A tamis is a sieve. A very fine sieve, that is designed for pushing solid food through (as opposed to liquid).
The potato puree recipe is from Thomas Keller's cookbook. Well worth trying, even if only once due to the inherent health risks.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Mashed potatoes will never be the same again
We made mashed potatoes for dinner tonight. Or rather, as Sonia is quick to point out, Potatoe Puree.
For reference, take 1.24 lbs of potatoes and gently boil them (in their skins) until they offer no resistance to being poked with a knife. Then drain the water, return the offending potatoes to the pot for a short time, to get rid of any remaining moisture (steam).
Then push them through your tamis (you don't have one?) - after peeling them, and while they are still hot. Then stick the resulting potato mass back into the pot and start, on a low heat, to mix in about 200ml of heavy cream, and 100g butter. While whipping using a wooden spoon. Don't add all of the cream or butter at once - it should take you about 10-15 minutes, alternating some butter and some cream. The cream should be warmed before adding, and the butter should be at room temperature.
And try not to use Japanese sweetened cream - we almost did but tasted it at the last minute (would that have made it sweet potato?).
The result is very smooth and relatively rich. A bit different to the mashed potatoes that I grew up on. :-)
And no, we did not stop to take photos. Try the recipe for yourself, Sharon.
For reference, take 1.24 lbs of potatoes and gently boil them (in their skins) until they offer no resistance to being poked with a knife. Then drain the water, return the offending potatoes to the pot for a short time, to get rid of any remaining moisture (steam).
Then push them through your tamis (you don't have one?) - after peeling them, and while they are still hot. Then stick the resulting potato mass back into the pot and start, on a low heat, to mix in about 200ml of heavy cream, and 100g butter. While whipping using a wooden spoon. Don't add all of the cream or butter at once - it should take you about 10-15 minutes, alternating some butter and some cream. The cream should be warmed before adding, and the butter should be at room temperature.
And try not to use Japanese sweetened cream - we almost did but tasted it at the last minute (would that have made it sweet potato?).
The result is very smooth and relatively rich. A bit different to the mashed potatoes that I grew up on. :-)
And no, we did not stop to take photos. Try the recipe for yourself, Sharon.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
What to say?
It's spring, which means every day is different weather-wise. Today started hot - at 7am I had to open the doors to try and get a breeze. But by midday the temperature was dropping, and now it is cooler and raining. I thought the temperature was supposed to start low and go higher?
Sonia is off in HK today and tomorrow doing a demo. And probably heading back to Bangkok on Monday - it seems to have calmed down now.
We rearranged the furniture on the weekend. While I now watch TV from a mile away from the screen, at least it feels more spacious.
Nothing else to say. Bye.
Sonia is off in HK today and tomorrow doing a demo. And probably heading back to Bangkok on Monday - it seems to have calmed down now.
We rearranged the furniture on the weekend. While I now watch TV from a mile away from the screen, at least it feels more spacious.
Nothing else to say. Bye.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
A message for Kyla
My mum and dad will confirm that chopsticks are the main eating utensils here in Japan. Most restaurants will not have any knives/forks. So you need to be able to eat using chopsticks before you get here, or starve for 10 days.
I suggest practicing in the weeks between now and when you get here. Try eating a small plate of peanuts using chopsticks. If you can do that, you will be able to eat in Japan.
I suggest practicing in the weeks between now and when you get here. Try eating a small plate of peanuts using chopsticks. If you can do that, you will be able to eat in Japan.
Cooking and stuff
I noticed the comment from Sharon complaining about no information on cooking that we've been doing. So here is a little.
It started with a refresh of the lemon meringue pie cupcakes that we made at D&S's place during the last trip. Remember the picture of Jayna having meringue piped directly into her mouth after we'd made too much for the cupcakes?
Then I tried making the Crockpot Roast Beef from userealbutter.com. It worked really well, although next time I would reduce the amount of soy sauce in the recipe. It was good, but could have been a little less salty.
Next I ordered a copy of Thomas Keller's cookbook from Amazon. The first recipe to be made was Lamb Stew - or as Keller calls it, "Navarin D'agneau aux legumes printainiers". In my case, minus the legumes printainiers. This dish requires that you begin the day before, browning the lamb pieces, then cooking it slowly for about 1.5-2 hours. This then sits in the fridge overnight. The next day I made the Puree de Pommes de Terre (potato puree). For 2 pounds of potatoes, this has 8 ounces of butter and 3/4 cup of cream. To puree the potatoes you have to force them through a tamis along with the butter, then whip them with the cream. All by hand. We ate later that evening.
