Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Drinks

     I arranged the stuff I bought at a convenience store on the desk. It was fun to read Korean letters on their labels. These drinks are also on shelves in Japanese convenience stores so I knew their names. I was interested in how they were expressed in Korean. "Pocari Sweat" is well known in Japan. Other drinks are also commonly seen in Japan. Other stuff on the shelves also attracted me. Some were copies of Japanese products. I tried some of them during my stay. Some were good and others were below an acceptable standard.

Hungry

     She had a bad smell of garlic. She seemed to eat garlicky foods alone. As for me, I was so hungry. I was going to have some dinner with her, but it was too late. I could order the room service, but it was expensive and I went out for some snacks. I bought a snack in a convenience store and grabbed a hamburger at a McDonalds. This was my first food in Korea.

A320

     I saw my plane, an A320, from the departure lounge although I couldn't tell the detailed classification. It was a long time ago when I got on this type of plane last. Also the company, Asiana Airlines, was new to me. I've never used this carrier. I wondered what the flight was going to be like. I got nervous and excited all at once. "Let's go aboard!"
     A cheap dinner was served just after taking off. It was not good, but it was better than nothing. To tell the truth, it helped me later and I'm going to write the reason in a later entry. Actually I didn't expect any food to be served, because the flight time was only an hour and 30 minutes. I want to show you, but I'm sorry, I forgot to take a picture of it.

Today's Dinner

     You might think that this dinner is a bit cheap or poor, but actually, this is my dinner today. I have to check out the dinner for hospitalized patients before service. Since I started working as a surgeon twenty some years ago, I've tasted meals prepared for hospital feeding at least 10 times a week. These meals are strictly controlled by nutritionists. While eating this dinner, I thought that my health might be kept by these meals, because I have nothing wrong in my health now. On the other hand, I thought like this as well. We, present advanced countries' people, might be taking in too many calories compared with the ancient people who were making a precarious living because people might not be able to get foods for the next day.

（Vocabulary）
make a precarious living 　　不安定な生活をする

Starspotted smooth-hound (Mustelus manazo)

     It's not so common for me to write about this kind of fish as a topic of my blog and you can see how it is in the following picture. Yes, it's a kind of shark.
     I live in Ehime Prefecture in the southern part of Japan, and especially in southern Ehime, this shark has been eaten for a long time. The name of this local cuisine is "Fuka no yuzarashi". I'm addicted to it.
     Starspotted smooth-hound is called "Fuka" in Ehime. You strip the starspotted thin membrane off the skin of a fresh one first and fillet it with its whole skin. Next, you slice it into what you call sashimi in Japan, then blanch it in the boiling water, and lastly immerse it in iced water. When you eat it, you dip it in the fermented soybean paste blended with mustard. This cuisine is essential for ceremonial occasions such as coming of age, marriage, funeral and ancestral worship in Ehime. The bland taste of "Fuka" is well blended in with a spicy paste and it stimulates our appetite. It can be more colorful and tasty with tofu, cucumber, konjaku and other vegetables.
     I wonder where else people eat similar dishes in the world.

(Vocabulary)
starspotted smooth-hound　星鮫　フカ(愛媛での呼び名)
local cuisine  郷土料理
genre  ジャンル
blanch   <野菜など> を湯通しする, 湯にくぐらせる
immerse  (フォーマル) (液体に) …をすっかり浸す, つける
immerse sb/sth in something
Immerse your foot in cold water.  足を冷水につけなさい．
fermented soybean paste  味噌
ceremonial occasions for the coming of age, marriage, funeral and ancestral worship  冠婚葬祭
bland foods  淡泊な
stimulate one's appetite   食欲をそそる

(KW: フカのゆざらし　愛媛　郷土料理)

Drivers Club Rookie (DCR)

     DCR is a circle of like-minded people who are interested in automobiles. I have belonged to this club for about 20 years. The year-end party of DCR was held on the 22nd and I'm writing about this party this time.
     We chatted about lots of things that had happened this year and the main topic was Rally Japan 2008 that six of us had joined last month. Several goods from the rally were on the table, which was going to be prizes for some quiz. A few sponsors also offered prizes to the party and our party was gorgeous. Pictures are of a bicycle from Lamborghini, a radio control car which I won, a mask for a party which was the lowest prize and the scene of the selection meeting.

