Long Time No Taco

In describing the balance of Sake flavors you probably already know there are sweet Sake, like  Nigori ("Cloudy") and dry Sake, such as Onigoroshi (" Demon Slayers"). In between, on a scale called the "Sake Meter Value", are semi-sweet and semi-dry Sake. More about that here. In between that,  you will find neutral Sake. Neutral Sake taste neither sweet nor dry, but this does not mean  they have no flavor. Far from it; Neutral Sake possess  both  characteristics - acids and unfermented sugars (as well as esters and phenolic flavors), in a balancing act that walks a tightrope right down the center of your tongue, engaging more of your palate than a sweet or dry Sake might. As popular as a sweet Nigori like Hakutsuru's Sayuri , or a refined, dry Onigoroshi like Wakatake Onikoroshi  are, it's no wonder that the most popular Sake in America is a Neutral sake, Kikusui's Junmai Ginjo . By the way:  If you wanted to offer three Sake for a grou...

You tried a few Sake and figured out this much: You like 'em dry. Great! I wrote about what makes Sake dry or sweet here . In the U.S., the Sake Market has finally started to take hold, in part because they stopped referring to Sake in binary terms like "Sweet or Dry". But now many Sake menus will avoid the words entirely, opting for alternative descriptors such as "earthy", "minerally", or "bold". These can be helpful in deciding, but in Japan "Dry or Sweet" is usually the first and sometimes only  criteria used when selecting Sake, so let's agree to acknowledge that Sake's depth and breadth has many dimensions - including semi-dry, semi-sweet, and neutral, and   it's okay to use "Dry or Sweet". Much of the cheap, mass-produced Sake of poor-quality also survive in the dry-realm. One example (that's right, I name names!) is the classic Ozeki One Cup. Keep in mind, they do still have their time ...

Welcome back, class. This is part 7 of "Why Did No One Tell Me?!?" Normally I would link you to the 1st lesson, but instead, ( Part **5** is here. ) That is because today's lesson correlates so closely  to personal, romantic relationships, the parallels are almost creepy! Today's lesson is:  Choose Your Career Like You Choose a Lover  Again: Understanding lesson 5, " Relationships: By the Numbers " should help this lesson click easily. First. everything in K-12 education is designed with two messages: (1) " Go to college! ", and (2) " Fit in! "  FORGET THAT. As soon as you finish high school, you are tossed into a world with countless trades and entrepreneurial routes that already exist and require zero college education, and the highest echelons of society are filled with outliers who refused to conform to a previously existing model. For examples, look at the founders of Apple, Snapchat, Facebook, Netflix, or Amazon. No m...

AKA: What H igh School Should Have Taught Me There is one theme for class: "WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME?!?" Our first lesson: Investing Without Money I took an abbreviated Economics class during winter-break, my senior year at Amphitheater High School. Even less than three weeks long, this was one of the few classes attempting to teach something beneficial to any student.  Understanding the basics of "supply and demand", "no such thing as a free lunch" - these are universally helpful to anyone about to become fully independent - but I could have learned more. If I spent a semester on it - or if my school offered more, I might have avoided wasting the two most precious resources we all have in limited quantities: time and money. Which is not to say I made "bad" choices, but I spent my time and money in ways that were less effective, and left me with less to show for it. I didn't even completely grasp "debt" until recently. What's ...

Wearing the shirt I gave him no less! Lots of grown-man love this guy.  As usual, I'm late. I just returned from Japan, but this is not about that. I wasn't able to visit Hiroshima, but in July, I took an all too brief trip back to New York, where this beautiful human being whom I first met in Hiroshima, Tim and partner Lia, gave me a their time, their ears, hearts, coach, and dog, for the duration of my time in Astoria. Sadly that fickle mistress, timing, did not permit me to attend the play Tim wrote and directed , but Tim did allow me to meet the cast and get a sneak peek at a rehearsal. While incomplete, I could clearly see his unique, collaborative spirit with which he directed, as well as the hard work and emotional energy he poured into this, his first of hopefully many plays he will put on! The centerpiece and original purpose for my trip however, was a JET alumni camping trip. The turnout was excellent! Although it had only been 6 months since moving to L.A., I...

Put everything I've said on hold! You weren't waiting? Oh, fine. Carry on then. I could fill a book with what has happened to me in the last month - example: I read a book! A  Knight of the Seven Kingdoms  by George R. R. Martin himself. Loved it! No one would read  A Month of Greg Doing Stuff , though, so here are the bullet points: I turned 32. Spent the whole, damn, magical day with friends at Universal Studios Hollywood, went on all the rides, ate all the food, and spent most of the time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I went to Vegas for the first time as an adult. Celebrated the union of two beautiful friends, won a few hundred dollars (cumulatively). The biggest payout $100 on a random slot machine. Lost it all and then some, and spent too much on booze. Ironically, the best values I found were at a sushi joint, and a craft beer spot: Banger Brewery. I also amassed all the knowledge to "do it right" next time. Sure... I am past the one mont...

