NOM NOM

Finish everything on your plate or no dessert. Eat your veggies. Just a few more bites. Eat it, it's good for you. There are kids starving in the world so eat those brussel sprouts. Your sister finished hers (this usually was in reference to peas as my sister Jennie would always eat hers but I detested them). 

These were common phrases heard around the dinner table growing up. With four children sitting down to eat, my Mom did her best. Most days we would eat what was put in front of us. The rare time we refused, we felt the burn. My brother had the nerve to say he didn't like custard which resulted in my Dad throwing the bowl at him, just missing his head. My brother quickly grabbed his spoon saying he loved custard now! I wouldn't eat my meatloaf one night and my Mom told me I couldn't leave the table. I sat there until 9:00 when she told me I could go to bed. Where my parents mean? Not at all. They simply knew the cost of feeding a family of six wasn't easy and didn't want food to go to waste. There was one cookbook in the house. Remember it?

Nowadays, there are numerous cooking shows and a designated T.V. channel just for food. Recipes can be found online and downloaded. There's a plethora of restaurants to visit in any city, satisfying whatever suits your mood. Without traveling abroad, you can have Thai, Indian, Chinese, Italian, Japanese or Brazilian food by jumping in your car and driving for 10 minutes. If you wanted sushi when I was growing up....well, you just didn't. We didn't even know what it was.

Traveling has opened my eyes to different cultures and also to different foods. Japan has some of the best seafood I've ever tried. It was where I first tried eel, octopus, and fugu. You may wonder why I would risk eating a pufferfish that can be lethally poisonous. I was advised that the chefs are extremely well trained and knew how to remove the toxins. Trying it one time was enough! Here are some favourite foods I've experienced while traveling.

1) JAPAN: One of my favourite dishes was okonomiyaki which translates to a Japanese pancake. The dish is made with batter and cabbage, and filled with seafood, meats, sometimes noodles, and topped with sauce, mayonnaise, dried seaweed and fish flakes. It's crispy on the outside and soft inside. A must try in Japan.

2) ITALY: I think that the country speaks for itself. The food is delizioso!

After eating pasta and pizza here, it's hard to enjoy it back at home! My only complaint was peas in the pasta. Like a child, I picked them out and left them on my plate.

3) IRELAND: Fish and chips in Dingle, County Kerry. I have never had better fish and chips.

4) CANADA: We are known for our maple syrup, butter tarts, peameal bacon and Montreal smoked meat. I had poutine in Montreal, Quebec and couldn't believe how tasty it was.

5) THAILAND: I could do a whole book on Thai food. I visited the country a number of times and took a couple of cooking classes. The food is phenomenal. Bangkok is well known for street food and if you are a little adventurous, you can sample some fried bugs.                

                       Local market in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.

                        Shopped for fresh ingredients. 
                                                                                                                                                                   Here are the dishes I made:

                        Pad Thai- a very common noodle dish.
                           

                        Green curry coconut soup- I made the mistake of
                        rubbing my eye after touching a hot chili pepper.
                        Couldn't wear my contact lenses for 2 days!

                          Spring rolls. Note the fancy rose and petals made
                          with vegetables. I haven't attempted it since!

Looking at these photos is making me hungry. I will post "Part 2" soon!

~MT

Let the Music Play

I love music and have ever since I was a kid.  My Dad would play songs on the hi-fi, which became the 8 tracks of my youth. We barely watched T.V. but rather listened to music. I went to my first live concert when I was 13 and the energy in the arena was intoxicating. There's nothing like hearing your favourite bands singing live.

Music is a part of our daily lives, whether we are silencing it as the morning alarm, singing along to the radio on the way to work, or humming along to that awful Muzac in the elevator or in the dentist office. There is such a variety of music and we can access it with a touch of a button. When you hear an old song, a memory will stir and you will be transported back to another place and time.

While living in Japan, my love for music was cultivated with my VIP card at the local karaoke bar. Karaoke is an extremely popular activity in Japan and it became one of my favourite ways to pass the time. You could rent a room with friends and sing by the hour, ordering drinks and snacks as needed. The English selection was limited but a few doozies could still be found on their machines.

*Karaoke bar. These were as popular as Starbucks!

