January 2000

SuperBowlXXXIV.com
My classmate Dan hosted a Super Bowl party for the OHSU Medical Informatics students this afternoon. The international students (from India and North Africa) were watching their first American football game. They eagerly learned about the rules from the rest of us, and by the second half, when things got really interesting, they were jumping up and yelling at the television just like longtime fans. It was a nailbiting finish for a change, but the St. Louis Rams eventually prevailed 23-16 when the Tennessee Titans receiver was stopped just inches short of the end zone on the last play of the game.
I haven't felt the need to own a television for a while, but I was interested in seeing the commercials, many of which are made especially for broadcast during the game. As a sign of how important the Internet has become, most were for this or that ".com", including WebMD, with whom Dan and I are doing a small product development project for our MINF517 course. The more memorable ads included the one about cat herders, the dog actor's motivating "worst day", Wayne Gretzky as designated Zamboni driver, and the one about the man with "cash coming out the wazoo". :-)
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(30 Jan 2000)
Fong Chong Restaurant
I tried dim sum in Portland for the first time this morning. Though nothing fancy, Fong Chong's rates up with some of the better I have had. They do the usual favorites, as well as a nice steamed wonton wrapper stuffed with pork and cilantro. Friendly service. Shabby interior (but that is a good sign, foodwise!).
301 NW 4th Avenue, Portland OR 97209-3807 (503) 220-0235
- A Point on the Heart CitySearch's guide to dim sum
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(30 Jan 2000)
January Junket to Japan
I am just back from my first business trip and first winter trip to Japan.
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(25 Jan 2000)
Determined To Succeed: Oregon's Issei
I dropped by the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center to see this exhibit of photos, stories and artifacts of the Issei, the first immigrants to Oregon from Japan. Interesting findings: there was a sento (Japanese-style public bath) in what was once Portland's Japantown; not all issei were laborers, some were classical musicians; some laborers were poets in their spare time; the Nikkei community used to go on matsutake- (pine mushroom-) hunting trips to Mount Hood. The exhibit was scheduled to end today, but apparently it will be held over until the beginning of February. The next exhibit will be a travelling collection of photographs of the Heart Mountain internment camp, where some Oregon Nikkei were sent during World War II.
Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, 117 NW 2nd Avenue, Portland OR 97209 (503) 224-1458
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(15 Jan 2000)
Introduction to Kushiage
I like sushi or teriyaki as much as the next person (maybe more), but there comes a point when a new experience in Japanese cuisine is needed. That is why I was interested to hear that the Olive Stick Kushikatsu Restaurant (150 NE 82nd Portland OR 97220 (503)253-6481) had opened recently, and why I drove half an hour through the rain to Car Dealership Lane in northeast Portland in order to try it. The fare here is kushiage (kushi = skewer, age = fry) -- skewered meat, fish and vegetables, breaded and deep fried. The coating is the same as for tonkatsu (ton = pork, katsu = "kattorettsu" = cutlet), so it is also known as kushikatsu. Like Chinese dim sum or Spanish tapas, you just keep ordering different skewers until you are full. After the appetizer of teppanyaki (grilled) steak and vegetables ($6), we found that this occurs when one's personal skewer count is about n = 10. At the Olive Stick, each skewer is $1 (in Japan, it can be four times more expensive). The menu is diverse and changes every two weeks, thus you are assured original ideas and a sense of the season ( one restaurant's menu). There were definitely some great tastes: chicken and peanut butter, eggplant and miso (soybean paste), ika (squid) and shiso, kabocha korokke (squash croquette), sliced beef and chives. The cheerful bilingual service was efficient and helpful. Kushiage goes best with beer, but unfortunately the Olive Stick's liquor licence application is still being considered by City Hall. Maybe next time ... (and there will be a next time!)
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(13 Jan 2000)
Portland Hawk-ey
Tonight I went to the Rose Garden Arena to check on the progress of the Portland Winter Hawks, the local Western Hockey League junior hockey team. They weren't very impressive the last time I saw them play. Tonight, the opposition was the West Division-leading Spokane Chiefs, and Coach Harold Snepsts' charges were once again outmatched. Spokane's small, but fast and talented forwards created havoc in the Portland end with their hard work and high-tempo, European-style game. The Hawks had a decided size advantage, but were at least a step too slow, not aggressive enough on defence and unimaginitive on offence. Shots-on-goal were 42-16 for Spokane, and the final score was 4-1 for the visitors. I was one of about 10,000 fans -- not bad, but much fewer than would be there for a Portland Blazers NBA game.
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(07 Jan 2000)
Ties Talk Message Archive: About Nikkei-jin
Over the holidays, people on the Ties Talk Japanese American E-mail list talked about ... themselves. So much so that it necessitated the creation of a new directory in the Ties Talk Message Archive. Updates in other sections as well, including (as usual) food.
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(06 Jan 2000)
A New Year
Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Happy New Year! I did a few traditional Japanese New Year things this year. Like last year, I picked up some prepared osechi ryouri (New Year cuisine) from the deli department at the local Uwajimaya Japanese Food Store. And yesterday evening, I went to Koji Osakaya Japanese Restaurant and had toshikoshi soba (Year Crossing Buckwheat Noodle) -- regular soba, but eaten on New Year's Eve. (The length of the noodle symbolizes long life.) One thing I didn't do (but should have) was souji (clean up my apartment)!
- What is osechi ryouri? Images and recipes
- Foods in Shougatsu
Security was tight at the free celebration at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland, in view of the recent World Trade Organization riot up the road in Seattle, and the arrest earlier this week at two points on the Canadian border of people thought to be terrorists. It was crowded, cold and raining, so I didn't stick around to see the countdown clock turn over. By the time midnight came to the Pacific Time Zone, Y2K had played out uneventfully around the rest of the globe.
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(01 Jan 2000)

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