, he felt his second gender side growing more calm and collected, not as overpowering as once before, even though he was still quite far from being fully ready for bigger steps in his life.

And when he saw you, when he noticed your scent, the alpha realised that none of what was before mattered anymore—you were there now, and he knew this was right.

Mating and marking you would be a step in the future, that was certain, but every good pack would keep the courting process long and slow; it was important to not overwhelm the omegas.

Oftentimes not the most caring alphas would mate the first heat that would strike, and after that, their ruts would alight with their omegas if it hadn't happened earlier due to the long scent exposure.

The courting was important for many reasons, as once mated and marked, the omegas would truly be a part of the pack, and getting rid off the attachment wasn't too easy.

Getting to know each other was, of course, one of the more social aspects of courting, but the process consisted of getting used to the sudden adjustments more importantly.

They might have a completely different diet, they might struggle with health issues, mental or physical, or the alpha might have a too demanding job and would then struggle to take care of the omega in much need.

While supporting a family financially, for a good, understanding alpha, the support would come through actions more.

They have to show the omega they can take care of them, whether it be by cooking, buying them new things, cuddling and hugs, or scenting—everything was at play.

And after many tiring and stressful years, Jungkook finally had the sweet opportunity to express that he was, in fact, a good alpha. He could care for you and support any of your needs and wishes; he was able to provide.

Now that it didn't feel forced to do and came to him so naturally, he knew you would be the one for him, the most important and sweetest.

„I know Kook-ah; I want her as our 'mega too.” Namjoon answered truthfully, smiling softly at the younger alpha before he turned his eyes back to you.

„We should get the den started... It could be a sweet surprise; get it done without kitty knowing." Yoongi whispered gently, resting his back himself while he closed his eyes, his head thrown back in thought.

„I looked at more bed frames that are online; we can choose one together later. We could start decorating the room in the meantime." Hobi answered, opening one of the windows on his phone.

There was a luxury furniture website opened, with a tab called 'DEN ESSENTIALS' showing. The alpha has already filtered the search.

Apart from the regular colour and material options to choose from, there was also a way to narrow down the search for the right bed set by the number of packmembers.

After all, they would want to go back to the den just for you, but if the bed wouldn't fit everyone quite right, it wouldn't be comfortable enough to yearn for it.

The room was large enough, and the alphas have been planning on stretching out the bed from pretty much wall to wall. They might add bedside tables, though.

They didn't truly discuss the design of the room yet, but even if they didn't, they all knew your wants and needs were the most important.

While Yoongi probably wouldn't be the happiest in a room full of Hello Kitties and Cinnamonrolls, as he would sleep on a My Melody pillow, if you wanted to have a den bright and pastel themed, he would never complain.

After all, as long as you would build a nest for them, which, considering how much more and more sleepy and cuddly you were getting with them over the days, shouldn't take too long, they would gladly rest at any place of the planet.

It was an old saying that any alpha will sleep anywhere under the sun, as long as they have their omega with them, and there was for sure a bit of truth in it.

„I asked pup about what type of bedframe she liked the best the last time we went to the store; she prefers the wooden forms.”

„Yeah, those are much more classy; they are more traditional too.”The eldest alpha answered, nodding gently.

He remembered one of his classmates from when he went to school. The student was considered fairly cool and popular, for he had already established himself a pack back then, even though he was still very young and, quite frankly, immature.

The frat boy had two omegas with him, and Jin always felt slightly bad for them, noticing the way his classmate would oftentimes treat them. The disrespect was unimaginable.

But still, since their scents aligned so well, the four mates pack, consisting of one more beta, had formed while they were all still fairly young, the beta being the oldest, 20.

And after the information went around the school, considering the students were still around 18 years old at the oldest, it was a thing that made the boy quite literally famous.

Jin never spoke to him too much; his scent fell sour on his nose, and since they were both alphas and Seokjin was very pretty, putting him in an equally popular spot, the classmate never really approached him, the two alphas choosing to never interact.

He did hear him talk to a few of the 'friends' he gathered around himself, laughing loudly about how they broke the bedframe last night since it was only metal and didn't hold up during his oh so strong rut.

Jin felt slightly sick to his stomach, worried about the two, probably frightened omegas, but even when he tried to erase the image of that alpha in rut from his mind, he never truly managed, a nasty memory.

„Should we paint the room too? It's just white now.” Taehyung asked, thinking about the interior. He was a great fashionista, but room decor wasn't really where he felt his strongest.

„Maybe dark grey? I think it would be best if we kept the place dark and cosy; it should help princess sleep better, especially if she will be napping." The alpha said softly, thinking himself.

„Yea, I agree. I think our best bet is to make it easy to sleep in. It's a den after all; we can worry about details later. As long as little pup likes it, it's all good.” The packalpha murmured, patting your head gently.

The packmates rested back for a few more minutes, until Jin got a call. Since his phone was on silent mode, the ringtone didn't sound, and so, you were kept in your sweet dreamland, while the eldest got told about Sejin already waiting in the meeting room.

He ended the call soon, sighing out, while he started to pack up the empty food boxes—they seriously ate like hyenas sometimes.

While helping around, the rest of the alphas sorted through everything quickly, going from the room to the hall to sort everything in the right bin, making sure to recycle.

„Baby? Sweetheart, my little pup, wake up now. Alphas have to go see Sejin-Hyung. Come on now, sweet baby." Gently coaxing you from sleep, you fluttered your eyes open, Namjoon's dimples showing.

Going to rub your eye, Jimin interweaved your fingers with his instead, gently rubbing his thumb over your knuckles in a sweet gesture.

Yawning softly, you were still tired, but let yourself be pulled up again. The packalpha slowly placed you on the ground, making sure you weren't so tired you wouldn't stay steady.

Smiling widely at your sleepy state, Jimin ran his fingers through your hair, letting Yoongi come by and take your other palm in his. The older alpha tutted at how messy your hair was, combing it down so it sat neat and pretty.

„There, kitty, hold alpha's hand now, okay? Let's go, little kitten." Gently pecking your temple, Yoongi pulled you behind himself, Jimin walking next to you.

With the other pack members all coming with you, the pack soon piled back to the meeting room they went to this morning. This time, there were much fewer people involved—only the same man and other one.

Smiling gently at you all, Yoongi softly pulled you along, letting you sit down before he and Jimin both took a seat on each side of you.

The room had a strong light on, and with how sleepy and tired you still felt, you just wanted to go back to the soft, warm place Namjoon had tucked you away to, and go rest some more.

