A Day at World Market

Konnichiwa!

If you are an American you know yesterday was the infamous... Black Friday. Getting up extremely early and heading out for good deals is what I was all about. As part of my "holiday" experience, I took a trip to a store called World Market. They have products from around the globe: Italy, Sweden, Germany, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese- you name it. While I enjoyed browsing all of these cultures I mainly, of course, enjoyed the Japan sections. Here are pictures of some goodies I spotted while shopping.

 Hello Panda & other treats

 mochi & other treats

 ramune drinks (I spy a Hello Kitty ramune)

 traditional Japanese teapots with steepers inside (i find their extremely flat and round shape rather intriguing)

 the picture says it all

 teacups with lids

 a kokeshi Christmas ornament- bringing something Japanese into an American tradition. And its adorable!

 and my personal favorite... SUSHI ERASERS. Definitely want for school

 sushi stapler

sushi rolling mat with chopsticks and a rice paddle- perfect dining packer

So if you're looking for a gateway to the rest of the planet, check out World Market. Clearly it has captured other cultures with class! (props for alliteration there hmm?)

Keep it kawaii folks!

-Ainsley

Kigoi Sushi & Steakhouse

Konnichiwa!

I'd love to share with you my favorite sushi bar that opened close to home just this summer. Previously, all the sushi bars nearest my house were at lease a 20 minute drive, so to have one just a block or two away was undoubtedly exciting for me (an my boyfriend!). If you've seen my "a very genki birthday" post you've already seen one picture of a dish offered there, but here are some others.

 House Special Roll

 Chirashi Don

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They're very picturesque aren't they? Tasty and cheap too! That's what really made this place stand out among all the other sushi restaurants I've been too: it is extremely reasonably priced. (ideal for an unemployed student like me of course) However, i DO have some other favorites in the area: Wasabi, Kanai, Ninza, Hibachi Boy, and even Dillons. Once I take pictures of their sushi sets I'll show you those as well. Hopefully soon!

Keep it kawaii folks!

-Ainsley

Movie Wars- Jiro Dreams of Sushi vs. Sushi: The Global Catch

Konnichiwa!

My family recently got Netflix so I've been movie binging, of course. My boyfriend and I have watched two sushi documentaries this month (see blog title) and I'd like to give you my reviews of each, anddddd determine a winner!

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

This documentary follows the life and training of famous artisenal Japanese sushi chef, Jiro Ono, at his expensive (but totally worth it apparently) restaurant Sukiyabashi. The film goes into in-depth detail of how the sushi is prepared (even the rice has very specific and difficult preparation techniques) and how the fish is selected. Jiro's son, Yoshikazu, narrates for a while; he is apprenticing to take over the business when his father dies. Overall, a very interesting documentary. And the food looked delicious!

Sushi: The Global Catch

When this documentary begins, it appears to be centered on sushi as a whole, but don't be fooled; it's all about the freaking tuna! I pen a whole hour watching a film on the endangerment of the wild tuna species and the effect of the sushi industry on it. :P The only thing I liked about this movie better was that it was in English instead of in Japanese with English subs.

So clearly the champion is.....

Jiro Dreams of Sushi!

Seriously though, I highly recommend it, and its free if you have Netflix. Let me know what you think :)

Keep it kawaii folks!

-Ainsley

Green Tea(s) of the Month: The Chelmsford Collection

Konnichiwa!

I'm late again- sorry, it's just how I am. Anyway, here is the Green Tea of the Month post for the month of October. My mom and I recently found another tea place in Wichita, called Chelmsford Tea. I really like it because it has free wifi and is family-owned. However, it is smaller than The Spice Merchant and has less samples. So they end up being equally good :)

This month I got a set of four mini tea packs, but I lost one of them. Here's a pic

Missing in Action: Citrus Peach

So here's the low-down

1 favorite: Honey Ginseng- this one was awesome because it was really calming and zen. It especially helped out when I got a sore throat (not fun). I just feel like this flavor combination is what tea is all about

2 tie between Blueberry and Acai: These are very similar in flavor. They are very fruity, but I think my favorite thing about them was the beautiful vibrant blue and purple colors they created.

3 Citrus Peach- don't be fooled by it's position in third place; this tea was still great! It had a sweet tang which complimented my mornings perfectly, so I primarily drank it at those times

If anyone is in Sedgewick County, KS, you should really try out Chelmsford Tea and Gift, it's pretty quaint! I highly recommend these flavors. Also thank you to all of you who have viewed my blog because it has FINALLY reached (and passed) 100 views :D A special thanks goes out to my 1 and only subscriber (hoping to get many more... hint hint) I will try to post another blog entry tomorrow since I have been falling behind.

Keep it kawaii folks!

-Ainsley

Century II Asian Festival

Konnichiwa!

I'm so excited to tell you all about my asian festival adventures. Wichita KS held a big asian event at the Cenury II building on October 26 that I went to with my boyfriend. Upon arrival we saw a big stage with various dancing acts from the different cultures of Asian countries. This was pretty cool, granted, but what we wanted to see was... FOOD.

Adjacent to the performance hall was a giant room filled completely with different food and gadget stands. It was so amazing!!! I've been to the festival once before, but that was in middle school, and i didn't remember it being this awesome.

Anyway, here are some pictures.

My itouch camera is crap, so unfortuntely you can't really see the dancers.

 A kokeshi iphone case, how can you beat that!

 traditional kimono

 hello kitty lanyards

sticky rice spoons

Unfortunately these were the only Japanese things available- o Japanese food, what a bummer :(- but don't leave yet because the other food was still incredibly delicious

 Can't remember what country this is. Can anybody tell me?

 Hey gyoza! That actually is Japanese right?

 This young woman competed in the Miss Asia Festival Contest. Wish I had been able to see who won :/

 Where is this one from..? More importantly, what is it!? I love all of these new foods :)

And that was just a FEW examples of what they had to offer. I was totally, completely in heaven. I tried some delicious Indian food. Not sure what it was, but it was like these huge triangular-ish fried things filed with this mushy orange stuff (I'm making it sound gross but it was amazing) sitting in some curried chickpeas. Then I also tried some banh bao (which was not my favoite...), shared some kimchi with my boyfriend, and got some thai iced tea for a dollar (drool). I really enjoyed attending and sharing my experiences with you, I hope you liked the pictures! I'd love to hear about any asian festivals you might have attended recently as well.

Keep it kawaii folks!

-Ainsley