Serge the Concierge

Cool Treats for Warm Japanese Summer Days: Say 'Fruit and Vegetable Bars'

2 things I learned from Cool Packaging: Frozen Summer Treats From Japan by Ryoko (on PingMag) are first that "frozen treats began to be produced as a substitute for ice cream after World War II, when almost all dairy products were designated for military use. A popular simple treat at the time was merely ice mixed with sweetener, into which a pair of disposable chopsticks were stuck. Very basic, but it made folks happy in those tough times" and second that adzuki beans are part of the mix as they are in many Japanese candies.

I cut down on ice cream in the past year so I paid more attention to the healthier frozen treats in her piece. 

Ryoko mentions the unusual 'Fruit and Vegetable Bar' popular with women.
The “Gari-Gari-Kun” (”Mr. Crunchy”) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and the mascot on its wrap packs a punch (illustration below, from PingMag).

I really like the Popsicles shaped like slices of watermelon and cantaloupe (picture also from PingMag)

Quality and standards are enforced by the very official Japanese Ice Cream Association.

There is a site dedicated only to the topic of these cold treats titled Japanese Ice Cream.

Is it more marketing than informative, I will let you judge.

Cooling off for Tokyo Thursdays # 47

Related:  Seafood Ice-Cream and other strange brews...Big in Japan

Old Denver Airport Runway finds Second Life as Kitchen Countertops

In the Remake Remodel sphere, a couple of Denver based companies are finding a Second Life for concrete from the runway of the now defunct Stapleton Airport.
Immix turns it into countertops as for Recrete Materials they recycle it into new buildings and projects.

Calling itself the earth surface, PaperStone is described as (I quote) "made from cellulose fiber (paper) and a non-petroleum phenolic resin  derived in part from a natural phenolic oil in the shells of cashews."

Wonder where some of that recycled glass goes, look no further than Vetrazzo whose products are 85% made from it and turned into stylish kitchen tops.
These beer bottles you sipped on warm Summer days could turn into the Alehouse Amber surfaces (pictured below).

A few examples of how we can be earth friendly and practical at the same time for Green Day # 35

Related piece: Picnic and Party Plates that Don't Trash Nature thanks to 'VerTerra' 

Paris, Not just Bar Tabac, Literary Cafes as well!

Paris has been known as the refuge for real and wannabe artists over time, be it jazz musicians, poets, painters, writers and others.
Isobel Scott covers some New Cafés Littéraires for Globespotters.
Amongst them Tea and Tattered Pages "with its second hand English books from floor to ceiling. At the back of the shop, behind beaded curtains, there is a little tea salon".
Another highlight is La Belle Hortense where "the accent is on wine. The zinc bar is the first stop when you walk into the baby-blue painted store. Pick a glass (or bottle) from the wine list and wander off to the bookshelves in the back room. Their selection includes design-your-own-cover (Penguin editions) English and French classics and modern prizewinners".
A more extended guide on Literary Watering Holes in Paris was offered by Gridskipper (February 2008).

Where are the best literary cafes in your corner of the world?

Looking for New Work Pastures? Action beats Introspection suggests Herminia Ibarra Video

Aspiring to a change in work and career in her video Moving out to pastures new (FT), Herminia Ibarra shares some ideas.

What she lacks in passionate delivery and Chutzpah, she more than makes up with clear thoughts on the topic.

If there are 2 strong points she makes, it would be her opening statement that Action beats Introspection and her conclusion spelling Don't get stuck thinking you've got it all figured out...

A quick and to the point Monday Work Etiquette #45.

Last week: A Declaration of Independence from E-Mail by Luis Suarez

Besides Petanque: 2CV and Solex 'Bastille Day' Rendez-Vous in New York

The Citroen 2 CV and the Solex are icons of the 50's and 60's in France and Europe at least
They would take you from point A to point B in a practical if not luxurious way.

The 'Bastille Day' Rendez-Vous kicks off at 10:00 am at Grant's Tomb (Riverside Drive and 122nd St) on July 13 in New York. Check the full map of the itinerary thanks to the Greater NY Citroën & Velosolex Touring Club site.



This is the Ninth Edition of the Event.

Will Lloyd Cole make a cameo appearance singing 2 CV?