Duality is one of my favorite concepts. I believe it to be a simplification of the multi-faceted nature of existence, but it allows for comparison, contrast, and ultimately, deeper understanding. If you look back at some of my other blog posts, they deal with two main topics: one abstract, and one concrete aspect in my life, how they relate to my past, and one another. Today's post is no different: Much has happened since I moved from NYC to L.A., and I have been terrible at keeping you up to date. The struggle started with the basics of work, shelter, and transportation. Finding an apartment in Koreatown near a public transportation hub with Michelle, we have been slowly decorating and introducing our cats to each other. Work has by far been the trickiest aspect. After a couple months of fruitless job hunting, I realize that the task requires its own special skill set - a clear image of an ideal job, and a dogged effort to pursue that from every available angle without distr...

"Gimme a second I swear, I will say about my rap career", go the lyrics of a Jay Z song. This month I was published in Chopsticks NY Magazine. This time however, my small article on Japanese shamisen included a legitimate byline. While it did not amount to a fraction of enough to pay the bills, I still love being paid to write, and I hope to make it a habit. Best of all, my references to subway platform buskers, and a favorite George Harrison song survived my editor's backspace key. Despite the first-hand account of my own experience, those two things were what made the article itself much more personal. Incidentally, the same Jay Z song starts with the lyrics: They say "they never really miss you til you dead or you gone." So on that note, I'm leaving after this song. Fitting, since the my NYC work was published in absentia, now that I have moved to Los Angeles! The timing has prompted some very kind emails and phone calls from friends who onl...

Hello from Koreatown, Los Angeles. I live here now. It wasn't easy, but my sister put Michelle and I up, along with our TWO cats(!), while we searched for a place. Many other beautiful friends helped us get settled here, too. We're almost two weeks in, still a couple days from getting internet in the apartment, but we have food. appliances. and a smattering of furniture! Last night I had a crazy dream, but unlike the crappy stories we've all heard that start with that phrase, I immediately woke up and wrote down every detail! It reads like a person describing a movie as he watches it, and I also watch a film in the dream... so don't get confused! Here goes: Greg goes to see a black&white film set in an apocalyptic future, starring Bill Murray and Whoopi Goldberg - who does the voice for a mythical bulldog with an alligator head. Deciding they need a better home, she takes him to the last stop of an underground train line, which is guarded by only one man. S...

By the way: I have a sweet sleeping bag. I spent every day the last week working at a new job, at  En Japanese Brasserie . Today marks both my seventh, straight day working, as well as the first official day, having finishing job training! While the job is just part time, to allow me more time to focus on writing, the timing perfectly caps off my August of unemployment, which ended stylishly, culminating in an epic farewell to lazy days. I had the great fortune, this Labor Day weekend, to camp with my fellow JET Programme Alumni and other friends. This was the first time in five years that I camped. By "camping" I mean, pitching tents and sleeping in bags. I am not counting staying in cabins, because although I still prefer the privacy and comfort of a cabin, there is a greater appreciation of comfort that comes from the end of an actual camping trip. Despite what I just said about roughing it, we ate like kings! My alumni group excels at planning and teamwork, and t...

Sitting on the sofa, halfway through Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson documentary, I feel the sudden impulse to write. I wasn't watching in search of inspiration, although I consider the man himself a sort of incidentally inspirational figure. I know that I will never be anything like him. While I would love the notoriety and impact on society he achieved, I absolutely do not want the inner-demons responsible for creating the man. I envy what he attained. More than just an iconic career following his passion and flipping a middle finger to establishment and convention, he also had the confidence to marry and have a child, well before knowing exactly how he would provide for them. I have no idea of his age at this point in the film, but I imagine him younger than I, and my base instinct to compare myself wells up, asking "Why aren't you married? Where is your family? Why don't you act more boldly?" Why can't I be like him? At his core,...

More accurately: I Need to Start Using a Mash Tun.  Warning: The following contains more beer brewing jargon than the average person will care to learn. That said, you can replace most terms with "beer-thingy" in your head, and be just fine. I became passionate about home brewing after receiving a 1-gallon starter kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop  as a birthday present, a few years ago. This year, I finally made the jump to brewing 5-gallon batches. Left: One-gallon Black IPA, Right: Five-gallon brew-in-a-bag Galaxy hop IPA, Taken 8/23/15 Every home brewer has a different history and approach. My kit being for all-grain brewing, it wasn't until this year that I even saw what an extract looked like. Eventually, I would use both dry and liquid extracts to make a Rye Saison, and a clone of President Obama's White House Honey Porter, but it turns out, most home brewers enter the hobby exclusively using these extracts. Many never make all-grain batches, even after y...