Monthly Archive for December, 2008

The Wonders of Asian Soup

Published
by
John
on December 30, 2008
in Foodie
. 2 Comments

I love it when my lady T has a “work at home” day. She is lucky enough to be able to telecommute once in a while, and when she does, she usually has time to cook me up some mighty fine grub. The other day, she did just that. My gal knows I have a penchant for Asian soups, be it Pho, Wonton, or my own Turbo Ramen (future story on that one). Seeing as we were having snowfall combined with below-freezing temperatures, a bowl of zesty soup was just what the doctor ordered.  Here is what I was delighted to find waiting for me when I got home:

T's Asian Soup

T's Asian Soup

Here’s the scoop on how to make it for 2 people:

  • 1/2 lb uncooked shrimp
  • 2 large sea scallops
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup thinly sliced carrot
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced lemongrass
  • 3 tbs finely chopped ginger
  • 2 tbs minced garlic
  • 1 & 1/2 tbs chopped fresh basil
  • 1 & 1/2 tbs chopped fresh mint
  • 1 & 1/2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 baby bok choy sliced
  • 1 small serrano chili, stemmed and cut into rounds
  • 1 & 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice

Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells. Halve the shrimp lengthwise, slice the scallops into 1/4″ thick rounds, place in a bowl, cover and chill.

Combine the shrimp shells, broth, carrot, lemongrass, ginger and garlic in a saucepan. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes to blend the flavors. Strain the broth into a bowl, pressing on solids to release as much flavor/liquid as possible. Discard the solids, return the broth to the saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Remove broth from heat, and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and let stand until the seafood is opaque (about 3 minutes). Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Quick & Dirty Lamb Shank, Is It Possible?

Published
by
John
on December 11, 2008
in Foodie
. 7 Comments

A couple of days ago, I was walking past the meat section of my local market, and spied some nice looking lamb shanks. I didn’t meditate on them too long; I just parked them in my subconscious and kept shopping. But, there they were, hiding out in my head, just waiting for the chance to give me a nudge.  And nudge they did.  Which got me to thinking:  can one prepare a quick, simple, easy dinner of braised lamb shank?  And use only 1 pan?  My brain answered with a resounding “hell yeah!”.  Who was I to argue?  Since my lady T is out of town visiting her folks, I had a prime opportunity to cook myself something that she wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole.  You see, my lady does not do meat on the bone.  That’s right, no chicken wings, no ribs, no shanks.  Oxtail?  Forget it.  Although I have preached from the pulpit of the church of the bone to her for many years, she just plain has a mental block and can’t do it.  Which means that I’m deprived!  So, I’m seizing my chance to treat myself to a nice, tender, flavorful ankle bone from a once cute and fluffy little critter that may have had a career in a petting zoo.

I have never prepared lamb shank.  So in the spirit of striking while the creative iron was hot, I decided to wing it.  I’d had a fantastic preparation of veal shank at a place called La Rustica located in West Seattle over the summer.  The braising liquid used in that preparation included Balsamic vinegar, and it was fantastic.  I figured I could come up with something on the fly that was similar enough.  So here’s the list of stuff that went into the pot, and how I did it:

  • 1 lamb shank
  • Olive oil
  • 1 large carrot, half chopped and half reserved
  • 1/4 small white onion, chopped
  • 4 whole shallots
  • 4 whole cloves garlic
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper
  • About 1/2 cup dry red wine (I used Cab)
  • About 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
  • About 1 cup beef stock (quick & dirty!)
  • 6 fresh brussel sprouts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  On the stove top, heat a heavy pot, such as a Dutch Oven, or, as I used, a Calphalon Chef’s Pan, over medium-high heat.  Rinse the shank under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Season the shank liberally with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in the pot, and brown the shank.

Browning the Shank

Browning the Shank

Don’t forget to hold it with your tongs and brown the large meaty end of the shank!  After the shank is browned, remove it from the pot and let it rest on a plate.  Reduce heat to medium, and sautee the onion and carrot.  After several minutes, add the red wine and simmer until the wine is reduced by about half.  Add the Balsamic vinegar and the beef stock, and continue to simmer for a few minutes.

