Cooking Daikon ( Japanese / Chinese White Radish )
Daikon (大根 in Japanese) is a sister of Radish (yes, that red small one) or Swede and hey are all in the same Brassicaceae family, hence having the same four-petals flower like Rape flower (but Daikon’s flower is in pale violet to white = in fact pretty pretty, innocent looked flower 🙂 )
Despite it is one of the most common root vegetable in Japan (also in China = Japan is exporting its shredded and dried products to China hundreds of thousands of tons every year) when I came to England, it was not in greengrocer’s (yet, French calls it as Molly and eat a lots though, theirs having black skin and as big as Japanese one (up to 4″ or 10 cm diameter = hence, it resembles girl’s leg with black tights = so, to see it in the piled-up mountain in St’ Michelle market in Paris, it looked very sexy 😀 )
(In Japan, call a girl “Daikon ashi” (Daikon leg) is a worst insult 😉 )
Even though Daikon is so popular and ubiquitous though, you may not see them in a restaurant menu —– situation looked the same in French or Chinese, I don’t remember I ever seen this vegetable in their menu, except a very rustic or family kitchen style restaurant, otherwise as a small side-dish to drink Sake = such as I describe hereafter. 🙂
( If you ever seen disc-shaped yellow pickles = Takuan = it is one of the pickled style Daikon though, it may not in an expensive Japanese restaurant 🙂 )
—– So, how Japanese is cooking this vegetable in their kitchen ?
Daikon is very easy to cook vegetable as its own or with another materials —– It can be eaten even raw = grated ( the source to dip Tempra) or finely cut into thread (comes with Sashimi) and often boiled with Octopus or Squid because the Daikon is having a Digestive Enzyme which soften Octopus, on top of many nutrition and vitamins 🙂
The photo above is Furo-fuki Daikon ( 風呂吹大根 ) = Daikon was boiled with dashi, that’s all !
* Boil the Dashi = as the powder, or in a small packet, or use Dashi Kombu (Kelp sea weed) and a bit of Salt.
* Then put cut Daikon and boil — may be 60 min or so, until it was cooked soft (— it would be disintegrated if it was boiled too long —– still, it will make a nice soup. 🙂 )
Even simpler is Dengaku ( 田楽) = just boil Daikon in a plain water until it was cooked soft.
* And eat it with a Miso based source = Miso with small amount of Vinegar and a bit of Sugar, + small amount of Mirin (Japanese Cooking Sake or a bit of wine, White Rum can be used instead )
* For additional flavor — I add few drop of West-Indian Hot-chilly Source, or Wasabi, Mustard. — When I mixed with Thai Tom-yam-Ku paste = it wasn’t too bad —– any variation you can try and enjoy the taste. ( If it became too runny with vinegar etc, just add more Miso. 🙂 )
(For Dengaku, you can put many different materials too, such as Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery even Potato. — Japanese use Konnyaku (it’s a funny staff / Mannan product) as well. ) —– from here, another popular Japanese cooking called “Oden” is only a step away. Basically Oden is a cooking of the chopped Daikon and various fish cakes boiled together and pick up of those you like from the pan to your own small dish and eat. (normally with mustard = why mustard is, = since Daikon and Mustard belongs to the same botanical family, their taste mix well, = same as that, Tomato based cooking will mix well with chilli pepper, since they are in the same family)
—– Now you have seen the key of the Daikon cooking = main seasoning in Furofuki Daikon was in its Dashi, but the Dengaku, it was in the Source. Still in both cooking, the dominant taste is Daikon itself.
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When an Italian guy who seemed to have very good taste bud, first ever eat Daikon and he was very impressed and asked me how to make it. —– And he was even surprised, why Italian doesn’t have such cooking, despite it is very popular in France.
( Only a small trouble with eating Daikon is, it could make you to produce strongest mankind ever know kind of fart, yet still, it was known to be not poisonous = hence, it makes short of health warning. 😀 )
—– Not because of its humble, Minimalistic Zen approach, but simply, it’s so tasty = So, this is my Festive time eating. (on top of Temaki-Sushi. 😀 )
If you haven’t tasted it yet, I strongly recommend you to try.
