He's home!

He's home!

Last night, Blake finally came back to Japan from his three month, some odd days, TAD in San Diego. He came back to cold weather, Christmas decorations, and a basket of Japan goodies I put together for him.

Here are a couple of recent favorites:

Kinako Senbei

Senbei are rice crackers. They come in an infinite number of flavors, but there are a lot of plain wrapped in seaweed, soy sauce, and different seafood flavors. They're crunchy and light. Kinako is toasted soybean flour. It's sweet, but not sugary-sweet. It's a Japanese level of sweetness, which is to say, a perfect amount, versus the too-much-sugar flavor of a lot of American snacks. When you put kinako and senbei together, it's difficult to stop eating them.

Seaweed Snack

In addition to being used for sushi, nori makes a great snack on its own. This brand is like a seaweed version of a potato chip. It's fried and salty, and addictive. I think plain nori is good too, and most definitely healthier than this version.

True to my personality, I'd loaded the house down with food. In addition to Japanese snacks, I bought a wedge of delicious blue cheese from an incredibly sample-generous shop in Vina Walk, salad, mochi covered ice cream (another fave), and I made vegetarian chili. To my dismay, the vegetarian stock is unhealthier than the chicken stock at the commissary. I don't really have room to store homemade, though. I may have to order something and have it shipped here (Boooooo. I want my stuff immediately!).

In other news, despite getting home at bed time last night, Blake still got up for PT this morning at quarter after five. The man is a machine, people.

We're glad to be reunited, and it really feels like the holiday season. I'm also glad I can finally stop my bedtime paranoia of believing every sound in the house is an intruder.