#my sad sad dinner if instant noodles and fried eggs

[autobahnmp3]

yo why am i sooooo sleepy today

[shianhygge-imagines]

[DMC5 Headcanons] Cooking with The Crew

AN: I was thinking about Dante’s poor eating habits and I started thinking what dinner with the DMC crew would be like...

I’ve been trying to finish this headcanon for the past two days! But every single time I go to save my progress on mobile, Tumblr goes “Oopsey doopsies! Something went wrong :P” and never saves anything I do! So I guess I��m confined to writing only on my laptop now... >.>

Also... since Dante is the main character, it’s so flipping easy to write about him! It’s like, I don’t even have to think about what Dante would do, it just happens. >.> So... yeah, I’ve given my best when it comes to writing enough for the others.

DMC Crew: Dante, Trish, Lady, Nero & Kyrie, Nico, Vergil & V...

|Masterlist Link|

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Dante

It’s well known that Dante would gorge himself on pizza and strawberry sundaes if he had a choice.

Dante eats about anything, though, if you can make it for him

DON’T let him anywhere near the kitchen! Even boiling an egg is too much of a challenge for him

Somewhere, Dante yells at Shian, “Hey! I can totally boil an egg! It was that one time!” 

”Yes, Dante, and you managed to not only overcook the egg, you boiled it until there wasn’t anymore water to boil!” 

”Not my fault something caught my attention as I was cooking.” 

”You can hardly call that cooking! AND you fell asleep!”

”I woke up in time, didn’t I?”

”THE ENTIRE SHOP SMELLED OF BURNING METAL!” (which smells really bad btw. And gives me a terrible migraine.)

Despite this, however, Dante would be the type to learn how to cook just to please his s/o. Dinner is still beyond him, but Dante eventually learns how to make a mean french toast. 

Dante’s also the type to completely butter you up while in the kitchen, throwing compliments of how the food smells delicious. Saying that you’re a master chef.

He’s really doing it so that he can get extras later...

And he’s the type to swipe food as you’re cooking.

Make sure you didn’t do too much cleaning before you served dinner. Dante’s a messy eater most days, but if you force him... he’ll behave. Eva didn’t raise him to have no manners after all.

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Lady

Lady’s had to look after herself for a long while.

She was raised to eat well, so Lady isn’t really picky about what she has for a meal.

She does have a fairly average sized repertoire of recipes that she can cook well.

Though most of the recipes that Lady can make were taught to her by her late mother.

By cooking the meals that her mother had when she was still alive, Lady kind of feels like she still has her mom.

When she gets the taste of something just right, you can see a faint sparkle of happiness that hints that Mary hasn’t completely lost herself.

She doesn’t trust Trish in the kitchen.

Lady has a large appetite.

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Trish

Trish... she once short circuited a toaster... don’t let her near too many kitchen appliances, alright? 

She can handle simple cooking, like pan fried eggs... pasta... but nothing too complicated.

Trish is content to eat whatever she can get her hands on, whether it be pizza or some expensive sushi at Dante’s expense.

She’s from the Underworld, so she has a monstrous metabolism

Trish honestly doesn’t care that Lady doesn’t like her using the kitchen, if someone is willing to cook for her, she’s all okay with being lazy.

That being said, Trish also doesn’t appreciate it when people assume she can or can’t cook. If she feels like cooking, she’ll cook damn it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vergil & V (Because they are essentially the same person)

Vergil isn’t picky about his food so long as it’s healthy and nutritious. 

Like their personalities, Vergil is the complete opposite in regards to how he and Dante eat.

Vergil doesn’t like junk food... much...

He has a bit of a weakness for cookies

Eva used to make the most delicious chocolate chip cookies ever (so moist and soft mmmm)

So having a soft warm chocolate chip cookie brings back feelings and memories of a better time. Of course Vergil is never straight forward with his feelings, so he feels love, happiness, sadness, and bitterness all at once. Makes it so that before DMC5, he’s only slightly able to enjoy his favorite treat.