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PS : I received an Email from my Chinese friend Sing Lee, the way how to cook it in Chinese style !
<<< (There was the Photos from him though, they have been disappeared — copyright issues ? —– I don’t know. What a shame.)
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SKI
Ski — a news from my friends in Japan = I received an Email from a friend in Japan who had
first mountain ski (off-piste) in this season. My friend, Makoto is one of the younger member
of the Alpine Club of our Uni’ = some years younger than me though, he is now over 60.
Still, he has been skiing almost every week on the last winter.
When I was in my Uni’ I was thinking to become a Ski Photographer = I wasn’t too bad in Skiing
as I could ski while holding camera and shooting though, one day, on a very steep slope with ice
where I needed side-slip, then, another photographer was skiing down straight while holding
16 mm cine camera between his knee ! A practicing race skier there said “He is our club’s
old boy” —–I instantly realized that there is no competition = I gave-up my idea.
(Later I learned, Ski photographer doesn’t need to ski like a slalom racer = Go to the best spot on
the course on FOOT and capture the action of each Skier. Otherwise visiting good ski resort and
making vivid report. The matter is not a ski skill or top-notch photography but a good relation
with the editor. In case of advertising photo = it’s all set-up. 😀 😀 )
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What I found interesting in Makoto’s latest equipment was, the advancement of the technology
and the material. (40 years ago, most of the ski was made by wood and ski-boots was leather 🙂 )
When I try to re-use broken metal ski, I was pretty impressed by its construction = how
different materials were stuck together = the technology in Glue = such as non-sticking Teflon
was stacked to the bottom of ski and the artificial rubber (Neoprene) was sandwiched between
High-tensile aluminum — yet, under extreme cold and extreme rough handling (footing ?) and
constant vibration and the bending strain = still, ski doesn’t disintegrate even without having
rivets, screws or welding to bind them together !
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And the plastic boots (Makoto is using the boots which was designed for walking as well ) is not
a simple PVC = very complexed compounds of plastic = solid enough to firmly attach to the
bindings and soft enough for walking = above all, consistent in very wide range of temperature !
(most of plastic become brittle and crack under cold temperature)
And his boots has Accordion structure ! (See the photo) —– How fascinating 🙂
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This year, japan is having quite heavy snow ( Do you know, their snow is as heavy as 7 m deep,
not just in the mountain area but many Cities and Towns in north-western side of Japan).
The mountain where Makoto went was only 2 hours drive north of Tokyo.
Then, after climbing and ski down from 2,000 m high top, having had relaxing hot spring bath,
before drive back to Tokyo —— all done in a day, 14 hours exact with little expense (They brought
their lunch-box made by their wives ) ! = What an active, healthy life.
—– As a man, stack in London, I really envy them 😀
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Apocalypse ? —– What Apocalypse ?
According to a kind of interpretation of Mayan Calendar, last Saturday, 21st of December suppose
to be the end of the world ! —– How exciting ! If it happens, the most spectacular scene must be
seen on the landscape of sky-scrapers = so, I went to the City. In fact, I went there together with
another video artist, Funki Porcini and Tallbastard. —– Funki needed to shoot the night building
whether it is in ruin or collapsing on front of the eyes, otherwise just standing as usual 😀
And while he was shooting, I cricked few pictures.
The top photo, Snowdrops was the kind, I least expected to find here. —– But, expecting only to
see them in a kind of nature, might be just an arrogance of the mankind = for them, like a rocky
mountain and the thin soil on the rock = city-scape can be just another nature for them.
As I didn’t expected, likewise, people may not noticed this flower = hence never disturbed her =
being left her own, Snowdrops could thrive !!! ( This is what the Nature is. = It’s the Dharma )
—– It seems, the world has survived intact and the Xmas is coming yet again 😀
So, to everybody who is going to celebrate it, “Merry Xmas” 🙂
—– For me though, a matter, winter solstice has past, was much more significant, as
the sun is coming back ! = It’s getting brighter 🙂
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Video Geeks in Wireless Workshop
Wireless Workshop (SPC.org) is in the Greenwich former Town Hall. The members (?) are
meeting every week, generally for a talk shop. (some time to save broken computer !)