„I prepared the documents for you guys. Read them through and sign them.” Sejin said smoothly, handing Hoseok, the one sitting at the corner, a stack of stapled papers.

Each taking one and passing the tower of files along, all of the alphas started reading through it, though Namjoon looked up at his manager first.

„Hyung, would it be possible to take Y/N with us to The Soop?” Sejin looked over, his expression unreadable, for a few seconds.

Resting fully in his chair, the manager sighed out in thought, thinking about everything.

„I mean... As long as everyone is okay with Y/N being on camera, I suppose it would be okay. There should be enough room for everyone still.” No one spoke right away, the packmembers turning to you.

You looked up to Yoongi, the alpha's hand taking in yours, not worried about the situation they were in. You nodded a little bit; it couldn't be that bad, right?

„It's ok-okay, if you stay with me, oppas." You whispered softly, Jimin smiling widely, happy to hear your gentle confession. His heart did a little flip, the alpha realising that you found comfort in him.

„Well, in such a case, you would have to reveal that you have started the courting process before we air the series.” The other manager, whom the packmates obviously knew well but had never introduced, said softly, eyes lingering on your timid form for a little bit.

The man realised that bringing you to the industry quite suddenly could be a bit of an issue, but considering how well the packmembers were to you, he also realised that you were doing exceptionally well.

„It will be aired at the end of June, and we are leaving to record by the start of May, so before then. Sejin said, sighing gently. He could imagine you being mated to them by then, but nothing could be certain.

And if you were revealed as only courted at the moment, some bad stuff could go down, and he didn't want that to happen to any of you.

„That's o-okay...” You said it softly, squeezing both of the alphas hands gently. The pack members smiled at your answer, proud that you would take a step forward like that.

„Alright. I will get the file ready for you too, then, okay? You can sign it later, don't worry.” You nodded happily, realising that you wouldn't be there to truly shoot a show yourself, instead tagging along as a companion.

Namjoon knew that Sejin wouldn't let much of the cameras linger on you, and your face might be censored the whole time too, but that didn't matter.

The fans they had would understand and want what makes them happy to happen, and since it was you, the true ARMYs would be more than happy for them.

Deciding to go into it with such a mindset calmed the packalpha down. Sure, he felt a slight worry at the thought of your reaction to receiving a negative response to being courted by them.

It wouldn't be because of who you truly were if that happened, though; it would be something that would happen because you were courted by them, not anyone else.

The alpha felt a pang of guild strike him straight through his heart, but considering how excited you were about the whole In The Soop series, he couldn't linger on it for too long.

You were a sweet little thing, and they would keep you protected, making sure you wouldn't feel bad for any of the unreasonable hate you could possibly receive.

The alphas were ready to tuck you away from the world into their arms and wouldn't let any harm come your way.

Smiling softly, the packalpha opened the file, starting to read through it.

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Next:

[sudachirecipes]

Learn how to make delicious restaurant-style unaju at home! Made with tender pieces of grilled eel coated in a sweet, homemade unagi sauce and served over rice in a special box called "jubako", this luxurious dish is sure to impress!

[wilsweb-asientour]

Tag 19. 22.07.2023

Aal. Wir standen erst gegen 11:00 Uhr auf, es ging ja erst 04:00 Uhr ins Bett. Wir liefen zuerst ins 7/11 um SIM-Karten zu kaufen und Bargeld zu holen, Japan hat nämlich, wie Deutschland, mit dem kontaktlosen Bezahlen noch Schwierigkeiten. Webster staunte dann als er im Supermarkt durch die Gänge lief - frisch plus super Qualität. Kurz daraufhin ging’s in die Gärten des Palastes des japanischen Kaisers. Wir beäugten neidisch die Bonsai-Bäume und genossen die Stille der Gärten.

Es ging danach zum Hauptbahnhof, wo wir unsere vorbestellten JR-Bahnpässe abholten („Japan Railroad“). Mit den Pässen können wir jeden Intercity-Zug in Japan aussuchen, was uns für die kommende Wochen willkommene Flexibilität gibt. Wir holten uns zudem eine zusätzliche Öfi-Karte für den Transport innerhalb aller japanischen Städte (Suica Card). Allerdings hatten wir kontinuierlich Probleme unser Englisch anzuwenden, hier wird nämlich ausschließlich japanisch gesprochen, Google Übersetzer war also ein Lebensretter.

Am Abend ging’s dann zum Tokyo-Tower, ein beeindruckendes Konstrukt mit verblüffender Ähnlichkeit dem Eiffelturm gegenüber. Wir suchten nach dem Kartenkauf ein Restaurant und fanden eine versteckte Gaststätte, die seit 200 Jahren Aal mit Reis verkaufen. Wir zogen vorm Essen unsere Schuhe aus und setzen uns auf hockerartige Stühle mit nur einer Armlehne (nach einer Begründung suchen wir noch, Ideen?). Der Aal kam in einer Bentobox, als Beilage gabs eingelegtes Gemüse, eine Kräutersuppe und ein Suntory-Bier vom Fass. Sojasauce gabs nicht, jedoch durften wir japanischen Pfeffer auf unseren Aal prieseln - köstlich. Die Mahlzeit gefiel uns enorm - unsere Lieblingsmahlzeit bisher, sorry Nic!

Am Abend ging’s dann zum Tokyo-Tower, ein beeindruckendes Konstrukt mit verblüffender Ähnlichkeit dem Eiffelturm gegenüber. Wir suchten nach dem Kartenkauf ein Restaurant und fanden eine versteckte Gaststätte, die seit 200 Jahren Aal mit Reis verkaufen. Wir zogen vorm Essen unsere Schuhe aus und setzen uns auf hockerartige Stühle mit nur einer Armlehne (nach einer Begründung suchen wir noch, Ideen?). Der Aal kam in einer Bentobox, als Beilage gabs eingelegtes Gemüse, eine Kräutersuppe und ein Suntory-Bier vom Fass. Sojasauce gabs nicht, jedoch durften wir japanischen Pfeffer auf unseren Aal prieseln - köstlich. Die Mahlzeit gefiel uns enorm - unsere Lieblingsmahlzeit bisher, sorry Nic!

Day 19. July 22, 2023

Eel. We didn't get up until 11:00 a.m. since we went to bed at 4:00 a.m. first. We walked to the 7/11 initially to buy SIM cards and get cash, as Japan, like Germany, still faces difficulties with contactless payment. Webster was amazed as he walked through the supermarket aisles - fresh and high-quality products. Shortly after that, we visited the gardens of the Japanese Emperor's palace. We gazed enviously at the bonsai trees and enjoyed the tranquility of the gardens.