Hard to believe but Velosolex models such as the S4800 (pictured below) can still be purchased in the US.

Even Catherine Deneuve rode one as that 1973 picture (courtesy of Velosolex America) shows.

Check the Velosolex America for details

Thanks to Katia of Pardon Me for Asking for pointing that Event to Me.

Related: Petanque in Brooklyn (at Bar Tabac) and other Bastille Day Events

Learn Japanese Tips and Tricks at the 'Urawaza' Book Party (San Francisco, July 13)

After reading The Maker of Balloons (Water Balloons that is) on PingMag, I wanted to learn more about this Japanese Summer tradition.

By some twist of fate, I landed instead on Tokyo Mango, one of the voices of Lisa Katayama.

She recently published Urawaza (Chronicle Books) where she shares some everyday Japanese tips and tricks such as "Can't find someone to water your plants while you're away? Place the plant on a water-soaked diaper, so it slowly absorbs water over time."

She continues a popular Japanese trend that expresses itself on popular TV Shows and numerous books.

If you are in San Francisco on Sunday, July 13, Lisa has a book signing party where she will demo some of her secrets. It takes place from 1to 3pm at Double Punch a store offering Japanese Toys, Art Books and more in the North Beach district, close to the Bay.

All the way back in May, Try Than offered her own Kitchen Secrets on Bay Area Bites. Let me quote a couple:

"After soaking dried tamarind in water, use the strained fruit and fibers to polish your copper pans and bowls.

Use the edge of a small spoon to peel the crooks and crannies of knobby ginger."

Are you hooked on the Urawaza trend?

Want to share your own kitchen and home tricks?

A side trip in the Bay Area for Tokyo Thursdays #46

Last Week: Slew of reviews on 'Japan Cuts' (New York), Could not make it to Opening Night!

Petanque in Brooklyn (at Bar Tabac) and other Bastille Day Events

Feel Tricolore as Bastille Day approaches. If you look forward to an afternoon of Pastis and Petanque, Bar Tabac in Brooklyn, New York holds its annual Petanque Tournament.

Merguez, frites and Ricard are on the menu as well as music by the Baby Blue Orchids and the Francois Wiss Ensemble.
A Bal Musette maybe.
Bar Tabac is located at 128, Smith Street  and Dean Street.

Want to keep abreast of Petanque News in the New York area, La Boule New York is the place to check.

On the New Jersey side (even though Brooklyn is closer to me), Frenchtown has a Bastille Day Festival on July 12 and 13 (my illustration).

Washington DC celebrates Bastille Day at the French Embassy (my illustration).

For events in other U.S cities such as Boston, Austin, Seattle and more, take a look at the TV 5 Listing.
Most of them take place on either Saturday 12 or Sunday 13 not July 14 as in France.

I first heard about the Brooklyn festivities thanks to Katia of Pardon Me for Asking.

As for my plans after reading Hail to the Chef (FT Week End) recounting a backyard party at Daniel Johnnes home, a Sunday afternoon cookout sounds great.

Related: Celebrating Bastille Day, Gourmet Food and Wine in Franschhoek, South Africa and A glass of Petanque...Close encounters with Bastille Day

A Declaration of Independence from E-Mail by Luis Suarez

You might have read with interest as I did I Freed Myself From E-Mail’s Grip (NY Times, June 29).
I did not know its author Luis Suarez until then.
He confirms his Declaration of Independence from E-Mail via his blog ELSUA on July 4th.

He addresses head on the skepticism that greeted his strategic changes.
Top one seems to be that naysayers consider his choice of replacing e-mail by various online tools (and phone calls when it is best) as adding complexity rather than streamlining the process.

One paragraph explains his approach very clearly:

"For a good number of years most knowledge workers didn’t have the option, nor the choice, for good collaborative tools, but nowadays with the emergence of social software within the corporate world the choice is there. And we might as well make use of it, so just because folks may be sending an e-mail does not necessarily mean I would want to engage through e-mail as well. The choice is there. The choice is from both parties to negotiate & jointly decide what’s the best way of collaborating and sharing our knowledge not just amongst ourselves, but also with the rest of the corporation. And perhaps e-mail is not the best option here."

