February 8, 2017
When we talked about me creating a cocktail with the theme of love for Valentine’s day, I balked. Love… ha! How trite! But in these tumultuous times, we could all use some love. Now, more than ever, am I right? When I walked with thousands of other people at the Women’s March in January, we chanted in unison, […]
February 3, 2017
– In celebration of its new specialty store in Tokyo, Kit Kat made limited-edition sushi Kit Kats. Sounds gross? If you were worried about fish-flavored candy, you can rest easy that these sushi-shaped confections will taste more like fruity chocolates, rather than actual sushi. The Kit Kat sushi will come shaped like three different nigiri pieces: […]
February 20, 2014
We’re in Japan at the moment and there are luxurious, sparkling boxes of chocolates everywhere being sold for “White Day”. Huh? Oh yah, that’s right, it’s the day, one month after Valentine’s Day, when men give women chocolates. HUH??!?!? It’s true. In Japan, it is tradition for the ladies to gift chocolates to the men […]
February 8, 2013
“Champagne for our real friends and real pains for our sham friends.†– A toast from Harry’s Bar in Paris circa 1920 This Valentine’s Day, make sure your pre or post-romantic dinner drink is the classic champagne cocktail. The French 75 is the grand dame of champagne cocktails and has been the basis for dozens […]
February 14, 2012
Japan is filled with weird desserts. A lot of influence comes from the west, but we somehow incorporate Japan-ness into western desserts. For example, castella came from Portugal and somehow the recipe changed a bit and one of the ingredients now is mirin (sweet sake). Or choux filled with red bean/whipped cream mix. Ichigo daifuku […]
January 14, 2011
We’ve started off 2011 in cheesy mood here at Umamimart HQ, and have launched the Love U Feb 14% Sale in time for Valentine’s Day. All items in the Shop are now 14% off! Please take a look around. You’ll find that we’ve added the Yarai Mixing Glass + Barspoon Set, as well as the […]
March 14, 2009
This is my third White Day. One of my first blog posts on UM was about my first White Day. Then there was last year’s White Day. Three times a charm and I finally realized that White Day is the one time to really milk it in the Japanese workplace. So this year, I made […]
February 12, 2009
Preface: Kitchen Follies: Chocolate Turd As you know, I have a tendency to fight till I get it right. This only happens when I am cooking. I usually don’t have strong will power, as I’ve already given up all the good things I tried to start in the new year. Smoke less, drink less, bitch […]
February 11, 2009
When I committed to making the Happy Hour column a regular Wednesday thing, I realized that either I’d have it pre-written and ready to be posted at the designated time (ideal scenario) or that I’d write it on the day of and post it immediately. What I didn’t take into account is that I’m sort […]