An ode to salad

As seen on the wall of a cafe in Hamamatsu, Japan:

It eats in the meat borrowing and hopeless.
The vegetables, too,
eat and let’s do the good balance having a meal.
You of the living alone.
You who don’t eat vegetables at the house.
It is slightly in luxury as much as the time
of the eating-out and salad how.
Because the person who doesn’t have money has S size, too.

Granted, I haven't spent much time in Japan, but the English translations I've seen have been pretty much spot-on in the wording, if not the punctuation (lots of things are turned into possessives, whether necessary or not).

So I can't quite figure this one out...

What? Don't believe me?


The ode to appetizers is slightly funnier, but I like the line about "You who don't eat vegetables at the house."

Mmmm, mmmm good!

Hong Kong is full of new experiences. Like, for instance, paying utility bills.

The place I rented in Dallas came with utilities included, so, though I was more than likely paying more than the average apartment dweller, I had to write only one check every month. I liked it – especially because I tend to toss my mail in various places and not open it for weeks. One day, I’ll probably come home to find my power turned off because my electric bill is buried under a stack of Real Simples from 2004.

So, tonight, I sit down at the computer, electric and gas bills in hand. I open the envelope for my gas bill, and out comes . . . a leaflet on “Flame-boiled Healthy Soups” Inside, two recipes: Wood Fungus Lean Pork Soup and Glabrous Greenbrier Soup.

I have no idea where they’re going with this. Nothing screams “It’s a zillion degrees outside!” less than flame-boiled soup. But they have their reasons…

Wood Fungus Lean Pork Soup, the leaflet says, “is good for preventing thrombosis. Wood fungus is rich in vitamin D which helps prevent osteoporosis. It also contains dietary fibre that prevents constipation and absorption of cholesterol. Wood fungus is kind of natural food which nourishes our skin and blood.”

After the recipe, which calls for wood fungus, red dates, ginger, lean pork and something called Qi Zi, there is this note: “If one is suffering from illness, keep having the soup for 3 months. Have 1 bowl of soup before meal in the morning and at night everyday. It is recommended to have 3 times a week for strengthening health.”

Glabrous Greenbrier Soup, the leaflet says, is perfect for those who live in Hong Kong because “city people are generally lack of exercises which would slow down metabolism. Therefore, excretion mechanism of people is not functioning well. This soup is good for excreting excess liquid in our body and makes you feel lighter. The soup is suitable for all the family members.”

If only your gas company were so vigilant about healthy cooking.

The more things change...

I move halfway around the world, and what do I read at work?

Stories about Texas, the drug war in Mexico and the U.S. presidential election. A few even have the byline of a woman who used to work at The News.

Some days, it's like I never left Dallas. Except there are windows in the newsroom.