The floating kitchen :

We Need To Talk

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Ok, so we have some serious catching up to do. If I had ten pounds for every time I've used the phrase 'catching up' on this blog, I'd have enough money to buy myself an outfit for the party I'm going to this Saturday. Regrettably there's no[...]

Special Catch

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Kushikino, my home for 2 years from 2005 - 2007, boasts a number of specialities. It's a fishing town where the main catch is tuna, together with some more obscure swimmers, like kibinago - small fish about the size of whitebait, a variety of[...]

Daily Miso

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Since Shoo and I arrived, we've spent plenty of time with his mum, Yoko, who is adorable and has been spoiling us rotten with amazing food. She makes an amazing miso shiru (miso soup) with lots of variants, and since Shoo dropped the hint that I[...]

MOS Burger

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A bit of catching-up is required - after five days on the go darting around town to meet friends I've had almost no time to post. So we're back to day one in Fukuoka , where before getting on a Kagoshima-bound bus we stopped at MOS burger for a[...]

It Started With Bibimbap

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This was the reason Shoo was so looking forward to flying Korean airways! Gotta say I prefer the version I've eaten in Korean restos in Japan before, and it in no way compensated for the lack of a personal in-flight entertainment system - and[...]

5000 Miles Away

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The Kitchen has floated all the way to Japan... assisted by jet turbine courtesy of Korean Air (photos of exotic yet endearingly DIY plane food to come). I'm more than 5000 miles away, in Kagoshima City , located on beautiful Kyushu, the[...]

A Very British Tart

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Last weekend we had a guest from Japan - Shizuka, a friend of Shoo's who was over here on a buying trip for her little boutique in Kagoshima city. Her strict daily regime of jewellery, scarf and handbag buying yielded lots of bargains (from the[...]

Sweet Root

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An old favourite jazzed up for a sunny, sunny Sunday. A zesty, zingy carrot cake with lime frosting. Because the cake uses oil as the fat component, it's faster to prepare than other butter-based cakes, and stays nice and moist. The recipe was[...]

Fast February

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I don't know about you, but to me it feels like February has zoomed by at ridiculous speed. Surely those two or three days less than the average month can't make such a big difference? Perhaps it's just that this is the final grueling lap of[...]

Refined Sugar

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These arrived in the post the other day as a present from a much missed friend in Japan, Erica - thanks, lady, for making my day! The wrapping carried a little message and a very convincing sketch impression of Erica's baby boys - two adorable,[...]