Yokaro, Fugu Restaurant

     The end of the year party is an annual event in Japan. People from the office, people interested in the same subject, or just friends get together and enjoy eating, drinking and chatting.
     Today, I attended one of the parties, the members of which were unusual. The common interest of them was a desire to eat "fugu", balloon fish. There were OPD nurses, care workers and some patients too. One of us recorded the dishes in the following URL: http://homepage2.nifty.com/zebo/etc/2008-12-21/index.html
     Fugu has the poison that could kill people and I sometimes hear the news that tells us of an accident when someone died after eating fugu. It is delicious, though. If it was prepared by a qualified and registerd cook, fugu is safe food.
     Have you tried it?

(Vocabulary)
balloon fish / blowfish / puffer fish / puffer  フグ

(KW: 与加呂　よかろう)

Bingo

     We are coming up to the end of the year 2008. I attended the annual event, the end of the year party, this year too. The picture shows the party. Some people who are standing in the picture were waiting to call their bingos after getting four numbers.
     I looked for some words about bingo in order to write this entry. When you hit a jackpot, you would shout "Bingo!". Then when you got four numbers in line, how do you express the situation? We, Japanese call "Reach!". Additionally, my dictionary says that the bingo game is one of the gambles and for aged people. It usually is held in Catholic churches or Indian reservations. Is that right?

 

Shin-Chitose Airport

     We arrived at Shin-Chitose Airport just as scheduled. We drove our car in the snow and rain all the way from Orofure Pass to Chitose City. It seems like I might be a rain bringer, especially in Hokkaido. Anyway, as usual for my departure from Hokkaido, it got clear in the sky. Why is it always like this?
     We enjoyed shopping individually and got together again at a restaurant. I had a local dish, Chan-Chan Barbecue, which is grilled salmon and vegetables. Beer? Naturally, I got a local beer. I'll show you below.

(Vocabulary)
rain bringer / rain man  雨男

Walking at Night 2

     We roamed through the busiest street. I'm showing you some pictures that were taken there below. The 1st picture is a Japanese pinball parlor. Japanese pinball is called "pachinko" and pachinko parlors have developed as well as lots of other industries, but this parlor looked like one from 20 years ago. I felt a kind of nostalgia.
     Next, I found incredibly big cabbages by the street. I didn't know how they had grown, but it might be due to the earth's heat. People started getting back to their hotels and the street was getting sparse in the 3rd picture. The 4th picture is a stock pool of Alaska King crabs.

(Vocabulary)
pinball parlor / pinball saloon  パチンコ屋
Japanese pinball   パチンコ
earth's heat   地熱
sparsely / sparse  まばらに まばらな(髪の毛など)
a sparsely populated area  人口のまばらな地域
(Alaska) King crab   タラバガニ

Drive

     Actually we had another plan. We were planning to visit Noboribetsu Onsen Hot Spring after the Japan Rally. Our hometown is far away from Hokkaido and we couldn't visit Hokkaido so often. This rally was a good opportunity to visit Hokkaido. As soon as we got free from the rally, we rented a minivan in downtown Sapporo City and went out of town heading for the south. Amazingly, the weather had changed to be worse again and we had rain with snow. We dropped in at a famous resthouse at Nakayama Pass to get some hot drinks or food. We were supposed to be able to see the magnificent Mt. Youtei, but couldn't due to thick fog.

 (KW: 中山峠　あげいも　羊蹄山)

Refueling The Generator

     A plastic can of fuel was delivered to us. When I saw the can, I realized that the fuel wasn't gasoline, because this can was not for gasoline. We are strictly prohibited to carry gasoline with this can. This can is used for kerosene, not gasoline. Gasoline is highly inflammable.
     If that was all, I wouldn't want to write about the fuel and the can. When this fuel was being poured into the generator, it smelled good and tasty. What? It was the smell of fritters, not organic solvent. It was made from waste frying oil. I didn't know that waste cooking oil could be turned into fuel. The ecological lifestyle is promoted all over the world now. The use of this type of fuel might have been a promotion.

