I saw the coffee cup and stopped dead in my tracks. Best. Logo. Ever. The colors! The font! The way the logo takes up the entire length of the cup! It’s all very 1970’s punk rock meets Communist Russia. LOVIT. Pannikin is an awesome cafe in Encinitas, housed in an old train station. Their motto […]
Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori
November 16, 2009
Postcard from California, I: The VG Donut (SD)
I’m in San Diego right now, visiting my best friend from childhood. We drove up north to Encinitas on Saturday in her 1963 Mercury Comet (SO HOT!), and made a pitstop at VG Donut & Bakery. This donut was so fluffy and moist– the glaze wasn’t too sticky or hard, and the entire thing just […]
November 13, 2009
Postcards from Japan, VII: Road Squid
Whole squid being hung out to dry, off the side of a major highway in Izu. I love their little feet hanging off the edges. Cute.
November 9, 2009
Postcards from Japan, VI: Maitake Delivery
Japan’s country-wide home delivery service is probably the most efficient, speedy and convenient system in the world. You could literally get anything, ANYTHING, delivered to your doorstep in a matter of hours. It puts FedEx to shame, shame, shame. You can even get your suitcase delivered to your house from the airport! GENIUS! My aunt […]
November 6, 2009
The Umami Reader, vol. 73: “Talk To ‘Em, You Speak Shellfish!”
– Popular SF Italian resto A16 opened an outpost in Tokyo in September. The entire operation, although commendable, sounds like a nightmare. Also, the Japanese DEF like their spaghetti- you prolly shouldn’t mess with that. (SF Gate; via Melanie) – Top 100 things that restaurant staff should never do on duty. As a glorified waitress […]
November 5, 2009
Postcards from Japan, V: Soy Shabu
The cold weather, as Yoko just talked about, could only mean one thing: HOT POT TIME! Look at that thinly sliced, luscious piece of scarlet red cow flesh. How ever so privileged we are. This is an individual-sized shabu-shabu nabe (hotpot) we got at our ryokan (Japanese-style hotel) in the coastal town of Izu. Instead […]
November 4, 2009
Heads Up – Umamiventure #21: The Nemo Taco Crawl (SD)
UPDATE: Hi everyone! I hope you all are ready for the Fish Taco Crawl in San Diego THIS SUNDAY! It’s gonna be a blast. So a few new details for you: – I’ll be staying in North Park– please feel free to meet us at our place and we can just carpool together from one […]
November 3, 2009
Reflection: NYC Break-Up
One year ago today, I broke up with New York City. I sold all my furniture, packed up all my things into many, many boxes and with the help of Erin, managed to clean and just barely move out of my darling little Brooklyn studio. A year ago. Today. I showed up to NYC in […]
October 30, 2009
USA JUNKtion: Nutz for Utz
I can’t call myself a potato chip connoisseur, but Utz is by far my favorite brand. It’s a company out of Hanover, PA, and I used to always buy a big bag of it at the store when I lived in NY. It’s totally no-frills, and super cheap, at 99 cents a bag. I had […]