After that, we headed to the main train station, where we picked up our pre-booked JR rail passes ("Japan Railroad"). With these passes, we can choose any intercity train in Japan, which will provide us with welcome flexibility for the coming weeks. We also got an additional public transport card for traveling within all Japanese cities (Suica Card). However, we continuously struggled to use our English since only Japanese is spoken here, and Google Translator was a lifesaver.

In the evening, we visited the Tokyo Tower, an impressive structure with a striking resemblance to the Eiffel Tower. We looked for a restaurant and stumbled upon a hidden eatery that has been selling eel with rice for 200 years. Before the meal, we took off our shoes and sat on stool-like chairs with only one armrest (we are still looking for an explanation, any ideas?). The eel was served in a bento box, and as sides, we had pickled vegetables, a herbal soup, and draft Suntory beer. There was no soy sauce, but we were allowed to sprinkle Japanese pepper on our eel – it was delicious. We immensely enjoyed the meal – our favorite one so far, sorry, Nic!

We took the elevator up to the Tokyo Tower, where we admired Tokyo at night from a height of 150 meters. Surprisingly, we stayed up there for an hour and a half, watching a short documentary about the construction, destruction, and subsequent rebuilding of Tokyo since its first settlement in the 1500s. Then, we walked back to the subway station and are currently watching the qualifying session for tomorrow's Formula 1 race in Hungary. We send our best wishes to the family in London, and soon they will be at Wenzel's graduation in Leeds. To all other readers, have a lovely Sunday!

[boxandbowlfishfanatics]

Jae's Lunchbox Grab N' Go

Oh my cod- for starters, I absolutely LOVED going to Jae's Lunchbox. Jae's is located in Crossroads, right near Dick's. It's an offshoot of Sushi J, located within the mall. While it is a take-out style restaurant, they do have seating in house.

I loved the environment- You walk up, and right to your left are kiosks you order at. If you want to look at your options, there's menus on the wall and display cases showing everything they have to offer. Seeing all the sandwiches lined up was so cute! And everything even had a cute little name tag :D Then, hung up everywhere is frames from different animes! Everything from HunterxHunter to...Scooby Doo???

What we ordered was 1 salmon inari-zushi (fried tofu pocket marinated in soy sauce and sugar, filled and served cold), 2 crab salad inari, and 2 tuna inari, 1 tuna onigiri (rice ball!!), and a strawberry banana sandwich.

Inari-zushi was a new concept to me and Box, and oh wow was it amazing! The crab salad one certainly stood out. The sweetness of both the tofu and the salad was a sight to behold. With the tuna it was also quite good, but it was a different flavor profile with the taste. Ultimately, they were both good, but I would think closely about what flavors I was in the mood for before ordering.

Next, the onigiri! Since Box doesn't like nori, I was once again left alone to judge this. It was so delicious oh my cod- It was cooked tuna and mayo surrounded by rice and nori, and I fell in looooooove. My one gripe is that for a moment I was getting solid bites of nori and rice, so I think that adding furikake to the rice would've been a nice flavor supplement. The mayo was a perfect addition to the tuna (also Japanese mayo is just so good-). I loved the onigiri so much that I got an unagi (eel) and an umeboshi (salty plum) onigiri each to go! This was my first time trying both flavors, so it was quite interesting. The eel was relatively tasteless, even though it had eel sauce in it. I think it could've benefited from more sauce, or some other flavors that used the eel as a vessel. However, at that point, it'd be better in a poke bowl or something. The umeboshi? That was new! It certainly was salty (a bit much for my liking), but it was nice! Next time though, I would only get it if I was desperately deprived of salt.

As one of the few places in the area west of Seattle to get onigiri and inari-zushi, me and Box definitely recommend it here! Both me and Box rate it a 9/10.

Wishing you a particularly fishy week,

Box & Bowl

[taran-chan]

on a Wednesday, in a cafe (chapter 21)

Read on AO3

monday lunchbox: grilled eel rice

It’s Gilgamesh’s birthday. It’s his fucking birthday, and he’s standing in his kitchen, making breakfast for them at 6:30 am, wearing nothing but his boxer and his “Kiss The Cook” apron, with a drawing of himself in a cartoonish way that she painted on not so long ago, and looking as delicious as a feast. Thena watches him from the kitchen door, she’s wearing his oversized hoodie and her expression is mixed between frustration and amusement.

“I planned to give you a birthday present in bed, you know,” She uncrosses her arms and walks over to kiss him good morning, “I even set the alarm 30 minutes early. It’s your birthday, you shouldn’t have gotten up this early.”

“I won’t give up any chance to pamper you,” Gil murmurs against her lips, his hands sneaking under the hoodie, “What did you plan anyway?”

Thena rises up on her toes, and whatever that she’s whispering into his ears makes him groan and hide his burning face into her neck, all the while holding her tighter. She’s nearly able to feel the thumping of his heart.

“Can I still collect my gift tonight?” He asks shyly.

“It’s your last chance,” Thena chuckles, rubbing his hair and kissing his reddened ears. Her eyes land on the lunchbox on the table, next to a thermos bottle that contains hot soup.

“You start selling your eel lunchboxes today, right?”

“Yeah, we’re switching to our summer menu from today,” he nods, “I took Makkari’s advice so I’ll just prepare a dozen boxes only. You get the first one.”

“Lucky me.”

Gil began to make lunchboxes for Thena to bring to work last week, after hearing from Kingo that someone at their firm got food poisoning because of the lunch meals at their cafeteria. They went to buy lunchboxes together. Thena chose an oval wooden box, and Gil picked a white wrap cloth with golden star patterns on it. They didn’t forget to buy a new waffle maker because Thena broke his old one when she tried to make waffles and then literally set it on fire. She doesn’t have anything to complain about, really, she’s eating better than ever.

“How many tacos do you think you can get for an eel lunchbox?” She asks while munching on her French toast and raspberries.

“I’m not sure,” Gil rubs his chin, “But definitely it’ll be more expensive than our regular lunch set. And it’s also limited, therefore if Jake and Layla order too late, there won’t be any left for them.”

“I think it could be approximately a special combo in their restaurant,” Thena says, “It’s insanely good.”

