Archive for August, 2013
Is any weather not ramen weather?
When it’s warm and sunny, we want ramen. When it’s cold and rainy, we want ramen. It’s a basic food group.
Notice all the new Japanese restaurants opening in Metro Manila. Recently we had the excellent kurobuta katsu at Ginza Bairin in Glorietta 2, facing the new hotels. The restaurant was full and we had to wait almost half an hour to get a table, but it was worth it. While you’re enjoying your katsu a waiter comes around offering extra servings of miso soup, shredded cabbage and rice.
Santouka’s ramen with a side of pork cheeks.
On Sunday in the middle of the storm we tried Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, the ramen place at Glorietta 4 (facing SM). Juan had pronounced it the best ramen he’d ever had. They don’t accept reservations; there was a 15-minute wait for a table.
Santouka’s Miso ramen with char siu
We can’t claim to be an expert, but the noodles were delicious, the broth flavorful, the pork cheeks evil. “You were right,” we told Juan. “This is the best ramen we’ve ever had.”
“The ramen at Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen at the Shangri-La East Wing is the best ramen I’ve ever had,” Juan declared. “But this is close.” (Dissenting opinion Walk and Eat prefers Santouka to Ikkoryu.)
Next stop: Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen.
Any mention of ramen brings up Juzo Itami’s Tampopo.
Pinoy addition to the ramen ritual: After separating the chopsticks, rub the two sticks together to remove splinters.
Don’t forget to apologize to the pork and eye the noodles affectionately.
Do the Japanese make the world’s greatest movies about food? Must see Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
Wanted: Humans for these puppies
Joya, our friend who breeds dogs and has a menagerie in her house including cats, turtles, iguanas, and birds is looking for canine-loving humans to take in this new batch of beasties.
We believe in adopting homeless strays, but we know some of you prefer critters with pedigrees, and we can vouch for Joya’s animals. Saffy was born in her garage, spawn of the demented felines, Spike and Snowball.
This Lhasa Apso puppy, male, was born on 11 May 2013. Only one of his balls has descended, so Tina suggests that he be called “Fuhrer”. He will be sold without his PCCI papers, but should his other ball descend, the buyer should present the puppy to Joya to get the pedigree. (Mat: I have one ball! The other one is in the vial behind the Eomer action figure.) Price: Php5,000.
These Domino Haus Lhasa Apso puppies were born on 21 June 2013 and will be ready for release by the end of August. Price: Php10,000 for the male; Php12,000 for the female.
For more information on the Lhasa Apsos, call or text 0921 401 6647.
These male Chihuahua pups will be released by the end of August. They’ve been vaccinated and registered with the PCCI. The breeder is asking for Php8,000 (negotiable) per pup. Call or text 0918 343 6756.
In the podcast: How to watch a movie. At the cinema: Our post-credit stinger.
We gave a talk on moviegoing at the first InterAksyon Cafe. Listen to it on The Weekly Podcast. Sorry we can’t allow the video to be seen, it’s for your own protection. Note to self: Know your best camera angle. Ours is Siberia.
Marlon’s latest movie, the horror-comedy Ang Huling Henya, opens in theatres on Wednesday, 21 August 2013. A holiday! so get thee to the cinema. (Nearly everyone we know is making a movie! Hmmm) We appear in Ang Huling Henya, looking like this:
No, worse. That picture was taken after an hour in the prosthetics chair, with another hour of fake blood and gore to go. Yes, we turn into a zombie! No acting talent required: we play ourself, then our zombie version. Our speaking lines were easy: we just argued with the blonde villain Ricci Chan on certain points of semantics.
Stick around for the closing credits, because we’re in a Marvel movie-style (Magneto?) stinger that comes on just after the names of the main cast. The only other time we were in a movie, playing ourself (typecasting!) in Joey Reyes’s Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin, we were also the last shot.
Therefore one could say that we end the movies. For Ang Huling Henya we’re going to claim that we are the title role nyahahaa.
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We’d watch this.
via 3QD
IM Instant Mommy contest: Send us your online dating stories.
Image: Eugene Domingo as Bechay. Screencaps from Leo Abaya.
Bechay works as a wardrobe mistress on advertising shoots. On a trip to Boracay, she meets the charming Kaoru, a Japanese businessman. They quickly fall in like and she gets knocked up. Kaoru is married, but he is in the process of divorcing his wife Hana—as soon as she gives her consent, because getting a divorce in Japan is complicated. In the meantime the now-pregnant Bechay and Kaoru make plans and keep in touch with regular video chats. Will Bechay’s dreams of domestic bliss become reality, or does that only happen on television ads?
Image: Yuki Matsuzaki as Kaoru. Yuki is our next guest on the podcast.
Instant Mommy, written and directed by Leo Abaya and starring Eugene Domingo, Yuki Matsuzaki and Luis Alandy, opens in theatres on August 28. While we’re counting down to opening day, send us your own (or your friends’, with their permission or they’ll never speak to you again) online dating/long distance relationship stories.
In the eternal words of schmaltzy slumbooks, “How did you met?” When did you start dating online? How did you “meet”? What were they like? What did you like about them? How far did it get? Did you actually meet, like in person? We want details! The ickier the better (Use a pseudonym).
Postal notebooks by Moleskine: envelope-shaped stitched notebooks, ready to mail (or more likely, keep). If people wrote letters instead of chatting online, they’d have time to think about what they’re doing. More thinking, less trouble.
Post your stories in Comments. Three winners will receive Moleskine postal notebooks from National Bookstore; the first 20 contestants get Instant Mommy posters. Winners will be announced on IM opening day, August 28. See you in Comments!
World Domination will be wearable.
Our enterprising friend is coming up with a line of T-shirts called World Domination, featuring things we have said or written. We’ve been talking about the design for some time.
If we had our way, all T-shirts would be black or white (or a single dark hue), with a line of text. We like basic and stark—we’re strange enough on our own. The shirt-maker said our idea was too severe; we want to reach the mass market and the buyers would like a bit more pizzazz. We didn’t want anything cartoony or obvious. Finally the shirt-maker suggested a translucent overlay.
What do you think? Would you buy this shirt? Target retail price: under Php300.
They could also make variants without overlays, with satin necklines in lighter shades and text to match.
Are there any lines we’ve written that you’d like to see on a t-shirt? Let us know. If the t-shirt gets made, we’ll send you one.
Naturally Koosi thinks she should be on any shirt.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
