Pet Please #126: Context

I was recently listening to a podcast about a board game I’m somewhat unfamiliar with. There were three podcast hosts, and several times throughout the review, one of the podcasters mentioned a specific character in the game. They mentioned the character by name, chortling about their love/hate relationship the character, but they didn’t explain anything … Read more

What’s Your Favorite Spoon?

I’m 35 years old, and I’ve never bought silverware. When I went to college, my parents gave me some of their old silverware. Forks, spoons, knives, chopsticks, that sort of thing. Over the years as I’ve had roommates come and go, I’ve accumulated more random utensils. Now I have more than enough. So it was … Read more

Numbing Spice: Am I Doing It Wrong?

A few weeks ago I was talking with my brother and his fiance about their recent trip to Japan. I’m always curious about the food people eat when they travel, and they said they had tried some dishes involving sichuan, the numbing spice. I’d never heard of the spice even though I’ve definitely eaten food … Read more

What’s Your Favorite Japanese Candy?

I’m wagering today’s entry on the assumption you’ve eaten Japanese candy. Maybe you ate a Pocky Stick during a cultural day. Maybe you sampled a Hi-Chew at a Japanese festival. Or maybe you tried a green tea Kit Kat at some point. Well, unless you’ve had a Kinoko no Yama, you haven’t truly lived. A … Read more

Orlando

Today I was planning to write something silly, as I usually do, but I can’t. I just can’t. The worst mass shooting in US history happened early this morning in Orlando. A solitary gunman shot and killed at least 50 people. My heart is heavy for those who died, as well as their families, friends, … Read more

Outlander!

Many years ago, a friend told me about a book she was reading. If a person could swoon while describing a book, that’s what my friend did when describing Outlander.  Based on her description, I all-too-quickly disregarded the book as “chick lit,” which really wasn’t fair at all. I did, however, enjoy that the main love … Read more