News Sushi #82: Morsels of News from Japan and Beyond

News Sushi #82 And we (Hamish) keep serving the best News Sushi!

Editor Note:It is Friday and that means it is time for the World Famous, soon to be Intergalactic Famous, News Sushi from our very own, Hamish Downie. Hamish brings us a decidedly different slant on Pop Culture as viewed through the lens of a non-native living in Japan.

Thank you (ありがとうございました) Hamish, for your insights.

 
こんにちは！Which means “Hello”!

A big hug to you this Friday!

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Squishy #Dobbit #thedailydobbit #dinosaur #doodles #Dobbitnation

A post shared by Dobbit (@the_daily_dobbit) on Sep 22, 2019 at 7:04am PDT

How are you doing this Friday? Aside from the passing typhoon, there’s nothing much that’s come across my desk this week, so I’ve decided to write about a couple of the things my partner and I have been discussing. Like everyone in the Alphabet Soup community, we’re talking about “Dear Evan Hansen” star, Ben Platt’s new album (my partner likes the songs – I think they are mostly generic, but there’s a couple I like), and new Netflix series – “The Politician”.

I’ve been teaching lessons about fruit this week, and a “did you know” in the textbook led us down a rabbit hole.

The question is… which of these is a real fruit?
a. Dragon Fruit
b. Snake Fruit
c. Frog Fruit

Answer… well, they are all plants, but not all fruit.

I think the most famous of these is Dragon Fruit (and the only one of these I’ve tried).

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How do you call this fruit? And does the red one has a different name? I know it as dragon fruit 🍎🐉 It grows in my terrace the last few years. Absolutely love its taste. Gladiator Knife @dalstrong 🔪 Black Limba End Grain Board by @twiggy_woodstuff 📷: @mrsmeatcurator @meatcurator #dragon #dragonfruit #tropical #fruit #meatcurator #thailand #knife

A post shared by Ruben E. Maislos (@meatcurator) on Sep 17, 2019 at 8:53am PDT

The inside kind of looks like chia seeds that have been soaked in water. Tastes a bit like that too. It’s not sweet. It’s very mild and goes really well in sandwiches if you ask me.

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Dragonfruit on homemade hummus and (bought) pumpernickel

A post shared by Hamish Downie (@hamishdowniewriter) on Nov 26, 2017 at 7:51pm PST

The next is Salak/Snake Fruit… a real thing! Called so due to the scales on the skin of the fruit. It’s native to Indonesia.

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Score! We picked up some snake fruit from Peter Kring while in Puerto Viejo. These were the best ones I’ve had yet, they had an apple like crunch with a tropical fruit sweetness. These fruits grow on a palm here in Costa Rica called Salak. The fruits have a snake like skin with a garlic clove like shape.

A post shared by Pete Kanaris (@greendreamsfl) on Jan 15, 2019 at 5:00am PST

I’ve never tried this one. So, I’ve included this video so we can all imagine trying one.

Side note… Snake Berry. This is also a thing.

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Mock Strawberry/Duchesnea Indica/Indian Strawberry/Snakeberry #snakeberry🐍🍓 . . . #wildberry #berry #berryidentification #identification #wildplantidentification #whatisit #whatisthis #whatisthisplant #wildberryidentification #redberry #nature #naturephotography #snakeberry #potentilla #potentillaindica #poisonous #mockstrawberry #duchesneaindica #indianstrawberry #falsestrawberry #rosaceae

A post shared by Tracy Murray (@gargamouse) on May 20, 2019 at 7:24pm PDT

Kimono with the snake berry:

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An obi, or sash, is an important piece of the traditional Japanese kimono that completes the whole ensemble. Both men and women can wear an obi to secure a kimono and keep it closed. A well-made obi can even be more expensive than the rest of the kimono. Women’s obis are more extravagant, wider, decorative, and can be tied in many ways. There are hundreds of decorative knots and they often represent flowers or birds. As everything else in a kimono outfit, the knots are regulated by a number of unwritten propriety rules. Generally the more complex and showy knots are for young unmarried women in festive situations; the more subdued for married or mature women or for use in ceremonial situations. In earlier days, the knots were believed to banish malicious spirits. Many knots have a name with an auspicious double meaning. Pictured: 折り鶴 Folded paper crane 鳳凰 Phoenix 舞鶴 Snake berry 孔雀鶴 Peacock crane 紅孔雀 Crimson peacock 千代鶴 Thousand year crane #結び #むすび #帯 #おび #kimono #鳳凰 #Phoenix #舞鶴 #snakeberry #折り鶴 #foldedpapercrane #孔雀鶴 #peacock #crane #紅孔雀 #千代鶴 #japan #japan🇯🇵 #🇯🇵 #japanese #japon #nihon #nippon #japantravel #travelasia #japanstyle #japaneseart #instagramjapan #japan_of_insta #thisisjapan

A post shared by Adventures in Japan (@japandemonium) on Feb 16, 2019 at 3:02pm PST

Great Natural (small) Burn cure?

My partner says they are powdery and too small to eat. The comment on the video says they are watery and unremarkable. So, not really a recommendation to go out there and eat these. But, they certainly are decorative.

Speaking of which, here’s a photo I took a while back that I still think would make a great wallpaper…

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I found a frog among the strawberries

A post shared by Hamish Downie (@hamishdowniewriter) on Jun 11, 2018 at 7:23am PDT

And finally, frog fruit.

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Metal Mark Butterfly #metalmarkbutterfly #metalmark #butterfly #butterfliesoftexas #texasbutterflies #insect #insectsoftexas #frogfruit #wildflowercenter #ladybirdjohnsonwildflowercenter

A post shared by Julie (@claret_cup) on Sep 21, 2019 at 7:41am PDT

Which isn’t a fruit at all, but a kind of lawn native to Texas in the USA.

So, we all learned something new this week!

Also… check out these death defying mountain goats!

And with that… here’s your –

HOT LINK OF THE WEEK

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放空一下🐻 #白熊 #肉肉 #polarbear

A post shared by 小戴（Tai) (@taidean) on Sep 28, 2019 at 11:00pm PDT

Thanks again for stopping by!

「またきんようびね！」

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