One day, a colleague asked me what foods I disliked. When I mentioned that I disliked bagels, they were taken aback. While I can eat them if necessary, I dislike the dense texture of wheat and how they seem to absorb all the moisture in my mouth. American bagels are even worse. Then, I said I disliked pretzels even more, making them even more surprised. Why are they so hard? And excessively salty, too. I wish they weren't coated with chunks of salt. Do pretzels even have a reason to exist?
A graduate student I know fairly well is about to get his Ph.D. We traveled together to a university in Phoenix, Arizona (to be precise, a neighboring town), a few years ago for research purposes. I believe it was at the end of June. As we were leaving the research building after finishing our work, we were approached by what seemed to be an undergrad from that university.
"Hey, you guys up for some kickball?"
At first, I thought he was sketchy, but he turned out to be a perfectly normal, healthy young man. Because I couldn’t respond well, my graduate student companion politely declined on my behalf. Kickball was out of the question. 112ºF temperatures were out of the question. That's 44.5ºC btw. Yet there they were, enjoying themselves playing kickball. It made me feel like I caught a glimpse of the remarkable adaptability of living organisms.
Ninety-nine percent of drivers in Philadelphia are truly brainless. Every day, you encounter at least one driver who seems like they crawled out of a garbage can. Some people say their next life will be as daphnia or something, but that's disrespectful to daphnia. They don't deserve a next life.
Today, there was a driver speeding past my house. Completely disregarding the traffic lights, they didn't even bother to slow down. They kindly revved their engine loudly, so people around could evacuate. Imagine if this had been an electric car. Tesla should consider adding a revving function.
Sometimes, I can't help but feel frustrated. What is this country coming to? Seeing this kind of behavior every day, it's like something is building up while something else is being eroded... I should try not to dwell on it too much.
以前、Amtrakでボルチモアに行った。そこの駅名もなんとPenn Stationである。そしてもう一つ、ニューアークというニューヨーク市にほど近い街の駅の駅名もPenn Stationという。一体全体何がどうなっているのかさっぱり意味がわからない。ちなみにPennsylvania州Philadelphia市の駅はWilliam H. Gray III 30th Street駅という。そこはPenn Stationだろ。
One of the 100 biggest mysteries in America is Penn Station. Penn Station is the name of the New York station for the mid-speed intercity railroad Amtrak, likely named after William Penn. It's common in the West to name stations or airports after people, so it's not a big deal, but personally, I'm not a big fan. Wouldn't "NYC Station" be more straightforward and better?
I once traveled to Baltimore on Amtrak. Guess what the name of that station was? Penn Station. And another thing, there's a station in a city near New York City called Newark, and its name? Penn Station. I have absolutely no idea what's going on with all these Penn Stations. By the way, the station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is called William H. Gray III 30th Street Station. Shouldn't that be Penn Station?
昆布でだしを取り、醤油、料理酒、みりんを4:3:2の比率で加え、切った玉ねぎとおろし生姜を加えて加熱する。お好みで長葱や椎茸、エリンギなどを入れてもいい。沸騰させてアルコールが飛んだら味見をし、砂糖を子さじで一回加え、また味見する。玉ねぎが柔らかくなるまで煮る。H Mart (韓国系のアジア系スーパー)で買った薄切り牛肉を加えて肉に火が通る程度まで煮込む。途中アクを取る。甘いのが好みであれば味見しながら砂糖を加える。私は甘くない方が好きなので砂糖は控えめにする。肉の火入れ加減や味を好きに調節できるので実は自分で作った方が美味しい。今回は長葱とエリンギを少し入れた。もちろん汁だく。
I often wish there was a Yoshinoya in Philadelphia, but since there isn't even one in New York, it won’t come to Philly. The frozen gyudon packs from Yoshinoya are sold for about $6, which is more than twice the price of eating at their stores in Japan, but still much better value than many mediocre restaurants around. However, making it at home is even cheaper.
Start by making a dashi broth with kombu, and add soy sauce, cooking sake, and mirin in a ratio of 4:3:2. Add chopped onions and grated ginger, and heat the mixture. You can also add green onions, shiitake mushrooms, or king oyster mushrooms if you like. Once it boils and the alcohol evaporates, taste it and add a tablespoon of sugar, then taste it again. Simmer until the onions become tender. Add thinly sliced beef bought from H Mart (a Korean-Asian supermarket) and cook until the meat is just done. Remove any scum that forms during cooking. If you prefer it sweeter, adjust the sweetness by adding sugar to taste. I prefer it less sweet, so I use less sugar. Since you can adjust the level of doneness and flavor to your liking, homemade gyudon can actually be tastier. This time, I added a little green onion and king oyster mushrooms. Of course, plenty of broth is a must.
Ingredients:
Water (for dashi) 500 ml
Soy sauce 60 ml
Sake 45 ml
Sugar 5 ml+
Mirin 30 ml
Ginger 5 ml
Onion 1
Green onion/shiitake/king oyster mushrooms (as desired)
Thinly sliced beef (short rib) 500 g
Finish by topping with red pickled ginger. It may be an exaggeration to say gyudon exists for the red pickled ginger, but since I love red pickled ginger, I pile it on generously. The photo shows less pickled ginger for visual appeal only.
Public transportation in Philadelphia is mainly operated by SEPTA. The buses operated by SEPTA are typical American buses. The schedule is more of a suggestion than a strict timetable, and I've had experiences where the bus I was waiting for at 69th Street station, the first stop, never showed up. It's beyond just being late.
Speaking of these SEPTA buses, I sometimes witness a peculiar sight. There are occasions when a bus runs, being followed by another bus of the same route right behind, sandwiching a car in between. Naturally, the bus behind is nearly empty. I've pondered for years about why this absurd situation occurs, and my analysis suggests a few reasons. Firstly, emergency vehicles often stop in the middle of the road (rather than pulling over to the side); larger vehicles get stuck in narrow lanes; school buses and other large vehicles protrude into the road for parking, requiring all cars to slow down and pass; or of course, regular accidents (I've seen all of these scenarios firsthand). Secondly, buses cannot change routes at will, but other vehicles, especially Philadelphia drivers who are known for their impatience, tend to take detours immediately (even backing up if necessary). Lastly, the following bus catches up. Something like that has happened, I think. However, the presence of a car in between remains a mystery.
I've always had a question in my mind: Why do baseball teams run so much? They run unnecessarily every day, and as a result, they end up dominating the school's marathon events. I can understand if it's for pitchers, but players in other positions don't really need that much endurance. They'd be better off doing strength training. However, it's pointless to say this to baseball team members. After all, they're just being made to run as well.
