TOKYO

Just arrived in Tokyo and feel that I arrived home.  A wonderful sunny day in Aoyama. Noticed a few green walls. That is the best trend ever.

Some of my first stops are one of my favorite shops , Drawer. They show a few good french brands and a lot of well designed own product. Feminine Chic and I always manage to pick up a new fine gauge sweater or the perfect tunic dress.

My first lunch or dinner is normally HONMURA AN, 7-14-18 Roppongi, Minato-Ku. 

They serve excellent food and give a warm and stylish atmosphere. Freshly made soba. It was also our very favorite place in NY.

Yellow is a color that is starting to pop up everywhere , just before Easter. I am not a fan of yellow flowers and plants, but I have to admit it brings sunshine and Spring fever to you.

After lunch a good cup of tea sits well at Tè Hong, back at Aoyama.

It doesn't matter if you are in Tokyo for a couple of hours or a couple of months, a stop at Tè Hong is a must. They have a great choice of both green teas, Sencha and Chinese teas. 

                                                 Select your cup for the cermony....

This is my arm and the Sencha I had.

Tokyo is really great. The best place for people watching.

Gunn

In Shanghai...

A few days later....

...these figures greeted us when entering the Grand Hyatt Shanghai....having breakfast at the Cloud 9 lounge on the 87 th floor.

 

Is this great ? No, it's pretty scary, if you ask me.

I think I would be more in tune with this message.

My passion for health and strange erbs made me purchase some roots at this herbal store. Nobody speaks English so you kind of have to help yourself. I trust my intuition and smelled all the strange items until I settled for a black rubber looking root called 

Chinese Foxglove /Rehmannia root, being fantastic for strengthen and nourish the blood. It is also excellent for the kidneys. Got a few other things, like Goji berries. Love them on the yogurt in the morning.

A nice visit to Old Shanghai teahouse for a good ambiance and a decent cup of Jasmine tea. If you like to avoid crowds, this is not the place to visit.

Unfortunately there was not enough time to see what I really would have liked to see. 

Modern architecture, clubs, trendy restaurants and fashion stores. This was my first time to Shanghai and perhaps not the last. 

It did leave me unimpressed... 

Gunn

What a mess !

This is an image of my office at 4 in the morning a couple of days before leaving for China.  Somehow the time originally carefully calculated disappeared and the deadline was coming up for an important job to be delivered.

We had to put in some overtime in the studio. My four legged colleges are very helpful....

I have seen the office in better days. 

I am normally a quite an orderly and precise person and pretend the same from my staff. 

Everything was packed a few days later and taken to China and Tokyo.

We have a new task....

To coordinate and help Mila Schon with a new style.

Gunn

Cardamom Spice

I unfolded one of my passions in the last post, Cardamom spice.

If we look into it a bit more it is a very useful spice.

 Egyptians chewed cardamom seeds as a toothcleener. Greeks and Romans used as a perfume. Vikings came upon cardamom about one thousand years ago, in Constantinople, and introduced to Scandinavia.

It is common in Indian cooking, just think of Masala Chai. How great is that....

CARDAMOM 

-when chewing on a few seeds, it takes away a bad breath. 

- it is also used to treat infection in gums. 

- it is good for the throat and lungs in general 

- if I remember correctly the Aurvedic medicine use Cardamum oils a lot for treating kidney stones 

 In India it is regarded as a cure for obesity. 

So, a good digestive.

For spice lovers !

Gunn

Garden and kitchen

The Silver Spoon kitchen made the most perfect cooking book,

 VEGETABLES FROM AN ITALIAN GARDEN. 

A season by season guide to cooking vegetables the Italian way. 

Wich is a a perfect way to eat healthy, economically, locally and sustainably.

The book is divided into 4 seasons and is explaining what vegetable is " in season " for the beginners. With instructions on how to grow them in your garden. 

Collect the produce and how to prepare them.

Each season got a colored ribbon as a divider. It's great.

 There is lots of classic tasty Italian recipes.

Another book I keep using lately is this sweet ( just as it's content ) little book of sponge cake recipes. It was made by Swedish Mia Ohrn ( with 2 dots on the O ) and Claes Karlsson

They probably love to "fika" as much as I do.

My very favorite cake this month is with a Cardamom spice. 

I thought I would be very kind and translate this for you. it is worth making it, believe me.....

It takes: ( I now it by memory...he he )

2 Eggs

1 Cup of normal sugar

1 Cup of brown sugar / caster sugar 

3 Cups of fine flour 

2 Teaspoon baking powder

75 Gram of non-salted butter

1 Cup of milk

2 Tablespoon of ground Cardamom

I start with melting the butter in the cake-form in the oven as it is slowly heating.

Let it cool and add the milk on the side.

I brush the cake-form and sprinkle grated coco on it's sides. I prefer this to the normal bread-crumps. It is lighter.

Whip the eggs and sugar into a soft foam.

Turn in the flour and baking powder carefully.

Add the cardamom. I have a tendency to exaderating this measurement. I love spice.

Add butter/milk.

Pour it all into the form and bake for 40 minutes. 

Leave some for licking clean the form...it is the best for an uplifting mood.

So enjoy it with a cup of tea ! 

FIKA is a word used called the coffee break at 11 am and 3 pm.

I am hooked,

Gunn