brandon's 29th

Brandon celebrated his first birthday abroad this week! We had a great little celebration with our good friends Reggie and Manami. We walked to dinner at our favorite restaurant and then returned to the apartment for drinks, presents and a surprise cake! Oh, and the non-child bearing people went out on the town after while the pregnant one curled up in bed.

Here are some shots of the evening!

Reggie & Manami at dinner.

After some due diligence I found a pastry chef in town with an oven and a German chocolate cake recipe up her sleeves.

Of course we missed everyone - there is nothing like a pool side party at Mama & Papa Willett's house, but have no worries we still managed to enjoy the night!

tiny resturant

This is our new favorite resturant in Sasebo. Tonchinkon! We can't wait to show you photos but this tiny little resturant is full of some of the best tasting Japanese food we have found. Plus, it's directly across the street from our new apartment which makes for an easy commute.

blue cheese

Yow-zah! The head elf at the North Pole is surely the most fantastic event planner of all time. After much organization and lists, and a lot of walking, we have put every last Christmas package in the mail and stamped every last card. Now, whether or not everything makes it to the the tree it belongs underneath-that remains to be seen.

We took the owner of Ron's Sasebo Burger - that place with the crazy line that we finally got to eat at a while back - to Chili's for their first "all-American" eat-a-thon last night. They were as Brandon says, "champion eaters". This little couple consumed appetizers of chicken wings & fried cheese followed by steak, a half rack of ribs, loaded mash potatoes, veggies, and fajitas of shrimp, chicken, & beefu. We ordered a Chocolate Molten Cake-or as his wife says, "Octopus cake" (which makes total sense if you've ever looked at a picture of one), and it was so good they ordered another. They had a really, really good time. His favorite part? The blue cheese dressing. That's right, he put it on everything-the steak, the tortilla, you name it. Nothing else exists in America now to him except for blue cheese dressing. We sent him home with 2 containers and all he could say was, "I'll see you tomorrow morning for my refills!" It was such a great night, so many people have taken us different places and it was great to take someone else and introduce them to something new.

The other greatest moment? Convincing them there was no buffalo in the "buffalo sauce".

korean bbq extraveganza

It's been awhile since we have really done anything. This may seem weird, since living in Japan itself could be considered doing something, but what we mean by that is, we haven't been very adventurous lately.

We were supposed to go to Fukuoka City today, a one hour train ride north of the city, but we opted to wait, because after all of the research we decided we want to stay overnight. So, we spent another day relaxing in Sasebo City. We spent the day catching up on our beloved shows like Dexter and The Amazing Race. For dinner we met up with Ayumi, one of Brandon's managers for Korean BBQ.

So, Korean BBQ, let us tell you that it is amazing. It takes the meat factory to a new level. In the Willett family we call the Brazilian BBQ (or churrascaria) the meat factory, because honestly, they walk around with sticks of meat in crazy uniforms like robots giving you everything you need, in the meat sense that is.. Well, at the Korean meat factory you pay about 3,200Y ($35) a person for unlimited meats, veggies, rice, fruit, dessert and booze. Yes, you read right-booze. Well, one of those meats happens to be tongue, we had our first tongue - and it was good. Very chewy, but very good. Not going lie though, the fact that you cook it yourself made it a bit easier, because Jewell the one that's always scared was able to scorch hers as to make it more acceptable. But, after clearing three plates of raw meat (don't worry mom, we had three bowls of veggies!) and cleaning out the restaurants gin bottle, we left with happy hearts and pleased stomachs...once again.

three cuts of beef, chicken, and a nicely presented plate of tongue!

Ayumi cookin' up some deliciousness!

In Japan they have coffee jelly everywhere, like it's going out of style, even Starbucks has a version. So, we took this oppertunity to try it! It wasn't too bad, but it came with a cute little creamer so that made it seem better. Personaly, I have never been a jello fan, but that's what it was. So chances are slim either of us will ever have it again, but we get what the big deal is. . .if you like jello.

It's funny how the United States is considered a melting pot and you can find pretty much any food you could ever want. However, why is it that it took us moving to Japan to really venture out and see what the world has to offer? Well, as culturally diverse as we may have thought we were, we were missing out on some really great things!

crazy winds after crazy foods

Yowza! We are about to experience our first typhoon. Well, actually we are experiencing our first typhoon. As luck might have it, all we will get is the wind end of things and the rain will hit mostly northeast Japan. From the looks of it so far, we aren't getting off too easy. All of the sports equiptment at the track has been removed, the picnic tables have been tied to trees, and for once you don't have to worry about random people walking into you. . .because there is no one really outside. Good thing we got to go out last night.

