Choice

since the disaster in Japan, there has been a debate over nuclear plants, or possible future energy sources.

some people say that nuclear plants are still safer than fossil fuel (really? are you following whats happening in japan?)
some people say we have no other choice, already too much depend on it.
others ask "then what are other choices we have?"

when we are talking about whether we need nuclear plants or not, there is something missing in the debate, i think.
plant workers.

whether there is an accident or not, plant workers are exposed to extremely high level of radiation, on a daily bases.
i dont know about this country, or other countries, but in japan, those people are from the "bottom" of the society, such as homeless people.

they are not unionized, no rights, no nothing.
literally "disposable" workers.
they are called "nuclear gypsy" or "nuclear slaves".

and many of them get sick and die without even being noticed.
they die with tremendous pain, suffering, and no dignity.
(and they are called "heroes?")

id like to ask these questions to pro-nuclear power people.
"is it ok to have nuclear plants in your town?"
"it is ok for you, or your family, friends to work inside nuclear plants being exposed to extremely high level of radiation everyday and get sick and die?"
and you still think we need it and we have no other choices?

do we still want it at the sacrifice of other people's lives?

if, 300 million people in this country, make a small change in our lives, i believe there are much more possibilities and choices.

the society based upon somebody's sacrifice is not sustainable.

ill start making a choice.
for more truly sustainable society.
love, peace. Jin

here is an article by BBC on "nuclear plants workers in Japan".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/493133.stm

Adzuki and mixed grains

every monday, almost, i eat adzuki to take care of my kidneys after weekends-binge drinking (not quite).
usually i make aduski kabocha squash dish, but this time i pressure cooked with brown rice, sweet brown rice and barley.
soft and sweet : )

"Beef stew"

instead of real beef, i used whole wheat fu, with lots of root veggies (gobo, daikon, carrot) and potato, seasoned with soy sauce, mirin and kuzu.
looks like beef stew!
very rich, perfect dish for the cold night : )

also made some buck wheat miso soup and millet burger.

curried rice noodle

stir fried with veggies and seitan, seasoned with soy sauce, cumin and turmeric.
good!

snow in the spring

this morning in central park.
daffodils look cold!!

my favorite grain mix

brown rice, sweet brown rice and millet with some sweet veggies, such as butter nut squash or daikon or cauliflower.
sweet, soft grains make me relaxed from inside : )

Ikebana!

impromptu arrangement : )

addicted!

at least once a week, im eating this mochi waffle with rice-lemon-walnuts syrup.

adzuki and brown rice

mixed with spring grain(barley).
nishime, sauted cabbage with arame and dried tofu, water sauted broccoli rabe.
miso soup with sprouts, and sauerkraut.
this week is a bit chilly, so more yang dishes.

Monday Detox Lunch

after the weekend's heavy meal, monday is my detox day.
brown rice and barley
vegetable miso soup
nishime (gobo and daikon)
water sauted broccoli rabe
and natto

a friend of mine lent me a tripod, and gave me some tips on taking pictures, and this makes a big difference!

Nishime stewed vegetables

gobo,daikon,carrot and kabocha, cooked with kombu seaweed.
with chickpea rice and water sauteed daikon tops.

quick water saute

daikon green can be very sweet when you quickly water saute (no oil)!
eat with ume vinegar.
super easy yet super healthy and delicious : )

seaweeds

hijiki salad with tofu mayo & toasted sunflower seeds, and spring sprouts from union square farmer's market.

sea vegetables

here are meals in the last few days.
focusing more on seaweeds than usual because of this whole radiation, nuclear plant threat in japan.

arame onion dried daikon carrot saute

Praying for my home country

this is so heartbreaking.
watching my country, my people suffering.
still unbelievable what is happening there.

my family is safe, so im really grateful.
but just thinking about all the people who lost their lives, houses, lands, jobs, everything...

watching all the horrible scenes makes me really emotional.

also, i really appreciate all the messages from my friends, around the world.
thank you so much, and that means a lot to me, and japanese people.
this is the time for people to stand together.

wishing the best.
quick rescue, quick recovery.
i believe that my country is capable of it.
peace. Jin

different angle

there are so many good blogs out there,
and their pics are so beautiful.
do they learn how to take pictures?
i need some instructions!
mine is always from the above, looking so flat and not nice at all!
so just one experiment here.
different angles.
but any suggestions??

by the way, the sprouts are from green market. mixed with wakame and sauerkraut(also local)
spring is arriving!!

Sushi!

when i was in Japan, i used to do "make your own sushi" party with friends all the time.
its fun and easy to prepare.
and of course, yum!
i should do this more often here, too : )

early spring

gradually, the season is changing.
my body is responding to it, i can tell!

so my everyday food is also changing, from "longer cooked" winter dishes to "more lighter" cooking.
i got mizuna the other day, so i made kizune/hijiki/dried daikon salad with ginger soy dressing.
but still a bit cold outside, so the rest of the dishes are warm, more slowly cooked.

Tortilla Wrap

when i was a kid, my mom sometimes used to prepare open sandwich for sundays.
bread and all the other ingredients were in the center of the table, and we would make our own sandwich and eat.

so now, this is my macro version of it.
organic whole corn tortilla wrap from whole foods.
i made mixed grains, tempeh, veggie patte with vegan mayo, soy sauce and some spices.
roasted nori sheets and mizuna green were nice fresh touch to it : )

baked sweet potato and collard

when i find something easy to cook and like it, i tend to make it over and over again...
anyway, these are some of them.
with the sweetness/softness of the yum and crunchness of collard or kale, not much seasonings or salt is needed.
what a great dish!
risotto, my lazy one-pot dish uses left over rice and whatever in the fridge, maybe with hijiki or something.

Hyacinth

one of my favorite spring flowers.
from union square market.
smells sooooooooo good!!

Signs of Spring

in central park.
after a long long snow covered winter, finally daffodils and crocus are coming out of the soil!