Out of the twins, Vergil was the one that helped Eva the most with chores, going so far as to learn how to cook basic recipes to make his mother’s life as a single parent much easier. He’s such a mama’s boy, that’s why he was so butt hurt when she never found him. (*Shian can feel Vergil glaring daggers at her back. She stares back at him cooly. “What, you’re mad that it’s true? I love you, but get over yourself.”)

Vergil doesn’t like to flaunt his culinary skills, but at the same time he doesn’t like it when people think he can’t cook. He’ll take it as a personal affront.

If he’s learning a new recipe, you can guarantee that he’s going to perfect it. There is no such thing as half-assed for this man. (*Shian: Except for relationships... [Vergil’s glare worsens])

As V, he is much more open about his love of cooking.

Given that V is physically unable to do much when it comes to fighting, he relishes in being able to cook a delicious meal... all while having that mysterious cocky smirk on his face. (*Shian: Ugh I wanna hit his face with my face) 

V will occasionally make a few of Eva’s recipes in order to feel closer to his mother. Shadow would purr in contentment, but Griffon would tease V that he “misses mommy dearest.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nero & Kyrie (Because they are the OTP of this fandom)

Let me say that if I’m going to write about Nero, I absolutely HAVE to write about Kyrie as well!

Well... it’s already been stated that Kyrie always makes too much food, but it’s only because she’s used to feeding three people. Nero, herself, and her brother Credo. Even though Credo died during the events of DMC4, Kyrie hasn’t really changed the amount that she makes. She doesn’t seem to realize it either...

Nero never says anything because he doesn’t want Kyrie to be sad, and he’ll give a stern talk to anyone who tries to tell her.

Nero, for his part, knows how to make the basic breakfast... coffee... instant noodles... he’s never really had to cook because Kyrie and Credo have always looked after him.

If it’s for his lady love (or if you challenge him) he’ll learn how to cook. (He’s ugh... pretty petty...)

Nero doesn’t like tomatoes or mushrooms (*Shian: which is a shame since I love both), but if it’s in Kyrie’s cooking he’ll eat everything on his plate.

If Nero isn’t able to finish the food on his plate, he starts to feel extremely guilty for wasting Kyrie’s hard work... Kyrie will also make him feel guilty by saying that it’s fine that he can’t finish... and then proceed to make a sad face. (It’s all in good fun though. They just love teasing each other.)

Nico

Nico likes to pretend that she doesn’t know an ounce of cooking.

THis is a complete LIE!

NOT ONLY does she know how to cook. BUT she’s a better chef than even Vergil at times. (... don’t tell him that though)

Nico learned how to cook from her grandma because she idolizes everything about the Goldstein matriarch. As a child, she observed her grandmother in the kitchen and the workshop because Nell did everything with a fierce passion.

Southern food is an art as much as weapon-smithing is, and Nico painstakingly seasons her meals with just the right balance and presentation

Anything not up to par usually gets scrapped or fed to a homeless person

After meeting Nero and Kyrie, Nico has made it her mission to mooch off whatever meal Kyrie prepares. Not only because Kyrie is a pretty great chef, but because not having to cook means more time to focus on her new projects.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m sorry if it seems like I don’t treat other characters the same as some. But some characters only appear a handful of times in the series as side characters, and it’s just URGH My imagination will only work so much when I don’t know a character!

[pyrogina]

my keto experience

Intro/TL:DR

As a preface I can report that I lost 17lbs in 30 days while strictly adhering to a keto diet.  I'm a 34 year old canadian woman who works from home as an artist and a huge helping factor for me was the freedom to stay home on the bad days and the ability to purchase fresh meats and vegetables on a weekly basis. This is a really tough diet but if you put the right pieces in place, it might work for you too.  Additionally, I am NOT a dietitian/nutritionist in any way, shape, or form.  Everything posted here is from my own experience and a modicum of research on the net.  Please double-check my facts before you begin this diet for yourself.

