signs of spring - part 3

In many Asian cultures cherry blossom signifies the arrival of spring. Of all dearest to my heart is  seeing cherry blossom in Japan. Late March and early April is the best time to visit Japan. The weather is dryer and the air is crisp. A couple of years ago I visited Japan in early April and my timing could not be better, cherry blossom was everywhere.

chiuchow braised beef soup noodle with innards 潮州牛什麵

Braised beef soup noodles are found in many Asian cultures. The diversity is countless. The one that is my favorite is Chiuchow 潮州 style. It may just be it left the deepest impression being something that attracted my curiosity when I was very young growing up in Hong Kong 香港.

slaughter of a cow

For the first time I bought into a 1/4 cow though my friend Marc. It is a grass and grain fed cow from a small family farm near Scappoose, Oregon. A few days ago I went out there on the day of the slaughtering.

google disabled blogger's image viewer

I am quite bummed with a recent changed by Google to the Blogger's image viewing capability. Some observant readers of my blog might also noticed and missed this feature.

signs of spring - part 2

Ever since the buds on the plum tree emerged I have been checking them daily full of anticipation of the arriving spring. We have a few days of dry spell though the temperature has just turned colder again and there are days of winds and drizzles.

new freezer

I had long resisted the idea of purchasing a freezer. I am aware the problem of owning a freezer where one has a tendency of hoarding too much food in the freezer. Packing away too much frozen food can lead to waste of the forgotten items in the bottom of the freezer. I finally caved in and bought one.