And the midterm exams are OVERRRRRRR! *claps hands like a four-year-old* Now I can focus on other things!

Like eating out with my family for instance. We haven't eaten out together (meaning Dad, Mom, my sister, and me) for a long time.

It started with the four of us getting in the car, leaving our house, and then stopping to think about where we were actually going. We always get into situations like these; I don't know if all the indecision is based on people afraid to mention where they want to eat or just indifferent about the whole food thing.

Psychological analyses aside, we went to a good Japanese restaurant. And when I say good, I mean good. (Like the italics make any difference.) Not your neighborhood Japanese fastfood joint with frozen sushi and low-grade tempura, but a pretty authentic one with fragrant green tea.

Not that we're food snobs, by the way. My family isn't very picky; we'll go anywhere we enjoy be it cheap native grub where we eat without utensils or the nearest McDonalds.

Anyway, here are the major players of the night.




We started out with the complimentary appetizer: pickled cucumbers. My Mom's favorite but something my Dad and my sister wouldn't touch. I ended up eating their share LOL.


My Dad ordered a humongous bowl of noodles, and insisted this was not breaking his diet. My Mom, ever the eater, got some fried tofu in sauce, tempura, and even grilled salmon. Oh, and we all shared the rice.


Fried rice, to be exact. It's what this particular restaurant seemed known for. It was quite good: fragrant with really soft rice grains, chewy meat, and whatnot.

I got my favorite too. Raw fish.


OK, so raw fish isn't everyone's idea of good food. My Mom won't touch it, and my aunt starts reciting health statistics on bacteria and other pathogens when I eat it. And I do agree with them. Maybe. But when fresh, high-quality sashimi is at my reach, yes, I'll eat it. I love how the fish is a little chewy with the subtle flavor of whatever it is (salmon, in this case) when it's cooked, and the smooth slide of it down my throat.

Most people eat this with a little wasabi (green seasoning) and soy sauce to blot out the fishiness. I prefer to pop the thing in my mouth without any of those condiments. I could eat all the pieces by myself. I did eat all the pieces by myself.

The family caught up with what we were doing lately: jobs, schools, amorous stalkers (in my sister's case), and other things. We laughed about stuff that happened and basically just talked. We haven't hung around together like that since... I'm not even sure when the last time was.

Talking like we did meant I forgot to take photos of some of the other food we had. Forgive me for that, dear Reader. I did take pictures of the empty dishes.


We inhaled a lot of green tea then started looking for dessert. My Dad popped into the bakery next door and announced they had coffee. This mattered to the rest of the family --- I am the lone tea drinker. --- so we headed there.


So what did I order? Hot milk. All of you can laugh; the waitress did. I don't know what I was thinking. And there was a lot of milk too; I didn't feel so good after finishing the whole thing. Or maybe I was just getting overly full.

We talked some more and took pictures of each other on our cellphone cameras. My Dad has a talent for getting shots of himself without seeing the viewfinder.

My sister was getting sleepy so we decided to go home after that. But it was a good way to spend the evening, and I'm not only talking about the food.

And the midterm exams are OVERRRRRRR! *claps hands like a four-year-old* Now I can focus on other things!

Like eating out with my family for instance. We haven't eaten out together (meaning Dad, Mom, my sister, and me) for a long time.

It started with the four of us getting in the car, leaving our house, and then stopping to think about where we were actually going. We always get into situations like these; I don't know if all the indecision is based on people afraid to mention where they want to eat or just indifferent about the whole food thing.

Psychological analyses aside, we went to a good Japanese restaurant. And when I say good, I mean good. (Like the italics make any difference.) Not your neighborhood Japanese fastfood joint with frozen sushi and low-grade tempura, but a pretty authentic one with fragrant green tea.

Not that we're food snobs, by the way. My family isn't very picky; we'll go anywhere we enjoy be it cheap native grub where we eat without utensils or the nearest McDonalds.

Anyway, here are the major players of the night.




We started out with the complimentary appetizer: pickled cucumbers. My Mom's favorite but something my Dad and my sister wouldn't touch. I ended up eating their share LOL.


My Dad ordered a humongous bowl of noodles, and insisted this was not breaking his diet. My Mom, ever the eater, got some fried tofu in sauce, tempura, and even grilled salmon. Oh, and we all shared the rice.


Fried rice, to be exact. It's what this particular restaurant seemed known for. It was quite good: fragrant with really soft rice grains, chewy meat, and whatnot.

I got my favorite too. Raw fish.


OK, so raw fish isn't everyone's idea of good food. My Mom won't touch it, and my aunt starts reciting health statistics on bacteria and other pathogens when I eat it. And I do agree with them. Maybe. But when fresh, high-quality sashimi is at my reach, yes, I'll eat it. I love how the fish is a little chewy with the subtle flavor of whatever it is (salmon, in this case) when it's cooked, and the smooth slide of it down my throat.

Most people eat this with a little wasabi (green seasoning) and soy sauce to blot out the fishiness. I prefer to pop the thing in my mouth without any of those condiments. I could eat all the pieces by myself. I did eat all the pieces by myself.

The family caught up with what we were doing lately: jobs, schools, amorous stalkers (in my sister's case), and other things. We laughed about stuff that happened and basically just talked. We haven't hung around together like that since... I'm not even sure when the last time was.

Talking like we did meant I forgot to take photos of some of the other food we had. Forgive me for that, dear Reader. I did take pictures of the empty dishes.


We inhaled a lot of green tea then started looking for dessert. My Dad popped into the bakery next door and announced they had coffee. This mattered to the rest of the family --- I am the lone tea drinker. --- so we headed there.


So what did I order? Hot milk. All of you can laugh; the waitress did. I don't know what I was thinking. And there was a lot of milk too; I didn't feel so good after finishing the whole thing. Or maybe I was just getting overly full.

We talked some more and took pictures of each other on our cellphone cameras. My Dad has a talent for getting shots of himself without seeing the viewfinder.

My sister was getting sleepy so we decided to go home after that. But it was a good way to spend the evening, and I'm not only talking about the food.