One of my hobbies is to take care of the local park where my kids play. I cut the grass, pull out weeds (雑草), pick up trash etc. I like to keep it looking good.
Anyway, the other day an old lady (really old - she had a walking stick in BOTH hands) in a nearby garden called me over to thank me & give me a gift of five cans of Mitsuya Cider. How nice! Thanks, very old lady near the park.
Japanese English:
- In Japan, cider (サイダー) is a non-alcoholic drink, similar to lemonade, but in western countries, cider is an ALCOHOLIC drink made from apples - don`t buy it for your kids!
I like* chocolate & I like tins (缶), so my wife correctly guessed that this would be a good valentines gift for a geek like** me. I like that the chocolates are shaped & wrapped to look like*** sardines (鰯). That`s funny.
Vocabulary:
- *like = 好き
- ** a geek like me = 私ようなギーク
- *** look like = 似ている,
I made jam. Before bottling it, I painted the lids (蓋) with red spray-paint, and labeled the bottles using hand-made labels. I will keep some and give some to friends.
Vocabulary:
- Words like paint, bottle & label can be both noun (名詞) & verb (動詞), but lid is only a noun, so "I lidded the bottles" is wrong; "I put lids on the bottles" is correct.
- 蓋 = lid, まぶた = eyelid
A couple of weeks ago I made jam with berries from this bush (灌木). Then more berries became ripe (円熟した), so I made these desserts. They look good, don`t they? Unfortunately they tasted pretty bad - the jelly wasn`t sweet enough, and the berries tasted sour. Next time I`ll make jam again.
Vocabulary:
- sweet = 甘い sour = 酸っぱい sweet & sour pork = 酢豚
Yesterday I went to a nice Vietnamese restaurant in Iwakura, Aichi for lunch. It`s a bit far from Gifu, but not too far from where I live in Ichinomiya. My wife & I sat outside on the terrace, which was warm, but not so bad. The food was delicious, & not that expensive. I recommend it!
https://tabelog.com/en/aichi/A2302/A230201/23043474/
Grammar:
- not + too/so/that + 形容詞 = そんなに [形容詞] ...ない
Do you like horses? How about horse? I tried it last night at スシロー. Yes - horse sushi! I saw it on the menu and thought, "Why not?" (ま、いいんじゃない?) It was a little tough (硬い), but it tasted okay. Have you ever eaten horse? No? Why not (なんでしないの)?
Grammar:
- I like frogS. Do you like frogS? Yes, THEY are cute.
- I like frog. Do you like frog? Yes, IT tastes like chicken.
At this restaurant in Ichinomiya, you can eat your meal inside this London double-decker bus. You can choose upstairs or downstairs. It`s interesting, isn`t it? Of course my kids loved it. Geeky dad enjoyed it too.
This is their website: http://www.lodekka501bta39.com/
Pronunciation:
- In English, 'London' is usually pronounced ランダン or ランデン (not ロンドン )
I found a video on Youtube about making acorn ( どんぐり) coffee. There are lots of acorns at my local shrine (神社) so I gathered some & tried it. This is the recipe I used:
1. First, take off the shells (殻)
2. Next, chop or grind the acorns
3. Then boil them in water
4. After that, throw away (捨てる) the brown water, which contains tannins.
5. Repeat #4 a few times, until the water is clear
6. Next, roast the acorns until they`re dark brown
7. Finally, add boiling water, wait a few minutes, and drink!
How was it? A little bitter, but okay. I`d like to make it again, but it`s kind of a hassle (面倒くさい).
Vocabulary:
- Next = Then = After that* (Be careful: not "After then")
Recently I went to the new Costco supermarket in Hashima. They sell things that Japanese supermarkets don`t usually sell, such as meat pies. Meat pies are not popular in Japan, but they`re popular in Australia. I like them - they`re convenient, pretty cheap, and tasty (usually...!).
Notice the brand - `Dad`s Pies`, so if you are a mum, or you are man without children, you can`t eat them. Sorry.
Spelling:
- `Dad` (UK & US)
- `Mum` (UK), `Mom` (US)
While looking at dinosaurs in Yanagase in Gifu (http://jp.bloguru.com/otto/249138/yanagase-dinosaur-display), I noticed (見かける) a new Okinawan-theme restaurant. We decided to have lunch there. I ordered Okinawan-style `souki soba` noodles. It was delicious. I decided not to drink Orion beer. I noticed they had root beer, so I ordered that instead (代わりに).
Sorry, I don`t remember the name of the restaurant, but if you look for it in Yanagase, or ask somebody there, I`m sure you can find it.
Grammar:
- decide [not] to 動詞 = 動詞[ない]ことにしました
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