More foods from Japan

Here are some more tasty and affordable foods that I stumbled on in Japan:

 That's cow over rice with stewed onions.  It costs little under $4.  It's one of those restaurants where you have to buy the ticket first after you give it to the chef.  There's one guy working there at the time.  He was the chef, server, and the greeter all at once.  Is that efficiency or what?

Cherry blossoms - 2013

Here are some sakura blossoms this year.  Some of the flowers were more intense than others.  

 
Japan is always very clean.  This gets me every time I visit.  For such a high population density, it is exceptionally clean.  There is over 10 Million people living in Tokyo, and nowhere does it get as bad as some of the things I've seen in New York. 

Rule of Horror & Comedy

Here is an interesting rule I discovered about movies:

A bad horror movie can be funny, but a bad comedy can never be scary. 

For example, "Alone in the Dark" with Terra Reid was an awful horror movie.  It fails in every way as a horror film, yet some how manages to succeed on a comedic level. It's funny, but on an unintentional level.  This provides a kind of "Plan B" for horror movies.  I guarantee if you watch Alone in the Dark as a comedy movie, it totally works.

She's supposed to be a brilliant scientist in "Alone in the Dark"  Funny, amirite?

Myth - dining out in Japan is expensive

So, I just got back from a trip to Japan and one of the things that strikes me is how darn cheap and good the food is.  Americans like to believe they are #1 in everything, so they can't accept the possibility that someone out there may have it better than them.  When it comes to food, Americans are just starting to wake up and learning how to eat.  However, Americans are still stuck on this whole status thing, especially here in the Bay Area.  I've mentioned it before, but I really think that some people just aren't happy unless they spend a lot on their food.  They really don't care about the quality of the food, just the status associated with it.  I think for an American, it is more important to brag to their friends and spend a ton of money, rather than the actual value.  How else can you explain the incredibly over priced food in the San Francisco Bay Area?  It's absolutely ridiculous, but I think that dining out in San Francisco is more expensive than Tokyo, supposedly one of the most expensive cities on earth.

Here is an example:

 

There, you see a bowl of clam soup, salmon, tuna, and horse mackerel nigiri.   How much did this cost me?  About $5.  Yes, I'm not joking, just FIVE BUCKS.  Five bucks wouldn't even buy you the plate of tuna nigiri in San Francisco.  This was at a 100 yen sushi place, where every plate costs 100 yen, or about $1.  It is considered "low end" sushi, but it completely blows away what California can offer.

Medieval Demonology - a precursor to Role Playing Games?

The other day I was surfing wikipedia and I stumbled upon one of those articles that has way more detail than necessary.  Actually, to be more precise, it is a series of articles.  A series of articles on demons.  Apparently, some guys in Medieval Europe wrote a bunch of books on the subject, and at least one of these has pretty much been transcribed onto wiki, the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, printed in 1577.  I don't think this kind of stuff was religious study as it appears; I think it's the equivalent of playing Dungeons and Dragons back in the day.  I mean just look at this stuff:

The bear looks embarrassed.

Lies my teachers told me

Not really sure where this belongs, but I wanted to get this off my chest for quite some time.  I want to talk about an outright lie that my teacher told me.  A lie that, while seemingly insignificant, is a part of a larger, more systematic lie.  The lie that my teacher told me was this:

"Napoleon Bonaparte shot the nose off the sphinx in Egypt because he was racist and didn't want people to see its black African features"

For years, I believe this to be true, but thanks to the internets, I found out that it was an out right lie.  Here is a picture of the Sphinx made in 1755:

Here it is from another angle:

Notice anything?  The nose is already gone by this time and it is many years before Napoleon even got there in 1789.