I've also made agnolotti by hand - 1 3/4 cup of flour, 6 egg yolks, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of milk, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil. A lot of hard work later (by hand) you have a lump of pasta dough. Rolling that by hand was only partially successful, and yesterday we purchased a pasta machine. Trying again last night, it was much more successful - the pasta has to be very thin, and trying to get that by hand is difficult. I have a new-found respect for those Italian mamas who did/do this step by hand.
Sonia has decided that Duck Confit is probably the next thing to attempt. Not sure exactly why...
One last detail - we went looking for a gas torch (to brown the cupcake meringues). The only ones in the kitchen shop are just little torch attachments with a disposable gas bottle. The pictures on the bottle show that it can be used in the kitchen, but can also be used for welding. Sure enough, by the time I had browned 6 cupcakes (only a few seconds) the end of the torch was glowing bright red. Not something for children to use, I guess. But at least we can brown meringues and make aburi toro (look it up).
It started with a refresh of the lemon meringue pie cupcakes that we made at D&S's place during the last trip. Remember the picture of Jayna having meringue piped directly into her mouth after we'd made too much for the cupcakes?
Then I tried making the Crockpot Roast Beef from userealbutter.com. It worked really well, although next time I would reduce the amount of soy sauce in the recipe. It was good, but could have been a little less salty.
Next I ordered a copy of Thomas Keller's cookbook from Amazon. The first recipe to be made was Lamb Stew - or as Keller calls it, "Navarin D'agneau aux legumes printainiers". In my case, minus the legumes printainiers. This dish requires that you begin the day before, browning the lamb pieces, then cooking it slowly for about 1.5-2 hours. This then sits in the fridge overnight. The next day I made the Puree de Pommes de Terre (potato puree). For 2 pounds of potatoes, this has 8 ounces of butter and 3/4 cup of cream. To puree the potatoes you have to force them through a tamis along with the butter, then whip them with the cream. All by hand. We ate later that evening.
I've also made agnolotti by hand - 1 3/4 cup of flour, 6 egg yolks, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of milk, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil. A lot of hard work later (by hand) you have a lump of pasta dough. Rolling that by hand was only partially successful, and yesterday we purchased a pasta machine. Trying again last night, it was much more successful - the pasta has to be very thin, and trying to get that by hand is difficult. I have a new-found respect for those Italian mamas who did/do this step by hand.
Sonia has decided that Duck Confit is probably the next thing to attempt. Not sure exactly why...
One last detail - we went looking for a gas torch (to brown the cupcake meringues). The only ones in the kitchen shop are just little torch attachments with a disposable gas bottle. The pictures on the bottle show that it can be used in the kitchen, but can also be used for welding. Sure enough, by the time I had browned 6 cupcakes (only a few seconds) the end of the torch was glowing bright red. Not something for children to use, I guess. But at least we can brown meringues and make aburi toro (look it up).
Monday, May 03, 2010
Polite Japan
Well it is a myth that Japanese are polite. As proof I offer the Ueno Zoo on
a warm Sunday afternoon. Half of Tokyo will be there, and they will all want
to see the animals. And most of them will consider it vital that they see,
at least far more important than you see anything. And once they have seen,
it will be crucial that they move on to the next exhibit so that they can
scare those animals with their camera flashes.
a warm Sunday afternoon. Half of Tokyo will be there, and they will all want
to see the animals. And most of them will consider it vital that they see,
at least far more important than you see anything. And once they have seen,
it will be crucial that they move on to the next exhibit so that they can
scare those animals with their camera flashes.
That said, it was fun. Just exceedingly busy.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sachi
As Jonathan pointed out, Sachi looks a lot like Phoebe. So much so that Dad has referred to her as such a few times. Actually Sachi is a combination of Phoebe and Sahara. Phoebe's colouring, but Sahara's finer hair. Not sure who's brains she has, as we have yet to see any sign of the existence of said gray matter.
Mum and Dad have apparently reached Kyoto. This is after traveling to Hakone yesterday by train, and staying at a hotel that we booked online. It was apparently fine, although I have yet to hear whether it was a hotel with a shared bathroom or not.
