Today's tea is an ordinary green tea. I don't remember where I got it from anymore because I put it into a tea canister and didn't think to make a note of it. I love all kinds of tea but green tea is great when you want something a bit refreshing, and calming at the same time. I know my Bodum teapot doesn't really match the Japanese pottery but it is great for making tea. And that's Bailey there in the background.
I thought I'd also include a snack, because the only thing better than tea and a book, is tea, a book and something sweet, right? But also because it ties in nicely with the current Hello Japan! mini-challenge which is focusing on Japanese food. Karinto is like a sweet cracker, made from deep fried bits of dough that are then coated with sugar, and maybe sesame seeds or peanuts like we had today. The slight sweetness of the karinto goes really well with hot green tea.
The book I'm reading is The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata. I have to admit I'm not too far into it yet but I'm enjoying it, and I have high hopes for it. Kawabata is a Japanese author, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and as the story is set in post-war Kyoto, it's a perfect match with both the green tea and karinto.
10 Comments:
Great post, I love both Kawabata and Japanese green tea. Nice to have pictures too. I look forward to doing this feature again when I'm up to it.
I love green tea, well, all tea, actually. I'm really drinking it more as I try to stay away from my beloved Coke, and Starbucks coffee. My current favorite is Dragon Eye Oolong which I've just discovered can be ordered online through Amazon.com (Is there nothing they don't sell?!) I want to read The Old Capital, too, by the way. And, as to your food mini challenge, I just couldn't get into sushi so I'm a very poor participant this month. Looking forward to December, though!
Neat meme!! I'd love to hear more about your teas :)
Oh that just looks so lovely and yummy, what a great picture.
Karinto sounds delicious. I've never had it before.
Bellezza - Me too! I love all kinds of tea which is a good thing since I can't seem to drink coffee anymore. I do miss Starbucks sometimes though.
And you're right, there sure isn't much that Amazon doesn't sell these days!
To be honest, I have to be in the right mood for sushi. But you know that there is much more to Japanese food than sushi, right? How about tempura, udon, sukiyaki, etc. etc. etc. If you tell me some of your main food likes/dislikes I can suggest some Japanese food that you might like. If you want, that is. :)
Monica - I thought it sounded like a fun meme. I'm so loving the cooler weather these days and drinking more tea. I found some yummy strawberry and rhubarb tea the other day that I'll have to post about one of these Thursdays.
Sandra - I hope you're feeling better again soon.
Rebecca - Karinto is quite crunchy, the texture is kind of like hard pretzels, but a little bit sweet. The kind of thing that once you start eating it, you often can't stop. :P
Jodie - It was pretty yummy. On that note, I think I need to make some tea and settle down with my book.
What a wonderful meme! Tea and books. I like your snack addition. I've never heard of Karinto; will have to see if I can get it here. We have a lot of Asian markets, so perhaps I'll find it. I have completed the November assignment to eat some Japanese food. I just need to post about it and include my pics of the dishes we ordered.
Terri B. - Tea and books are such a great combination, aren't they? I hope you can find some karinto so you can try it for yourself. One thing I really like about it, and Japanese sweets in general, is that they're not too sweet as most of the time I don't really like things overly sweet.
Thanks for taking part in this month's Hello Japan! task.
* Waves to Bailey * :)
Is your karinto store-bought or homemade? In case of the latter... recipe, please??? I would love to try it sometime! I am still bummed out that I didn't get to do all those things I wanted for the Hello Japan mission :(
One of the recipes I had wanted to try was for cookies as well! Maybe this month ;)
Gnoe - Bailey is sleeping right now but I'll let him know you said hi! :)
The karinto was store-bought, sorry. I've never tried to make it but I had a quick look and I found this karinto recipe, although it doesn't mention the sugar coating.
As I mentioned on your blog, I'd love to see some of the other things you had planned so I hope you'll go ahead with them. :)
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