Miyuki Mouse's Profile

At first glance, I thought those book wrappers were the "obi" strips of paper that one finds on newly released books (and CDs) in Japan...

Looks like a posh version of what they call a "towel-ket" in Japan, which are meant to be used when you sleep, not when you take a bath.

Wow, those are early! We probably won't be seeing any in my mom's garden for another month or so. Tastes great in salads and as a tempura. I prefer the red ones though. And did you know the flower buds are edible too?

I wouldn't worry about attaching the shelf to the wall unless you happen to live in an area where earthquakes are common. I usually put small slabs of plywood or plexiglass under the front legs of the shelf to make them slightly lean back into the wall. (Having a level helps.) I then put heavy items on the bottom shelf, and the shelf seems to stabilize itself. I've never had anything fall over.

Having said that, I notice that your shelf doesn't have a crossbar in the back. Is it missing or am I mistaking your shelf for another IKEA classic? That would explain why it seems to be swaying sideways.

My mom brought a benriner with her when she immigrated to Canada. It does not have a finger guard thing-y. My retired father was helping my mother in the kitchen a few weeks ago, slicing some cucumbers with the benriner for a sonomono salad. Guess what happened? ;)

By the way, the "benri" part of "benriner" apparently comes from the Japanese word for "useful".

I'd play this game with my parents and sister because we all share the love of food. The "fun" part would be translating all the questions and answers for my parents... (They're immigrants and don't speak English very well.)

People usually can't tell the difference between apple juice and grape juice when blindfolded and have their noses covered. The appearance and smell of the juice is what helps to distinguish the two.