Just Hungry

This book looks amazing... it's these simple, refined "mom's recipes" that I so covet.

My favorite tipple/nibble combo is a little embarrassing, but what can I say? I live in Minnesota. We have a local diner called the Town Talk. They make their own pickles. And deep fry them. Frickles! So good. Those, with a Dark and Stormy (ginger beer and rum and maybe some lime zest...not sure what all they put in those things but they are delish).

Maki, I'm so glad to see the NY times article. I've learned so much from both of your websites as I pack lunch and dinner 3-4 days a week for my husband who works full time and takes graduate courses at night. I don't know what I would have done without the bento idea as the American style box lunch is pretty boring. Thanks for all your hard work!

P.S. I hope that in 5-10 years I'll know more about sake and wine and cocktails but for now I'm just a dabbler. If I'm in a junk food mood it's all about a nice beefy burger and Coke or cream soda (with rum for good measure if I've got it). Otherwise I have to admit I adore coffee with something like cinnamon rolls or chocolate chip cookies but try not to make that my breakfast very often.

I am equally jealous and have wanted to go to japan for a LOOOONG time. Have an awesome trip :D

Hi Maki, This book sounds great! I'm also planning a trip to Japan, but it's not so near as yours. My guy's mum is Japanese, and I look forward to meeting his family in Japan, as well as hiking and general sight-seeing (I'm nuts for tea and pottery). I like red wine as dessert, rather than with a meal--with a nice dark chocolate is lovely. And beer goes well with anything heavy, salty, or barbecued!
Thanks for your wonderful recipes, and contests.

Ooh, this book looks amazzzzing! I've actually been trying to explain the meaning of izakaya to a lot of freshmen at my school, so it'd be great to having something substantial to show them!

I'm in no way a connoisseur of such things, considering I am under 21 years of age. But what I do love, and it may be a bit cliche, is when my parents let me have one beer at home and that's usually a Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus (I know, my palate is untrained) and an amazing combination my mother made was fried soft shelled crabs with lettuce and a dash of lime and a mustard, red wine vinaigrette. My mother is a phenomenal cook - that's why I'm so excited to start cooking on my own with the help of her recipe books! ^_^

My favorite nibbles vary.

For a snack during the day I love a bowl of raman noddles minus the little packet with Ms. Dash & Cajen seasoning and sauted chicken with a glass of sweet tea

As far as at night Vanilla Wafers (little round vanilla cookies with a crunch) and peanut butter.

But my absolute favorite is cheeseburger macoroni with a big glass of chocolate milk.

Yes, I know I have very strange tastebuds what else can I say these are my favorite nibbles.

The book looks really really good!

Bramble

First time posting here and just wanted to say how much joy both this and JustBento have brought into my life. Thank you, Maki :)

My fav tipple is Maredsous, a dark and slightly sweet Belgian beer (malt liquor, really, at 10% alcohol). I'm somewhat boring regarding nibbles, going for pretzels or french fries.

My favorite Japanese drink, since you didn't ask, is Tantakatan (shiso shōchū). The fresh aroma of the shiso leaves combines with the warmth of the alcohol to make it the only drink I've ever described as "happy".

This book looks fascinating. Reminds me of a place I used to frequent in Hikone, which I imagine qualifies as Izakaya, though I didn't know that word at the time.

My favorite drink, eh? That is a difficult question to ask. I would have to say it is the homebrewed sake from the Tanabata festival at Shigadai in Hikone during a rather wonderful summer several years back.

I really do like sake best, but there are all kinds of drinks I like which make it hard to decide.

That looks beautiful o.o.

Even the front cover is really pretty.

So, my favourite tipple... I actually don't do alcohol unless forced to by parents when I'm sick. However, I'm particularly fond of any form of iced tea -- iced earl grey is wonderful. I also tried mugicha once when I was in London. There was this *awesome* okonomiyaki restaurant that my sister and I visited, and that was where I first experienced mugicha *and* okonomiyaki.

gimme! LOL

Living in New York, I'm lucky enough to have some semblance of izakaya food around me (Sake Bar Hagi, Izakaya Riki, etc.) but it's nothing compared to what I had in Tokyo on a blissful one-week business trip a few years back, where the dishes included buttery skate wing and mindblowing buta no kakuni.

My favorite drink-snack would be a sweet potato shochu on the rocks with plenty of squeezed lemon and some fried chicken gizzards. If you put enough lemon in the drink, you don't need to squeeze it over the chicken! A bite, a sip, a bite, a sip. Ah.