i. sakura grocery rant
Next to cooking, I love grocery shopping for ingredients the most. So it’s usual for me to dither and browse ever so slowly when shopping. It’s not just a matter of picking up the stuff I need, I usually let my mind wander when grocery shopping, thinking up possible new dishes to cook, or new presentations for my bento.

Last Friday, padpad and I went to Sakura, a Japanese grocery along Pasay Road, to shop, not only for ingredients, but for a new bento. It was one of those expensive lacquerware affairs, and I was ready to purchase it. However, it wasn’t quite as pretty as I remembered so I was taking my time deciding. At this point, I already noticed that one of the sales people, a tall man, was eyeing me. I paid him no heed, I was a paying customer after all, regardless of how scruffy I looked.

( While deciding, I figured I’d... )

ii. okame is love
To further stress the point, I went to Okame (another Japanese grocery) afterwards, and after 15 minutes of going through the aisles, their cashier approached me and asked the same question, “Ano pong hinahanap n’yo?” (What are you looking for, phrased in a more respectful manner – note the use of po.) She got up from her post behind the counter, approached me, and asked me politely. When I told her I was just browsing, she went off and left me to my own devices. Sure enough, I ended up buying a bag of Japanese rice, after an animated discussion with the sales person stationed beside the rice. (She gave me lots of useful tips about Japanese rice.)

Once again, Marshall McLuhan’s age old philosophy holds true. The medium is the message.

iii. more anime fun
I started watching Tenshi na Komanaiki over the weekend. The premise proves to be funny; a 9-year old boy who was transformed into a girl after an enchanted pierrot’s fumbled attempt to make him the world’s manliest man. Fast forward to the future, and the boy-turned-girl’s a high school student now. Not just a high school student, but a really hawt high school girl; the kind adored by her fellow girls, worshipped by boys, and sought after by middle-aged business men.

( I downloaded it because I found the premise interesting... )

iv. lumpiang shanghai & enoke dake bento



Yummers huh? Catch it at kitchencow.