In the area where I am currently located, the only thing I have access to, in ways of japanese food supplies is bulk bulk and more bulk... While i have no problem when this is rice and soba noodles ^.^ Someone recently bought me 2 pounds (907 grams) of tahini which i have no idea what to do with considering i'm a non-native bentoist. So i would love if anyone could post any ideas so I don't waste perfectly good food.

Maki, if you get a chance while you are in Japan, I'd like to see photos of, or read posts about: - Food Festivals - Regional ekiben - Gyoza in Yokohama & Gyoza Stadium - The packaged gyoza from Yokohama that comes with collectible ceramic shoyu containers P.S. Very glad to hear that your mom is out of the hospital. P.P.S Your Loft & Tokyu Hands photos are giving me heart palpations!

Recently I've been trying "new" things - things that in the past, I haven't liked. Even though I remember trying them in the past and being thoroughly disgusted with these foods, by trying them again I have opened up delicious new possibilities for cooking! Mostly seafood like shrimp, prawns, crab, scallops, clams, but also just today Soy Milk.

I have a couple things floating around, and I didn't see anything on the website mentioning use-by dates... unless I missed it, which is quite possible. So first of all, frozen mochi. I bought it for Tanabata (July 7) and used it up one by one, so the leftovers have never been thawed. How long does it last? It's unflavored. Used for moffles, which are amazing.

I pack myself a bento on the days when I'm taking the kids into town and staying at university (where I am no longer a student, but I just can't be bothered driving home when I know I'll need to drive back in a few hours). I just hang out in the student lounge at the Catholic chaplaincy, and find if I have a bento lunch I usually have to eat it before eleven because I just can, and it's so delicous, sitting there tempting me with it's smiley Kitty face. Then I'm hungry by 3, because I ate too soon.