Monday, February 23, 2015

Food for thought, Entry 2: Doma Doma

When I first came to Japan, I was surprised by the sheer amount of curry restaurants everywhere. Curry is very popular here so there are many options, but the best curry I've tasted by far is at Fukuoka's Indian Restaurant Doma Doma!

The staff are extremely friendly and go out of their way to make sure customers are happy. Even better, in the winter they provide complimentary cups of hot soup, often a lightly creamy chicken and garlic broth with fresh green onions. 


While their menu features many flavors of curry, my personal favorite is the rich dark greenness of their spinach curry. They also serve different kinds of naan; buttery garlic-encrusted naan, cheese naan that oozes melted, gooey goodness from the sides, and plain naan puffed with air bubbles and sizzling hot with freshness; I'm rather partial to their limited-time kabocha-stuffed (Japanese-pumpkin) cheese naan. Best of all, Doma Doma has a monthly special. January's special, featured below, included honey and cheese naan, coconut curry, a crisp salad, a tender meat kebab and chicken tandoori, and a wafer-thin papad that burst with a pungent black pepper flavor.


To wash down this culinary masterpiece, try Doma Doma's mango lassi. The smooth, ice-chilled fruit drink compliments the spicy curry perfectly. 


I think what I love best about Doma Doma is the startlingly fresh flavor of their ingredients. The curry always tastes like all the the fruits and vegetables were just picked from the garden at the height of ripeness, and the scrumptious aroma of the baking naan overwhelms the senses before it even arrives at the table.

The restaurant also has extremely reasonable prices and wonderful lunch specials. If you ever get the chance, swing by Doma Doma for some delicious Indian curry!





Monday, February 16, 2015

Mejiro Bird

I recently took care of a Mejiro bird (Japanese White-eye) that had hit a building and stunned itself. I found the tiny bundle of feather fluff lying on the cold winter concrete in the middle of a campus path, and at first my husband and I thought it was dead until I saw its feet twitching. I gently righted the bird, but soon realized that one of its wings wasn't working properly. As there are a lot of stray cats on campus, a friend gave us a cardboard box so that the bird could warm up safely. A little later that afternoon, the bird started fluttering and finally flew away. Maybe it just needed to work out strained wing muscles. Our friend named it "Midori," the Japanese word for green. When I looked up the history of the Mejiro bird in Japan, I found out that it was often featured in Japanese artwork, and was also kept as a caged bird. I'm glad Midori is free, and hopefully flying high!



Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Novel Playlist

Hurrah! After my stelliferous agent approves final revisions, my next novel will soon be cast into the sea of submissions. It's a middle grade fantasy about a grumpy old dragon with a bad habit of misplacing dangerous treasure, a band of orphans who lost their orphanage, and hordes of wicked mutant ex-unicorns, oh my! In celebration of my novel's completion, I made a track list to go along with the, shall we say, thematic ambiance of each chapter.

Really, I just want an excuse to share some of my favorite artists' music . . .


1. "Sad Lisa" by Angels of Venice from the album Summer Solstice

2. "The Dragon's Breath" by David Arkenstone

3.  "New Day" by Libera

4. "Music for a Found Harmonium" by James Galway

5. "Wind" from the album Art of Harp.  *(44 seconds of transcendent bliss)

6.  "Winds of Change" by Nox Arcana

7. "Time" by Bond from their album Remixed

8.  "White Shadows" by Coldplay

9. "Wind, Water, Fire and Stone" by Judy Collins

10. "Fading Embers" by Nox Arcana

11. "Requiem for the New World" (Orchestral) by Azedia

12. "Norwegian Dream" by the Green Children