The next milestone is on Friday, when they have about 9 minutes to transfer between trains at some remote outpost of Japan. If they miss, then it is possible that they will have to find a place to stay overnight - somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Where they probably will not speak any English. Could be quite an experience - even more interesting than trying to eat noodles with chopsticks for the first time.
Mum and Dad have apparently reached Kyoto. This is after traveling to Hakone yesterday by train, and staying at a hotel that we booked online. It was apparently fine, although I have yet to hear whether it was a hotel with a shared bathroom or not.
The next milestone is on Friday, when they have about 9 minutes to transfer between trains at some remote outpost of Japan. If they miss, then it is possible that they will have to find a place to stay overnight - somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Where they probably will not speak any English. Could be quite an experience - even more interesting than trying to eat noodles with chopsticks for the first time.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Spring has come, so too have the parents...and a picture of the cat
Well even though we sent Kyla a whole collage of pictures I'm still getting asked for a picture of the fluffball (just shows she does not read her email or our blog!!) we'll happily post one here for you. Actually you probably don't need one....just imagine a smaller Phoebe....
Here she is trying to look cute and innocent....
And then for an action shot...
She actually thinks she is a dog. She will fetch that stick with a fluffy bit on the end all day and bring it back to you to throw again. She also makes a weird 'woofy' noise. I am convinced she is confused.
Andrews parents arrived on Saturday just in time to see the last of the Cherry Blossoms. We managed to exhaust them walking around on Sunday which pleased Sachi no end - it meant there were unlimited laps to sit on on Monday as a quiet 'home day' was had by all (except Andrew who had to go to work). She seems to be pretty laid back around new people unless they are Japanese men - I have the scratches to prove she was not impressed with the guys who arrived to replace part of our bed this morning!
Cherry Blossom season is very beautiful in Tokyo. The locals like to celebrate the arrival of spring with a picnic under the blossoms. Much sake is drunk, and you can find out how someones party went by asking 'did you sing?'. If the answer is yes, then 'did you sing loudly' will give you a good indication of just how much sake was drunk :-). We preferred the more demure approach of wandering under the trees by the river (well walking pretty quickly actually - it was freezing!). Here they are in all their glory
By the time Mac and Joyce arrived the blossoms had been 'ruined' by green spring growth appearing, but we still thought they looked pretty cool.
Spring weather is however notoriously changeable. 28 degrees on Sunday turned into a bitterly cold and wet day yesterday. Roll on summer!!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Cats
Well we have settled on Sachi (さち) as the cat's name. It is supposed to mean "happiness, good luck, fortune" - what she should be since we adopted her and gave her a home. She certainly purrs loudly and bounces around the apartment - when she is not sleeping right underneath the blanket on the bed or investigating each and ever cupboard.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Weekend
Ok, so the car is in the garage (parking space). We'll have to try and take some video of the parking system. For the moment, let me explain that it has six cars per vertical stack. In our bay there are two rows, each with four vertical stacks. Our space is in the back row (there might be a car parked in front of us). To get the car out or put it away, we have to put our key in, push buttons to tell the machine which space we want to use, and then wait while it rearranges the cars. Then the gate opens and we drive in (or out). And it's narrow - we have about 3 inches more space in the car park than the width of the car. Do the maths...
And today we collected a cat. A rescue case, about 4 months old. She is currently wandering from room to room looking around and deciding whether she likes the place. She needs a name - we are happy to take suggestions, but they must be able to pass the Daryl-Craig test.
And today we collected a cat. A rescue case, about 4 months old. She is currently wandering from room to room looking around and deciding whether she likes the place. She needs a name - we are happy to take suggestions, but they must be able to pass the Daryl-Craig test.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
More news
Well more news. We have a car (I think). I need to go back to the shop tomorrow, and in theory should drive away in a car. After almost 4 weeks of talking to them, both negotiating price and then arguing finance and contracts, it is hopefully finished. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.
I still need to sort the car insurance. 3rd party is mandatory and arranged as part of the purchase. But I need to separately sort out comprehensive cover. That is tomorrow's challenge. I have been looking online and will need help. Naturally, the insurance websites only provide Japanese pages, no English. Hmmmm.
And then I need to move on to get a Japanese license - apparently just a bunch of paperwork, but I somehow need to prove that I lived in NZ for a minimum of 3 months after I got my license. Exactly how am I supposed to do that when I got it when I was 15 years old!
