02. Arrival

Since getting off the plane at Haneda Airport over a week ago, I've barely had time to breathe let alone sit down to write a blog post! It's been an exhausting but rewarding week, and I'm finally hoping for some downtime this weekend (but not until after my class on Saturday morning)!

I'm finding that life in Japan is much more of a juggling act than being back at my home university and I'm slowly learning to adjust to all of these minor things. One of the most difficult things is the fact that International Christian University, like many other Japanese universities, does not have a meal plan. Although there's a dining hall on campus, it's only open during limited times and the average price per meal is around $5, but it depends on what you want to eat. The food is delicious and the portions are generous, however, my wallet and waistline will probably not be as appreciative by the end of autumn term.

Tonight for dinner I made チャーハン or chahan, which is just a general name for Chinese-style fried rice. The ingredients for it cost maaaaaybe $5, not including the kitchen staples like soy sauce or oil. It's cheap, filling, and isn't totally loaded with sodium and fat. My favorite part about this dish is that you can adjust the amounts of each ingredient to your liking, although I recommend using 1 egg per serving. 

Here's how I made mine:

Chahan, or Fried Rice

Cooked rice

Frozen veggies (or use fresh ones and steam them beforehand)

Eggs

Milk

Garlic

Canola oil

Soy sauce (or other preferred condiments)

1. Prepare your rice, preferably a glutinous sushi-rice variety. I find that one handful of uncooked rice is about enough for one serving.
2. Begin by slicing the garlic and frying it in a healthy splash of canola oil. The amount of oil necessary will depend on how many servings you want to make. Once the garlic is cooked, pour the garlic and oil into a separate bowl for later.  
3. Prepare your scrambled eggs and use about a tablespoon of milk per egg. This makes them nice and fluffy. 
4. Use the oiled pan to cook the egg mixture.
5. Once the eggs are mostly cooked through (slightly moist looking but not runny) add the cooked rice, veggies, garlic/oil mixture and splash of soy sauce. Add salt, pepper, or whatever seasonings you prefer at this point.
6. Allow the eggs to cook through the rest of the way and then serve hot!

I'll have to write a longer post about International Christian University and my first week in Japan, but I wanted to at least do a short update before I'm buried under mountains of schoolwork! 

じゃ、また。