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There's a rather extensive interview of me on Culinary Exchange. It has quite a lot of photos that are pretty nostalgic for me from the archives of JustHungry and JustBento, chosen by the interviewer, Matthew. I hope you enjoy it reading it. ^_^

And it's about time too! The site has been totally redone from the bones up. It should finally look and work like a mid-2015 site rather than a mid-2005 one!

Here are some highlights:

Weight loss shows on TV show cultural differences.

Yesterday I spent New Years Day with my mother, stepfather, middle sister, her husband and kids. It's the first time in years that I've spent New Years with my mother. It's still hard to get all my family into one place - my husband had to stay back home in France, and my other sister is in Ohio - but it was still a lovely day.

Our osechi (New Years feast) was a mix of Japan, France, England and America - besides traditional food like nishime (simmered winter vegetables), namasu, ozouni and a whole roasted tai (sea bream), we had chicken karaage, meatloaf, brownies, galettes bretonnes (butter cookies) and a Christmas pudding! Whew. It's fun to enjoy tiny morsels of so many different dishes though.

Butter shortages in post-modern Japan.

This month's Japan Times column is about the basics of nabe, or hot pots that are usually cooked at the table, with everyone taking what they like from the pot as it cooks.

A brief history of the hambaagu in Japan.

What do Japanese kids like to eat? The answer may surprise you.

Eggs, plus the history of ranking restaurants and food in Japan.

My latest article in the Japan Times is about the history of corn (maize) in Japan, and includes a recipe for chilled corn soup that's really easy to make.