I still need to sort the car insurance. 3rd party is mandatory and arranged as part of the purchase. But I need to separately sort out comprehensive cover. That is tomorrow's challenge. I have been looking online and will need help. Naturally, the insurance websites only provide Japanese pages, no English. Hmmmm.
And then I need to move on to get a Japanese license - apparently just a bunch of paperwork, but I somehow need to prove that I lived in NZ for a minimum of 3 months after I got my license. Exactly how am I supposed to do that when I got it when I was 15 years old!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Revealed - the best ever technique for ensuring husbands put down the toilet seat!
It is very simple....
1. Move to Japan
2. Ensure said husband is responsible for paying the power bill and has a healthy respect for how expensive electricity is here (it may be necessary to run the air conditioner long and hard for a week or two to ensure the first bill is very high)
3. Invest in a "Washlet" heated toilet seat (For those who need visuals....http://www.totousa.com/default.aspx?sectID=3)
Said husband is guaranteed to be soooo concerned about the cost of heating the whole toilet room via the heated toilet seat that you will find the lid is routinely put back down to 'conserve power'!
At last - it has taken me almost 16 years.... but I finally have a tidy bathroom :-)
Have a good day...
Sonia
PS Andrew says he actually puts the seat down so that it is easier to use the tap on the top of the toilet.... but I am just not buying that line!
Toilet with integrated hand basin...another quirk of Japan! This picture comes from Australia, but you get the idea http://www.savewater.com.au/products/Caroma_Profile_Toilet_Suite_with_Integrated_Hand_Basin
1. Move to Japan
2. Ensure said husband is responsible for paying the power bill and has a healthy respect for how expensive electricity is here (it may be necessary to run the air conditioner long and hard for a week or two to ensure the first bill is very high)
3. Invest in a "Washlet" heated toilet seat (For those who need visuals....http://www.totousa.com/default.aspx?sectID=3)
Said husband is guaranteed to be soooo concerned about the cost of heating the whole toilet room via the heated toilet seat that you will find the lid is routinely put back down to 'conserve power'!
At last - it has taken me almost 16 years.... but I finally have a tidy bathroom :-)
Have a good day...
Sonia
PS Andrew says he actually puts the seat down so that it is easier to use the tap on the top of the toilet.... but I am just not buying that line!
Toilet with integrated hand basin...another quirk of Japan! This picture comes from Australia, but you get the idea http://www.savewater.com.au/products/Caroma_Profile_Toilet_Suite_with_Integrated_Hand_Basin
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
More news
Tonight on the way home from work, it snowed again. It was raining, and next minute there is snow mixed in. The umbrella made a valiant effort to shelter me from the worst, but it is on the small side. For some reason, the temperature has dropped again. After a couple of warmer days, summer has retreated and given ground to winter.
We've been working our way through the process of buying a car, and after getting frustrated with the dealer on the weekend, I "suggested" that he needed to update the papers and bring them to the office. He is a young guy (well about 10 years younger than I am), so he obeyed. With the help of my boss's secretary we completed the papers and should (I hope) get the car in about 7-10 days. The delay is due to the legal side of parking spaces. Because space is (apparently) at a premium, you cannot buy a car until you have a space in which to park it. And because space is (apparently) at a premium (did I mention that?) the spaces are of varying sizes. So it is necessary for the police to divert precious manpower to inspecting parking spaces and certifying that your car will fit into the space. This process can take (apparently) 3-4 days. Clearly there are many car parking spaces to inspect. And then once they have the stamped parking certificate (I had to get this from the apartment company and give to the dealer, who then goes to the police), the dealer can continue with the transfer of ownership. Another day or two. Sigh... these guys have pointless bureaucracy down to a fine art. Strangely, you can go out and buy a motorbike without having a motorbike park. So space cannot be that much of an issue (and certainly there is lots of space where we live). I guess we justify the existence of numerous police and civil servants.
Oh, and we cooked a cheesecake last night. The oven is working, the mixer and blender also - when plugged in to the new transformer that was obtained on Sunday. So mostly getting sorted now. And Sonia has a nice new pink mobile phone - she is fitting in with the trendy young things around Tokyo (well sort of).
