Don't waste your food!

There is a restaurant owner in Sydney who has decided to turn away patrons who waste food! She says in the article below that if she sees someone leave a lot of food on their plate once, then if they come again, at that time, she tells them something like "You are not welcome here. We don't serve people who waste food here. Go somewhere else of Go home!"

I agree that seems harsh, but I respect and understand her policy.
Read the below link for the actual article.
"Sydney eatery shows food wasters the door"
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20100526f2.html

Do you eat everything when you go to a restaurant?
When I go to an Izakaya, a Japanese restaurant, I often see groups of Japanese people having a party of some sort, for example a farewell party or a welcome party or something. And almost always, they leave food. They don't eat everything. If the portions were very big, then I can understand this. But the portions are not so big, and often they leave about one piece or two pieces of each dish. Like one piece of sushi. Only one piece of sushi? You are telling me that no one has room for one more piece of sushi? I doubt that! In America people would be playing rock-paper-scissors for the last piece of sushi! There wouldn't be any food left on the table when the party was finished!! So, I always find this strange...why do Japanese people leave some tiny morsels of food?! If you know the answer, please explain it to me.

Also, if you don't eat everything or can't eat everything because you don't have any more room left, because you are stuffed(=you are full), then in America, you can get a doggie bag, and take it home. All you have to say is:
"Can I get a doggie bag please?"
or
"I'd like to get that to go."
But in Japan, there is no such custom to take food home. I only know two restaurants in Osaka where you can do that. One is an Italian restaurant, and the owner is Italian. Go figure. And the other is Outback Steak House, a foreign chain restaurant. Again, go figure. Why can't you get a doggie bag in any other restaurant in Japan?
And, how about at your house? If you don't eat everything, do you wrap it up and put it in the refrigerator, or freeze it(=put it in the freezer), or do you throw it away. I always put it in the fridge or freeze it, so I often eat leftovers. Actually, I like leftovers.

Soon, the rainy season is going to be here. They penguins should be happy...

Starbucks, instant style

Starbucks brings Via instant coffee to Japan to do battle with Nestle
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20100415n1.html

Nestle Cafe, Gold Blend to be precise, is my favorite coffee. It is instant. I drink two cups of it every morning. I am sure instant Starbucks is good, but they are gonna have a tough time beating the King of the Market, Gold Blend. At least that is what I think. What do you think?

Concerning Starbucks, right around the corner from the classroom, on the corner at the intersection of Midosuji Street and Honmachi Avenue, there is a Starbucks. It is one of the nicest Starbucks I have ever seen. It is spacious, and big, and clean...And it is always crowded. Inside is non-smoking, but outside smoking is allowed. It has a place for everyone. I go there once in a while to take a break, or to have coffee with a friend. Usually I order a regular black coffee, or sometimes I splurge and get a cappuccino. How about you? Do you ever go to Starbucks? If yes, what do you order?

Yesterday, Mr. S said to me:
Mr. S: I checked your blog, but you haven't written a new one since last week. Is everything OK?
Me: Yes, everything is fine. It has just been a hectic week and I haven't gotten around to writing one yet. Tomorrow I will write one, so do you have any topics you would like me to write about
Mr. S: How about the situation with North Korea now? Do you think there will be a war?
Me: Sorry, Mr. S. I want to refrain from talking about such serious political topics on the blog. Do you understand?
Mr S: Of course I do. No problem! Ok, how about "Speed Learning"?
Me: You mean that English learning thing, who uses Ishikawa Ryo as their spokesperson?
Mr S: Yeah, that's it.
Me: Sure, I can write about that a little. But first, let's talk about that now.

So, after that, we discussed "Speed Learning." Basically, I think that it can not hurt you (your English) at all. But if it can help you improve you English or not, well, that I do not know.

Hope yall have a good weekend!

Below is Nakanoshima Park. Today I am going to go to Ustubo Park. I missed the Rose Festival, which is held once a year and ended last week, but I think some roses are still left. So I wanna check it out.

Healthy food and an old man

Did you hear about this?
"Japan's oldest man celebrates 113th birthday with his family"
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20100421a7.html

113 years old. Wow! That is about all I can say. That is a lot of mileage on that body. I think there are many factors which contribute to living a long and healthy life. Without a doubt, one of those factors is food. What you put in your mouth definitely makes a difference. In my opinion, Japanese food is the healthiest in the world. One reason for this is that Japanese food consists of a lot of vegetables. I love vegetables. And I eat a lot of raw vegetables. I eat celery and carrots and various kinds of lettuce, all raw, on a daily basis. Actually I prefer them raw to cooked. How about you? How many servings of fruit or vegetables do you eat a day? According to many doctors, you should have at least 5 servings of fruit or vegetables each day.
Besides food, what else is a factor in living a long healthy life?