Here is a little trick I like to do when braising meat.

Shank Resting on Carrots

Shank Resting on Carrots

Instead of putting a metal rack in the bottom of the pot to keep the meat elevated above the braising liquid, I often times cut a couple of large pieces of carrot and use them as a stand (see the photo).

Put 2 pieces of carrot in the pot, and carefully place the shank on top of them.  Add the whole shallots and garlic cloves, bay leaf, and sprinkle the shank with the rosemary.  Another shot of ground pepper for good measure, put a lid on it, and pop it in the oven.

All Seasoned and Ready to Cook

All Seasoned and Ready to Cook

Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.  The plan is to cook this baby for 3 hours, adding the brussel sprouts for the last hour of cooking.  Prep time was a total of 30 minutes from the time I walked in the door until the shank was in the oven.


It's a Shank on a Plate

It's a Shank on a Plate!

I plated it on a bed of couscous that I had studded with toasted pine nuts.  I also sauteed a sliced Portabello mushroom in some olive oil, very simply with salt and pepper, to go along side the shank.  Hit the plate with some freshly chopped Italian parsley.  How did it taste?  Just dandy, thank you very much.  Ah, the magic of the tough cut - all that cartilage, ligament and tendon submits to the power of slow-cooking and melts into a rich, semi-gelatinous final product.  No, I did not have to use a knife on this, it was tender, moist and flavorful.  The shallot bulbs and garlic cloves were caramelized to perfection, with hints of balsamic sweetness.  The cooking time was spot-on; the meat was not falling off the bone (can you say “over done”?), but firm enough to survive removal from the pan and plating without coming unglued.  Was this a perfect preparation?  Almost, but not quite.  Next time, I will increase the amount of initial liquid with about 2 cups of stock instead of 1.  The liquid was nearly completely gone by the time it was finished - a bit to close to the wire for me.  Also, I will add the brussel sprouts 30 mintutes prior to finishing instead of 1 hour.  They were very tender and delicious, but I prefer them with a little more body and snap.  And of course, I know, a bottle of Pinot Noir would have gone better with this, but I was in a Cab mood and it got the best of me.  That is what being a Culinary Anarchist is all about - throwing the traiditions out the window and having it your way.

Champagne & Caviar: A Most Noble Pairing

Published
by
John
on December 10, 2008
in Family & friends, Foodie and Stuff we endorse
. 3 Comments

I gotta’ tell you, this is a fact:  I absolutely love my in-laws.  No kidding.  They are the creme de la creme of humans - kind, generous, intelligent, loving, and most of all great appreciators of all things delicious.  Which, by the way, happens to include me, but that’s another story entirely.  As it so happens, my lady T hopped a jet to see the folks this week.  Sandi and Charlie are located in beautiful Estes Park, which is located in the Rocky Mountains just outside of Denver.  If you’ve never been there, it is well worth checking out:  landscapes that look like a painting, teeming with wildlife.  Plus, that clean mountain air.  It’s awesome!

Sandi and Charlie love to have traditions, be it hitting their favorite cafe when in Paris, most loved wine shop in Sienna, or indulging in the occasional over the top snack.  Some may call them creatures of habit; I call them habitual enjoyers.  They know what they like, and they stick with it.  So, one of their little traditions is to celebrate the visit of their daughter with a snack of Caviar and Champagne.  Just about every time she (or we, when I’m lucky enough to tag along) visits the folks, a night of noshing on expensive little fish eggs, accompanied by Charlie’s famous toast points and all the fixin’s, is on the schedule.  All washed down with copius amounts of sparkling wines.  I know what you’re thinking, this is a terrible habit these people have!  Last night was Caviar night, so being good Foodies, they chronicled the meal to share with us here at Degustation Nation.  Enjoy!