We've been working our way through the process of buying a car, and after getting frustrated with the dealer on the weekend, I "suggested" that he needed to update the papers and bring them to the office. He is a young guy (well about 10 years younger than I am), so he obeyed. With the help of my boss's secretary we completed the papers and should (I hope) get the car in about 7-10 days. The delay is due to the legal side of parking spaces. Because space is (apparently) at a premium, you cannot buy a car until you have a space in which to park it. And because space is (apparently) at a premium (did I mention that?) the spaces are of varying sizes. So it is necessary for the police to divert precious manpower to inspecting parking spaces and certifying that your car will fit into the space. This process can take (apparently) 3-4 days. Clearly there are many car parking spaces to inspect. And then once they have the stamped parking certificate (I had to get this from the apartment company and give to the dealer, who then goes to the police), the dealer can continue with the transfer of ownership. Another day or two. Sigh... these guys have pointless bureaucracy down to a fine art. Strangely, you can go out and buy a motorbike without having a motorbike park. So space cannot be that much of an issue (and certainly there is lots of space where we live). I guess we justify the existence of numerous police and civil servants.
Oh, and we cooked a cheesecake last night. The oven is working, the mixer and blender also - when plugged in to the new transformer that was obtained on Sunday. So mostly getting sorted now. And Sonia has a nice new pink mobile phone - she is fitting in with the trendy young things around Tokyo (well sort of).
Saturday, March 06, 2010
What makes somewhere "home"?
For me, I think it ends up being able to do the ironing. Of all things.
This week was the first week that I had ironing that needed to be done, and the means to do it. The transformer (22.5 kg) is plugged in and powering the coffee machine and grinder. And the iron when needed. So this week I ironed a couple of shirts and a pile of handkerchiefs. At this point the place actually started to feel like a home.
Oh, there are still boxes around, and things that are missing (I need to get some oil or grease for the bearings on a drawer), and we are still missing curtains in a few places (Sonia has had them made in Bangkok and is slowly bringing them with her). But it did feel like home when I was standing there ironing things while watching TV (in English).
With mum and dad arriving in a few weeks, I guess I need to get things organised. The office needs to be sorted so that we can fit the blow-up mattress in there. (question - who gets to sleep on it) And I'm attempting to buy a car - which at the rate it's going might just arrive in time for when they get off the airplane at Narita. A combination of Japanese bureaucracy and language is slowing things dramatically. I'll write about this properly once I actually have the car - right now it's feeling like it may not happen.
Oh - another piece of news. I may well end up in Beirut in the near future (not permanently). Weird, huh?
This week was the first week that I had ironing that needed to be done, and the means to do it. The transformer (22.5 kg) is plugged in and powering the coffee machine and grinder. And the iron when needed. So this week I ironed a couple of shirts and a pile of handkerchiefs. At this point the place actually started to feel like a home.
Oh, there are still boxes around, and things that are missing (I need to get some oil or grease for the bearings on a drawer), and we are still missing curtains in a few places (Sonia has had them made in Bangkok and is slowly bringing them with her). But it did feel like home when I was standing there ironing things while watching TV (in English).
With mum and dad arriving in a few weeks, I guess I need to get things organised. The office needs to be sorted so that we can fit the blow-up mattress in there. (question - who gets to sleep on it) And I'm attempting to buy a car - which at the rate it's going might just arrive in time for when they get off the airplane at Narita. A combination of Japanese bureaucracy and language is slowing things dramatically. I'll write about this properly once I actually have the car - right now it's feeling like it may not happen.
Oh - another piece of news. I may well end up in Beirut in the near future (not permanently). Weird, huh?
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Unpacking
Well, Saturday was relatively productive in terms of unpacking. The boxes are all unpacked, and other than getting rid of some rubbish, pretty much everything is put away somewhere. There are a pile of pictures/photos, etc that need to be hung somewhere. I'm not sure where they should go, and since I can only be wrong on this, I decided to wait till Sonia gets here.
The bedroom is clean and tidy, with the mattress on the floor, mattress protector washed and dried, and clean sheets on. The thin duvet we bought in Ikea in HK is on it, with a blanket over the top. That way I don't need the air-con switched on all night.
I've hooked up the TV and DVD player, and a guy came yesterday afternoon to connect up the cable TV. A few channels in English, but most of them are in Japanese.
Still need to get a piece of furniture for the kitchen so that the oven can be taken off the cardboard box it is sitting on. I haven't used it yet, for fear of making the cardboard box so hot it either catches fire or collapses.