I was fortunate to see a couple of great concerts while living abroad. No, it wasn't J-Pop. I could hardly stomach that shit (with the exception of the group "SMAP" which had more to do with my crush on Kimura Takuya then on their talent. Google him-seriously).

The first concert was KISS at Tokyo Dome. It was January of 1997 and along with 55,000 other crazy fans, we rocked out to "Calling Doctor Love", "Beth", and "Detroit Rock City" (Paul changed the lyrics to Tokyo and naturally, the crowd went berzerk). Seeing them in full makeup and platform boots was something to behold.

The second concert I saw in Japan was Prince.  Hamamatsu was a much smaller venue with only 2300 people. It was during his 2002 World Tour and he played for a solid three hours. That little man is so talented; he played at least 3 different instruments during the concert. My friend Chris was a member of the fan club so got to attend the sound check, stand in the front row and even got to go onstage during the performance. Prince played all of my favourite songs and the show was amazing.

Being Canadian, I have some favourite Canuck bands that I follow. Sam Roberts Band and The Tragically Hip are in my top 10. I've seen both in concert a number of times. Living in Windsor, we are blessed with living just minutes from Detroit, Michigan (blessed?) a popular stop for bands on tour. The Fillmore Detroit and Pine Knob (renamed DTE but will always be Pine Knob to me) are great places to see concerts. We are also fairly close to Ohio and I've traveled to that state on a few occasions to see both Sam and the Hip. They tend to play at smaller venues and the chance to meet them is greater.

*My brother Gerry and I meeting Sam outside of Frankie's bar in Toledo, Ohio (2011). We tailgated outside the bar in my convertible before the show. Parked right behind the tour bus!

My all time favourite band is The Tragically Hip. The 5 member band from Kingston, Ontario has been around since 1984 and I've been a fan for most of those years. The lead singer, Gord Downie is an eccentric front man and seeing them live is quite an experience.

*Meeting Gord for the first time in 2007 in Cleveland, Ohio. 

*Meeting Gord in Windsor wearing a backstage pass around my neck! Show was so good that my sister Jennie and I drove to London (about a 2 hour drive) the next night to see him again. The concert was outdoors, it was pouring rain and we got soaked but still had fun (2010).

No matter where you travel, music is an integral part of the culture. My favourite music while traveling thus far, was in Ireland. It was incredible to visit any pub and there would be live music. Everyone was happy, sitting around enjoying a pint and singing along with the band. People would shout out their requests and the band obliged. Whether they were singing about the "Wild Rover" or the girl with "The Black Velvet Band", their songs tell a tale and it comes across when they sing.

I'm not sure how far I'd travel to see a band I love. The furthest I've gone to date is probably 4 hours. There's just something different about seeing a live performance with the entire crowd joining in the lyrics. Music has changed so much since listening to the 8 tracks in my childhood living room. Even with the price of concert tickets today, I still think it's worth it. So if you get the chance, jump in the car, put on your favourite soundtrack and head to a great show where for a couple hours, you can travel somewhere else; affected and transported by the music.

*Lyrics from one of my favourite Hip songs, Bobcaygeon.

~MT

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

I hadn’t really rode a bike much since I was a kid. However, in Japan, it was the easiest way for me to get to my school and around town. While riding to a bar one night with a few friends I had made, I got into an  accident with another cyclist. I flew right over my bike and landed on top of it. There was a lot of blood and bruising. The female that ran into me apologized, bowed, and took off. We were closer to the bar than my apartment so we made our way there, where the kind bartender helped clean and bandage me up. 

I had a terrible time sitting seiza (the proper form of sitting in Japan, basically sitting on your knees) for at least two weeks. If you’ve ever watched women in a tea ceremony, that’s sitting seiza. Riding my bike proved just as painful as I couldn’t bend my knees without feeling the burn. 

I felt that burn for at least 2 weeks. After the crash, I decided to stay off the sidewalks and stick to the road. Riding a bike on the opposite side of the road than what I was accustomed to, with no bike lane or helmet seemed safer than the sidewalk in a city of more than 700,000. 