As for 'hanging out' in different social spaces, I found his comparison akin to a gardener planting the seeds for future harvests or in Luis words:

"All of those interactions I may be doing now are eventually going to pay off really really big time in its due time, when I am not there. When I am away, on holidays, on conference events, off sick, whatever. More than anything else because people from those social networks will help contribute and help me get those answers, without me even being there! Just like I have been doing myself for them when they were not there! That is the ultimate power of the social network!"

Most of my networking these days has its roots in my writing Serge the Concierge.

I admit that I have to tend more to my networks such as LinkedIn and CoWorking (Jelly).

Let's not forget the benefits of meeting people face to face at events such as South by Southwest Interactive.

What works for you?

Stirring the pot for Monday Work Etiquette #45

Related: Taming the Brain and Office Clutter: Online and with Simple Forms

Food Fad of the Week: Watermelon is the New Viagra after Red Wine as Heart Medicine

Way back then there was a drumbeat of reports on the health benefits of drinking red wine, now comes Watermelon as the new Viagra.

Tim Dowling offers his take on Watermelons and Male Plumbing in The Guardian.

It all started he says with a report by Dr Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M University's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center stating that watermelon contains a phyto-nutrient called citrulline.

Science Daily gives us all the details in Watermelon May Have Viagra-effect (July 1st).

If you don't believe the hype yet don't like to waste food, make a delicious watermelon rind chutney with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, perfect with roasted garlic (if you want to keep the vampires away).

As for the health benefits of wine, Drink red wine for a better life – but not a longer one reports Steve Connor, Science Editor for The Independent UK (July 4th) based on a study from Rafael de Cabo (and others) at the US National Institute of Ageing titled Resveratrol Delays Age-Related Deterioration and Mimics Transcriptional Aspects of Dietary Restriction without Extending Life Span..published by Cell Metabolism, (yes there is such a magazine) in June 2006.

I hope I did not give you an indigestion of Science.

What would the food or drink remedy for that be? I don't know.

Any suggestions!

On Food and Health: Is Raw Veganism Dangerous for your Kids?

Slew of reviews on 'Japan Cuts' (New York), Could not make it to Opening Night!

Unfortunately I could not make it to the opening night of Japan Cuts, July 2nd at the Japan Society in New York so I set my fishing net wide and large in search of detailed pieces about what's on the program of this Film Festival.

In Japan Cuts Above The Rest Peter Gutiérrez (Firefox News) picks some favorites such as United Red Army a docudrama on the leftist group, Dainipponjin which he describes as "a mockumentary about “Big Man Japan,” an ordinary guy who expands to Gojira proportions when gargantuan critters threaten to trample the skyline" (my illustration, below) and the closing night film Kisaragi, one of the best on offer in his view as a "fandom-set whodunit is that rarity in a movie mystery—the kind whose ample surprises never seem forced".

Martin Tsai (New York Observer) introduces his review Japan Cuts: Far Out in the Far East by asking:

"Do you ever wonder what the Japanese think of Hollywood's interpretations of "Speed Racer," "Transformers," or even "Memoirs of a Gesiha"? For those who want to experience that reverse lost-in-translation feeling firsthand, the second annual Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film, which begins today at Japan Society, offers a healthy swath of selections that will do the trick. What's more, the lineup is reflective of how the country's film industry is grappling with its global reach while struggling to defend its home turf"

As part of a broader New York Asian Film Festival overview The Brooklyn Rail adds to the list of must see Japan Cuts movies, Fine Totally Fine which "follows horror-obsessed slacker Teruo and the menagerie of square pegs that satellite around him. A gardener by day, Teruo spends his free time scaring his friends in clever ways and aspires to open a haunted house" and Adrift in Tokyo in which actor Joe Odagiri plays Takemura "a scruffy young law student with a serious amount of debt. Suddenly Fukuhara, a threatening debt collector, bursts into Takemura’s shabby apartment with a one day ultimatum: payment or intense pain. But the next day, calm, cool and collected Fukuhara shows a change of heart".

Hopefully this roundup for Tokyo Thursdays #45 will broaden your view of Japan Cuts.

The festival runs until July 13.

My previous piece: 'Japan Cuts', Not Sandwiches, New Japanese Films Festival, New York, July 2-13