Amber & Top Foods Challenge: Day One

Long, long ago, and in a galaxy about six hours by direct flight away, Erl (aka Isaac) issued a challenge to create a list of my favorite New York eats.  Herewith, my first entry to that list of things you absolutely, positively should not visit New York without putting in your mouth.

1. Ramen, especially the Akamaru Modern variety, from Ippudo.

(Photos by James)

Yes, the wait can be ridiculous, but it's worth it to skip lunch and get there right at five.  The ramen are that good.  Frankly, I think it's a better bowl than Momofuku (if you want David Chang, go to Ssäm Bar for lunch.)  The appetizers are good, yes, but the ramen are amazing.

 

Also, you may want to bring James since he takes such great photos of ramen.  And since you are bringing James you may want to bring me since I eat such great ramen.

Amber & A Request

Friend who is going to Japan next week?  (You know who you are.)

Will you buy my kitties this while you are there?



Because it sure is Japanese.  And they would sure love it.  And so would I if it kept Pickles amused and not asking for fleece wand for five minutes.

Amber & Some Things New, A New Thing Old

I feel like I am constantly in a struggle with the Entropy of Clutter in my home.  It's hard to carry out myself and the trash and the recycling--especially since the refuse area is down five flights of stairs, around the corner, and in an alley out behind the building frequented by what I like to think of as sleek-tailed squirrels.  And, I seem to accumulate stuff: direct mail samples, Fresh Direct boxes, books of to-do lists, cat fur, etc.  It's crucial to do a weekly Junk Round Up to make room for new, magical space-occupiers.  For example, I'd much rather have this weird sushi wind up robot that Nick gave me than a stack of Con Ed billson my desk.

(Seen here with Big Nose Felted Guy, another keeper from Nick.)

That's two pieces of inari on the left (my fave) and two pieces of tuna on the right.  And I can't show you because I got my phone before they invented video for iPhones (drat to early adapting), but the two sushis sort of bicycle up and down and round and round when you wind it.  Why?  Because it's amazing.

Gifts are not always keepers, but this new Ganesh statue that Diana brought back for me from India sure is.

(Like the mechanical sushi, Ganesh is not as blurry in real life.)

And that reminds me that my blurry-making phone is actually another place to collect wonderful, and muladhara chakra comforting, things.  Like this Ganesh application.

 (See how the bell is all lit up? You can pick it up and ring it. That is mostly what the app does.)

And, Jimmi referred me to this absolutely essential app where you can gong a mokugyo or the metal gong on the left and induce nagomi ("harmony").

(I won't spoil what "With Cat Mode" is.)

And, speaking of cats, this guy came to live with us a few weeks back.

(He's actually laying on a pile of books to return to other people, on the theme of getting rid of old stuff to make room for the new.)

This new buddy is actually an old artifact from the Boxing Day Heritage Booty.   I molded him from greenware, painted his eyes, paw pads and nose, and then glazed the heck out of him in ceramics class.  Proof?

Every great artist signs her work.  In 1981, I was apparently trying something new with my R's.

Amber & Uniqlock

What do you do when you are sick all weekend with a fever that is draining on your mental capacity, have watched all the Netflix Avengers, watched Lost In Translation (your favorite ennui comedy) twice, and even tried watching Caddy Shack only to discover all those people who say it's funny are wrong?

You watch time pass on the Uniqlock.

It's like synchronized swimming on land.  Why does it exist?  To tell time and, of course, to sell clothing in Japan size.  But maybe also to soothe my fever addled brains?

It's also available as an iPhone app.  And, at the top of the hour, they do a longer dance.  Oh, and it changes depending on the (Tokyo) time of day.

Ah, fever.  Ah, Japan.

Amber & "Normal"

I made my biennial man-sock quest to Uniqlo in SoHo over the weekend.

While, there, though, I discovered that they have a basement with all kind of lounge clothing for the ladies.  (This discovery is probably, for many readers, akin to my discovery of sodoku.)  I got a pair of stripey leggings and a couple of stripey tank tops for, well, lounging.  I discovered that I take a size large in Uniqlo, but discovered when I got home that this was not because I am settling like a lovely (but spooky) Victorian mansion but rather because the Japanese are not "normal size."

This tag was on the tank top I am currently wearing.  It says...

Japan Size

This product has been made to

Japanese specifications and is

therefore a little smaller than

normal. We recommend that

you try it on for size.

It strikes me as odd, that use of "normal."

Amber & So Many Questions

This video, called "Kitten that occupies bed," posted by a user named LoveScottishFold has occupied a big chunk of my mental energy this morning.



Have the Japanese invented some new kind of e-collar?  Why does that little buddy guard the bed so feverishly?  Is he a trained guard kitty?

Amber & A Post for Jimmy

Jimmy, this one is all yours.

Amber & Seal Cats

Luckily, CRD introduced us to Sirotan, so we can appreciate this Japanese cat video.

Amber & Ramen

I took the day off for a two-day weekend, so I won't be documenting coffee today. Instead, I'll tell you, loud and proud: I love ramen. I seriously would eat ramen once a day if I could make my own decent dashi. The addition of Ippudo to my life, aka The Best Ramen I Have Ever Tasted, has been a huge leap on the path to perfect contentment.


(Notice that they put the name of the restaurant on the omelet just in case I get confused about where I am.)

Jimmy just posted a photo set of Nick and I in the midst of ramen bliss. It made me hungry. For ramen.


There are also a couple of photos of me and Nick being fascinated by objects: his earring, an umbrella. I don't remember what that was about, but I totally remember how wonderous the ramen were.

Sigh. Good times.

Amber & Amigurumi

I learned about a new handicraft sweeping the planet today. The Japanese (who else?) call it amigurumi and it's the art of crocheting or knitting cutie buddies. Wikipedia says,

"Amigurumi are typically cute animals (such as bears, rabbits, cats, dogs, etc.), but can include inanimate objects endowed with anthropomorphic features.... The pervading aesthetic of amigurumi is cuteness. To this end, typical amigurumi animals have an over-sized spherical head on a cylindrical body with undersized extremities."

What's not to love about an art with a pervading aesthetic of cuteness?

I so know what I am doing this weekend.