9/9 – Raw squid, oddities and MP3-meltdown

So, that really isn’t my thing. I saw obaa-chan preparing a squid for lunch. She made two different things with it; one served raw in strips, and the other cooked in some sauce. I was very, very surprised with the texture of the raw squid. I first thought it was konnyaku (look it up; it’s some gooe made from a starch root), but when I put it in my mouth it was completely different.
At first it’s kidna gooey; rubbery, actually. When you chew it, it feels like it melts a little in your mouth and becomes a big glob. I can’t describe the taste, but I think the texture took all my attention. I didn’t like it that much, so I couldn’t finish the whole serving. Good thing there’s always some kind of homegrown veggie; cucumber is ALWAYS on the table, and then some variation of rice.

I’m getting up at 5.30 tomorrow to pick peemen (tee-hee! What, childish? Me? Naaaahhh…)
As said, I’ll be picking peemen from the wee (tee-hee, again) morning.
I thought of some oddities that I’ve been observing; some less amuzing than others.

1. Everyone drives white cars; 70-80 percent of the cars you’ll see in this area are white. My guess is that it’s because of the heat.
2. People apparently can’t seem to believe that Denmark actually have their own language. I’ve been asked quite a few times if English is the spoken language.
3. They don’t understand how I can walk around in a t-shirt; I think they’re hyper-sensitive to the sun. They ask me if the sun rays don’t hurt… uhm, no.
4. They sell everything and anything for their content of vitamins and minerals. Drink this; it’s filled with sugar and additives, but it has loads of XXX mineral/vitamin. Eat a banana and you’ll get the same. Oh, whatever…
5. People may think that Japanese are very tidy and modest people who keep their house clean and simple. Wrong! I know my mum sometimes complains about how messy, dusty and dirty her kitchen is, but she would go nuts from living here. It’s really not that it bothers me, and it seems to be the way everyone lives. I just found it a little… odd. There are things everywhere, seriously.
6. There is music in EVERYTHING. They have at least one clock that at certain times chime with some classical piece of music; I think Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons’ “Autumn” is played at 7AM, and some other piece at 2PM etc. I don’t know if it plays every hour, but it’s often. Something also plays Canon; maybe at 11AM? (Not that it really matters).
   Their washing machine also plays a piece of music when it’s done (I suppose). Visiting the Oka Jou (Oka castle), I even came across a toilet with some… unusual options.
    
   Allow me to explain what you here see.
   From the left: STOP; SPRAY; BIDET; FLUSHING SOUND;
   And now to the best: POWERFUL DEODORIZER. I was scared to even try it out…
   As I had entered and was about to put my bag away, I apparently got in reach of a sensor, and then the flushing sound went off! I was very surprised and thought to myself: “Why the … would you want to start a flushing sound?!” Seriously, I can’t think of a reason to starting a flushing sound, just for the sake of the sound… can you?

Well, that’s pretty much all for now. It’s 9.15pm, so I’d better get to bed. LOL
Tonight is pretty cool though, so I probs won’t have much trouble falling asleep.

Oh yeah, and one last thing: one of my mp3’s had a meltdown. Seriously. For some reason, I suddenly found the screen very dim; to the point where I could barely see what I was listening to or giude through the menu. I later noticed how incredibly HOT it got, to the point where I would almost burn my fingers by touching it! It can still play, but I don’t use it. The other mp3 player has a crashed screen (hard (impossible) to navigate through, but I managed somehow to get the to shuffle function after several(!) times of messing around), but I brought it for safety; it’s nice listening to podcasts while working and I don’t have to speak with anyone anyways.
- I liked that mp3 player, and it’s probs not more than 2 years old, so the warranty will still cover it. Though that will have to wait to until I get home *sigh*

Well, long post today! First week in Japan; about 11 to go!