Judo - a real rough and tumble martial art

Tokyo Zombie - a movie about zombies and Jujutsu

I've been studying Judo now for 9 months and I am really enjoying the workout.  I had previous martial arts experience with kung fu and hapkido, but nothing prepared me for the rough and tumble world of Judo.  I really wish I had gotten into it in my youth, because now I'm an old man and my body breaks more easily.  I was always interested in Judo because it seems that just about every modern marital arts incorporates some aspect of Judo - Russian Sambo, Israeli Krav Maga, modern MMA, etc.  There's gotta be something to it if everyone wants to incorporate it.  I finally decided to start training in Judo after watching Tokyo Zombie, which is really a love letter to Judo/Jujutsu.  I bet you're wondering why I have a that picture up there, and now you know.

Boba Fett is lame and people who like him are lame.

Okay, I just have to get this out there.  Boba Fett is a stinky character and he represents everything wrong with fandom today.  Let's first of all examine just precisely why Boba Fett is lame and overrated in the first place.  

If you look at the events of the original Star Wars, you can see that Boba Fett is a disposable character at most.  He makes his first appearance when Vader hires him to capture Han Solo, a task which he failed at.  It was Lando that ultimately hands Han Solo over to Vader.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett supposedly "talks back" to Darth Vader in a surly way, and this makes him a bad-ass.  Watch the scenes again - can you really say that tone is surley?

 His lines were:

"As you wish"
"He's no good to me dead"
"What if he doesn't survive?  He's worth a lot to me"

Wow.  What a badass, eh?  Seriously, though, he comes off as a disgruntled lackey at most.  He in no way challenges Darth Vader's authority.  The last line comes off like he's asking Vader to throw him a bone because he's broke and he really needs the cash.  It's a wonder Vader doesn't just bitch-slap him and tell him to shut his mouth, because he bungled the mission.

Scarface; finally off my movie checklist.

I finally got around to watching Scarface with Al Pacino.  It's one of those movies that's been on my viewing list for years, but I've never made an effort to watch it because of the fanbase.  I know it's not right to judge a movie or any piece of media by it's fanbase.  Still, it seems like every Guido I've met and every hip-hop type I've come across is really into Scarface.  I think this is why I avoided watching the movie, despite it being on my "movie list" for so long.

Classic 80's Anime Songs - 

That last article about Carl Macek made me think about all those wonderful 1980's anime songs that were either butchered or never release.  Sure, we all grew up with the theme from Robotech, but once you actually get your hands on the original songs, you realize just how amateurish the American dubs were.  For me, when I heard these songs, it was like seeing color tv for the first time.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, just about anyone can listen to these wonderful classics.  Here is the original theme for Macross:

 

Oden Dinner

This is some oden I made the other night for dinner with the family.  It was the first time I tried making this dish.  Broth is made from konbun and dashi.  Ingredients are cabbage, mushroom, daikon, potato, carrots, eggs, and assorted fish cake out of a frozen pack.

The eggs were boiled first before adding to the soup, which is why that one egg on the left looks mutated.  Otherwise, this oden came out pretty much like I expected it.  It's been cold lately, and oden makes a great meal.  Maybe I'll try it again with a different package of fish cake.

Goodbye Carl Macek, and good riddance

It has recently come to my attention that Carl Macek has kicked the bucket and gone to the big anime convention in the sky.  Well, I know it's not good to speak ill of the dead, but that won't stop me from evaluating this man's career and impact on the anime community.

First off, I hate the guy.  Let's get that out of the way.  Macek's wikipedia page refers to the man as an "anime pioneer", but in reality, he is no more than an anime opportunist.  The man was egotistical, had terrible taste and was foolishly ethnocentric.

 I know that Carl Macek has many admirers out there.  This is mainly because they believe he somehow introduced anime to North America through Robotech in 1985.  The popular belief is that somehow Macek's efforts made anime what it is today.  What a load of shit.  If anyone takes the time to look closely, we can already see that there were already many popular animes in America before Macek ever got his filthy, grubby fingers on it.

Star Blazers (originally Star Ship Yamato) was a huge hit.  It was broadcast in America starting in 1979, produced by Westchester Film Corporation:

Thank you, President Regan, for Transformers.