We went out with our new friends that own the Ron's Burger Shop, you know the place with the line and the 2.7kg Burger. Which, we found out no Japanese person has actually ever eaten alone. Only a crazy American can put away food like that and live to tell about it.

Koichi and Mia, oh, and their awesomely energetic 2 year old son took us to a few places that we didn't even know existed and even if we did, probably wouldn't have gone into. There are some businesses here that don't take in Americans. Not in a bad segregation kind of way, but because they can not speak any English and are the one's big enough to say, "We don't have time for this."

First-you must know that we hopped into their futuristic van (they have 5 kids by the way) in which the little dude didn't get into a car seat. There wasn't even a car seat in the van. . .in fact, he stood up running around with his cute sumo-style ponytail while dad was driving. That was crazy and probably the biggest bit of culture shock we have experienced simultaneously .

We first walked into the restaurant where you sit along a bar in front of flat top stations, just like Benihana-except not like Benihana because it's not a chain restaurant and it's in Japan and the sweet lady who has been working there for 40 years (she told us) welcomed us with a big smile, and spoke in Japanese. Koichi got us started on a Okonomiyaki. Which in the end looks like an omelet. However, here is how is happened.

First, she cut up cabbage, pork, octopus!, green onions, fish cake, and what looked like some form of flour but had a texture similar to potato. You know, something to bind it all together. Next, we watched the ingredients sizzle and brown on each side. If you know Brandon, it should be no surprise that immediately these ingredients were making his mouth water. The next thing she did, was the thing we hoped dearly for from the moment we saw a bucket of eggs on the counter. We smiled big as she cracked one open on the flat top, yes! She took the now omelet looking piece of food and covered the egg. As the egg cooked underneath the patty of for mentioned ingredients, the ends began to brown and all the smells started to converge. She flipped it over revealing a perfectly fried, flattened egg, covered it with teriaki sauce and fish flakes, and viola! Now, just for a moment I would like to say that our old room mate had a container of these fish flakes and from time to time I would open it and sniff, and contemplate WHY?! she would ever want to use them to garnish. We are beginning to figure out why, I suppose. They added an obvious fish flavor yes, but also a bit of crunch and eventually blended in to where we didn't even really notice with all the other flavors going on. Service topped the cake. She handed us a mouth sized spatula contraption and told us with a look in her eyes to be careful. This was the part where we got to eat. Brandon sliced up the okonomiyaki dish with his spatula and and we dug in. I was so nervous, between having never had octopus in any form besides fried, which yes, we did explain to them, and knowing I was eating the fish flakes that always grossed me out. Brandon took to it like a champ though. He is so brave when it comes to food, but even more he is afraid to let a host down. I'm sure I had fear written all over my face, but I did it! Brandon had to tell me to hurry up because Koichi & Mia were almost done, but I did it and the thing that kept me going was the mass amount of cabbage and the fried egg, I love cabbage.

After we finished the okonomiyaki, we moved to another part of Sake Town. Sake Town is what the locals call the area of town with streets full of Japanese Bars, restaurants and street vendors. Entering through a door standing a mere 4 feet tall to make the occasional oompaloompa comfortable we made our last stop for the night. Here we ate what I can only compare to "tapas". I spare you the name because I don't know the proper spelling, but it sounds like "eats-a-ki-ya", which we have had before thanks to Reggie and Manami. We started with a trio of Tofu, Seaweed, & Swordfish Jerky? maybe? ha!. Moved on to a great salad, then chicken wings, and finally the main course which had been brewing during all previous courses. This was a pot of broth with cabbage, green onions, red bell peppers, peanuts, tofu, and a some form of fat from a cow. You can get all kinds of set ups, with flavors like Miso and Curry, and they don't all come with tofu and fat. That is just what happens when Brandon tells someone to order us their favorite thing.

Hope you enjoyed yet another food adventure, it was an evening even Mr. Anthony Bourdain would be proud of! Going to huddle in a corner now to protect myself from these beastly winds!

Sasebo Burger #2

We were wandering around trying to find a place to eat dinner last night. Which in it's self was pretty crazy. The fact that we were together that is. Brandon has been working like crazy this week. He is making big changes at the restaurant and we all know that can take time out of any boss's life. We realized that Ron's Burger Shop was finally open, and finally with no line! As fate would have it, there was no one inside at all. We wandered in to be greeted by Ron. I would say "Ron himself", however he was quick to tell us it's not really his name. It's just for kicks. I didn't know Ron was an All-American name, I always thought it was a tad bit more unique. After striking up conversation, we ordered 2 Ron Burger's, one with no mayo of course, and 2 Miller Lites. Yes, he sells Miller Lite, how awesome is that?