Is keto for you?

The first and hardest question to ask yourself about a ketosis diet is, Can I Endure this? And you should not feel any guilt if the answer to that question is no, because this is a very invasive and aggressive diet that will cause you physical pain even if just for a brief amount of time. Similar to vegetarianism, or is extreme cousin, veganism, a keto diet involves cutting out large swaths of the food pyramid to facilitate this diet. This does not mean going hungry, the foods that are removed will be replaced with other foods, only without any (or minimal) artificial or natural sugars. Sugar is just a chemical, which doesn't sound like a huge sacrifice, right? Most adults don't bother adding sugar to anything other than tea or coffee, but sugar is much more deeply rooted in our lives than you may realize.

Carbohydrates can be found in virtually every type of ready-to-serve foods: breads, wraps, pastas, fried snacks, hors d'oeuvre (these are examples of things I ate before this diet). All of these delicious and very satisfying foods have a fiber content and sugar content. You're still allowed to consume these, and I encourage you do so, but make sure to monitor the grams of total carbohydrates you consume that day. During this diet you will only be allowed to consume 20 grams (to 50 grams, depending on your body and personal needs) a day. remember this. Those 20 grams of carbs maybe the difference between you having a normal day and one of the worst days of your life.

Before I chose to begin a keto diet, I had been exercising casually (as before I was sedentary, more details on this later) and consuming about half as many carbohydrates as I had normally done in my life before. During the two years I was living this way, I was able to lose approximately 20lbs (from about 230 to 210).  If you're starting your diet or lifestyle change from scratch, maybe try starting here first.  Its significantly slower (10lbs in nearly a year), but it will not cause any pain or significant inconvenience.

What’s the big deal?/What to eat?

Sugar is a chemical, and more than that, its a drug that your body has been dependent on since you were a wee baby in your mama’s belly.  Sugar makes your brain work and when you mess with your brain’s intake of the all-important-life-sauce it goes into panic mode. In the first 2-3 days (up to 6 if your me!) you will literally, physically go into a state of depression.  Many had described it to me as ‘keto flu’ but as a survivor of 2009s Swine flu, I can most assuredly tell you that keto is much, MUCH worse.

First, my appetite became very finicky (and i'm already a very picky eater).  I had no desire to eat the genuinely tasty keto meals that my boyfriend had lovingly prepared.  I didn't want to draw, and I wasn't even in the mood to play easy video games.  All I felt like doing was crying or sleeping (which I did, for 9 hours in the middle of my 3rd day).  This is why, whenever I speak to someone who’s even moderately interested in this diet to BOOK TIME OFF YOUR JOB!!! It’s inconceivable to me to be forced to face other human beings in this state of physical distress.  You need to pamper yourself while in this state in order to endure it and ensure your success.

There was one more bump in the road around the one-week point but i'm fairly certain it came down to a combination of dehydration and moodiness (period) so perhaps that was an outlier.  Either way, water is the key when you start feeling shitty.  Get yourself a nice BPA-free water bottle that you're comfortable carrying around and keeping full of fresh water.  Once your body is in ketosis (you can check using those little paper sticks you pee on from the drug store, wash your hands!) you will get tired and moody the very instant you become hungry at mealtimes.  Sometimes you don't even feel the familiar hunger pangs from your previous diet and mistake it for just a general bad mood. Always have a sip of water, babes; that’s your brain telling you to hydrate.

Alternatively, after eating a keto meal you still may feel hungry or unsatisfied, even sad (longing for your favourite dessert).  This is where those 20g of carbs come in pretty clutch.  Finding your perfect portion of reward may be impossibly difficult, I can only tell you what made me feel better when I got the cravings.  Blueberries are quite sweet, they have a lot of natural sugar, but a handful of them sufficed as an incredibly sweet treat (some keto dieters have proclaimed that ‘regular things taste much sweeter than before’, I didn't experience this). Minigo/iogo yoghurt cups are fatty and sweet and work as a decent replacement to ice cream (count the carbs!).  On extra tough mornings (in addition to bacon and eggs! Totally keto!) we would split a cavendish oven-fried hashbrown (about 15g; 7.5g split between my partner and I).