She got to try the grilled eel rice once with Sprite, Makkari and Ajak on the day they tried out their summer menu, including other goodies such as Ajak’s orange and guava tea and Makkari’s fruit tart. And after their camping trip, because Steven has excellently completed his mission of watching Arishem (the red iguana even looks chubbier after spending two days at his house), Gil gave him lots of coupons for the rainbow trouts they caught. A few days later, Eternal treated Steven, as well as Marc and Jake, the other two of the triplets, a hearty lunch. Ajak learned that Marc owns a Mexican restaurant three blocks away, she called for Gil and the five of them discussed for about 10 minutes, then agreed to trade food with each other. Two medium-sized drinks equal a large nacho, one slice of cake/pie equals one burrito and a lunch set equals a quesadilla.

Since that day, they’ve been buying lunches and sometimes Sprite’s after-school snacks from Marc’s restaurant. Her final exam is coming so she uses the times when they don’t get many customers to study, and she’s been increasingly asking Thena to teach her maths and physics, to the point the older woman feels like a tutor. She even worries as the exam week is approaching, which is this week.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Gil says, clearing the table, “You two worked very hard for this. It’ll pay off.”

“You too were so worried that you didn’t let her eat eels or anything that has seaweed, because she might “slip and fell”.”

“Hey, I didn’t fail once in my school years thanks to that trick.”

Thena just rolls her eyes, pulling him closer by the straps of his apron and kissing him. Her irresistible dessert. Gil sends her to work with many more kisses, as if he wants to make sure she won’t forget her promise for tonight. It’s a long day already.

★

The lunchbox is still warm when she opens it at noon. On the soft rice are two big pieces of eel that were deboned, soaked in BBQ sauce and grilled, sprinkled with a thin layer of sesame seeds. On the side is some stir-fried morning glory. The sweet and rich BBQ sauce has combined with the eel meat beautifully, a dot of nutty sesame seed here and there makes her unable to stop her spoon. There’s also hot miso soup to refresh whenever she gets tired of the greasiness. The meal is so good Thena tries to eat it slowly so that it won’t end. She’s talking with Gil over the phone at the moment.

“Have you had your lunch?” She asks.

“We’re waiting for Layla to deliver our lunch,” he sounds like an excited boy, “Turns out two eel lunchboxes can be traded with their special lunch set and drinks! Can you believe that?”

“I told you this morning. It’s incredible, you underestimate yourself this time.”

She hears him laugh, “Are you having lunch as well? Don’t skip your meal, okay?”

“Not a chance. I just call to tell you that Kingo saw my lunchbox when he stopped by my office to deliver some files, then he ran out of the building, I think he’s heading to Eternal.”

“So you call to tell me to leave him a lunchbox?”

“Only because he’s doing a pretty decent job this month. Besides, he’s probably come bearing your gift. Is there any box left?”

“Just one. I’ll save it for him then.”

“Thanks, darling, I’ll try to leave early today,” she purrs.

“Looking forward to it,” he lowers his voice, “I miss you, Thena.”

“Miss you.”

★

When Thena steps into Eternal’s backyard that evening, she finds Gil and Makkari up to their necks in the kitchen. It looks like there are many customers at the front, they seem to be short of cakes because Gil is making something that looks like a fruit roll cake. She decides not to distract them and steps up the stairs. She used the key he gave her on their one-month anniversary to open the door. The lights are on, Arishem turns his attention to her as she enters the living room. She comes over to the tank, petting and feeding him some dry food and then moves on to the kitchen to find some lettuce for him (Gil always stores at least one or two in the fridge).

On the table is her dinner: spaghetti Napolitan and salad Caesar with a poached egg. There’s also a note from Gil, saying that if she’s back while he’s busy with his shop, she should have dinner first and to apologize, her dessert is in the fridge. She grins when she finds a square container with blueberry tiramisu inside. She washes her lunchbox and thermos bottle, both empty, knowing that Gil would be very happy and proud of himself because she finished the lunch he prepared. Then she brings her dinner and Arishem’s into the living room to eat with the animal, looking at all of the presents that their friends have stopped by and given him during the day. They are stacked on the coffee table, he’s probably too busy and doesn’t have time to put them away. He said he wanted to spend the evening with Thena so they don’t organize a birthday party, yet he still got presents. Ajak gave him a new teapot, Kingo brought a Bluray set of Godfather movies and a thank you note for the lunchbox, Sprite gave him a keychain with a grizzly bear attached, Druig sent a fancy wine bottle, Phastos and his family: a huge flower lego set, Sersi and Ikaris gave him…a set of new pots and pans to replace the ones that have black spots at the bottom that Gil can never scrub clean after their camping trip. Thena’s very happy on his behalf. Her Gilgamesh deserves the entire world for simply existing in it.

“Thena?” Gil calls out the moment he steps inside and sees her shoes. She stands up from the couch and he rushes to her, sweeping her up her feet and into his arms. He kisses her deeply, whispering his apologies for making her wait. Her arms automatically loop themselves around his shoulders and he starts carrying her toward his bedroom.

“Have you had dinner?”

“I have.”

“Good, my turn. I’ve been waiting all day,” he kicks the door shut.

★

Gilgamesh is lying between Thena’s legs, his head pillowed on her stomach and he exhales a satisfying breath. They’re both sated, sinking into the bed while caressing each other lazily. Gil peppers her stomach with kisses, she slips a hand into his hair and tries to sit up, but he pulls her onto his lap and keeps kissing her. She indulges him for a good while more, then covers his eyes.

“Close your eyes.”

“But I want to look at you,” he pouts.

“How am I supposed to surprise you with your gifts then?”

“You have more gifts for me?”

“Of course. You think I didn’t get you any?”

“But I thought… We just…”

Thena laughs, “My love, you deserve more than one gift from me. Now listen to me and close your eyes.”

He does as told and she climbs off his lap. She opens the wardrobe, retrieving her lavenders and forget-me-nots bouquet and back to bed, reclaiming her position in his lap. She wraps her legs around his torso and he holds her hips, already beaming, “It smells nice. Did you get me flowers?”

“You can look now,” she says.

His smile is brighter when he sees the big bouquet. He can be so delighted with the small things in life, and she loves him for it.

“I think there’s something in the middle,” she points out. He draws out a paper hidden among the lavenders. It’s an advertisement for a seaside resort that Thena printed out from their website.

“I realized we haven’t had a summer vacation to the beach so I deliberately made a reservation. Last weekend of June. Two days and one night but I can extend it if you want,” Thena blushes, “Can you save those two days for us?”

Gil is nodding repeatedly, like a puppet on a string.

“Just you and me?”