Our wonderful daughter, Teresa, arrived yesterday afternoon to spend a few days with us in the remote regions of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. To celebrate her arrival Sandi and I ordered a half-pound of domestic caviar which was promptly and conveniently delivered overnight by our new best friend from FedEx. The nice thing about good quality (you always want Malossol caviar, which refers to caviar with very little salt added, not the horrible salty stuff Tom Hanks spit out in the movie “Big” and some of us have had at company Christmas parties – very bad stuff) American caviar is that it is quite tasty and also relatively inexpensive. We like the American Hackleback Sturgeon caviar, which tastes remarkably similar to Caspian Sea Osetra. Another popular choice is American Paddlefish caviar, but we happen to prefer the Sturgeon for its somewhat buttery and nutty flavor. The price allows you to truly indulge yourself with a minimum of guilt and lots of fun. For example, Russian Osetra goes for (as of this writing) approximately $93/oz, Iranian Osetra goes for approximately $130/oz, while good quality American sturgeon caviar can be had for $21/oz. Thus for less than $200 you can get your half-pound of caviar delivered to your isolated location and three or four of you can just have a dandy time. We served the caviar with toast points and the following, optional, ingredients: crème fraîche, chopped, hard-boiled egg, and chopped chives. Although by the end of the feast we were focused on heaping mounds of pure caviar (see photo).

Caviar on Toast Point

Caviar on Toast Point

As an aside, here’s a toast point tip. After much trial and error, here’s what I do. I use Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White bread which I bake in a flat baking pan at 400 deg. F for about 7-8 minutes. Depending on your oven, you may need to turn them over for an additional minute or two. The key is you want them just slightly brown. Dark brown will shatter when you try and cut them. I then cut them in half (forget cutting them in fourths - you want a large landing strip for that caviar) and leave the crust on (it’s yummy). Voila! We also took the opportunity to compare a nice French Champagne (Jean Laurent Blanc de Noir Brut, n.v.) with one of our favorite domestic sparkling wines (Domain Carneros by Tattinger, 2004). In addition, a good selection of chilled vodkas were available, which is always a favorite (by the way, stay with Russian, or Russian style, vodka – pairs great with caviar; apologies to all of you Grey Goose fans but not with caviar), but we were all enjoying the sparkling so much we bypassed the vodka this time. After the caviar feast we settled on some chocolate truffles (imported from France and found locally?!) with some nice cognac (Pierre Ferrand Selection des Anges). All in all, a lovely and fun (and decadent) evening!

PS:  a plug is in order here.  The folks (and us) get our Caviar delivered via FedEx from www.911caviar.com.  We’ve had nothing but positive experiences with them as a provider, and their prices are very, very good.  Check them out next time you feel like pampering your palate.

Queso Fundido is Fun Indeed

Published
by
John
on December 7, 2008
in Family & friends and Foodie
. 7 Comments

Ever get invited to a birthday party, or any kind of party for that matter, where every guest is supposed to bring along an appetizer and a bottle of wine?  Of course you have.  Sometimes we take the easy route, and just grab something that is already made from the local deli counter, or do a quick-and-dirty version of something that includes pre-packaged ingredients.  But, hey, we were invited to our friend Meredith’s 30th birthday bash, and seeing as she’s a Foodie and a part of our dinner club, I couldn’t bring myself to take the path of laziness.  But what to make?  Whenever we are lucky enough to go out for Tapas, we always get an order of Queso Fundido, which is typically served in a little pot with various things to dip into the melted cheese.  If you don’t know what Queso Fundido is, it is like Fondue, but Spanish style.  We’ve had it before with Chorizo sausage in it, and always enjoyed that combination… so…. I was now on a mission.  I’ve never attempted to make this before, so I had 2 choices:  fly by the seat of my pants, or do a little research.  I chose to do a little of both, which typically works well for my cooking style.  I did some research, which only proved to verify the base recipe that was already in my head, yet many of the recipes had a common ingredient that I typically would not have thought of.  No, not Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup!  But it was close - Velveeta Cheese.  Yech!  You know, that unrefrigerated brick of bright yellow, gelatinous, foil wrapped cheese that you see in the supermarket.  Or that you may have enjoyed in gooey grilled cheese sandwiches as a child.  As it turns out, adding a small quantity of said Velveeta aids in giving the Queso Fundido a smooth texture.  So off to the store I went.  Here is what I put in the Queso Fundido:

