Which makes me got fat, Japanese fried pork( Tonkatsu) or Japanese stew of pork and potatoes (NIKUJYAGA)?

The explanation of Tonakatu and Nikujaga is here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonkatsu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikujaga
I had thought; Tonkatsu did. Because we need lots of oil to cook Tonkatsu. But for elder people carbohydrate like potatoes, rice and so on is easy to become fat that oily foods. Carbohydrate is easier to be digested than oily foods. This fact made me surprised. Because not to get fat, I tend to avoid fatty food like Tonkatsu which is my favorite food and to keep energy I try to take carbohydrate like potatoes and rice. Especially during this hot and humid summer, to ride out this tough weather, I try to eat carbohydrate more, and to drink liquid (sugar free) more. --- AND I got fat!!! Oh, no!!

We can eat plants

Now I'm using a book in the grade 1 class.
The title is "we can eat plants".
We've been talking about many edible plants, though mainly about vegetables.
And yesterday I tried them to draw pictures.

They know carrots as root plants, but they didn't know the shape of them. -- They are like needls, aren't they.

As stem plants, they mentioned brocoll, cauliflower, and parsley because they saw my garden.
As leave plants, they mentioned lots of vegetables like cabage, lettuce, spinach, and NIRA (leek) which is also glowing in my garden.
And they know lots of fruits. So they drew their favorite fruits.
But a girls didn't know how grapes grew.
And surprisingly a boy didn't know (or forget) the outside of watermelons. In Japan most family are not big. They can't usually eat a whole watermelon by only their family. So in the market they sell quaters or halves of cutting watermelons. His image of watermelons was red with lots of black dots(seeds).

And I had another surprising thing.
As seed plants, they mentioned green soybeans, corn, kidny beans and "rice".
We are really "Japanese".

Thai fried rice

Last night I cooked Thai fried rice. I got a bottle of Thai basil sauce from my friend. So I cooked this Thai fried rice according to the recipe.

It's too hot and spicy for me to eat it without a sunny side-up egg.

Well, in the recipe, it doesn't say to put a sunny side-up egg if it is too spicy.

But I've seen this pattern at a Thai restaurant, so I tried.

It was yummy!!!

Last weekend I cooked spicy curry and rice, and last night I cooked this spicy fried rice.

My husband and daughter say "spicy dishes give us energy to ride out this hot and humid summer".

Probably it's right.

But I don't like spicy foods very much.

Anyway from today my daughter's school started.

My usual day has started.

This morning I managed to get up early at five thirty to make OBENTOU.

I need a nap at noon.

curry and rice

Today it was the last day for our (my husband and me) summer vacation. From tomorrow we'll have dinner separately.

So today I made two kinds of curry and rice.

Summer vegetable curry and coconut milk curry.

In Japan many people use commercial curry roux. Today I made them from garam masala and other spice.

It was the first time to make coconut milk curry. The other day I found the recipe I'd wanted to make it and my daughter had asked me to make it. So finaly I made it. It' not so hot, because just use onions, coconut milk, tomato , garam masala, and salt. I put an boild egg instead of rice.

Another curry was my usual curry-- vegetable curry. I put egg plants, green peppers, asparagus and GOYA.

They were yummy!!

Well, the GOYA grew in my garden.

Women are talkative ????

Today, it is the last day of OBON vacation (kind of a summer vacation), though we have a weekend.

During the OBON vacaiton, my mother-in-law and my mother stayed with us in turn. As soon as they met us at the station, they started to talk. Both of them live alone, so they might lack the time of talking with someone, though they go out somewhere almost every day.

The former part of the vacation, my mother-in-law came to stay with us. we went to play golf. She seemed to really enjoy playing golf with us. In the evening we were relaxing at home. About golf he was listening to her, but as soon as she started to talk tiny things of her usual day, he was boared and ran along to his room. I thought my husband should have listen to her because she is her mother. BUT he couldn't bear her talking. It can't be helped. So I listend to her.

The latter part of the vaction, my mother came to stay with us. One of her hobby is "GO". I can't play GO, but my husband can pla it. So they played GO. About GO he listened to my mother, but it was the same. When she started to talk about tiny things, he ran along to his room.

After they left home, he said "probably they talked everything as much as for one year."

It might be true, I was a little bit tired from listening (not tired of listening.)

And

on the day I dropped in on my friend to share their souvenirs. yes "dropped in on her", not "visited her". But as soon as I met her, I started talking and she also started talking.

She also welcomed her mother and tired from listening. We were talking for about 30 minutes standing in front of the entrance hall.

My husband was waiting in the car. (This time, he didn't have any space to run along)

He said "you are the same as our mothers, women love talking".

Well, do you remember that I was into KINKAN(kumquat) this eary spring and I bought a young tree. Finaly it started to put flowers. I hope all flowers fruit.

Katorisenkou

This something green is called "katorisenkou". According to the dictionary, it seemes to be "mosquito coles" in English. It's kind of insecticide and kind of incense.

When I was a child, it was a usual think in Summer. When it smelled, I thought summer came. Now we have electric mosqutio coils, i like this old-fasion type.

I put it on the floor of the entrance hall.

When I light it, my sagter says "smells like grandmama's house".

Some students say "it smells "Osenkou" (incense), it means probably incense at their Buddhie altars.

But somestudents say "stick", "feel sick".

These days fragrance-free is getting popular, peopel tend to be sensitive to smell too much.

Though I don't like strong fragrance, I like ole-fashioned smell, because I get used to them.

What francence will remind nowadays kids to their old days when they grow up?

Play golf? really?

Last night my husband, daughter and I wento to practice golf nearby. Why? Next week it is "OBON" vaction. My husband can take 8 day summer vacation. On the first half week my mother-in-law comes to stay with us. What she's looking forward to is playing golf.

I suggested her to play golf with her son (it means my husband). But she said "my grand kids has grown up, and she can do it, so let's enjoy together!"

My husband reserved time (how do I say in English?) at a golf course. We(my daugher and I) can rebtal golf clubs for free. And the junior high school student price is only 1000yen.

We are going to enjoy playing golf, hot spring and Karaoke with her this OBON vacation.

Humid & Hot!!!!!

Rainy season has gone. Though I know, humid and hot summer has come. Anyway "hot" and "humid". My daughter and I are exhausted with this hot weater, humid air and hot wind. BUT my husband is pretty "fine. He went out to play tennis, of couse outside.

In the morning my daughter and I cleand the rooms, washed blanckets (correctly dry blanckets washed by washing macine), and bothe of them took a shower. So now the washing machie is working now, it means another chore of drying clothes caused.

Well, lunch time. What will we have lunch for? Too hot to cook. so just do "chin". We'll eat pizza-toast.

Myoga

Finaly I found Myoga in my garden this year. It's a edible flower buds. The smell and taste is similer to ginger --; a little bit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myouga

They are good for cold soup. So I made cold NIMOMO with TOGAN(winder melon) and kudney beans and add sliced Myoga as garnish.