January 14, 2018 Lunch – PPI Mapo Dofu and red rice. Dinner – Sushi and three salads

January 14, 2018 Lunch – PPI Mapo Dofu and red rice. Dinner – Sashimi  and three salads

I ate granola, milk, blueberries, bananas, and yogurt for breakfast.

I worked until 1:30 and ate a quick and easy lunch of re-heated PPI Mapo Dofu on a pile of red rice, except today I garnished the dish with fresh sliced green onion.

I then went to my physical therapy from 3:00 until 4:00.  After P.T. I drove to Talin.  I have not shopped there since I was sick in December and I admit it; I went a little wild.  I bought a small can of Spanish pimientos, a kilo package of red miso, seaweed salad, squid salad, a 1 lb. piece of sushi grade tuna, a ½ lb. piece of salmon, an octopus tentacle, a container of wasabi sauce, a 1 lb. jar of pickled sliced ginger, beef meatballs, shallots, rice noodles,  fresh bean sprouts, white beech mushrooms, a whole frozen duck, pho seasoning, a small can of water chestnuts, and a can of sliced bamboo shoots for $79.66 in all.

I drove home, put up the food, and a few minutes before 5:00 Suzette arrived. I had an appointment that lasted until a bit after 6:30.  As soon as my appointment ended I filled our large appetizer platter with slices of the three types of fish, aji tuna, salmon, and octopus.  Suzette made a quick Japanese pickled salad by shredding a zucchini, carrot, and cucumber and dousing them liberally with sesame oil, a bit of salt, Japanese rice vinegar, and Aji mirin and then arranged the squid salad, the seaweed salad,  and her pickled vegetable salad on another large plate.  We put dipping bowls and chop stick rests on the table and a beautiful Chinese painted dish at each place.

                                                                 Plate near salads

                                                              Plate near Sashimi

Willy heated the last of an open bottle of sake in a pot of hot water to warm the sake and I made a cup of green tea.

Suzette squeezed a small dab of wasabi into the dipping bowls and floated it on a puddle of soy and Willy poured sake in the small tea cups on the table and we were ready to devour this elegantly simple meal.

I considered this my official return to gastronomy.  I wanted it to not be fatty or filled with carbs, so a magnificent array of sashimi fit the fill perfectly. Sushi is so high in protein one can not help but feel energized and satisfied after such a meal.

We ate and ate and there was still a bit of salmon and octopus left for lunch tomorrow.  I finished the
bottle of sake and actually got the first buzz I have ever experienced from drinking sake.

Later I celebrated further with a small bowl of butter pecan ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup and topped with maraschino cherries.

Then after watching the Antiques Roadshow and the 11th hour I blogged a bit and dozed off until 5:00 the next morning.

Bon Appetit