Tulips and Star Sand

My best friend sent me a box of Tulip luncheon meat a few months ago, since it is unavailable here. Tulip is similar to Spam, but it has a meatier, slightly more intense bacon flavor but isn't as sweet as bacon Spam. I have found that Tulip is superior to Spam fried in yakisoba, fried rice, and as a topping in ramen.  

Day 137/365 - Tulip musubi LOL

I haven't tried to replicate Tulip musubi. I can't imagine it being horrible; however, the sauce may need to be adjusted for the difference in flavor.

Earlier in the week, I screamed in the grocery store when a red, gold, and indigo block print design with a drummer, typical of Okinawan designs, caught my eye from afar.  I gave up wishing for Okinawan food in Cleveland a long time ago, so this discovery almost made me faint.

Day 137/365 - Okinawa soba!

While it isn't as good as Okinawa soba served in Okinawa; really, when is an instant packaged version ever as good? Well, excluding yakisoba - Sapporo Ichiban's yakisoba is fantastic. Okay, Ajinomoto pork gyoza is quite good, also.

If the noodles appear dissimilar to soba's round dark buckwheat appearance, Okinawa soba utilizes a wide and flat noodle made of wheat. When the noodles are sold fresh, they are lightly coated in oil, have a yellower hue, and is denser.

As anyone can imagine, I nursed this bowl of noodle soup with spinach, egg, and shichimi togarashi. The powdered broth that came with the noodles is katsuo-based.

Day 137/365

Despite my suspicion that the noodles availability is a fluke, finding Okinawa soba all the way out here has given me hope that, one day, Tulip may be available here.

- Cassaendra