For the Love of it!

Sushi for Hicks - #1: Tuna Surprise

2009-09-06T00:54:02Z

I got bored today and decided to make some onigiri; unfortunately, I had almost none of the necessary ingredients to make anything authentic. Instead, I just used whatever I found in my cabinets to make some sushi (which was very difficult without any seaweed or fresh fish). This is what came out. Hope some of you get a laugh of it; don't be afraid to try it, either!

sushi rice:
YOU WILL NEED:
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice (I reccommend Botan, but plain jasmine rice will do just fine)
1 T. canola or rapeseed oil
2 T. rice vinegar

Add rice and water to a medium-sized pot, cover and boil until rice is tender and has absorbed almost all the water, then add oil and vinegar. Let the rice cool uncovered until it is dry and cool enough to handle.

zucchini (for wrapping the rice balls):
YOU WILL NEED:
3 small zucchini (or one frikkin' huge zucchini)
1 sharp paring knife, a steady hand, patience, and a band-aid if you're not careful
Lots of water
A little salt

Wash and peel the zucchini. Next, whittle it all into very thin strips, about 1" to 1 1/2" wide (I reccommend getting a bored roommate or neighborhood kid to do this part, as it takes a while). Add zucchini and a pinch of salt to boiling water, and cook until zucchini is very tender. Drain and lay out on metal racks and paper towels to dry somewhat.

To make the onigiri:
Wet your hands (I usually keep a bowl of cold water to keep my hands moist; this keeps the rice from sticking to your hands too much). Take a handful of rice (about a heaping tablespoon's worth, depending on the length of your zucchini strips), mold around one end of a zucchini strip, then wrap strip around the ball and mold to make sure it stays. This will take some patience; it will take a few tries to get the hang of it!

NOTE: If you can find seaweed, use that. I used zucchini because it's all I had, but it's more trouble than it is practical.

Tuna stuff:
YOU WILL NEED:
1 T. canola or rapeseed oil
2-3 tsp. crushed red peppers
3 medium garlic cloves, chopped
5 green onions, chopped
4-5 small red radishes, grated
2 cans of tuna
1-2 tsp. sesame oil
hot red chili sauce (Tuong ot Sriracha reccommended)
Fresh parsley, for aesthetic purposes

Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add crushed peppers and saute until oil takes on an orange color. Add garlic, onions, and radishes; saute for a few minutes. Add tuna and sesame oil and remove from heat.

Putting it all together:

Plate the onigiri (6-8 rolls usually makes a good serving). Top with tuna stuff, drizzle with hot chili sauce and fresh parsley--be as artistic as you want!

Lots of variations can be made on this. If you don't like hot food, use soy sauce or hoisin sauce instead of hot sauce. You could also use salmon or mackerel instead of tuna--or anything you want, really.

Itadakimasu!

On the Price of Haircuts

2009-09-05T07:54:11Z

I was walking by the university salon today, and noticed a sign not unlike the ones in every other discount salon.

"Women's cuts: $10
"Men's cuts: $5"

Why is that? Is it a general rule that women's haircuts are more complicated and time-consuming than men's? Or is it because women tend to be more particular about the cut they want?

Whatever the reason, I think the pricing should be based on one of those other variables (time required, complexity, etc.), rather than on gender alone. After all, I am a woman with short, boyish hair, and I'm really not that picky about how it's cut. To me, it's the way you style it that makes the real difference, and I can do that on my own.

Whatever. As of tomorrow, I'm sending off for a hair trimming/texturing kit, so I can cut my own hair umpteen times for the price of one "men's haircut." Plus shipping and handling.

LIke YAOI?!?!

2009-09-02T12:58:52Z

Then check out my YouTube channel!
There's an indecent amount of vid-ified doujinshi on there, from lots of different artists and fandoms. Okay, it's mostly Death Note (LxLight) stuff right now, but I plan on making more videos of doujinshi from other fandoms.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these videos, and that you'll consider buying the original release.

I deleted all my fanfiction!

2009-09-01T04:32:55Z

...In case anyone noticed (which I doubt anyone did). Not surprisingly, my page has never had much of a following.

The main reason I've removed all my fanfics from my LJ is that I don't care for the way the posts are organized. The setup confuses me, plus I usually forget to use "date out of order" feature to keep my stories from clogging people's friends pages. Yeah, sorry about that.

You can still read my Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, and sometimes Loveless-related works here: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1395714/Russet-Stoned

It may be a while before I start adding real entries to my page again. Until then, enjoy reading my stuff on FF!

^_^

I am THOROUGHLY DISGUSTED!!!

2009-04-28T04:52:23Z

I have just discovered (via a video on youtube, if anyone cares to know) the existence of the most disturbing, hateful website I have ever seen.

Heard of Westboro Baptist Church? Well, for those of you who have not, this group is famous for picketing funerals of homosexuals, rumored homosexuals, or so-called "fag enablers." Their words, not mine. I personally find the word disgusting, unless we're talking about cigarettes. The domain name is actually godhatesfags.com, and I'm not hyperlinking that because I don't think anyone could possibly gain anything by visiting it.

When I first accessed the site, I thought it was a joke. There are pictures of people--some of them children--holding garish, homophobic, hurtful signs. The main page delivers a welcome message to the "depraved sons of Adam" and incites people to join the fight against "fags" and "fag enablers." They claim that God does not love everyone--that he hates homosexuals, America--oh, and anyone who doesn't also hate homosexuals to the tune of "Dixie."

Let me just say that most of my extended family are devout Christians. I was too, once upon a time--but let's face it, I haven't been to a mass or service of any kind in quite a while. Still, I am well versed enough to know that the people running this site and carrying signs reading "God Hates Fags" or "Fag = Sin" are the furthest thing you could get from the loving, friendly Christianity I grew up with. It's a perversion, of precisely the kind they accuse people of left and right.

Not only does the Westboro Baptist Church hate homosexuals and their allies, they also verbally attack anyone who presents their little organization in a negative (which is to say accurate) light. On the site are posted links to articles from various online journals. Included in the link description are vicious insults againts the writers of said articles--calling them haters of god, "fag-lovers," etc. It makes me think these people are as cranky and unintelligent as a toddler Tyrannosaurus Rex with a toothache.

The only difference is, Tyrannosaurus Rex was feared. Tyrannosaurus Rex was powerful.

Hey, Westboro Baptists! That's right, I'm talking to you. What do you have that makes you "God's chosen"? Some dirty words? A Bible you've never bothered to read in context? Your weapon is hate. Well, big Effin' deal. Because I'll tell you one thing, my disgruntled bigot "friends," hate is a pretty weak weapon. God is Love. People all over this messed-up nation, all over this messed-up world, whether they are gay or straight or old or young or crazy or sane or Buddhist or Catholic or WHATEVER--well, we've got more Love than you lot can handle.