139. Home Cooking! 1

I really into cooking now. I am not a collector of cookery books, but I like to learn a basic recipe and arrange it.

Recently, I tried 2 new categories of food.

The first one is Udon noodles. I went to a shop to get strong bread flour to make chûriki-ko (medium-strength flour) by mixing with plain flour. I luckily found a 1.5kg bag of strong flour for 25 pence (= ¥36 -37)! It was just selling for a special price!! Who in the world hesitates to buy it!!! I do not! But I should have checked details...

Some days had passed. As I had enough time, I was urged to make Udon noodles. I went down to the kitchen and opened the bread flour. Then, I noticed that I bought wholemeal flour! Silly me! Whatever it was and however I moaned, that was that that I had had.

Below is the one that I made.




It looks like soba noodles (made from buckwheat flour) but it is UDON! I tried to cut it as narrow as possible, but when it was boiled, it became thick (;_;) Also, each noodle cut into small pieces like 5cm or 10cm. Is it because I used the wholemeal flour? Anyway, I enjoyed a bit unique-texture Udon noodles^^

I will tell you next time about the other one I made.

Momoko

136. Burnt...

Stupid me! I burnt myself by spilling a hot water on my hand. When I made a cup of tea in a paper cup, I poured a hot water too much in it. I thought "If lifting it up, it will spill out...", but as I did not have a tray to carry it on, there was no means other than carrying with my hand. I lifted it up, then, the just-boiled hot water spilt on between a thumb and an index finger. I shouted,


"Ooooouch!"


thinking how stupid I am… It was so painful even after cooling the spot. So while I was studying, I was holding a bottle of water to heal the pain.

When I came back to a flat and looked at the spot, I found a big blister between the thumb and the index finger. It is 1 cm in diameter. Now I knew why it was so painful when I gripped a handle of a bike.

Hmmm... I am eager to break the blister... but I want to show it to my friends too.

Momoko

135. XXXX Cocoa Cake (Not F-Word Cake!)

Need sugar! Need sugar! I need sugar!

Study makes me so tired and I need something sweet. So, I baked mayonnaise cocoa cake!





When I tell about mayonnaise case, 100% of people who hear it show a negative expression on their face. But think about the ingredients, all can be used for cakes!

In the past, I have let some friends of mine try a portion. In fact, they liked it.

The cake that I made this time contains only 3 tablespoon of mayonnaise. So, it does not taste it at all. Even if containing more, it usually does not.

Not sure if it is because I mixed the mixture too much or because the recipe was not good enough or this cake is supposed to be what it is now, its texture is something between a cake and bread and it is not fluffy…

If you are curious about mayonnaise cakes, you can find lots of recipes on the net!

Momoko

134. Kitty

I wrote before that I had 2 new housemates from October. One of them suggested "Kitty".

"Kitty" has several meanings – a kitten, a girl or a young woman, a prison or a gaol (I prefer this spelling to "jail") and a sum of money which is collected from some people to use a certain purpose.

My housemate meant the last meaning, which is very common when sharing a flat/house with someone else. Usually, people buy anything they share with that money such as a washing-up liquid, cleaning stuff and bin liners.

She suggested that each person puts £1 (= ¥150) in the kitty each month and buy those stuff with it.

Though I have lived many places with different people, funny, I have not experienced this system (nobody suggested).

My opinion about it is that I prefer not to share consumer expendables except bin liners and cleaning detergents for a bathroom, a toilet and a kitchen. So, I spoke to the housemate who initiated. She agreed that I would not share what I do not want to share with, but suggested me to give 50 pence for other shared things. I agreed at that time, but one question popped up in my mind.


How do they separate my money from theirs when buying toilet papers, etc?


We have plenty of kitchen cleaners from last year and so I believe we do not need to buy this year. If we buy 1 bottle of bathroom cleaner, it will last quite long. Therefore, what I will have to share the cost regularly is just the bin liners. As for this, I buy a roll of it from my money once every 4 times.

So, for me, there is no point to give the kitty money every month. Some people might think that people like me are "problems". But to live comfortably as much as possible, we should not be silent.

While I was waiting for an opportunity to speak to the housemate again, the kitty box disappeared from the kitchen. I am wondering if this suggestion has been turned down or not...

Also, other new housemate suggested to buy a clothes airer together, but oh sorry, I have got one... Other people might be happy to get one?

Oops, I forgot to write the most important thing! A kitty box does not have to be a "Hello Kitty" money box :-)


* Photo is borrowed from Sanrio and amazon.co.uk.

Momoko

130. What Does Everyone Eat Every Day?

What do you think about when you are lying in a bed before falling asleep? I always (no exceptions!) think about what I should take for lunch and supper next day.

As I come back home late and want to save money, I make lunch and supper and take them with me to campus.