Using a saucepan, I first sauteed the Onion and Garlic in a little olive oil.  Removed the Onion and Garlic from the pan.  Browned the diced Chorizo (to remove the grease).  Drained the Chorizo on paper towels to remove as much of that nasty red grease as possible.  Wiped out the pan with a paper towel, deglazed with the beer.  Brought the beer to a simmer, and added the Chipotle pepper, cilantro, paprika, and red pepper flakes.  Simmered for a few minutes to re-hydrate the dried Chipotle.  Started adding the cheese a little at a time, stirring constantly to allow it to melt evenly.  After all the cheese was melted, added the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring thoroughly and constantly.  When the Queso looked smooth and creamy, stirred in the Chorizo, diced Green Chile, Green Onion and reserved Onion and Garlic.  I then put a lid on the pan, turned off the heat, and got ready to go to the party.  We served the Queso Fundido with 1/4″ slices of Baugette, pieces of Red Bell Pepper, and sliced Granny Smith Apple.  Many people were suprised how good it was on the Apple; the sweet/tart flavor of the Granny Smith combined with the savory Queso was a knockout combination.  Here is what it looked like:

Queso Fundido

Queso Fundido

This is one of those dishes that gets better the longer is sits out.  This is partly because the flavors continue to marry as time passes, along with the fact that the heavy chunks of sausage and veggies sink to the bottom of the bowl.  So, those who skim from the top when eating it leave all the good stuff for those who dig deep into the bowl later on!  This is definitely a very versatile recipe.  If you just stick to the base ingredients and infuse it with whatever flavors you see fit, you can give it a completely different character.  I’m already envisioning Greek, Mexican, and Italian versions of this one.  The birthday girl had big plans for what was left over:  as a filling for a Sunday morning Omelette.  Good thinkin’, Meredith!

Thanksgiving Weekend in San Francisco

Published
by
John
on December 2, 2008
in Foodie and Places we dig
. 7 Comments

What better way to spend Thanksgiving weekend than by noshing your way around San Francisco?  Well, there may be better ways to spend a weekend, someplace more exotic perhaps, but SF is always a blast and fit the bill - so off we went.  After checking in to the Fairmont Hotel (thanks Sandi & Charlie!) after a long journey from Sea-Tac, we wanted stick close to home, get a good night’s rest and an early start the next morning.  So, after a disappointing search for a decent espresso on Nob Hill we settled for a watery version from the corner market.  Then it was time for beverages of another sort.  The lobby bar at the Fairmont provided that most delicious SF treat - Anchor Steam on draft.  Then of course how could we resist the infamous Tonga Room happy hour (Vegas style rainshowers and all).  Greasy asian treats - how can you go wrong?  Luckily we’re not amateurs so we skipped the blue headache-in-a-glass drinks.  Our first real snack was Saturday morning at Caffe Trieste in North Beach.  Founded in 1956, this is the first original Italian style coffee house on the west coast.  An almond pastry, a couple of double espressi and some local characters - it doesn’t get any better than this.

A Real Italian Bakery

A Real Italian Bakery

Then we were off to the Italian bakery for a dozen cookies to go (snacks for later).  We interrupted the propietor glazing a chocolate cake.  Moments later we spied a great looking joint across the street from the bakery, called Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store & Cafe.  We dashed across the street to find one of the coolest little corner hangouts ever.  Beer, wine, espresso, and a menu of simple Italian food.  Super cool.  We had 2 more espresso (hey, it was too cool to resist and we knew we’d need the energy for the adventures ahead).

Next, we walked down to the Embarcadero to the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market.  This place was buzzing - tons of locally grown, organic produce and farm products.  Wish we would have had a kitchen so we could have bought a feast to cook at home.  And, of course, more espresso.  We hit a little stand called Blue Bottle Coffee Company for 2 more doubles.  Hey, we had heard they took their beans seriously and we needed to report back to the experts at home!  The espresso was everything we had heard it was - excellent.  Our main reason for hitting the Farmer’s Market was many-fold:  first, to find the tamale stand that we’d heard about, second, to seek out fresh oysters, and of course discover something new.

Amazing Tamales

Amazing Tamales

It didn’t take us long to find Primavera Tamales. They had the food stand with the largest crowd, a clear indicator.  We tried one of each of the tamales:  one pork, and one butternut squash with corn and cheese as well as a delicious agua fresca made with cucumber and pineapple - yum.  Both were excellent, but the butternut squash was the winner.

