Making an Effort

On my second day in Japan, which was rather immediate since I arrived late at night, and after having my first morning of training, I was invited to lunch.  If I remember correctly, the “trainer” was given a lunch in lieu of payment for the extra assignment.  In fact, he told me that I should eat as much of the food as I could in that first house because that would be the last perk the company would provide.

The trainer and I–honestly, I do not remember his name and I am too lazy to consult the journal I kept of that time.–went to a restaurant near the school. I only ever ate there once, but it was a typical non-chain restaurant that dotted the streets around the main JR train station in Wakayama.  Being new to Japan and Japanese food, I ordered the “hamburg set”.  This was more like a meatball in some sauce along rice, vegetables and pickles.  It wasn’t sushi, but not all of Japanese food is.  I have come to appreciate lots of other Japanese dishes that aren’t the ones that get most of the attention.  When the food came, the trainer explained to me that his Japanese was good enough to get me a fork, but that it would be better to use chopsticks as I would learn sooner.  While I later learned that his claim of his “Japanese being good enough” was a bit ridiculous because I could have just said “fork” and I would have been given one, his advice about chopsticks was correct.  You only get better with practice and it is never too early to start.

What’s all this got to do with Today’s Perfect Moment? Last night, my girlfriend and I went out for some Korean food and ate our meal with metal Korean chopsticks.  It had been quite some time since we had eaten Asian food.  We both noticed that her technique and ability had improved quite a lot.  I asked her if she had been practicing, but she said no.

I make a big deal about using chopsticks in this blog, but really it is a rather mundane part of my life. I’ve got a drawer full of chopsticks, and they get used for a lot of things.  For some dishes, chopsticks are a go to and others are not.  However, I often forget that they are not as easy for some people.  Some people have not eaten salad, or eggs, or hamburger with chopsticks.

I appreciate the effort she is making. When we were finished, she asked the difficult question.  “Am I ready for ramen?”  I so desperately want to share this dish with her, especially since a whole pile of decent–though horribly overpriced–places have opened in the GTA.

Fearing that I didn’t hear her, she asked again. “Am I ready for ramen?”  One step at a time, Grasshopper.  One step at a time.

Korean Dinner

As you can see by the pictures, it looked delicious and I can faithfully report that indeed it was delicious. Maybe changing up the routine is a good thing. Friday’s Perfect Moment is about going out for food.  In a somewhat spur of the moment idea, a friend and I went out for Korean food.  I was planning on getting home early and getting rest for my first Saturday morning ride with the Newmarket Eagles, so this definitely wasn’t in the plan.

The thing is, after a somewhat grinding week at work, a series of tedious early morning commutes, and an encounter with a bonafide gold-digger, I needed something to change up the routine.

I didn’t indulge in any beer, so I won’t have that excuse for Saturday morning.

Korean Food

After work, before Today’s Perfect Moment, I went to my favourite bar where they make their own beer, As you can see from the photo, the beer looks awesome.  The waiter was kind enough to give us some samples of beer that we didn’t choose thinking it would help us down the road.

That certainly could have been Today’s Perfect Moment. In fact, Toronto’s first hockey game of the year could also have been Today’s Perfect Moment.  They scored seven goals, which might be a record for an opening game.

However, I have chosen my meal of Korean food as Today’s Perfect Moment. It was delicious and fun to eat.  I am very thankful that Toronto has a lot of ethnic food restaurants.  There are so many delicious things to eat.

 

Zero to Hero, Cellar to Stellar

Being remiss lately in regards to this blog (negligent is such legally loaded word and is best left unused), I had better update it when I can. There certainly has been no shortage of Perfect Moments.

Last night, in fact, was a night that the Perfect Moments knew they were in competition and did a good job of one-upping themselves as the night progressed. Having had a bad start, I worried that there wasn’t going to be a Perfect Moment, so I started noting them early, without reflection, unconsciously trying to erase the poor beginning.

Let me explain

The Less Than Perfect Start

Getting off work early on Friday, meant I had a little time to explore. Rain seemed imminent, so I wanted to explore somewhere indoors.  I also did not want to do too much walking because my calf muscle still gets pretty stiff and painful after a few hundred metres.

Being heavily influenced by Lawrence Block’s anti-hero Keller, the stamp collecting hit man, I thought I would go to a stamp dealer just to see what this hobby is about. What I have seen online doesn’t give me a clear understanding of the hobby.  Being a hobby in decline (so they say) there aren’t a lot of places  to go and see anything up close.  I had lots of time before meeting my friend for drinks and food, so I researched a few places and set off in search of philatelic paradises.

The first was closed. I was a little disappointed, but I just decided to go to the other place on my list.  Sadly, my list did not include a phone number.  When I got to the second place, the rain began and I found the business had also closed for a vacation.  I had wrongly surmised that since I had to work the Friday of a long weekend, most other people would too.  Obviously I was wrong.

The First Perfect Moment

 

After the stamp debacle, I arrived about 40 minutes too early to meet my friend. As usual, I was carrying a book (a forgettable tale of drugs, biker gangs, and police informants), so I went in search of someplace to read.  I figured, I would find a Tim Hortons, get out of the rain, and read a few chapters.  As any Canadian will tell you, you’re rarely far from a location of the donut franchise.  Huddled under my slightly broken umbrella, fate intervened.

I passed what I instantly recognized as a Vietnamese cafeteria style restaurant. I had an inspiration to have some “white coffee with ice”, as I had done on my vacation.  Though only six-months gone, nostalgia hit me like a freight train.  I had no trouble waiting for my friend.  I should also mention there  was a discount because the restaurant/cafeteria was participating in Summerlicious.

The Second Perfect Moment

After meeting my friend, we decided to stick with the Asian theme and go to a place that served both Japanese and Korean food. It had been a while since I had sashimi, but after one bite, I knew I had been missing it; craving it, in fact.  It was so delicious that I vowed to myself that I would never again go that long between sashimi meals.

As you can see by the image I have provided, someone at the restaurant has been watching the Food Network a lot lately.  I cannot believe there is any other reason for me having to eat my raw fish out of a martini glass.  It is not exactly my idea of presentation.

The Third Perfect Moment

With a few beers in our stomachs, men need to go out and prove themselves. My friend being married precluded the female conquest competition–which, honestly,  neither one of us would have won had we gone that route.  Instead we chose to shoot pool upstairs at the Rivoli.  The Rivoli is a time honoured bar in Toronto that has pool tables upstairs.

Normally, despite the blustery talk of men and boys, drinking does not lead to great pool playing. It is a game of coordination and concentration, which isn’t facilitated by beer.  Luckily we hadn’t drunk very much and the little we had provided a bit of relaxation.

No, the pool hall wasn’t the perfect moment. There were no Fast Eddy characters, all the attractive women came with dates, and although the bartender had an awesome voice (she does commercials she told me) and the music provided was, at times, awesome, it really wasn’t the atmosphere that did it.  The tables were a bit wonky, the cues lacked straightness, and there weren’t enough shelves to rest my beer on.

Instead, what did it was the shot of a lifetime. I hit the perfect two shot sinker.  You know the one I am talking about.  The first ball goes in like it was planned, the cue ball hits the second ball and it slowly, unbelievably, rolls into the pocket just as it seems like it is going to stop on the lip.  It’s like a movie, only it’s happening to you.

To Sum Up

Vietnamese iced coffee + sashimi + pool + friendship = Today’s Perfect Moment