“Just you and me.”

“You spoiled me rotten.”

“Don’t be silly, I barely got the chance to,” she disagrees.

“Maybe I’ll get to put sunscreen on you,” he says, moving the bouquet out of the way so they can be pressed against one another. She feels him harden beneath her and moans against his lips.

“I’ll grill lots of seafood,” he goes on, kissing her down the mattress, “Bringing you many rounds of mojito, and making sweet, passionate love to you any time, anywhere you want.”

“Fuck, I love you so much,” she gasps. She can’t wait until the last weekend of June.

[jumpei-kawamura]

小島屋・松うな重 Eel over rice in "Jubako" lacquer box illustration by Jumpei Kawamura

[angel-petals]

to taste:

味わう（あじわう）

味見する（あじみする）

味がする（あじがする）

食べる（たべる）

飲む（のむ）

経験する（けいけんする）

food vocabulary

1. 食べ物 たべもの tabe mono Food

2. 日本料理 にほんりょうり nihon ryouri Japanese Cooking / Japanese Dish / Japanese Food

3. 朝食 ちょうしょく chou shoku Breakfast

4. 朝御飯 あさごはん asa gohan Breakfast

5. 昼食 ちゅうしょく chuu shoku Lunch

6. 昼御飯 ひるごはん hiru gohan Lunch

7. 夕食 ゆうしょく yuu shoku Dinner

8. 晩御飯 ばんごはん ban gohan Dinner

9. 夜食 やしょく ya shoku Supper

10. おかず okazu Side Dish

11. お八つ おやつ oyatsu Snack / Refreshment

12. 弁当 べんとう bentou Box Lunch

13. 駅弁 えきべん ekiben Train Station Box Lunch

14. 御飯 ごはん gohan Meal / Cooked Rice

15. 刺身 さしみ sashimi Sliced Raw Fish

16. 寿司 / 鮨 / 鮓 すし sushi Sushi

17. 天婦羅 てんぷら tenpura Tempura / Deep-fried Fish and Vegetables

18. 牛丼 ぎゅうどん gyuu don Rice topped with Beef and Vegetables

19. 親子丼 おやこどん oyako don Rice topped with Boiled Chicken and Eggs

20. 天丼 てんどん ten don Rice topped with Deep-fried Prawns & Fishes

21. 鰻丼 うなぎどん unagi don Rice topped with Glaze-grilled Eel

22. 鰻 うなぎ unagi Eel

23. 豚カツ とんカツ tonkatsu Pork Cutlet

24. カレーライス kare- raisu Curry and Rice

25. 鋤焼き すきやき suki yaki Thin Slices of Beef cooked with various Vegetables in a Heavy Iron Pan

26. お好み焼き おこのみやき okonomi yaki Thin and Flat Pancake cooked on a Hot Plate with bits of Meat, Seafood and Chopped Cabbages

27. 鉄板焼き てっぱんやき teppan yaki Grilled Meat cooked on Iron Plate

28. 焼き鳥 やきとり yaki tori Grilled Chicken / Broiled Chicken

29. 蛸焼き たこやき tako yaki Octopus Dumpling

30. 焼きそば やきそば yaki soba Pan Fried Noodle

31. 餃子 ギョウザ gyouza Dumpling stuffed with Minced Pork and Vegetables

32. 茶碗蒸し ちゃわんむし chawan mushi Steamed Egg Custard in Tea Cup

33. しゃぶしゃぶ shabu shabu Japanese Style Hotpot

34. 味噌 みそ miso Miso / Bean Paste

35. 味噌汁 みそしる miso shiru Miso Soup

36. ラーメン ra-men Ramen

37. うどん udon Noodle made of Wheat Flour

38. 蕎麦 そば soba Buckwheat Noodle

39. 餅 もち mochi Sticky Rice Cake

40. 餡パン あんパン anpan Japanese Bun filled with Red Bean Paste

41. 牛肉 ぎゅうにく gyuuniku Beef

42. 豚肉 ぶたにく butaniku Pork

43. 鶏肉 とりにく toriniku Chicken Meat

44. 羊肉 ようにく youniku Mutton / Lamb

45. 魚 さかな sakana Fish

46. 海老 / 蝦 えび ebi Prawn / Shrimp

47. 蟹 かに kani Crab

48. 豆腐 とうふ toufu Tofu / Bean Curd

49. 卵 たまご tamago Egg

50. 食パン しょくパン shoku pan Plain Bread / White Bread

51. 玉葱 たまねぎ tamanegi Onion

52. 胡瓜 きゅうり kyuuri Cucumber

53. 醤油 しょうゆ shouyu Soy Sauce

54. 酢 す su Vinegar

55. 山葵 わさび wasabi Japanese Horseradish

56. 油 あぶら abura Oil

57. 砂糖 さとう satou Sugar

58. 塩 しお shio Salt

59. 胡椒 こしょう koshou Pepper

60. 調味料 ちょうみ

りょう choumi ryou Seasoning / Condiment / Flavoring / Spices

Japanese English

1. yasai Vegetables

2. daikon raddish

3. nasu egg plant

4. nin jin carrots

5. bareisho(jagaimo) potato

6. satsuma-imo sweet potato

7. negi onion

8. tama-negi onion bulb

9. nin-niku garlic

10. kyuuri cucumber

11. kyabetsu cabbage

12. kabocha pumpkin

13. tomato tomato

14. kinoko mushroom

15. toomorokoshi corn

16. sato-imo taro

17. mame beans

18. daizu soy beans

19. shooga ginger

20. takenoko bamboo shoot

21. niga-uri bitter guard

22. horensoo spinach

23. seri parsley

24. hakusai chinese cabbage

アスパラ asparagus

おくら okra

かぼちゃ pumpkin

きゅうり cucumber

ゴーヤ bitter gourd

ごぼう burdock

さつまいも sweet potato

しいたけ shiitake mushroom

じゃがいも potato

ズッキーニ zucchini

だいこん Japanese radish

たまねぎ onion

ちんげんさい bok choy

トマト tomato

なす eggplant

にんじん carrot

ネギ leek

にんにく garlic

ピーマン green pepper

ブロッコリー broccoli

まいたけ hen-of-the-wood

モロヘイヤ Egyptian spinach

ルッコラ arugula

れんこん lotus root

[dasistleeway]

Fu-In insisted that she would have a regular set meal instead of a small box of grilled eel on rice...

[starcasticallyyours]

Jan 4, 2023 - a lovely day!!