Little Cones of Cured Meats

Little Cones of Cured Meats

Now for some more snacks!  Inside the Ferry Plaza there are many specialty food shops and restaraunts.  We were lucky enough to come across Boccalone Salumeria.  They had a big sign proclaiming “Tasty Salted Pig Parts”.  We were all over that place like white on rice, baby.  They sell these cool little “meat cones”.  It is a paper cone, like you use for a Sno-Cone, but full of shaved cured meats, like salami, mortadella, and prosciutto.  We grabbed a couple of meat cones, 2 interesting salamis to go, and off we went on our quest for oysters.

Sardine Salad

Sardine Salad

My girl is the research queen so of course she had done some recon and wanted to check out Hog Island Oyster Bar.  A bustling, small U-shaped bar located in the Ferry Plaza, Hog Island Oyster Bar did not dissapoint.  My lady T got a sampler of 12 of their finest bivalves, while I settled for a Sardine salad and an order of Oysters Casino (check out the menu).  Yes, I ate the whole little fishie, from head to tail.

One Fine Oyster Sampler

One Fine Oyster Sampler

The most interesting thing about tasting these oysters was the chance to do a side by side comparison of east coast vs. west coast.  You can definitely tell the difference in the oyster liquor’s brininess - especially when the shuckers are real pros.  The oysters were fresh, clean tasting and most delicious.  They had great micro brews on tap as well as some pretty solid wines by the glass.  Plus, the service was excellent and quite entertaining (thank you Greg!).

A quick BART ride across town took us to the Mission District.  Emerging from the underground train station, you could hear the sound of people speaking Spanish on the street above.  That’s one of the things I love about San Francisco - you hear people speaking Italian in North Beach, Chinese in Chinatown, Spanish in the Mission District, and even more languages peppered in for good measure.  Truly an International city in every sense.  We wandered around checking out the shops and coffee houses as we planned on coming back here on Monday.  A quick bus ride took us to the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.  Of course, it was time for another snack.

Scotch Quail Eggs

Scotch Quail Eggs

Again, research led us to Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery.  Sounded good.  Looked good.  It was good!  I had an order of Scotch Quail Eggs and Pork Cracklings, while my lady T settled for a plate of Fries.  The food was very tasty, and the beer was not bad at all.  More shopping, of course, and since it was now late afternoon, time to switch from espresso to beer!  For those of you who don’t know my lady T, she is a true beer afficionado.  She is an IPA-fanatic, meaning that she likes beer that is agressivley hopped and very bitter.  My good friend Angelo, also quite the beer expert, had insisted that we seek out a place called The Toronado Pub as they were known to have a hoppy beer or two on tap.  This place has nearly 50 taps, so there is something for everyone.  And T reports that although they did not have her favorite nectar (Green Flash) the bartender was knowledgeable enough to point her toward something almost as delicious and potent (Iron Springs Casey Jones Double IPA).  Plus, Metallica blasted constantly on the Juke Box - I was in heaven!  Thank you brother Angelo!

Another quick bus ride, and we were back in Little Italy:  North Beach.  Now were were doing more recon, seeking out a place for dinner.  Since my lady T is Sicilian-American, an authentic Sicilian restaurant was what she was pining for.  There are several Sicilian places in North Beach (rare elsewhere in our travels).