To create Video images, there are many approaches, from purely shooting real scene, or use real
image as a trigger or source of secondly image —– to Computer Graphics or Graphical animation
or Clay model animation etc etc ! —– Strangely you might think, there are many different kind
of Artists are visiting Wireless Workshop (some said Wireless Wednesday) —- So, last Wednesday
as video artists came, the meeting was held in their “Video lounge” = top of the building which
was the lighting and the Projector’s room of the former Greenwich theater. 🙂
Photo left is a Thermin (Electronic musical sound generator) and the right, there might be old
Super-8 Cine fanatics. = the trace of how this group is related to such as Exploding Cinema.
And as the Electronic Geeks network, it extends to continent too, and also overlapping with
Linux users groups (and Huckers as well 😀 )
Video lab, and the sound mixer —– even hand knitted small pouch (photo right) said to be a
” Testicle Warmer” and its rainbow color suggest “the Gay power movement” though, I have no
idea how it came here 😀
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Stollen ( German Fruits Cake for Xmas )
On my daily life, there are quite few things missing —– on the shopping front, it is far easier
to count what I buy rather than listing up what I don’t buy = such as other than fresh vegetables and
the fruits, a sort of sweets or confectionery is completely missing = simply because I’m buying
essentials which I desperately need ! = if I don’t eat I may die = So that, I have to eat = hence, I buy
the food staffs, but in the cheapest way = fresh raw material = never buy processed food, let
alone junk-food or that kind, bottled drink, any alcohol, which we don’t need for our survival 😀
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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not following ANY idea of “Healthy diet” or Religious restriction what so ever
but simply I’m living the life of poor-man. Cooking out of fresh materials is the cheapest way to eat.
This mind-set, “poor-man” (in Buddhist’s term, Bhikku = Beggar) seemed to have originated from
my family = Zen priest’s and the life in the mountain = NO waste of food, food is to survive.
—– And in the same context, no waste of anything (since, I’m not printing a money or ever
produced even a single grain of rice) so to repair and recycle what so ever it was possible, is the norm.
In the same way, wear the clothes is for its essential function, not for fashion or vanity = hence,
as long as it is wearable (with stitching repair etc), no need to buy another one.
—– So, I’m still using my heavy-duty jacket I bought in Japan 40 years ago 🙂 — though, it seems,
it has gone too far hence, some body told me “If you like to come, buy decent clothes and wear a tie”
= so, I needed to buy a trouser and jacket last week (last time I did shopping for clothe (other than
underwear and socks) was two years ago 😀 )
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Therefore, in my shopping, I’m going through a forests of foods and goods like a remote land-scape.
Still, it is not a kind of fixed mind or prohibition, the mind recognizes those item which I don’t need is
not there —– sweets, confectionery or the fashion display doesn’t take any attention = or they are
almost NOT exists. (I might be an enemy of the super-market —– or for them, £10 par week
kind of person has no statistical significance :-D) —– THOUGH, once in a year, I’m making
an exception for a German cake Stollen which is only sold in the Xmas time.
Stollen is a German equivalent of Xmas pudding but not as heavy as Xmas pudding with Rum or
Brandy, still it is a kind of festive fruits cake.
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—– I’m not an expert of cake making, let alone Stollen. I only know this, in the past 7~8 years since
I saw a woman buying this from the Lidl saying “This Stollen is our traditional Xmas cake”
As the woman pronounced “Sh-tollen” I noticed she is a German. (And Lidl shop was originated
from Germany)
—– So, as a cultural interest, I bought one and realized this must be the symbol of their winter life.
= In the Autumn, people, kids goes woods and gather edible small fruits, Blue-berry
kind and Walnuts, Pine-nuts etc. And use those harvested and dried fruits to make a
cake for winter festive season. (Though, today’s Stollen was made with imported Raison, Almond
/ Marzipan etc —– still showing and maintaining their traditional folk culture 🙂 )
I like the life rooted on the Earth and live accordingly to the season = life of
the moment to moment.