I just had a really good day today that I want to make sure I remember so I'm making an honest to god blog, a straight up rambling diary entry. Just like I used to on LiveJournal, wow.

I do not expect anyone to read this. I just want to remember my lovely day. It was filled with nostalgia, good food, history, productivity, genuine exercise(?!), photos, and of course, BTS.

I've been on holiday since December 30th because I have a benevolent boss (perks of working at a small company) who lets our annual leave spill over a tiny bit since it's still "Christmas" break. I was socially engaged the nights of Dec29/Jan1 as well as the afternoon of Dec30, plus I was furiously writing updates for the DnD ficlet collection since it was Tae's birthday and trying to finish up Ch1 of the Regency sequel, Pirate fic, whenever I was at home during this time so it did not feel restful at all. It was only on Jan2 where I could pull a Kim Seokjin and completely sequester myself at home and veg out -- woke up at noon and played Stardew Valley for like, 6 hours. Jan3 required me to be a functional adult again so I cleaned the flat and tried to hash out the pirate fic before realising it was going to take wayyyy more work, so I've earmarked Marryat and Forester books to check out from HK Central when I go to CWB on Saturday. (Apparently Jimin has a massive Dior ad on the Sogo screen, so I will also be going there after my haircut. Whoo!!) Which brings us to January 4th! A Thursday. Historically, Thursdays have been good to me and this was no exception. I woke up later than I intended, around 10 AM, and then the sheer pleasure of being in a comfortable bed without needing to be anywhere stretched my lie-in to 10:30. After the basics of room tidying and washing up, I had leftover pasta for breakfast and played In the Seom while waiting out the 30min I'm supposed to have between eating and taking my Chinese meds. Then it was washing up, getting dressed, packing up the devices after charging them all morning to give myself a little day trip to...

Kowloon City! My childhood 'hood. And now that I've moved back across the harbour, pressing play on The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever while walking out the door meant that by the time I got out in Sung Wong Toi station, my earbuds were appropriately blaring Ma City. (Okay, I did repeat Run because that's my favourite title track.) I made a beeline for Islam Food because I haven't had delicious halal Xinjiang cuisine in forever except I was an unfortunate bee with poor scent receptors since I forgot where it was and ended up looping around Nga Tsin Wai for a while... we were on Converse High by the time I found the resto, that's how long it took. At almost 2 PM was nearly full but not proper crowded, and mostly with older people which is par the course for Kowloon City. As a single I got a tiny table in the corner immediately and ordered a classic beef patty + bok choy and tofu soup. If I were with a larger group, I would have also gotten mutton xiaolongbao, scallion pancakes, and a curry so I will have to drag some people here again soon. Food was prompt and only $65 so I was done eating in 20 minutes tops.

Thanks to climate change, it was a balmy sunny afternoon so I stuffed my jacket into my backpack and headed on over to KCP. It's changed a LOT since I was a teenager -- no Park'n Shop in the basement selling eel and chicken rice boxes for $20 anymore, sigh. But I did get a Coco Milk Tea (half sweet, less ice) for $22 which is a VERY good price nowadays, you can't get anything in Central under $27 minimum ($30 on average) for example and it doesn't even taste as good?? But armed with my delicious tea, I was ready to go out the other way into Carpenter Park, which looks literally the same as when I was a kid. I spent a solid decade running around this park. There isn't a bouncy dinosaur anymore so I know it's not exactly the same, but the bicycle paths are the same, the rock garden where Sam filmed his lightsabre battles is the same... and Kowloon Walled City of course is the same.

...from when I was a child, not when it was THE Walled City. (Once, when everywhere at school was occupied, our drama class rehearsed our play in the Zodiac garden much to the tai-tais' collective chagrins.) Full disclosure that I actually came here in mid-December as well to gather inspo and info for my piece for the Ma City zine which is set in 80s KWC, so this time I didn't go look at the exhibits and just went straight to the chess garden since that's the only spot with tables. I set up my laptop and finished the piece to the soundtrack of construction, which I find very appropriate considering the topic. We don't get planes howling overhead anymore, so this will have to do.

Last time, I had to meet friends islandside for dinner so I actually walked up closer to Wong Tai Sin to take the bus but this time, it was only 4:15 and the day was just for me, for me! So after taking some pics in the bonsai garden in honour of Namjoon, I walked back to Junction Road and that was when I started taking pics for nostalgia -- down the street towards Ho Man Tin for the hundreds of times we ran for the bus stop, then up towards Munsang where my old school campus used to be. No, I didn't go to Munsang, I am very clearly an Intl school kid and we were across from them. The buildings are connected to Bethel Seminary which is Grade II protected so still there. I started walking up Junction Road towards Lok Fu when I saw the Stone Houses and stopped by.

These buildings weren't open when I was a kid; I remember passing them but hardly taking notice. Essentially, they are remnants of the oldest tenement buildings in the area, now refurbished as a cafe and museum. The server in the cafe immediately offered me a menu most kindly, but since it was 4:30 and I was already full on tea I politely declined. Checked out the museum though which is small and all in Chinese, no English, but I think the photos and maps would still be worth it for a non-reader. The whole thing strongly reminded me of the Mei Ho House museum and cafe too, even with their menu which is very Hong Kong cha chaan teng-esque. AND they have wi-fi!! So I'm totally planning on coming back for another writing session.

Since it was barely evening, I decided to hike Checkerboard Hill. Back when Kai Tak was still operating, the only way pilots could land planes was to come from the west, over Tsing Yi and Mei Foo Sun Chuen and barely across Kowloon City. With all the urban area underneath, there couldn't be proper signals so what they did was paint an enormous red-and-white checkerboard on the west and south sides of this hill to let the pilots know it was time to make that sharp 47 degree turn into the harbour airstrip. I distinctly recall being a preteen standing in the middle of the asphalt football (soccer to all y'all Yanks) pitch in Kowloon Tsai Park squinting up and thinking, "Why is it painted like that?" Later as a young adult, I found out. Now in my early 30s, I was going to actually go there.

Now ever since my former regular dance studio became a Covid cluster in 2020 and I also joined a choir whose rehearsals took its place on Monday evenings, I am far less fit than I could be. This was evident when I started up this hill -- which was NOT HARD at all, I am just pathetically out of shape. It took less than 15 minutes to reach the summit garden, where I did another confused bumblebee loop looking for the checkerboard and instead found: the electricity station, the weather station, some diligently preserved water tunnels from the 1940s-60s, and an irate woman screaming and swearing at a couple who accidentally took their dogs into the no-pets zone of the park. With the dulcet notes of "diu! bak po!" echoing behind me, I snapped some lovely views of Lion Rock then surreptitiously googled how to get to the checkerboard, discovering that indeed I was supposed to clamber over the stile and carefully tread the VERY narrow ditch outside of the fence (with a super steep slope studded with trees not a foot to the right) to get there.