 

 

 

Ronald Reagan was a controversial presidents in many ways.  You either love him or hate him, and this often depends on if you are a conservative or not.  Throughout his career, he led America though turbulent times and made many difficult choices.  The Iran Contra scandal, Grenada, and the whole thing with the airport unions is what we all remember.  However, there was one particular controversial policy that Reagan supported, which most of us may not remember but many of us do benefit from.

Kazuo Umezu - Prince of Horror

This post is dedicated to Kazuo Umezu and his wonderful work, Fourteen.  You can read his brief biography here at Wikipedia.  Okay, done?

Kazuo Umezu is revered as the "Prince of Horror" in Japan.  He started publishing stuff in the 1970's and has continued to work making horror shows, though he has retired from manga (more on that later).  His is not too well known in the states; his most famous work in the U.S. being "Cat Eyed Boy".  It's a shame, because this guy's horror is really good.  However, before I go on,  I must also say that some of his books are kinda twisted and would never, ever be translated in America.  This is probably the reason why he is not too popular here.

Chinese-Owned Japanese Restaurants 

Japanese food has not gone away in America.  Since the introduction of sushi in the 1980's in L.A., Japanese food has only gotten more and more popular.  With this popularity comes opportunity for profit, which brings me to the topic of today:  Chinese-owned Japanese restaurants.  Many people who are unfamiliar with Asian food don't see the big deal, but it is a very strange phenomenon if you think about it.

In any major city, you will find Japanese restaurants popping up, but almost none of these are owned by Japanese people.  Japanese food is perhaps the only ethnic food in America that suffers from this.  Would you walk into an Italian joint owned by a Chinese guy?  How about a Mexican place owned by an Italian?  I'm not saying the food can't be good in such places, but it just doesn't happen with any other type of ethnic food.

Of course, the distinction is not merely a question of authenticity.  If the Chinese owners and staff can deliver a good dining experience, then it would be no big deal.  However, when Chinese people run Japanese places, they also bring along Chinese sensibilities - and you get some really heavy Japanese food.  Also, these Chinese run places tend to cut corners - serving ramen cold to cut down on heating costs, using old oil for the tempura, etc.

So, when you decide to check out a Japanese restaurant, some tips:

-Is the inside decorated with all sorts of kitschy Japanese stuff like mini samurai armor?  It's mostly run by Chinese.  A Japanese run place won't have all that gaudy Japanese tourist stuff all over the place.
-Do they specialize or do they try to serve everything?  Most Japanese run places tend to conentrate on a specific type of food - ramen or yakitori, for example.  Chinese run places will try to serve everything, from sushi to ramen to izakaya style
-Do they have side dish menu?  Most Japanese run places with have a side dish menu serving home-styled cooked food.  Chinese run places will never have this because they just tend to stick to the well known recipes.
-Finally, if the place has a cheesy name such as "sushi a go go" or "zen garden", you know you're in for a ride.

Comics Review - Get Jiro

It's not every day that you read a comic book written by a celebrity chef, but that's just exactly what Get Jiro is.  This graphic novel written by Anthony Bourdain is definitely offbeat.  Get Jiro takes place in a dystopian future where America's economy is stagnating and the only sector with any kind of growth is food.  Thus, the food industry becomes very important and as a result chefs wield strong political power.  The main character is a master sushi chef who gets entangled between two warring restaurant factions. Sounds strange enough?

More Gun Control talk

Well, here we go again.  Another week, another shooting and more posturing from our politicians.  As everyone knows by now, there has been a rash of shootings in 2012.  There was the Oikos University shootings, the  Aurora shootings, the Sikh Temple shootings, and the now infamous Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.  Not to mention all the other shootings where only a few people people were killed (Millard South High School and University of Alabama).

