Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori


February 2, 2009

Follow UM on Twitter!

by Kayoko Akabori

Ok, ok, so I’ve been totally delayed in getting on the Twitter bus. But I’m in the Silicon Valley now so I’ve gotta start getting hip with all this Web 2.0 stuff right?? Honestly, I just didn’t get how to use Twitter- especially the @Replies. Am I alone here? The clouds parted when Adam Kuban, […]

January 30, 2009

Fridgin’ Out: A Japanese Fridge in Cupertino, Pt. III

by Kayoko Akabori

Preface:Fridgin’ Out: A Japanese Fridge in Cupertino, The CoolerFridgin’ Oug: A Japanese Fridge in Cupertino, The Fridge Door I must say that I totally misunderestimated the absolute horror of my parent’s freezer. Honestly, going into this, I thought this would be the easiest compared to the cooler and fridge door. How so very wrong of […]

January 29, 2009

UM Recession: Free Lunch at Google HQ

by Kayoko Akabori

Went over to Google HQ in Mt. View for lunch today. The plethora of food there is just mind-blowing- not to mention FREE!!! Doesn’t have the views like the NYC offices, but on this warm sunny Norcal day where outdoor seating is practically a requirement, I ain’t complaining. Google offices are scattered all over Mt. […]

January 28, 2009

w(h)ine-o: Deep Purple Wine

by Kayoko Akabori

I don’t pretend to know anything about wine, but I do drink lots of it. When choosing a bottle, I honestly just peruse the aisles with a puzzled look until I see a label that catches my eye. Next, I continue with the pricetag, grape(s), and country of origin. It may be superficial, but aesthetics […]

January 27, 2009

The Umami Reader, vol. 040

by Kayoko Akabori

– Cookin’ with Google is here! Use CWG for recipe hunting- type in a few ingredients and see what Google comes up with for you! (Researchbuzz.org; via Tmonkey) – Patrons of Obama’s fave Chi-town diner get together for the inauguration (Chicago Studies; via Alanna) – Nifty Food Network iPhone app (Food Network; via Bay Area […]

Japan’s #1 Fresh Wasabi

by Kayoko Akabori

Took a bus tour down to the Izu Peninsula back in November, in the Shizuoka prefecture of Japan, full of small coastal towns, fresh seafood and blissful onsen. We stopped at Joren waterfall, which is known for their fresh wasabi. Supposedly, this wasabi is especially good because of the clean, cold water from the Joren. […]

January 26, 2009

Silverlake Cupcake (LA)

by Kayoko Akabori

Inspired by the Food Network’s Ace of Cakes (such creativity!!! I love them!), Sara and I took a cupcake break this weekend at Lark Cake Shop in Silverlake- it’s a darling little bakery on Sunset with gorgeous jewel-like cupcakes and cakes. Lark beholds a wonderous galaxy of wacky cupcake flavors that are (almost) too cute […]

January 23, 2009

Lily’s Taco Stop in Santa Barbara

by Kayoko Akabori

I took at 10 minute detour into Santa Barbara last night on my way to LA- for TACOS!!! People all rave about SB’s La Super Rica, but Peter introduced me to Lily’s Taqueria, which I think is superior to Super Rica- at least for tacos. Why? Because it’s all they serve. If you go to […]

Fridgin’ Out: A Japanese Fridge in Cupertino, Pt. II

by Kayoko Akabori

Preface: Fridgin’ Out: A Japanese Fridge in Cupertino, Pt. 1 Alright so this week I went through my parent’s Fridge Door- which was immensely overwhelming, and I really did not have patience for it like I did with the first part. There is so much stuff in here from years and years ago- the containers […]

January 22, 2009

Crabbin’ in the Richmond (SF)

by Kayoko Akabori

Nhu took PPQ newbies Jacobo, Alice and me out for crab the other night in the Outer Richmond district of San Francisco- YAH!!! PPQ Dungeness Island (isn’t that the best name ever? Stands for Pho Phu Quoc), serves whole crab prepared in a variety of ways, Vietnamese style. No joke, this place is the real […]