Pick the Berry in a late Summer, preparing for the coming Winter — and eat the gift of the Nature
in the Festive time remembering the Sun in the Past Summer = To repeat this, ten or so times,
the kids become good grown-ups and start to have their own family.
—– or, to repeat 60~80 times is what our LIFE is = smell of sun drenched bush, or cool air
of forest’s floor —– the memory of brother or sister, friends etc etc = and the cycle of the LIFE
= therefore, as I bought the same Stollen again, it’s mean yet another year has past.
I wouldn’t say, either congratulation or sorry = it’s just another year 😀
(And, I wouldn’t imply the life has an equivalent value of 80 Stollen 😀 😀 )
___/\___
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New Year’s Card Design 2013 (from Canon = Free)
Those sample images here were all from Canon Pixma Printer’s site and they are free to
use though, with quality’s sake you may better go their original site. And, of cause,
they got hundreds more designs —– (but in Japanese)
http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/contents/10n202/list_45_1.html?log=nt-02
—– Left / Happy New spring. — Center / I play you to have the Life with Smile. — Right / Happy New Year.
Left / Very feminine sensual calligraphy ! — Center / Snake in Shape of letter [巳] — Right / The Letter [巳]
—– Left / Calligraphy is still the letter [巳] ————————- Right / Snake in the shape of Hiragana [み = 巳]
—– Left / With a figure of Darma ( Yes, BhoddiDarma ! ) ——- Right / Okame face in Fuku-warai game.
—– Left / Snake in the shape of letter [巳] —————————- In the west, coiled heap mean shit — may be
————————————————————————————– Japanese doesn’t make a coil — ask them 😀
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PS : Further Information and the Links to free download site is —–
https://yoshizen.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/info-and-link-for-2013-new-year-card-design/
PPS : There is a site of Japan-Post —– WWW.Yubin-Nenga.jp — which said to have 1000s of
free samples though, to download the Kit, it needs to download Adobe and McAfee program
with a lots of conflict etc = almost unusable —– Still, you may try 😀
Those were the samples from Japan-Post.
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Exploding Cinema at Goldsmith
Last Saturday evening, the Films and Art event / Exploding Cinema was held in a big church
building ( now it was converted to an art-space for the Goldsmith college / London University
of Art ) It seemed, it was one of the most successful evening of the Exploding Cinema’s history.
Impressive massive space though, as it has been converted = not purposely built = make use of
the space needed a lots of work especially running all together 100m of the electric extension
cables etc. —– while having time count ” One hour left” ” Another 15 minuets” — then over load
power cut etc. The DON / Facilitator of many art events / James Stevens had to work hard 🙂
( Photo right = Brian Steel’s sculpture / Dummy)
( Photo right = I brought my kinetic sculpture Virtual Woman with 3W LED light to project
a shadow of moving image on the wall. )
( Photo left = Jini Rawlings installing her video projection system with water reflection.
Photo middle = Matt Lloyd was setting up the AV system in the performance Room.
Photo right = I brought yet another piece / Hell Fire —– color changing
rotating LED with reflection ! )
Then the door open —– loads of audiences has come and enjoyed the evening with massive
amount of all sorts of moving images —– save the coldness of a winter night in the massive
stone building 😦 = though, the advantage was, we didn’t need to use Cloak-room 🙂
Other than individual set-up of video projection by each artists, the main screen
showed nearly 30 short videos —– some were pretty experimental 🙂
And the Performances ! ( Photo left = Blanca Regina performed her amazing singing
with her video image ! ( And I intruded with my dancing — seemed they liked it :-D)
Photo middle = Pete Gomes played his impressive Flute accompanying his 8mm cine
images shot in India. Photo right = Vicky Smith draw tyre track with her bicycle. )
Celina Leiesegang’s group performed their movements. ( Dance ? )
And it is, another fixture = Mould Wine ! Good for chilly night 🙂
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PS : Any participated Artist who want to have more photos in a bit larger size,
Please put a request as a comment saying Photo number / left or right or so =
Comment has your URL which enable me to send it by Email.
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Dorkboat on Stubnitz
Last night, there was a gathering of the Dorkbot London on the Ship Stubnitz moored
in the dock. I went there with James and John-san of SPC.org (Wireless Workshop).