So I did and the view was beautiful!! I was lucky to reach it at the twilight hour with an orange sun tinging everything as it moseyed on down to the horizon. Facing south you could see all of Kowloon City, all the way to Kwun Tong and Kowloon Bay on the left and Yau Tsim Mong on the right! Directly in front was even the IFC across the harbour. Directly below, Kowloon Tsai Park and those very sports fields from my youth. Somebody named Zach was playing tennis because his partner kept yelling encouragement, but I felt if I cheered "Yeah Zach, you can do it!" back down at them it would be creepy. So instead I took a lot of photos here, including some selfies on the middle layer smack centre of the checkerboard in which it was clear that I truly need a haircut which will happen under Jimin's watchful gaze in CWB come Saturday.

Finally, I climbed down the stairs and was sorely tempted to jump a gate to get into Kowloon Tsai because I know that park like the back of my foot (like, not SUPER well since it's been a long time but I would not get lost; I've run cross country around this park so many times) but in the end was a Good Honest Civilian and went back the way I came. I was feeling incredibly nostalgic at this point, so back on Junction Road I popped in my earbuds and replaced BTS with the Used for that extra mid-2000s angst. Spotify understood the brief and fed me Taking Back Sunday and Yellowcard while I followed the usual path through Morse Park, the way my almost-first-boyfriend Darren taught me in middle school. His favourite band was Jimmy Eat World, so it was perfect. With the memories of Preston's dad teaching me to play baseball on the artificial turf and when Grace came with me to Jusco so we could buy Neopets tamagotchis, I descended into the MTR and took the train home.

(At my stop, I got groceries including sushi for dinner, which I ate while watching Beyond the Star then after a break, took a massage in the chair while playing Stardew because my body is already paying the price for my impromptu hike today. Then I wrote this down before I could forget everything.)

It was a wonderful day, truly. I did everything I wanted to do and a little more, and I know what I want to do again when I inevitably come back. Hong Kong is changing because everything changes, but being in Kowloon City felt like nestling into a warm divot in the blankets. Like Joon said, you couldn't pay me millions to want to be from anywhere else. Like Hobi said, the heat will get to you but it's charged with the passion of its people. I'll be riding and dying in ma city until there's no other choice, which I know is sooner rather than later but for now, it's still Ma City.

[midnightartworks56]

List of Main foods in Tomodachi Bliss (Part 18):

Tamale 🇪🇺

Description: "Tamales made out of corn. The wrapping is made of fresh corn husks from the field out back."

Prices:

EU: €14.00

UK: £14.00

Tempura 🇺🇸/🇯🇵/🇰🇷/🇹🇼

Description: "Veggies, veggies, and even more veggies. A really questionable asian food, but hey! These also have prawns!."

Prices:

US: $8.80

JP: ¥880

KO: ₩5,000

TW: $266.95

Tendon 🇯🇵/🇰🇷/🇹🇼

Description: "Tempura on a rice bowl." (「丼に天ぷら」。) ("덮밥에 튀김.") (“饭碗上的天妇罗。”)

Prices:

JP: ¥850

KO: ₩8,500

TW: $198.98

Tteokbokki 🇰🇷 (떡볶이)

Description: "The harmony of spicy soup and chewy rice cake. Signboard menus of snack bars and food stalls." ("매운 국물과 쫄깃한 떡의 조화. 분식집과 포장마차의 간판 메뉴.")

Price:

KO: ₩3,000

Tteokguk 🇰🇷 (떡국)

Description: "The harmony of spicy soup and chewy rice cake. Does eating 2 bowls make you 2 years older?" ("매콤한 국물과 쫄깃한 떡볶이의 조화. 2그릇 먹으면 2살 먹나요?")

Price:

KO: ₩6,000

Turban Shell 🇯🇵/🇰🇷/🇹🇼 (サザエの甲羅) (소라 껍질) (头巾壳)

Description: "Sea snail, boiled and cooked in a fish sauce soup." (「巻貝の魚醤スープ煮」) ("바다달팽이, 멸치액젓으로 끓이고 익힌 요리.") (“海螺，用鱼露汤煮熟。”)

Prices:

JP: ¥650

KO: ₩6,500

TW: $150.80

Unajyuu 🇯🇵/🇰🇷/🇹🇼 (うな重) (우나쥬) (鳗鱼)

Description: "Fried eel on rice box. A good stamina meal in the summer." (「うなぎ丼。夏にぴったりのスタミナメニュー」) ("덮밥에 장어튀김. 여름에 좋은 보양식.") (“饭盒炒鳗鱼，夏日补充体力的好菜。”)

Prices:

JP: ¥2,800

KO: ₩15,000

TW: $649.62

Urchin 🇯🇵/🇰🇷/🇹🇼 (ウニ) (고슴도치) (顽童)

Description: "Raw sea urchin, a refined taste, not for everyone." (「生ウニ、上品な味わい、万人向けではない」) ("생 성게, 세련된 맛, 누구에게나 어울리는 맛은 아닙니다.") (“生海胆，一种精致的味道，不适合所有人。”)

Prices:

JP: ¥1,000

KO: ₩10,000

TW: $234.10

Wagyu 🇯🇵 (和牛)

Description: "Japanese steak. A refined taste." (「日本のステーキ。洗練された味わい。」)

Price:

JP: ¥35,000

Wild Boar 🇺🇸

Description: "This wild boar meat is not a bore. It has savory taste galore!"

Price:

US: $15.00

[collectivegracefactory]

2023-02-09, in transit: Our first documented ekiben (station bento)!

First one is just a big box of unagi, sauced grilled eel, with a side of omelette slices and a little manju (sweet rice paste ball).

Second one is a "Yamagata specialty three meats", with slices of pork, beef and chicken in a sesame sauce, on a bed of shredded scrambled eggs over rice, with a side of assorted pickles.

It was all delicious. The little green thing in the second one turned out to be some sort of berry, with a pit.

I discovered the pit the hard way. Still tasty (except the pit)!

[twisted-wonderland-but-gayer]

Gender neutral mc totally cooks Floyd shrimp scampi for dinner and Floyd ends with your still my favorite for his partner.