What I cook is usually so-called a one-dish meal such as spaghetti, fried rice, okonomi-yaki and baked sandwiches. These are all easy cook dishes, aren't they? If I lived on my own, I would cook various side dishes and preserve them in a fridge or freezer. But as I share the flat with 3 people, I hesitate to occupy a kitchen for hours. Because they cannot cook while I am cooking. I guess other housemates think the same way.

I try to use lots of vegetables and make a couple of side dishes as well. Yesterday, I took fried rice and cous cous (both with lots of veggies) plus pickled cucumbers and kóyadófu (YouTube about it).

Since I came to England, I began to eat what I do not like, for example, curry and miso soup (I like Thai and Indian curry very much). But I still cannot eat or drink orange flavoured products :-)

Curry which is easier and cheaper to get in a nearby shop here is the one similar to Japanese curry. I still do not like the taste but, as I said, it is very easy to cook and convenient... and soI cooked it today too. Today's lunch was spaghetti with curry.

As for the miso soup, I feel it is tasty ONLY when I am hungry. So, I eat it when I feel peckish at night - it is healthier than eat biscuits or toast at night, isn't it?

Many of my friends eat out for lunch or take away food from café on campus, but they eat proper food for dinner at home.

I feel people tend to cook or season dishes from their home country. I use more soy sauce than my housemates do, ex Chinese flatmates in a student accommodation cooked Chinese food very often, and British students eat only microwave meals :-P

I believe I am adventurous in food. I am not at all gourmet nor interested in eating out, but I am curious and quite positive to try anything that I have not tried yet. However, in reality, I always eat the same vegetables and variation of my cooking does not expand...I should try more and more vegetables that I do not get in Japan.

Momoko

129. Freshers' Week

Last week was the very first week of the academic year. We (my university) call it Week 0. Week 0 was also called a Freshers' week, which Freshers (new students) have lots of events for the new life. For example, introduction of academic and administrative staff, the courses, how to use the library, societies, etc. There are a few receptions where they can meet other freshers. Oh, and they have to register during this week.

Most of these events except the registration have nothing to do with the returning students like me.

This week is called Week 1 even though it is a second week of the year. From Week 1, the courses (classes) start, and Weeks 1 and 2 are, I call, a trial period. Students go to lectures that they are interested in and decide which 4 lectures they take. If they take the lecture, needless to say, they will have an assignment (usually essay) at the end of the term. So, they need to be careful with deadlines of the assignments. If the deadlines are all before Christmas holiday, that would be a nightmare!

Some of my friends spent their summer holiday in their country. One of them came back from Japan last month and gave me a souvenir! I requested matcha (green tea) chocolate and this (photos) is what she bought for me.






This chocolate is produced by a tea company, so it has a good rich taste. Sooooo tasty! I will not share it with anyone else^^

I miss Japan so much (;_;)

Momoko

128. Moving

Will and Matt have moved out. Their contracts expired at the end of September. I knew this but I was not sure whether they would really move out because I did not see them packing their belongings at all. But finally they left last week.

I did not know when Matt evacuated completely. So we did not say good bye. But Will left a message to Alex and me... which was written on a piece of a cardboard box :-)

I was supposed to move into Will’s room, a girl into my room and another girl into Matt’s room. The landlady was saying that the girl would be moving into my room on the weekend (3rd October), so I was thinking to move my stuff one day before. However, when I was on campus on 31st September, I got a message from the landlady that the girl would be coming on 1st! Too soon!! I hurried back home and started moving.

My old room was a 3.8 tatami-mat room!! 1 tatami mat is about 0.9 x 1.8 m. So, 3.8 tatami mats are 6.156 square metres. The first word of my friend who visited was "Oh, small" (hahaha). Yeah, surprisingly small^^

But my new room is a double room with a double bed, which is equal to 6.7 tatami mats (10.85 square metres). I have more space than last year though there are no shelves and not enough storage. So, I have to place files and books on the floor and some stationeries in a box. It is so funny and weird that each time I move a house, my belongings increase. Usually it should be opposite.

I have been in this room for a week so far... it is nice and cosy.

One thing I feel sorry to other housemates is that all of us pay the same rent price even if the room size is different. The smallest room is even smaller than half the size of my room and is on the ground floor plus facing west.

Sorry about that (><) but you can take my room next year because I will be moving out!

Momoko

127. Internet and Doors

I have written before that my flat is a university accredited house (a first part of this story). Hence, a council person comes to check the house regularly. Our landlady was told 2 things by them;


1. Use wireless internet
2. Use fire resistance doors for bedrooms


All of us use wired Internet because the box (?) is broken. Alex and I reported to the provider a few times (other housemates are not helpful), but they have done nothing to this yet. We have been appealing it over half a year, though! Fantastic, isn't it?!

The reason for the wireless Internet is because it is dangerous to lay cables across the stairs and in front of the doors. So we told the landlady about the problem very first time and she is trying to sort it out now. She was thinking that we were using the cable because we could not use the wireless on our computers. This problem will be solved soon.

