November 12, 2008

Japanese surprises from San Fransisco!

It was such a long time since I participated in a BBM exchange, almost two years! And I almost missed this one too - if not the lovely Stephanie had let me in at the last minute...what a stroke of luck!
Anyway, on Mondays I am out with the other mums taking a walk with our little ones and when I got back to the house there was a message from Federal Express that they had been there with no luck but they would try again "automatically" three times and also they left a warrant to post on the door that I allowed them to leave the package on the doorstep if I wasn´t at home. So far so good. On Tuesdays we go to a baby singsong thing where the kids have fun and get tired and the mums can have coffee afterwards, very nice. And I got home to - nothing. OK so maybe on Wednesday. No. So I called them, and it turned out that to get that second "automatic" delivery you would have to call them. So this Thursday, finally!!! I got my longed-for package from
Bonnie of Kumquat connection who very thoughtfully had put a large box toegther for me, filled with her own favourites. And mine, as it turned out! "Japanese I wrote in the title for this - it wasn´t all Japanese but lots of it. And I happen to looooove Japanese food, and I happen to not buy Japanese things very often because all the shops are in Stockholm and it is quite expensive and you don´t know how to use everything (Thanks to my friend Maiko I know some at least, after a guided tour at JFK, Japan Food and Kitchen a couple of years ago. Ocha-zuke, ocha-zuke!).

Well, Bonnie also has got me addicted to Trader Joe´s "Everything" Pretzels which probably are impossible to get hold of here - very inconvenient. I will have to get a wishlist here on the blog like Anne does, in hope for nice people over there to send me a new bag now and then. Sigh.

Enough said: here are the full contents of my package!
  • Large bags of Pretzels like I told you, incredibly tasty!
  • Box of Bonnie´s favourite crackers, Ak Mak´s - similar to Swedish hardbread and also very nice, my man has already finished most of it
  • Bag of candy corn, seasonal this time of year. Bonnie said people tend to love or hate it, she loves it and I do too, this bag exists no more
  • Small bar of chocolate with bacon, intriguing! Bonnie said that this probably was the craziest thing in the box but actually I had already heard of it. I am a big fan of chocolate with salt so also this one exists no more
  • Jar of grilled bell peppers from Trader Joe´s, looking very tasty. Grilled peppers are a staple also at my house so I really appreciated this! I love to use it for example in a feta cheese spread.
  • Udon noodles, which I have wanted to try for a very long time but never got round to, but with Bonnie´s guidance they exist no more. I made a delicious soup on that very evening!
  • Noodle soup base with that fantastic Japanese umami taste that makes you want more and more - I hope to find something similar when this bottle is finished
  • Japanese chili spice, also for the soup. A little smoky, a little sweet and very hot!
  • Rice spice mix with wasabi and seaweed and other things, to sprinkle over rice
  • And finally that delicious tea I always drink at sushi restaurants but have not found - it is hard to know which is which at a Japanese shop with no Swedish or English instructions! Bonnie included neat little unfilled teabags, like a small pillowcase to fold in a little of the tea and soak in hot water.

Thank you so much for all this Bonnie - and above all the small tips you gave on how to use everything. Now I feel inspired to use also the soba noodles I have in the cupboard, and I will certainly approach the shelves at JFK next time I am in Stockholm. A special thank you also to Stephanie, who arranged this event and very kindly let me participate although I was one day late...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hellooooo! Long time no... talk! ;-)

Happy to know that you still like Ocha-zuke. Seeing the photos of these food makes me miss simple Japanese food... :-( I'm still in Timor-Leste, and it's hard to get these things here. And we can never be sure if the parcel from overseas can safely reach Dili. (And there is no mail delivery service within this country yet...)

Gee, I miss Sweden's cold cold winter...! (Yes, I can hear you say "Unbelievable! You like the cold and dark winter here!?") But yeah, to me it was one of the most unforgettable winters... I saw northern light for the first time in my life, being protected by your super warm suits. (thanks again for letting me use them while in Kiruna) And the festivity of Nobel prize, my birthday (haha), warm and nice lunch at the hidden corners of the Old Town, and the white white Christmas..., woooow, Stockholm was so very beautiful and everything was sparkling to my eyes! ;-)

It's getting into a rainy season here. Getting so so so hot and humid...! Whew.

Stay in touch!

Karin said...

Kristina!

jag är jätteintresserad av att vara med i dessa byten men har inte riktigt fattat var och hur jag anmäler mig