The ingredients were the same as the Big Man Sasebo Burger, so we were anxious to see what made Ron's so different that he could attach his name to his Sasebo Burger. Well, for starters he actually cooked the bacon a bit, making it a bit less like a Christmas ham. Then, he used hard boiled egg and toasted the bun. We are now in agreeance the toasted bun really makes the difference in this whole Sasebo Burger experience we are beginning to have. Oh, and this guy, whose real name is Yoichi, has a burger that is 2.7kg. It's a big deal, today there was a news crew covering it on TV. Also, you can get it cut into 8 pieces. You know, just in case your family that is watching you be an idiot gets hungary and wants to join in the fun. All I can think about is the guy on man vs. food, eating a 2.7kg Ron's Sasebo Burger in a shop decorated like a 50's diner with signatures of famous people from Star Wars all over the wall. Oh yea, and Miller Lite.

It was quite a fun experience sitting at the counter talking to "Ron" while we drank our familiar beer. It turns out this guy is obsessed with American things, and actually explained to his girlfriend where Texas was by reminding her of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. That was pretty funny to watch, not the movie but the description. The point is that we really liked them even with all of the broken English and Japanese, we all seemed to be having a great time. So great in fact that we are meeting them Tuesday for dinner. They are going to take us to a real Japanese Steak House. Totally pumped about that considering I don't know if either of us have been to a fake Japanese Steak House. That's right, we just picked up some new friends. Actually, speaking of friends. We are going out with the old Navy dude's tonight. This should make for a very unproductive Monday. Good thing it's Brandon's day off!

big man burger

Introduced by, believe it or not, Navy guys in about the 1950's, the Sasebo Burger has become a reason for eating in our city. There are multiple restaurants that each pay homage the wonderful sector of the very small type of cuisine that is labeled "American". You can spot them all over the city because of their proudly displayed Sasebo Burger Man, that's right, the burger has a mascot.

We went ahead and tried it out yesterday. Actually, we tried it out the second day we were in Sasebo, but were left pretty mystified at how something with a soggy bun, soggy bacon, a 1/4" thick patty, and and 1" of mayonnaise could give a city bragging rights. Well, it turns out that we just had a bad version and have long put that experience behind us.

So, here we are almost 2 months later, standing in line at Big Man. We have been observing the line at Big Man for sometime now. It often wraps around the building and you watch locals diligently holding their numbers waiting to be called. This line can go on for hours. Just like the line at the restaurant right next to our apartment-which we have yet to try, since every time we try to go now, it's closed-but that's another story.

We finally decided to brave the line and give this burger a second chance! We ordered two different versions, including one without mayonnaise for Jewell the mayonnaise wimp, and some hand cut fries that looked amazing.

So, here is what the burger is. A hand made bun, lettuce-lots of lettuce, thick cut bacon-that this time tasted more like the ham we get at Christmas, the same 1/4" patty, cheddar cheese, tomato, mustard, a fried egg, and for Brandon a 1/4" of mayonnaise. So, this burger was much, much more satisfying. Not only because the burger-to-mayo ratio was more appropriate, but because it was put together in a way that said, "my kitchen deserves it's Sasebo Burger Man mascot". Oh, and the fries, were awesome. They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and seasoned with salt and pepper, just the way you want them.

So, get ready America. When the Willett's return, we hope you aren't expecting a sushi party. . .because you are getting a Sasebo Burger Party. Where the eggs will be fried, the bacon will be like ham, the mayonnaise will be optional, and the patties will be, well we will make the patties bigger. Hope you're in for one heck of a time!

rainy holiday

This is the American food joint right next to our apartment, which just missed being in this shot. This is the line that forms everyday day around noon and does not let up until dark. It is very small with only 4 tables, like mots places in Japan, but I have never seen a place with a line this intense, like a bakery after Oprah gives her seal of approval. It must be good, and we are looking forward to trying it out. We aren't sure why we haven't, besides the fact that we don't want to wait in that line, but from the looks of it we might just have to suck it up. However, we will save the sucking it up for a sunny day.

kaiten-zushi

Our friends have been dying to take us here. We finally made it, and it was awesome. Then again, one dollar a plate sushi that comes along a conveyor belt couldn't go bad.

prawns

pork, teryaki sauce, japanese mayo, green onion

tuna

prosciutto, japanese mayo, onion


chocolate pudding and chocolate cake

the REAL first meal

We went to our first meal in Sasebo. We sat in a spacious booth that the waitress tried to tell us we wouldn't like because it didn't have air conditioning. Did she really think we were going to pass up the opportunity to sit on the floor next to the squid tank? I don't think so. We dealt with it. Plus, you couldn't even tell there was no AC! Considering the humidity melts your face off outside.

The food was great.

miso soup with crab & rice with steamed egg and tempura shrimp

sashimi, rice with a steamed egg and crab custard, & veggie tempura