As with the doors, they have been all replaced now. It was funny that fire alarms went off when the builders started shaving door frames. They were talking,

"It's not a smoke at all :-("
"Yeah but smells a little bit".

Needless to say, I was wearing headphones!

I thought that they just take the old doors out and put the new ones in but I had a second thought. It is not that simple... They have lots of small jobs such as adjusting differences to fit them in and putting lever on.

2 builders came at 9am and left the place at 8pm. 11-hour job!! Yet, they could not get all jobs done! One of them came back next day and did it to a finish. They said that they did not expect it took that long. We did not either!

Now, new doors are a little bit heavy and do not match the interior :-) It is just a wooden door. Might need to be painted.

Momoko

126. Long Time No Update!

It has been many days since I last updated. Sorry (><) But I am glad if you are still visiting.

I have intensive days these days. I submitted 2 chapters 10 days ago. I am revising other chapter now and intend to resubmit it next Tuesday. I am happy to have productive days :-)

After I submitted chapters, I checked which chapters I have written so far. Then I noticed that 1 chapter is almost blank!! I doubted my eyes and looked every inch of the files on the computer. But, I could not find other bits (><)


What should I do?????


I do not have a time to be disappointed with me. It is too late to regret. I cannot get my time back. So, I emailed my supervisor and asked if this chapter is necessary for the thesis. I thought contents of this chapter can be covered by other chapters. In fact, I have already mentioned in other chapters about what to be discussed in that chapter. To be honest, I was hoping that my supervisor would say "it is not needed" (hahaha. Lazy student).

His response was,


"You may be right that some things are not needed... but can you send me the latest list of chapter headings and subheadings please? and the research questions/hypotheses again... Thanks."


He did not give a definite answer because he needs to think about it carefully.

It has been about a week since he replied, but I have not got his answer yet... I am wondering if he meant I do not need to write the chapter... He might be still thinking... Hmmm... Wait and see.

Momoko

125. Healthcare 2

In the UK, a GP system is adopted. GP stands for General Practitioner. People have to register with a local surgery, and they are assigned to a GP. When you have a problem with your health/body, you first go to see your GP. If you need a further examination, the GP introduces you a specialist. So, when making an appointment, you are automatically booked in with your GP.

As I had a cold, I went to see a doctor on Thursday (the first story is Healthcare 1).

This time, I requested a doctor other than my GP because I wanted to ask other doctor a question that I had asked my GP before (I do not know if this is also called a second opinion).

Before the doctor took my blood pressure, she asked me if I had something else. I told her that I would like to take a general health check-up and a breast cancer screening. When I asked my GP about the health check-up (I did not ask about the breast cancer), he said I would need it only when I feel some symptom.

I became speechless when I heard this. If the symptom was a signal of late stage disease, I would definitely regret that I did not take one. The doctor I saw this time also said that I do not have to take it (><) She also added that it is not always reliable and that NHS (free medical service) (note 1) does not provide it, and she gave me a name of a private hospital that I can take it.

Moreover, I was advised to do exercises, not to be obese, not to drink too much alcohol and not to smoke.


Errrrr...


Yes, doctor.


I could not say anything. In Japan, we usually have it checked once a year. Even companies where we work for tell us to do so.

Now, I kinda looked forward to what she would say about the breast cancer check-up. She said,

"The breast cancer screening is offered to women over 50 years old because usually those women have it"

She did not disappoint me! Over 50! In my country, women over 30 years old are recommended to have it. I told her that my cousin suffered from it in her 40's and so I am a bit worried (I remembered now that my cousin was in the 30's at that time). The doctor said,

"It is sad about your cousin. How about other female families? Your mother, grandmother, sisters? If no-one else had it, you shouldn't worry too much because people who suffer from it have families who also have it. So, check with your hands regularly"

I felt an essential notion is different between us.

After I left the health centre, I checked the price check-ups.

Complete Health Check-up with mammography costs


£578
(= ¥83,100)


I took a double look! It is unbelievably expensive! Ripping off??? I checked whether there was a lower-cost service.


Female Health Check-up (maybe with mammography) costs


£299
(= ¥43,000)


Hmmm... I have absolutely no idea if those are acceptable rates. Better keep looking.

Since I got surprised with this different awareness about the healthcare, I could not help emailing my friend, Tim. I wrote about him once before (here)... he is the one who always phones me at midnight and who talked about dogs for 30 minutes on the night before I had to submit my dissertation.

As he is a doctor, he is the best person whom I expressed my surprise. He emailed me back, saying,

"Phone me about cancer screening! I can explain things better that way"

So, I did... of course at midnight. He picked up the phone and said,

"What time is it now? Sorry, it's too late"

"?????"


He was asleep. I thought it was the best hour for him!

So, what I have written is the best description about it that I can do at the moment :-)


= Note =
NHS stands for National Health Service.

<The End>

Momoko