Work seems to be going well. HR, as always, is useless. They seem more interested in deciding and enforcing idiotic/stupid/senseless policies than looking after the "human resources". What is it about these people? It's not just this company - they generally always seem to act the same. I wonder what goes on in their minds?
Oh - forgot to answer the quiz about wattages. It's the sandwich maker - draws 2400 watts. Closely followed by the iron at 2000. Then it's down to the coffee machine (1200), before dropping steeply to the remaining appliances: rice cooker (780), bread maker & blender (500 each), kitchen aid mixer (300), and coffee grinder (250). By comparison, the TV draws 150 and the DVD player all of 9w. The Stereo amplifier and CD player don't state their wattages, so I guessed by taking the amplifier output of 80w per channel, doubling it, and adding a bit.
So far I have an 1100w transformer in the lounge to run the stereo, CD player, TV and DVD player. That might be overdoing it - I think the total watts being drawn if everything is on it probably around 450w (TV 152 + DVD 9 + amplifier 180 + CD 100), so the transformer is probably more than enough. Problem is not knowing how much the amplifier and CD do actually draw. I am thinking I am probably ok to get a 600w one, and move the 1100w transformer into the kitchen for the appliances? I have a 3300w one on order to be used in the living area - enough to power the sandwich maker, iron, coffee machine and grinder (not all at once). Bit of a bummer that the sandwich maker will be used on the bench where the coffee machine is, but it's not worth getting two big transformers. FYI, the 3300w transformer is worth about USD500. The transformers do work both ways, so we can use them when we (eventually) move back to NZ and need to run the fridge, washing machine, or oven on NZ power. Japan is 100v - not even the same as US at 110. Trust them to find a way to be different from everyone else.
Enough - that is probably more than most of you ever wanted to know about power wattages and transformers!
The bedroom is clean and tidy, with the mattress on the floor, mattress protector washed and dried, and clean sheets on. The thin duvet we bought in Ikea in HK is on it, with a blanket over the top. That way I don't need the air-con switched on all night.
I've hooked up the TV and DVD player, and a guy came yesterday afternoon to connect up the cable TV. A few channels in English, but most of them are in Japanese.
Still need to get a piece of furniture for the kitchen so that the oven can be taken off the cardboard box it is sitting on. I haven't used it yet, for fear of making the cardboard box so hot it either catches fire or collapses.
Work seems to be going well. HR, as always, is useless. They seem more interested in deciding and enforcing idiotic/stupid/senseless policies than looking after the "human resources". What is it about these people? It's not just this company - they generally always seem to act the same. I wonder what goes on in their minds?
Oh - forgot to answer the quiz about wattages. It's the sandwich maker - draws 2400 watts. Closely followed by the iron at 2000. Then it's down to the coffee machine (1200), before dropping steeply to the remaining appliances: rice cooker (780), bread maker & blender (500 each), kitchen aid mixer (300), and coffee grinder (250). By comparison, the TV draws 150 and the DVD player all of 9w. The Stereo amplifier and CD player don't state their wattages, so I guessed by taking the amplifier output of 80w per channel, doubling it, and adding a bit.
So far I have an 1100w transformer in the lounge to run the stereo, CD player, TV and DVD player. That might be overdoing it - I think the total watts being drawn if everything is on it probably around 450w (TV 152 + DVD 9 + amplifier 180 + CD 100), so the transformer is probably more than enough. Problem is not knowing how much the amplifier and CD do actually draw. I am thinking I am probably ok to get a 600w one, and move the 1100w transformer into the kitchen for the appliances? I have a 3300w one on order to be used in the living area - enough to power the sandwich maker, iron, coffee machine and grinder (not all at once). Bit of a bummer that the sandwich maker will be used on the bench where the coffee machine is, but it's not worth getting two big transformers. FYI, the 3300w transformer is worth about USD500. The transformers do work both ways, so we can use them when we (eventually) move back to NZ and need to run the fridge, washing machine, or oven on NZ power. Japan is 100v - not even the same as US at 110. Trust them to find a way to be different from everyone else.
Enough - that is probably more than most of you ever wanted to know about power wattages and transformers!
Friday, February 19, 2010
They're taking over!
The boxes, that is. The moving company delivered our "stuff" yesterday.