The below is green vegetables...truly healthy!

"Tetsu" and other phenomena, and the World Cup

I don't know so much about Japanese phenomena like manga(comics) or animation or video games or "Cosplay (costume play)." But I often read about such phenomena in the paper or hear about them on the news. Are you into any of them? If yes, why are you into them? What interests you about them? What is so fascinating, so intriguing? To be honest, I don't really understand, so any information or knowledge would help me understand better I think.



What Japanese phenomena would you like to see exported abroad?
Read here:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20100413vf.html

About me, I am interested in sports. And soon the World Cup will begin. It is being held in South Africa. Last week, Japan's team was officially announced. What did you think? How far in the tournament do you think Japan will go? Do you think they will advance to the second round? How about the Best 8? Semi-finals? Finals?
My prediction: Japan will not win a game.
But my prediction about America's Team is much brighter: They will win it all!! They will become World Cup Champions for the first time ever!!! Go America!!!

Smoking

Do you smoke? If yes, how many cigarettes do you smoke a day? What kind of cigarettes do you smoke? When is your most delicious cigarette?

If you don't smoke, well, have you ever smoked? Even just one cigarette? If you have, how did it taste? What did you think?
If you have never even tried one cigarette, then that is great. So, what do you think of second-hand smoke? Does it bother you? What do you think of the manners of smokers? Do smokers who walk on the street and smoke at the same time bother you? Do smokers who throw their cigarette butts on the street bother you?

Personally, I used to smoke. I smoked a bunch of different brands, but my favorite was Camel Lights. I began smoking when I was around 19, and smoked until I was 22 maybe. Then I quit. For about 5 or so years I never smoked, never even had one cigarette. Then when I was about 27, I began smoking again. It lasted for a few years, and I am not clear, I do not remember exactly when I had my last cigarette, but I think I finally quit when I was around 30. Since then, nothing. Zero. I liked smoking, it helped me relax, but fortunately for my health, smoking didn't agree with my body. My throat and nose always hurt after I smoked and I would wake up coughing and couldn't sleep. So, I had to quit. I had no choice. And now I can honestly say that I have no desire to smoke at all.

Basically, I think smoking is OK. But I have one request for all smokers. Please smoke with good manners. Don't walk on the street with a lot of people walking around, and smoke. Because some people hate second hand smoke and quite simply, it is dangerous. Also, don't throw the butts on the street, or on the ground in a park. It's dirty, inconsiderate, and disgusting. Please always putt your butts in the ash tray or trash can. If you can follow the above rules, well then, I hope you enjoy your cigarettes!

Should smoking be banned in public places?
Check this out:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20100427vf.html

I am a little late to post the below, but what the heck. Better late than never!!

May, and Outside eateries

Welcome back! And also welcome to May!! It's already May...As I have said many many times, and I am sure most of you are sick of me saying it; Time really does fly by...

How was you Golden Week Vacation? I didn't do anything special. I just did the usual for a weekend or day off; I took it easy, did exercise, walked, went cycling, went to a hot springs near my house, sipped some wine and shochu, drank a little beer, read a book, watched a couple of DVDs...All in all, it was a really good break.

Also, I went out with a friend and we went to an outside eatery.

I really like outside eateries, bars, anything. Of course I am not a big fan of them in the winter, but from now til about October, I frequent them often. If you know of any good ones, please let me know.
Sometimes I go to these stalls for a drink or two by myself, and sometimes I go with my friends. I like both situations. If I go by myself, I can usually meet some new people which is always interesting. If we hit it off, then sometimes we exchange email or cell phone numbers or something, and maybe even become friends. It is nice and important to venture out and make connections I think.

The other day, when I was at one of these outside bars, we talked about the below question.
"Who would you like to see start a new political party?"
Please read below for some various opinions.
Some are serious, and some are funny.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20100420vf.html

"Can you follow through?"

This story happened a few weeks ago. It was reported that President Obama asked Prime Minister Hatoyama, "Can you follow through(on your promise?)"
Here is the article:
Hatoyama denies jab by Obama
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20100421b1.html
Do you understand this meaning?
Here are some example sentences:
1. He always follows through on what he says.
2. The Prime Minister didn't follow through on his campaign pledge.

To change the subject, over GW(Golden Week) I am thinking about visiting the Big Buddha in Nara. I haven't seen him in a while and I would like to discuss a fw things with him.

Hope everyone has a great vacation!!