There are a surprising amount of natural foods that are not keto, but in careful proportions, can be incorporated into a daily keto diet.  Most every fruit (that I checked) is very sugary but can make for a nice dessert.  Certain vegetables like carrots or potato have too many carbs to be anything more than a boost when you feel shitty. Red onions have a very small amount of carbs (sugar and fibre work together to your benefit!) and server to replace pasta as a side to a nice steak dinner.

On that note, you need fibre to make your BMs move.  Cutting carbs from your life means your number 2’s go bunny mode…. Take a sugar-free metamucil on any day where you have more meat during a meal than other types of food, or the toilet will be a nightmare.

Meals:

Cutting away pastas, breads, and other sides seems like an insane task but with some discipline and creativity, it's quite manageable.  Breakfast didn't change much: eggs any way (sunny side for me, cheddar omelette for my BF) with bacon or sausage. Lunch was some combination of chicken breast and various salads (so many salad dressings are low or no carb! Read the back!). On steak night, we replace noodles with sauteed red onions fried and seasoning.  Snacktime was usually pre-sliced cheddar cheese (go NUTS that shit is A-OK!), unsalted peanuts (other nuts have marginally more carbs, almonds and sunflower are moderate, check what works for you), or small amounts of beef jerky.  Accompany those snacks with a big drink of water, or if you've had enough of that, certain drinks are acceptable like tea or coffee (with sweetner and high fat milk, skim milk is too sugary), diet sodas, sugarfree drink mix (migo, nestea).  Just remember water, water, water.

Is it worth it? Pros/Cons

Cons:

-HURTS LIEK DRUG WITHDRAWL (you're literally coming down from the lifelong chemical addiction of sugar.  It hurts like Trainspotting)

-MEAT (you will be consuming a lot of animal product)

-POOP (even when you have your metamucil, the toilet can take some time)

-SWEETS (the cravings for your favourite yumyums will almost never stop, it takes monk-like discipline)

-BORING (you can't go out and enjoy meals/drinks with friends and family without them or the restaurant making odd or even crappy exceptions.  Keto menu options are slowly becoming popular though)

-TIRED (the first week or two will be very tedious and you won’t have any energy, even your favourite hobbies may seen unfulfilling for a time)

-ALCOHOL (basically none, unless you like vodka and sugarfree mix, you'll get drunk a lot quicker and end up feeling shittier without carbs in your body to process the liquor)

Pros:

-INSTANT RESULTS (in my first week i lost nearly 10lbs, and then two for every subsequent week. note that, just like any diet, there will be bounce-back)

-APPETITE LOSS (once you get into the swing of this, after the 2 week mark, you’ll find you no longer are pained when your hungry and the bigger cravings subside)

-BUDGET (this is a bit of an odd one and may not necessarily reflect your cost benefits.  Before engaging in this diet, my BF and I discovered we were spending too much money on restaurants and leaving the food in the fridge to waste.  This was primarily because we were too lazy to cook.  Getting off our asses and cooking 6 days of the week made an immediate impact on this for us.  If you already do that, this won't apply.  Concurrently, we spent more money at the grocery store ensuring we always had fresh meat and vegetables; this did net us positive)

-REWARDING MEALS (having to stop and think about what it takes to make a tasty and satisfying meal has forced us to look at things in a different way.  Making yourself and your partner a healthy, supremely tasty meal gets those endorphins peaking)

-EXERCISE (Unnecessary! Your choice! Just note that building muscle increases your weight as muscle weights more than fat)

My fave meals:

-Coffee (reluctantly replacing 1tsp of sugar with a fairy-dust sprinkling of sweetner cos i HATE sweetner, its 20-30x stronger than sugar so you only need 1/20th as much)

-Eggs and bacon!!! (sausage sometimes too)

-Garlic grilled chicken with spinach salad (onions, sliced almonds, feta, dressing)

-Steak and red onions (meat rare and onions grilled with seasoning)

-Spicy ground pork tacos (replace the taco/burrito with large boston lettuce leaves, shredded cheddar, green onions, diced tomato, dab of ranch sauce)

-Baked chicken breast stuffed with ricotta and spinach, topped with parmesan

-Slow-cooked pulled pork slathered with sharp cheddar (just eat with a fork!)

