THE EMPEROR’S NEW SNOW, Or cloudy with a chance of bullshit…

So, the little weather icon on my home google page warned us that we were in for a little snowstorm this Saturday morning right here in beautiful downtown Aptos.

People on the street were muttering under their breath about the impending doom lurking in the clouds.  This morning I awoke early and raced to the bedroom window where, even without my spectacles, I could clearly distinguish the rows of verdant lawns and the neighbor’s blossoming crabapple tree.  To be honest there was a skiff of frost upon the rooftops but, even on the north slopes that was but a memory by 8:30.

On a related note, Tama and I were driving on the “freeway” near our house last Saturday and got caught in traffic as everyone slowed to peruse the electronic reader board hanging over the west bound lanes… “HEAVY SNOW AT SUMMIT ON HIGHWAY 17” it cautioned… I offered to drive us up there to see what the locals considered to be heavy snow, but bowed to Tama’s wise council that it would be best to stay clear of any roadway that is life threatening on a clear day and currently filled with novice foul weather drivers.  I later heard in my ceramics class that indeed there was nearly 6 inches of snow yet on the ground and the hill folk had squandered the weekend sledding with their children.

Almost like Quincy…

HAPPY VARENTINE’S DAY

Being by nature a romantic old fart, I took the ever lovely Tama out to dinner on the 14^th.  Upon her request we went for Japanese food at a local eatery called Takara.

What a delight.  They have an outstanding sushi bar, but I am so very done with sushi and we wanted more food than that so we waited for a table in the restaurant proper.  Lots of bamboo and wood (but artfully placed) and a tall guy like me couldn’t turn in any direction without crashing through the cotton noren hanging willy-nilly every where.

Made it to the table and received menus and those nifty little rolled up, steaming hot towels on a plate (where are those towels when you really need them after you’ve fingered your way through a whole platter of tempura?)  The house tea they delivered was a pot of genmaicha, my favorite green tea.  It was originally tea for the poor, working class since it has roasted brown rice in it, added back then as filler, which gives it a nutty, toasted back flavor.

Next came the salad… a moment I normally dread in Japanese restaurants.  It is generally my opinion that the Japanese only tangentially caught the concept of salad.  Usually some shredded iceberg lettuce and a glop or two of a nasty, viscous dressing that reminds me a little too much of fluids better left unexamined. Imagine my surprise when this one turned out to be plate licking good.  A guest appearance by sundry other vegetables and a dressing lightly flavored with ginger and sesame oil with a hint of wasabe.  Things were looking up. 

For an entrée Tama had a combination of tempura and beef teriyaki.  Frequently the cow bits for teriyaki come from the chewier portions and require the use of a wakizashi to render it into bite sized chunks… not so here.  Tender and well flavored and of a healthy size (often the asian fusion chefs seem to have no knowledge of how big a cow actually is…) it was generous enough to make lunch the next day.

After dithering between tonkatsu which I love, even though it is just a breaded veal cutlet in a kimono, and tempura, I went with the full combo plate of battered bits of this and that. Shrimp and a wide variety of underground veggies.

I had nothing left for lunch…

Everything was just a hint above expectation and it is someplace I would be happy to take the yokels who are visiting from out of town.

LOST IN TRANSLATION