I had an important steering group meeting to run at 8am in the morning (people calling in from UK and US, so this is the best time). Then it was straight out the door and back home, from where I'd left about 1.5 hours earlier!
They started by bringing most of the boxes inside and stacking them in piles in the different rooms. Then once that was all done, started unpacking. Only a couple of minor pieces of damage - a knock on the end of one of the cabinets, right down by the floor at at the back. Probably not worth fixing, although we'll see what the insurance company does. Also a foot broken on a chest of drawers. We ended up with all of the feet removed and it now sits on a piece of wood.
Possibly the most concerning is the mildew on the leather couches. And on the dining chairs. Not sure how we fix that. The chairs could be reupholstered if it comes to it, but the leather? I guess I have a job this weekend - find leather cleaners (ever tried to do that when you cannot read the writing?) and see if I can clean them up.
However, it's nice to have something feeling a little less like we are living day-to-day. I managed to get the stereo hooked up last night - big transformer to boost our 110v up to 230-240v. Sonia is still in Bangkok, so hopefully before she gets here I will have a chance to sort most of the things out and get the coffee machine running, etc.
Pop quiz: what appliance uses the most power (as in watts)? This is important because the transformers are rated to different wattages. Answer comes tomorrow or the next day...
I had an important steering group meeting to run at 8am in the morning (people calling in from UK and US, so this is the best time). Then it was straight out the door and back home, from where I'd left about 1.5 hours earlier!
They started by bringing most of the boxes inside and stacking them in piles in the different rooms. Then once that was all done, started unpacking. Only a couple of minor pieces of damage - a knock on the end of one of the cabinets, right down by the floor at at the back. Probably not worth fixing, although we'll see what the insurance company does. Also a foot broken on a chest of drawers. We ended up with all of the feet removed and it now sits on a piece of wood.
Possibly the most concerning is the mildew on the leather couches. And on the dining chairs. Not sure how we fix that. The chairs could be reupholstered if it comes to it, but the leather? I guess I have a job this weekend - find leather cleaners (ever tried to do that when you cannot read the writing?) and see if I can clean them up.
However, it's nice to have something feeling a little less like we are living day-to-day. I managed to get the stereo hooked up last night - big transformer to boost our 110v up to 230-240v. Sonia is still in Bangkok, so hopefully before she gets here I will have a chance to sort most of the things out and get the coffee machine running, etc.
Pop quiz: what appliance uses the most power (as in watts)? This is important because the transformers are rated to different wattages. Answer comes tomorrow or the next day...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Of underwear and milk
Well the underwear came out as it went in - just cleaner. No shrinkage, at least not that I can tell.
And the milk is apparently fine. I waited a day to check, but the cereal has been fine each morning.
And the milk is apparently fine. I waited a day to check, but the cereal has been fine each morning.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Appliances
Well, have any of our thousands of dedicated readers (ahem!) ever been in the position of needing to purchase major home appliances in a foreign country (Canada does not count)? We have in the past week, gone out and bought a fridge, washer/dryer, and today a combination microwave and steam oven.
All very well, but there might be all of 3 words in English in all of the 3 manuals - and those are the manufacturers' names (Sharp, Toshiba, and Toshiba, so really just two). However, as Sonia has pointed out, Toshiba has "Leading Innovation" plastered all over their manuals, so I guess I should alter my previous statement - there are 4 words in English.
But Transgoogleation is a wonderful thing. We've just spent the past hour figuring out how to use the manual settings on the oven to microwave, grill, steam grill, bake, and steam bake. While we are not in a position to make the most of the other 30-odd automatic cooking menus, at least we will not starve.
And the washing machine seems to be doing an ok job of it's first tentative load. All socks and undies that we can afford to lose if we've managed to push the wrong button. Maybe Lauren needs new underwear (these could come out smaller than they went in!).
The fridge seems to be cooling things. Will tell you more once we try the milk tomorrow. It does have 7 doors, so we are not 100% certain that the milk is in the correct place... Popsicles anyone?
All very well, but there might be all of 3 words in English in all of the 3 manuals - and those are the manufacturers' names (Sharp, Toshiba, and Toshiba, so really just two). However, as Sonia has pointed out, Toshiba has "Leading Innovation" plastered all over their manuals, so I guess I should alter my previous statement - there are 4 words in English.