-Baked shrimp with garlic butter and parmesan

-Jalapenos stuffed with ricotta, cream cheese and cheddar, then wrapped in a strip of bacon (great late-night snack)

-Even changing the texture of a cheese can change the taste of the meal.  Shredded cheddar adds a salty bite to a lettuce wrap, grated parmesan can trick a baked chicken breast into thinking its breaded.  creamy cheeses can replace other baking sauces entirely.

-Diet pops (make sure its 0 sugar!), and tea/coffees with sweetner are fine, they do contain a lot of sodium though, make sure to drink 1-for-1 with water (meaning: every diet coke or tea you have, accompany it with the same amount of plain water so your body can process it and pee it out).

Variations/Control:

Vitamins: It should be noted that I take a daily multivitamin (C3+D) as I generally don't get enough sun or fruits.  I highly recommend you take these just in general. They help keep skin soft and blemish free (I initially began taking these because of acne on upper arms and it cleared within days).

Activity: As briefly mentioned earlier, I began shifting from sedentary (not moving much, sitting for hours a day) to a more active lifestyle about 2-3 years ago. This entailed a personal regimen of making an attempt at physical activity approximately half the days of the month (period week was generally excluded).  Every other day I would attempt one of the following: walking at least 2km, 15-20m of floor exercises (‘lady push-ups’, sit-ups), 15-20m of time on the indoor bike, or an hour of house related chores (lifting, laundry, cleaning, anything that involves getting sweaty).  In addition to these, yoga is peppered into my lifestyle as frequently as possibly, particularly in the morning before breakfast. On days where i'm unable to exercise, I at least attempt the basic yoga poses to stave off my (no-longer chronic) back pain.

[silverfootstepswrites]

Butterfly [45]

summary It’s not exactly point a to point b...

“Well.... I’m not... hm...” Sakura trailed off as she really considered the question. She reached across the table. Kiba turned the bag of chips around so she could dig a few pieces out. He opened his mouth before her hand could retreat. She stuck one in his mouth before her hand returned with the rest of her chips.

“Inuzuka-san?” 

“No way,” Kiba said right away, still chewing. 

“Not even for 100,000,000 yen?” Sakura pressed. 

“Hell no,” Kiba said to that. 

“Okay. Nara-san?” Itachi went on to ask. And Shikamaru sat cross-legged, cushion hugged to his chest as he thought everything over. 

“That’s... I’m out,” sighed Shikamaru, giving a little shrug. 

All eyes fell on Sakura. She plucked a chip out of her palm and took her time biting it in half. She looked up as she weighed the options.

“How many worms are we talking about? Also, am I required to chew them or can I just gulp them down like medicine? Because that wouldn’t be so awful,” Sakura asked.

“Gross!” “Haruno!” Kiba and Shikamaru complained in unison. 

“Have you had lunch yet?” 

Sakura tucked her left hand into the pocket of her jacket, the one that wasn’t holding her phone. Her duffel bag banged against her right hip with every other step. She twisted her wrist to check the time. 

“No. I was just on my way home to cook something,” she replied. 

“I accidentally got extra-hot curry when I went grocery shopping. Do you want to try it with me?” asked Itachi. She laughed.

“You just want someone to suffer with you,” she accused.

“Yes,” he said right away. 

Sakura considered his offer for a movement. While a free meal was always tempting, she recalled the chicken breast she had left thawing in the sink. She let out a sigh. 