(Vocabulary)
Japanese deep-fried food / fritter　天ぷら、衣をつけて油で揚げる料理
inflammability, inflammable  引火性
inflammation    炎症
organic solvent  有機溶媒
frying oil  天ぷら油

Breakfast

     This was our breakfast of Day 3. It was the typical and traditional breakfast in Japan. What do you think was the food in the smaller round bowl? It was Natto, fermented soy beans, noted as a healthy food in Japan, but many foreigners would hate it. An Australian official was sitting next to our table and I was observing him out of curiosity. I guessed that he would leave it unattended, but he completed his breakfast. Moreover, he knew how to eat it. He must have been used to Japan. He stirred it enough and added an egg and a little soy sauce. It was the perfect mannerism. He noticed and smiled at me, and I said, "Perfect" with a smile.

(KW: 納豆　日本食　ラリージャパン　rally Japan 札幌)

Dinner

     Today's dinner is a fried pork cutlet and vegetable soup. I was so hungry and chilled to the bone. This dinner was all the more delicious.

(Vocabulary)
chilled [frozen] to the bone [marrow]   体が冷えきって
all the more / still [much] more    なおさら

At Eating Area

     Today's lunch was ramen. The word ramen is derived from the Japanese and it was a kind of noodle as you can see in the picture. I'll show you the atmosphere in the eating area. When we got out of the eating area, we met our friends from Ehime Prefecture.

Patisserie Stella Maris

     We dropped in at a cake shop run by the brother of one of our party. We took a rest here and tasted his cakes and drinks. It was very good and I'd like to promote the shop. This shop's URL is: http://www.stella-maris.co.jp/

(KW: ステラ・マリス 札幌 澄川)

Dinner

     Today's dinner was kimchi (Korean pickle) soup. It was hot and tasty. It was very nice menu, especially on such a cold night. It warmed my body.

 

Hot Noodle and Rice Ball

     The picture shows our lunch today. It was so simple, but filling. We call it "Udon." On the other hand, do you know the black sheet around the rice ball. I looked for the suitable word for you English speakers, but I couldn't find it in my dictionary. We pick seaweed that sticks to the rock in the sea and add some seasonings to it and next, extend it to the thinness of paper and dry it under the mild sunlight. "Nori" is made like this. I know that Koreans eat this kind of food just like us. Do you know of another country's people who are fond of this food?

(Vocabulary)
filling  腹持ちがよい　食べ応えがある　腹がふくれる

 

Meals

     Rally officials were provided with all their meals during the Rally. I had been afraid before flying into Hokkaido that boxed meals would be cold. It would be difficult to keep them hot in the cold air of Hokkaido. I heard about the catering service, but I thought it meant that someone would deliver boxed meals to every point where the rally officials were working.
     However, it was not true. It was no use worrying. The organizers were professional. A large tent was prepared as an eating place. The first picture shows the breakfast on Oct. 31st. Scrambled eggs and kelp boiled in soy sauce were on the rice. We named it the bowl of double colors. Steamed potatoes with butter was one of the famous foods in Hokkaido.
     The second picture shows the catering service men. As you see, they wore the same uniform as me. They were also rally officials. These catering staff members seemed to be dispatched in the forest where the special stages were designed. I wondered how systematic and meticulously scheduled the official side of the rally was. The last picture shows the inside of the tent.
     I finished the breakfast. The time has come. I'll do anything that I have to do. I hope I will have  the chance to talk to worldclass famous drivers.

(Vocabulary)
provide sb with sth    人に～を提供する
boxed meal    弁当
food boiled in soy sauce    佃煮
meticulously     細心の注意を払って、慎重に
The time has come.     いよいよだ。

Roll Call

     At 8:30 in the morning. We gathered in the lobby for a roll call. Nobody overslept. The second picture shows the menu. During Rally Japan, rally officials were provided with a free catering service. I'm going to show you some dishes later which were simple but not bad.

(Vocabulary)
call / call-over / count / roll call   点呼