Riding on the road went smoothly until I hit a taxi. Did that deter me from riding a bike? No, I am much more stubborn than that. A few months later, I hit a curb while feeling a bit tipsy and heading home from the izakaya (a Japanese pub). I went down in front of my favourite convenience store, Family Mart (more on this store later) and there were no fewer than five people that came out to help me. Japanese people are very kind. I don't think it was a common occurrence for a crazy gaijin (foreigner) to take a spill in front of them. I'm glad I couldn't fully understand what they were saying. 

If Uber had been around back then, it could have saved both me and my bike a few scrapes. That bike was the best. It had a bell to let people know I was approaching and to get out of my way, and a basket to keep my books, bag and groceries. I rode it during both rainy and typhoon season. It was a lot harder than you'd think! My bike was my favourite mode of transportation, followed closely by the train.

~MT

Nippon (or Japan to you laypeople)

Konnichiwa, Welcome to Nippon (June 1996)

Touching down in Nagoya, Japan, after an extremely long day of travel, was like a scene out of a movie.  If you've seen "Lost in Translation", you will understand. 

The city was lit up like Vegas, billboards promoting everything from Pikachu and Hello Kitty, to Suntory whisky and sake. The streets were lined bumper to bumper with cars and taxis, and streams of people were everywhere. It was close to midnight and the city had a pulsing life. I was jet lagged and exhausted but felt exhilarated. 

I met with someone from the English school I would be teaching at, and they brought me to a hotel for the night. The room consisted of a single bed with a nightstand and a small washroom. There was just enough room for my two backpacks and myself. I could literally lay down and touch all the walls. I prayed my apartment would be bigger than this. After showering the filth of a 4 hour car ride, a 16 hour flight and a 20 minute taxi ride, I fell into a deep sleep. I awoke the next morning feeling slightly confused and pondering my decision to move across the world. I was here so decided to make the most of it. 

I took a quick shower and was ready when the same colleague  from the night before picked me up to bring me to work. Not even in the country 12 hours and I was due to start work right away. The Japanese certainly don't mess around. Or give a girl time to adjust! I was taken to the head office where I met with the president of the company and some of the Japanese teachers. They gave me a tour and orientation, then brought me for my first official Japanese lunch. The restaurant was extremely crowded and loud, and I got many stares from the tables around us. My fellow lunch companions were surprised I was able to use chopsticks but having worked at a Chinese restaurant all through school, I had mastered that skill. 

After lunch, I was taken to the train station, put on the Shinkansen (bullet train) and told to get off in an hour in Shizouka, the second stop, where someone would be waiting for me. The Shinkansen links most major cities and operates at a speed as fast as 320km/h. I could barely register what we were passing as the images outside were mostly a blur.  Reaching the second stop and hearing the conductor announce Shizuoka, I grabbed my bags and exited the train. There was a Japanese woman, Yuko,  waiting for me as promised. She walked me to the head office, a mere 10 minutes from the station. I met a number of people there and then took a taxi to my home for the year, an apartment that was thankfully slightly bigger than my hotel room. 

After climbing three flights of stairs with my heavy packs, I made my first of many blunders by entering the apartment without removing my shoes. I was so excited to see how big it was, I rushed right in after dumping my bags. I received an instant reprimand from Yuko and quickly returned to the genkan (entranceway) to remove my shoes. Reading up on Japanese culture and customs still hadn’t prepared me for what I would encounter. I was told that I would have the rest of the day to myself to unpack, shown how to use the washing machine that was on my balcony (I would need to keep shoes out there for the purpose of laundry), shown a map where the closest convenient and grocery stores were and was finally left alone. I unpacked my bags, hoping I had everything I needed for an entire year and four seasons (well, five if you include rainy season). I unrolled my futon and fell asleep to the sounds of the boys next door at the Esso gas station screaming IRASSHAIMASE, the standardized Japanese greeting to a customer. Little did I know that these boys would become good friends over the next year, waving to me daily, pumping air into my bike tires, and even lending their uniforms for a Hallowe’en party.  

Nothing can truly prepare you for living abroad. Not only are you away from the familiarity and comforts of home, you are experiencing new things almost daily. Being away from loved ones is hard and Skype or FaceTime didn't exist yet. Figuring out the time zones and waking up when loved ones back home were just going to bed made my head spin. 

Somehow,  I managed to survive in this strange, beautiful land.  

Return to read about some of my favourite adventures during what became a 6 year stay in Japan.

~MT 

Have Love, Will Travel