“Promise not to laugh at me?” she asked.

Itachi stood in her kitchen with her. His hand on his hip as he paged through the cookbook Shizune had taken such meticulous notes in. On some of the pages, she had even drawn little diagrams in the margins. Like how to hold food when chopping it.

“Why did you think I would laugh at you?” Itachi inquired, glancing over at her. Sakura crossed her arms across her chest. 

“I don’t know,” she replied. 

Itachi leaned his forearm on the counter as he held her gaze. “I wouldn’t,” he told her. She managed to look him in the eyes for a couple seconds before she broke eye contact. Clearing her throat, she crossed the kitchen to flip to one of the pages she had marked. 

“I’ve been trying to get through two or three a week,” she explained. She went back a few pages. “Fried rice was an utter disaster. I did yakisoba the other day. It was.... food-like...” As she spoke, Sakura was very aware of the fact that Itachi was looking at her and not at the recipes. 

“So what’s the menu for today?” asked Itachi. 

“Oyakodon,” she replied, flipping to the next page. 

He took some time reading through the list of ingredients and then the steps. He touched his thumb to his lower lip, mouthing some of the words as he went.

“This doesn’t sound too difficult,” he finally commented. 

“That’s what I thought about the fried rice,” Sakura sighed. Itachi smiled as he looked up at her. 

“How about this? Try your best to make some delicious oyakodon. And I’ll make my extra-hot curry. It’ll be back-up,” he suggested, holding up the box of instant curry roux. And then, looking at the box, Itachi added, “I’m really hoping you succeed. Because I’m kind of afraid to eat this.”

Sakura did some digging in one of the cabinets to find an extra pot Itachi could use. In the process, she found an apron. Blue with white ties. Sakura set it in her lap, recalling how her dad looked wearing it. Standing right next to her mom, their backs to the door. Mom chopping scallions while Dad peeled potatoes. 

“Do you use these cutting boards for different foods?” asked Itachi behind her. 

Sakura got to her feet, holding out the blue apron to Itachi. 

“Here. You don’t want your clothes to get dirty,” she told him.

But Itachi wasn’t looking at the apron. He was looking into her eyes. Cutting boards still held up in front of him. 

“Are you okay?” he questioned.

She felt herself smile a little. “Yeah. Promise.”

The oyakodon was a failure. She undercooked it the first time, so they stuck it back on the stove. What emerged was a dry, bland catastrophe deemed unfit for human consumption. Itachi’s curry singed the inside of their mouths instead. They tried drinking water and then milk. Panting and fanning their mouths as their tongues continued to burn. The afternoon ended with them running to the convenience store to buy ice cream. 

“Your lips are red,” Sakura laughed as they left the store. 

“So are yours,” he retorted, smiling just as hard. 

Itachi was back the following day when she tried udon. The noodles ended up being somehow soggy and undercooked at the same time. Sakura and Itachi alternated between giggling and making faces as they somehow managed to get through their bowls. 

“I don’t think udon is supposed to be crunchy,” she commented. 

“At least you didn’t burn the noodles,” he tried to comfort her. 

On Tuesday, Sakura bravely attempted to make omurice. 

“This egg didn’t deserve this,” Sakura whispered, poking at the blackened crust. 

“I feel like we should light incense for it,” Itachi agreed in a solemn voice. He mimed praying for the egg’s soul. Sakura burst out laughing as she dumped the food in the trash. 

On Saturday, Kiba sat at the kitchen table, squinting at the both of them as they bent over the cookbook. Akamaru lay at his feet like a lumpy shag carpet. 

“How have neither of you gotten food poisoning?” he wondered out loud. 

“Dumb luck,” Shikamaru retorted, sitting at the other side of the table. 

As Sakura and Itachi read over the recipe, Shikamaru waved his hand in Kiba’s direction. When his friend didn’t notice, Shikamaru picked up a chopstick and threw it. It hit Kiba on the arm. 