—————————_||_||_||_
=====| ____[“””””””””””””””]____
=====| \ ” ”””””””””” \
======dorkboat~STUBNITZ~^~^~^~^~
Wednesday, this time aboard the amazing MS Stubnitz. One *important*
thing, if you want to come, just email invited@stubnitz.com for entry.
* Where: MS Stubnitz, Connaught Bridge Pier, London, E16 2BU
* Map: http://maps.google.co.uk/?q=loc%3A+n+51+30.34+e+0+02.2
– Chrisantha Fernando and Ed Burton presenting Darwinian Neurodynamic
Cognitive Architectures for Playful Robot Kittens.
– Ben Garrod working around and through and away-from technology’s
relationship with humanity.
– Alias Cummins opendorking on Open Source C++ Development with
Cinderblock SpriteSheet.
Presentation of Newrodynamic control (photo left) and Shauna Concannon’s Hacked
Human Orchestra (photo right = which demonstrated an electronic system to play the
sounds by the switches mounted on the various part of the body.)
And Ben Garrod (photo left) and Alias Cummins (photo right) showed their creativities.
And it’s always the case, nature of the gatherings —– what ever the excuse, meet the
friends and chat over the drinks 😀 —– And it is a well known fact, electronic geeks
are not necessary only talking about technology but quite often very
trivial silly things as well 😀
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PS : They are going to DO the same in the STUBNITZ.
Avast!
Back due to popular demand It’s….
————————— _||_||_||__
=====| ____[“””””””””””””””]____
=====| \ ” ”””””””””” \
====dorkboat~STUBNITZ~II~^~^~^
People seemed to like it last time (http://bit.ly/Uct5Du) – so come!
_____________________________________________________________________
|*NB* email invited@stubnitz.com to inform the crew you’ll be coming.|
|If you would like the Stubnitz to stay in London, you can also chip |
|in to their campaign funds by paypalling: http://bit.ly/VEozwQ |
———————————————————————
____________________________________________________________
dorkbotlondon #83When: 19:00-23:59, 19 December 2012
Where: MS Stubnitz, Connaught Bridge, E16 2BU (directions below)
____________________________________________________________
Featuring the bright and glittering…
————————————-
Liam Donovan: Two projects, maybe more
– a talking guitar and a barely working self-typing type-writer
Rachel Freire: Imogen Heap’s Musical Gloves
– think minority report for musicians brought to you by the DIY/maker
revolution.
Jokubas Dargis: Echo
– A game where you collect, recycle and destroy sounds on your way to
the king of space, and possibly other adventures.
And open dorks from:
Tim Monsees Stubnitz Projections
– the experience and challenges of a multi-projector setup on a ship
(work in progress)
Maybe you? If you have a 5-10 minute opendork/performance, bring it on
the night! Let us know if you want us to list you on the site:
dorkbotlondon@dorkbot.org
_______________________________________________________
Location
——–
MS Stubnitz,
Connaught Bridge
E16 2BU
map link: http://maps.google.co.uk/?q=loc%3A+n+51+30.34+e+0+02.2
The Motorship Stubnitz is an 80 meters long ex East German fishing
vessel transformed in 1992 into a moving platform for cultural research
and exchange.
Nearest public transport Pontoon Dock DLR.
Turn right out of the station and walk to the next roundabout, take
first exit. Walk to second roundabout (with sculpture of giant woman)
first exit of that roundabout is the gates to the mooring.
_____________________________________________________
Photos
——-
To add your photos here, upload them to flickr.com with the tag
“dorkbotlondon83”.
—
sub/unsub yourself here:
http://music.columbia.edu/mailman/listinfo/dorkbotlondon-announce
………………………………………………………………
………dorkbot: people doing strange things with electricity……….
……………………..http://dorkbot.org.………………………
………………………………………………………………
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Life-Form ???
Chinese name of this, is Sea-zi or Shi-zi. And it has glorious Latin name Diospyros.
So, how you guess what are they ?
(This time, they are not plastic, in fact, they are pretty god to eat as well 😀 )
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