But Transgoogleation is a wonderful thing. We've just spent the past hour figuring out how to use the manual settings on the oven to microwave, grill, steam grill, bake, and steam bake. While we are not in a position to make the most of the other 30-odd automatic cooking menus, at least we will not starve.
And the washing machine seems to be doing an ok job of it's first tentative load. All socks and undies that we can afford to lose if we've managed to push the wrong button. Maybe Lauren needs new underwear (these could come out smaller than they went in!).
The fridge seems to be cooling things. Will tell you more once we try the milk tomorrow. It does have 7 doors, so we are not 100% certain that the milk is in the correct place... Popsicles anyone?
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Not at the end of the tunnel, rather the lights that we bought today and installed in the living area. Not being quite sure whether they would work (everything is of course in Japanese) we only bought one fitting and three lights. But they do work, so tomorrow night it will be another trip to the shop to get another one of the same.
Installation is another story. Not because it is technically difficult, but because we do not have anything here to stand on. Other than each other. Andrew tried very hard to get Sonia to perch on his shoulders, but as she is not a bird this proved rather difficult. In the end we reversed roles and Andrew sat on Sonia's shoulders.....she tried to remember not to tickle his knees!
Anyway, said lights are up and we are one step closer to having a home rather than a house.
Installation is another story. Not because it is technically difficult, but because we do not have anything here to stand on. Other than each other. Andrew tried very hard to get Sonia to perch on his shoulders, but as she is not a bird this proved rather difficult. In the end we reversed roles and Andrew sat on Sonia's shoulders.....she tried to remember not to tickle his knees!
Anyway, said lights are up and we are one step closer to having a home rather than a house.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Apartments
Ok, so I have spent a few nights in the new apartment. The air-bed is working ok, although not as comfortable as a real bed.
The supermarket downstairs has turned out to be a very good one. Of course most of the stuff is Japanese, and I cannot read the labels. But it is a bigger supermarket than I have seen around here, and has a good range. And the prices are more reasonable than the one I used to go to in Azabu-juban.
At the moment I still have no furniture or cooking utensils (or eating utensils for that matter). This means that breakfast is tending to be Tullys (a Starbucks equivalent) with coffee and a bagel sandwich (which has meat and cheese). Lunch is usually sushi or some equivalent from the supermarket close to the office. And dinner is a range of ready-made snack meals (salads, sushi, etc) from the supermarket downstairs.
I have the phone going now, and the Internet - both as of yesterday. The laptop is sitting on the floor in the corner of the empty living area (as am I while writing this). It has turned out to be a very sunny apartment - very warm, despite snowing twice in the past week. It faces south-east, so it gets sun from first thing in the morning until early evening when the sun disappears behind neighbouring tower blocks.
We have one of the toilet seats with jets - to "wash up" when you're finished. All the instructions are in Japanese, so I will have to take a photo and ask someone at work to explain what button does what. Imagine that conversation, remembering that mostly these are people I have just met.
We got an email from the moving company saying that our stuff will arrive "soon" and asking for some paperwork. Not sure what "soon" means exactly, but hopefully we should have everything delivered in the next week.
The supermarket downstairs has turned out to be a very good one. Of course most of the stuff is Japanese, and I cannot read the labels. But it is a bigger supermarket than I have seen around here, and has a good range. And the prices are more reasonable than the one I used to go to in Azabu-juban.
At the moment I still have no furniture or cooking utensils (or eating utensils for that matter). This means that breakfast is tending to be Tullys (a Starbucks equivalent) with coffee and a bagel sandwich (which has meat and cheese). Lunch is usually sushi or some equivalent from the supermarket close to the office. And dinner is a range of ready-made snack meals (salads, sushi, etc) from the supermarket downstairs.
I have the phone going now, and the Internet - both as of yesterday. The laptop is sitting on the floor in the corner of the empty living area (as am I while writing this). It has turned out to be a very sunny apartment - very warm, despite snowing twice in the past week. It faces south-east, so it gets sun from first thing in the morning until early evening when the sun disappears behind neighbouring tower blocks.
We have one of the toilet seats with jets - to "wash up" when you're finished. All the instructions are in Japanese, so I will have to take a photo and ask someone at work to explain what button does what. Imagine that conversation, remembering that mostly these are people I have just met.
We got an email from the moving company saying that our stuff will arrive "soon" and asking for some paperwork. Not sure what "soon" means exactly, but hopefully we should have everything delivered in the next week.
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