Cioppino, Calamari and Red Wine

Cioppino, Calamari and Red Wine

We settled on Caffe Sport, a genuine Sicilian joint if there ever was one.  This place was old-school, the real-deal.  It has been open since 1969, and specializes in seafood and pasta.  T ordered the sauteed Calamari, and I settled on the Cioppino in Salsa Rossa.  Served with a basket of soft Italian bread and a bottle of Nero d’ Avola (not on the menu of course), it was the perfect meal.  Back to the hotel for the final nightcap - Glenmorangie for me, a Sierra Nevada for my girl.  Sunday morning and what to do…..  eat and get some flippin’ espresso!  Sunday was “get back to nature” day, so our plan was to jump on the bus to Golden Gate Park, then walk along the beach to Fisherman’s Wharf.  A tall order for 2 humans with tired feet.  But, we are not quitters, damnit, so off we went.  We decided to jump off the bus in the Pacific Heights neighborhood for breakfast.  This neighborhood was a bit scary:  tons of yuppie-mommas with Yoga mats under their arms, pushing strollers with their offspring on board, gathered on street corners gossiping like mother hens.  We were out of our element, for sure.  We are used to hanging out at our beloved Satellite Coffee Company in Tacoma on Sunday morning, where the mommas have tattoos and the babies are sporting mohawks….. but we had to have a snack.  So we endured the locals, and found a bite at a little place called The Grove.  Good espresso, smoothies, and bagels with the works (lox, cream cheese, red onion).  Great food, downer of a crowd.  Made us pine for T-town!  Back on the bus to The Presidio.  The bus dropped us off at the big parking lot at the end of the Golden Gate Bridge, replete with those cheesy coin-operated binoculars that let you see an enhanced version of Alcatraz Island (yeah, I dropped a quarter).  A short jaunt down the Eucalyptus tree-lined path and we were on the beach.  No, there is not much food or drink to speak of here, just a hot dog stand and some hot chocolate at the visitor’s center.  We walked along the beach which borders The Presidio all the way to Fisherman’s Wharf, about 3 miles.  It was time for lunch, of course!  As it was beer-thirty, we had to check out Jack’s Cannery Bar.  This place is beer heaven - 68 taps.  My lady T had a whole steamed Dungeness crab, and I settled for a steak sandwich.  Mighty fine pub-grub indeed.  Plus, Anchor Liberty on tap - a very rare find.

Mario's Bohemian Joint

Mario's Bohemian Joint

Back on the bus and back to North Beach (can you tell we really, really like Little Italy?).  We had to hit our new favorite place, Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store & Cafe, for a quick beer.  Now it was dinner time.  Pizza?  Hell yeah!  Pizza in any big city is like no other - be it Chicago, New York, or San Fran, they all do the pies justice with their own signature twist.

North Beach Pizza

North Beach Pizza

We made a bee-line to North Beach Pizza.  This place is famous for a reason:  it kicks complete and total pizza-ass.  We scored a prime seat by the window, and proceeded to order a half n’ half pie of Veggie and the Coit Tower Special (that would be the Yin and Yang of Pizza, half veggie, half carnivore’s delight).  It was fantastic.  Back to the hotel bar for a nightcap, and we were spent.

Monday morning - the dread of a travel day (never fun), shrouded in classic SF fog.  Need espresso… now….. please!  We had seen a pretty cool looking place on Saturday in The Mission district called Ritual Coffee Roasters.  The espresso was super-concentrated and intense.  A double was about a tablespoon.  It was super roasty, smooth, not bitter, and very good.  Yes, they roast the beans on-site, so there was the sterotypical uber-skinny, tattooed guy who looked like he just rolled out of bed roasting the beans.  Ahh, the coffee-culture cast of characters…. they all look so similar… it is quite puzzling to me.  Not that I expected a clean cut gent with a Polo shirt and Dockers manning the roaster, mind you.  But that is a whole-’nother subject…..

Hey, we were in the Mission District, so some killer Mexi-grub was on the schedule.  A quick search via my Smart Phone revealed the Mission’s most lauded Taquiera - Taqueria La Cumbre.  This is one of those places that has been around for many years, with a plethora of awards lining the walls (best tacos, best burritos, etc.).  T had a Cocktail de Cameron, and I had a Carnitas Taco.  It was very good, but not as good as our favorite T-town joint Vuelve a la Vida.  Nevertheless, this place is as solid as they come in SF if you are after authentic Mexican fare.  Our visit was winding down, and it was time to retrieve our bags from the hotel and head to the airport.  San Francisco has the best public transportation - if only Seattle/Tacoma had such a system!  We were able to purchase an all day pass for only $11 each that was good for the street cars, cable cars, or buses.  What a value.  Not to mention the almighty BART system.  One more mediocre airport meal (the only airport meal worth writing home about was at the Tokyo International Airport, but that is another subject), and we were headed back to the land of rain and gray skies…..