Category Archives: redtailhawk

Alternative Careers and A Day in the Life of Chef David Yoshimura at Nisei

“So, you ready to run away and join the circus?” David Yoshimura asked me as we stood side-by-side in chef’s whites in the kitchen of his Michelin-starred restaurant, Nisei, watching our hard work that day come to fruition as the first plates went out to dinner guests. I just chuckled because the answer to thatContinue reading “Alternative Careers and A Day in the Life of Chef David Yoshimura at Nisei”

Cartoons for Grown-ups/I Have Notes for…Fena: Pirate Princess

Honestly I don’t know why I even have notes for this show, it was so bad. Yes, I do: just look at those guys! They’re the Goblin Knights, and they are awesome. And, Production I.G does know how to make a pretty anime. So, let’s give this a shot. Fena: Pirate Princess follows Fena Houtman,Continue reading “Cartoons for Grown-ups/I Have Notes for…Fena: Pirate Princess”

Wednesday’s Child: ADHD

Yup, I’m finally admitting it: I have Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. I figure you don’t need a professional diagnosis if you’re willing to admit it 😉 Kidding, obviously: please do go get a professional diagnosis if you’re struggling with focus, attention, and anxiety issues. I’m just lucky to have a pretty mild case and to haveContinue reading “Wednesday’s Child: ADHD”

Grits v. Polenta v. Cornmeal v. Atole v. Chaquewe v. Masa: What’s the Difference?

TL;DR: not a whole heckuva lot—it’s mostly about the fineness of the grind and whether the corn has been nixtamalized or not. But for the fine print, read on…. If you try to cook even a little bit outside the box, you’ve run into this issue before. You’ve found yourself staring at a recipe thatContinue reading “Grits v. Polenta v. Cornmeal v. Atole v. Chaquewe v. Masa: What’s the Difference?”

Friday Favorites: Recent Audiobooks

A quick list of audiobooks I’ve enjoyed over the last several months: The Vegetarian and Human Acts by Han Kang. Both of these were a tough listen for different reasons, but I’m glad I had to really slow down and pay attention to the way that Kang develops her characters. Even in translation, Kang’s layeringContinue reading “Friday Favorites: Recent Audiobooks”

Letter of Recommendation: Fabric Stores

Much like feed stores, fabric stores are one of those pre-Internet gathering places where our social life in this country used to be knitted together (har har). There aren’t so many of them now: that gorgeous Lucky Jeans Brand bandana-print Lycell denim fabric up there (all 9 yards of it!)–part of Joann Fabrics’s going-out-of-business saleContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Fabric Stores”

Drama Queen/I have Notes For…Doom at Your Service

This show is better than I wanted it to be. I’m not into twoo wuv shows in general, in particular ones whose main plot driver is terminal illness. So, I honestly have no idea why I started watching Doom at Your Service several months back: I suspect it was because I really liked Seo In-gukContinue reading “Drama Queen/I have Notes For…Doom at Your Service”

Loading…Review of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (for Switch)

I’ll just get straight to it–the reasons to play this game are (1) the characters and their development (2) the design of the world and how it looks on the Switch (3) the combat dashboard, which manages to winnow a quite technical JRPG combat system down to something that’s not only playable but enjoyable. ReasonsContinue reading “Loading…Review of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (for Switch)”

Wednesday’s Child/Loading…Review of Gris

This is the most beautiful game I’ve ever played, and I’ve played a lot of beautiful games. In fact, art style is a major factor for me in choosing a game in the first place and in my ultimate rating of it. For example, Final Fantasy 7 makes pretty much every list of best gamesContinue reading “Wednesday’s Child/Loading…Review of Gris”