“You know, maybe I should only cook stuff that doesn’t require actual cooking,” Sakura mused. 

“Like sashimi. Steak tartare,” Itachi suggested. They chuckled together.

Behind their backs, Shikamaru pointed at the door. 

‘We should go,’ he mouthed. 

‘But I’m hungry,’ Kiba mouthed back. Shikamaru threw the other chopstick at him. 

‘Let’s go!’ Shikamaru mouthed.

“Go where?” Itachi asked out loud. The two men jolted. They looked up to find Itachi looking over his shoulder at them. Sakura was still engrossed in the recipe. 

Shikamaru’s gaze darted to Kiba, who was absolutely frozen. 

“Uh... the convenience store. For snacks,” answered Shikamaru. He gave Kiba another look. 

“And I think I’ll take Akamaru for a walk. He looks like he really has to go,” added Kiba. Akamaru yawned.

“Great. Could you pick up some beer while you’re there?” Sakura requested. Her head popped up over Itachi’s shoulder. Just in time for her to glimpse the odd looks on her friend’s faces. She watched them scramble to grab their wallets and phones before they hurried out of the house. 

“Was it just me or were they being weird?” asked Itachi as he pulled out a cutting board and handed a knife off to Sakura.

“They’re always weird,” Sakura replied.

When the duo returned, dinner was finished. A slightly-charred teriyaki that actually sort of tasted the way it was supposed to.

As the days in January passed, the residents of Konoha began to see the decorations going up. Red and pink hearts in store windows. Banners that urged people to buy chocolates and other gifts. Genma’s bar advertised half-priced drinks for single people on February 14th. 

“I got an idea. Let’s go around throwing rocks at couples for Valentine’s Day,” grumbled Kiba. Shikamaru tossed a pillow across the room, hitting him in the back of the head.

“You’ll go to jail, you idiot,” he pointed out.

And then they both looked at Itachi. 

“So,” Kiba said. 

It took a moment. And then Itachi looked up from his phone. “Me?” he asked.

“What’re you going to do, Uchiha-sensei?” Shikamaru inquired. 

“About what, Nara-sensei?” asked Itachi in return. There was no sarcasm in his voice. That made Kiba’s eyebrows jump up. 

“About Valentine’s Day, my dude,” Kiba chimed in. 

Itachi looked back down at his phone. 

“I hear Genma-san is doing discounted drinks. We should go to that,” he replied. 

“You’re not going to ask Haruno to do anything?” Kiba blurted out.

Itachi fumbled with his phone. It slipped past his fingers, clattering noisily across the floor. Shikamaru and Kiba both eyed the phone for a moment before they looked at Itachi. 

“You meant like the four of us. All hanging out together, right?” said Itachi. 

“No. Like you two. Candles,” Shikamaru spelled out for him. 

“Sharing one long piece of spaghetti,” added Kiba. 

Shikamaru looked at him. “You’ve been saying that since we were kids. Is that a fetish or something?”

“No, dude! It’s from that movie. With the two dogs!” Kiba retorted.

“Don’t watch that movie so much. It’ll make Akamaru sad. Since he’s single too,” chuckled Shikamaru. Akamaru’s ear twitched at the sound of his name.

Kiba saw Itachi’s phone still sitting on the floor. It reminded him of the original topic of the conversation. When he picked it up to hand back to Itachi, they saw that Itachi had gone a little pale. He sat with his hands folded in his lap. Kiba placed the phone on the coffee table. Ever-polite Itachi didn’t even thank him. 

“Uh... you alright?” Kiba queried. 

There was a long pause. And then Itachi let out a deep breath. 

“Has it been that obvious? That I like her?” Itachi questioned.

“Yeah.”

“Nope.”

He lifted his chin. 

Kiba laughed a little. “I had no idea. This guy figured it out right away, though,” he said, jabbing his thumb at Shikamaru. 

“Do you think she knows?” Itachi worried. 

