mourningdove

Letter of Recommendation: Pandemic (the board game)

Before you jump to the wrong conclusion: I did not start playing this board game during the COVID-19 pandemic. I actually started playing the game series in 2017. There are 4 games so far in the series: Pandemic, Pandemic: Legacy (Season One), Pandemic: Legacy (Season Two), and Pandemic: Legacy (Season Zero), in order of release.Continue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Pandemic (the board game)”

Ceramics Saturdays: Cizhou Ware

Cizhou ware is both easy and hard to identify. Easy because the distinctive black-on-white designs are difficult to mistake; hard because the style was so popular that it can’t be pinned down to a single kiln or time period–which greatly affects its value. Cizhou-style wares were produced from the Tang to Ming dynasties, first inContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Cizhou Ware”

Friday Favorites: Non-kung-fu martial arts movies

Well, I’m not promising that *no* kung fu happens here: Seven Samurai. This is actually my favorite movie of any kind and all time. I would say you learn a lot more about bushido (the code of samurai behavior) in the Warring States period and how it impacted the surrounding community than you do aboutContinue reading “Friday Favorites: Non-kung-fu martial arts movies”

Umeboshi update: onigiri and ume martini

So, the umeboshi turned out great! I figured burying things in salt was a safe bet, and I was right. After they sort of equilibrated for a month, I made two different dishes with them: ume onigiri and an ume martini. I first saw this kind of ume onigiri on Midnight Diner, which I’ve toldContinue reading “Umeboshi update: onigiri and ume martini”

Peace on the Earth

Here’s the second Xmas card design.

Dried persimmons (hoshigaki)

I can’t remember whether I first learned about hoshigaki: it was either on Japanese Style Originator (I think episode 16 on fall foods? It’s not on Netflix anymore, so I can’t check), in which a wife sends her husband out to drink beer with a dried persimmon in his pocket, a traditional remedy against hangoversContinue reading “Dried persimmons (hoshigaki)”

First Xmas Card Design

So, after getting you guys to vote on which Xmas card design you preferred, I decided to do both! Ha ha! Here’s the first papercut.

Ceramics Saturdays: Longquan Ware

If you like celadon, then Song dynasty Longquan ware is for you. Production began in the Northern Song and lasted well into the Ming, making Longquan ware one of the most enduring and popular Song styles. Over 500 kilns were active in Zhejiang and northern Fujan provinces, with the largest “dragon” style ones capable ofContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Longquan Ware”

Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up

Some really good stuff in here: At the fabulous Public Domain Review: Aratea, a gorgeous 9th-century Norman manuscript of calligrams (pictures made from words) of astronomical constellations. Perfect for this time of year, also from the PDR: an early English translation of Pu Songling’s collection of Chinese folk tales. The history of heavy metal playedContinue reading “Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up”

Pierced Hands

I think I’ve mentioned I’m a bit of a clutz even though (I think) I try really hard not to be. One place this becomes really obvious is the kitchen. Though the frequency with which I burn and stab myself has definitely decreased with time, I’d say I still give myself a stitches-grade knife woundContinue reading “Pierced Hands”