I'm sure many have already pointed this out, but new gun control regulation will have little effect on gun crimes.  America, being the homeland of gun, cannot be disarmed.  It would be next to impossible to go door to door and take guns away from American citizens, and we all know that going door-to-door is the only way to really "control guns".  In addition, any government regulation seeking to limit the 2nd Amendment is bound to hurt only law abiding citizens and not criminals.

Since I live in California, we have the strictest gun control in the Union.  I heard someone say that we have over 10,000 gun laws in California, but I don't know if it is really that much.  I looking it up and only counted 20 some odd:

California Gun Laws - All 50 pages.  Still pretty damn convoluted.

It's interesting to note that a nunchaku is outlawed along with guns under Penal Code Sec. 12020(c)(3).  It's defined on page 6 as "an instrument consisting of two or more sticks, clubs, bars, or rods to be used as handles connected by a rope, cord, wire, or chain."  This is in the same section which covers sawed-off shot guns, which kinda makes carrying a pair of nunchucks just as bad as a hiding a sawed-off shot gun in your coat.

Nunchuck skills

Omega the Unkown 

Another excellent post-modern, deconstructionist comic.  This time, about an obscure Marvel character that is figuratively and literally unknown.  This is a comic book about alienation.  The title character, Omega, behaves in a way that would be diagnosed today as Asperger's.  Instead of a dashing hero or some rugged bad-ass, Omega is a drifter and a loner.  He rarely speaks, and when he does, it is often to himself.

Strange concept, but perhaps I should provide some background.  The original Omega was published in the 80's and written by Steve Gerber.  During those days, comic book creators did not have any ownership of their characters.  The original Omega was shoe-horned in between other superheroes at the time, such as the Incredible Hulk.  The full potential of the superhero was never realized.  You can tell what Gerber was going for, but the project was killed off before the story properly concluded.

Kung Fu is a lie

This topic has been on my mind for quite some time, so I thought I'd get it out there.  What do I mean by saying that Kung Fu is a lie?  It is because the tradition of Kung Fu wants you to believe that fighting is a beautiful thing.  Kung Fu wants you to believe that fighting is not a life or death struggle, but some kind of artistic ballet.  This is a complete and outright lie.
 
Fighting is dirty and brutish.  It's something that every man must do at some point but let's not kid ourselves that it's anything pretty.  While there have been few fighters such as Mohammed Ali who can make the sport look good, few of the top fighters in the world are known for their artistic grace.  The top fighters finish their opponents as quickly and efficiently as possible.  No flowerly bullshit.  This is the true essence of fighting, is it not?

Somehow, Kung Fu got sidetracked into a performance art.  This is understandable once you realize that many Kung Fu practioners in medieval China made money by giving street performances.  It would make sense for certain styles to take on a showy approach, to better draw in crowds and tips.  Modern day Sanshou or Sanda is basically Kung Fu's attempt at modernizing, and it looks more or less like kickboxing.  Here is the "King of Sanda" Liu Hailong before he was sent to prison for roundhouse kicking a man to death outside a night club in China:

Comic book review - Brat Pack by Rick Veitch

Welcome to the Leper's Hovel.  In here you will find rantings on current events, off beat entertainment, and other contrarian views.

For my first blog post, I would like to talk about a very underrated graphic novel by comic book artist Rich Veitch: Brat Pack

This has nothing to do with the 80's teenage movie genera.  I suspect that the name may be responsible for this comic's relative obscurity.  

First things first, this comic book is a post modern take on super heroes.  Much in the same vein as Watchmen, it tries to de-construct the American comic book genera.  Also like Watchment, it is straight up satire, and very dark satire at that.  Unlike Watchmen, however, Brat Pack is genuinely insightful into the superhero genera.  Watchmen, although a very good attempt, suffers from being a story told from an outsider's perspective.  Watchmen's creator, Alan Moore, was a part of the "British Invasion" in comic books along with Grant Morrison and Neil Gaiman.  The story of Watchmen, therefore, was essentially a Brit's attempt at deconstructing a quintessential American art form.