Cooking for Floyd

A dash of oil here and now it is time to add the garlic and onions you worked so hard on growing. Thank god Sam had a discount on seafood this week. He always has your back on food, unlike Crowley, even occasionally sliding you something for free. You have to remember to gift him something as a thanks.

The sizzle of shrimp was a melody you listened to intently. The smell wafted through the room attracting all the stray animals that have kept you company during your stay. You slid a few shrimp to the rodents and cats you tool in as they thanked you with their squeaks and mrrps.

Floyd was semi-complaining about wanting seafood or something to gnaw on. He wouldn't stop remarking on how his teeth hurt and how he wants to bite on his shrimpy, wondering if you tasted like shrimp. What better way to please your precious eel than to help his situation. 

The shrimp was now cooked to perfection, setting aside some for Grim, you pulled out a small box to put your creation in. Shrimp scampi, some rice on the side, and maybe just a few veggies even though you'll know Floyd would complain.

Floyd should be on his break at Mostro Lounge by now, or at least he will be by the time you get there. You make your way over to the Cafe, letting yourself squeeze into the crowd. Floyd sticks out easily with his tall stature. Blue hair poked out from the booth he sits in as he laid back in what appeared to be utter glee. His eyes are closed, hands tucked behind his head, and wears a sharp-toothed grin reminiscent of a very dangerous puppy. No doubt he probably got to squeeze someone.

You slid in right across from him and placed the box down, pushing towards him. The once daydreaming Floyd perked up and opened his eyes, shock turned to something softer the minute he saw you. 

"Shrimpy!!" Floyd yelled, using his long body to reach over the table and glomp you. "You'll never believe what just happened! Azul was dealing with some poor sucker that went back on the deal and I got to give 'em the big squeeze!"

Floyd was cute like this, such childlike excitement made you almost forget he was talking about strangling people. Floyd turned his gaze to the box on the take when he felt it press against his body, still leaning over the table.

"Oooh! What that?" The eel asked taking in a whiff. "Oh-oh! I know! It's food, huh? Aww~, Shrimpy did you make something for me? Heh heh heh! I can just squeeze you!" "Eat up first, dummy." You gently pushed him back into his seat and opened the box watching his grin grow wider.

"Ooh!~ Shrimpy cooked some shrimp? Cannibalism!" Floyd yelled in a dramatic fashion pointing his finger at you in an accusatory manner, before letting out another cackle. The mer stuffed his face with a few shrimp, making his cheeks pudge out ever so slightly. "Mmff, ichs goid!"

"You're still my number one Shrimpy though! Ooh, I wonder would you taste as good?" Floyd asked innocently, sharp teeth on display as you both chattered into the noon. The rest of his break goes as expected, he demands you feed him, refuses to eat his veggies, shares a few quips, and then complains when his break is up. As usual, he refuses to leave your side and us glued onto you squeezing tightly as he whines about having to work again.

"I promise I'll make you something too when work is done. Ooh maybe I can make some takoyoki! Or what if..." hopefully he doesn't get too creative...

[mydailymeal]

Eat Tokyo Restaurant - London, UK

[boxandbowlfishfanatics]

Ohana Eastside

Oh my gosh this was amazing!! As the inaugural post for this account, me and Box went to Ohana in Issaquah! He and my mom had been there the past week, and after hearing about it, it just had to be our first post. For a side of history, Ohana was first established in Belltown by Kyle Yoshimura

Oh my gosh this was amazing!! As the inaugural post for this account, me and Box went to Ohana in Issaquah! He and my mom had been there the past week, and after hearing about it, it just had to be our first post. For a side of history, Ohana was first established in Belltown by Kyle Yoshimura in 1999. As stated on the website, "After watching Ohana become an integral part of the Belltown community, Kyle opened Ohana Eastside in the heart of Gilman, Issaquah." [1] Not only do they serve wonderful food, but they also have karaoke and live Hawaiian music! Now, to the environment! I have no idea if the decor was authentic, but I loved it! It felt like a mixture of a beach home in Hawaii and just a bit of tack. Nonetheless, I love the feel of the place. The wood gives the restaurant a warm feeling, the cushions on the booths added a nice bit of color, everything made me feel quite happy! Finally, the food. Oh my cod it was delicious! To start off, me and Box ordered the fish tacos. It was essentially a mixture of coleslaw and pico de gallo on top of fried white fish. But boy is that underselling the taste! I'm not a big fan of cooked fish, but this was delicious! It wasn't to crispy, but the fish was nice and buttery. And the slaw- my cod the slaw! I could eat that with a spoon it was so good. It tasted so good and quite fresh. My one complaint about it was that it was messy, but that's what you'll get when you eat tacos. Now, me and box got 3 different sushi rolls. An order of tamago (sweet egg nigiri), the creamy crunchy salmon roll (salmon, cream cheese, spicy mayo and tempura flakes), and a poké roll (spicy tuna, jalapenos, and cilantro topped with tuna, onion, cucumber, sesame seeds, and poke sauce. We didn't get the jalapenos, but we added cream cheese.) I will say, the sushi definitely didn't need any soy sauce. A common theme I see with Ohana (through this experience and leftovers from my parents) is that nothing needs salt. I do wish the sushi was a bit moister, a thing you can only gain from cream cheese or sauce. Yet, the cream cheese didn't help with that specifically. And it was already to salty for soy sauce or eel sauce. Especially with the tempura flakes, it increased the need for moisture. I was thus left with a roll that lacked in moisture but had an excess of flavor. Me and Box tried tamago for the first time here though! It was quite good I must admit. I wish it were warm, but I get the practicality of making it ahead and then slapping it on a bed of rice and nori. I really liked how sweet it was though! I think something that could compliment it would be an eel sauce (only a little bit though!) or some mayo (maybe both?). I absolutely love how you can add cream cheese to any sushi roll and change any roll to soy paper! Box isn't a huge fan of nori, so he was a huge fan of that. And the presentation is awesome! The rolls are beautiful, and I love it when sushi places bring them out on special dishes. Even just a long white dish is nice, but I love the wooden board that was brought out! Ohana was a wonderful experience. Fish aside, they have a HUGE menu full of delicious looking Hawaiian and Japanese-influenced food. As much as I do think they could improve on the saltyness (not just fish wise, but in general. Their pork sliders and potato salad were quite overwhelming), it's definitely going to become a regular spot for me and Box. Overall, I think I'd give it a 7.5-8/10. Box gives it a 9/10. Wishing you a particularly fishy week, Box & Bowl