“She’s almost as dense as Inuzuka. I doubt it,” Shikamaru snorted. Kiba began nodding before he stopped. He turned to glare at Shikamaru, who only shrugged in response. 

“So what’s the plan?” Shikamaru questioned. 

“Plan?” Itachi repeated. He squeezed his hands together. “Any advice? You’ve known her forever, right?” 

Kiba scratched his chin. “She’s a girl.... I dunno. Flowers?” he mused. 

“Chocolate?” Shikamaru suggested. 

Then Kiba shrugged as he confessed, “Nara’s never even had a girlfriend before. And I haven’t had one in a while. We’re probably not the best people to ask.” He reached across the coffee table to put his hand on Itachi’s shoulder.

“But good luck, dude,” he concluded. 

“We’re screwed,” Shikamaru sighed, turning onto his side.

“Where’re Dumb and Dumber?” asked Haku. His eyes darted all around the computer screen. Sakura smoothed the sheet mask over her face. She made sure that the holes for her eyes and mouth matched up before she rubbed the rest of the essence into her neck. 

“Not here,” replied Sakura. And then she leaned back in her chair. 

“So you withdrew from Four Continents?” she then inquired. 

“Yeah. I think I’d be too tired to do that and Worlds too,” Haku told her. She didn’t protest. He knew his own limits best. 

They chatted about other things instead. About how training had been and how their coach was doing. And of course, Haku caught her up on all the gossip. Including who was injured, who was changing coaches, and things of that nature. 

“And get this, he said that he would consider doing pairs if you were his partner,” Haku said. 

“Please. He’s so tiny. I’d have to lift him,” Sakura retorted. She peeled her mask off, rubbing the leftover into her skin as she spoke. 

“Is that the one I sent you?” Haku inquired. She glanced down at the packaging. 

“Yeah. It smells really nice,” she commented. Haku grinned. 

“We use almost all the same skincare products. Someone’s gonna notice that we smell alike one day,” he warned. Sakura rolled her eyes.

“What reporter is going to come up to you and first thing start smelling you?”

“Some of those reporters are aggressive. It could happen!”

They laughed at the very idea. As Sakura tossed the used mask into the trash, her phone began buzzing. The name flashing across the screen killed her laugh mid-breath. 

“What?”

“Uh... I should take this. You okay hanging out for a bit?” Sakura asked. Haku nodded, eyes following her as she walked out of the room. 

Lifting the phone to her ear, Sakura swiped her finger across the screen.

“Hello?” she said.

“You’re going to be so angry with me. So I’m sorry in advance,” Kimimaro warned her.

Sakura let out a long breath, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. 

“What did you do? Tell me,” she ordered.

End Part 9

[agatharoulina]

What are you Indomie?

Sometimes a food is not only amount of ingredients to fulfil you stomach. It can bring comfort, strength, or certain memories. Instant noodle is my favourite food to whenever I feel lonely. It reminds me every moment I spend time with my best friends in warkop. Wherever we go, we will close our meet up session at warkop for most of the time. Warkop is the place where we share our the latest highlight of the life such as want to break up with our partner, try to move on, falling in love, or hottest gossip around the circle. Oh, once I got a job offer at warkop. It was magical. Hahaha

No matter if you choose mie goreng (fried noodle) or mie kuah (noodle that looks like ramen), the taste will never fail.

Here I am in my apartment, just finished cooking mie goreng with my favorite topping not-so-egg-benedict. It’s been a heavy week. When I’m ready to put my first bite, suddenly Uncle Roger’s voice come to my head.

“MSG is the king of flavor.

If you sad in life - use MSG.

If you happy in life - use MSG.”

What are you Indomie?

Is it a breakfast?

A lunch?

A dinner?

Or a snack?

[lagycart]

relaxing trip at ko lanta, krabi, thailand.

with a few messages via whatsapp, this trip was decided and booked quite spontaneously with the four of us, and then went on with searching for a place to stay.. without any itinerary, we boarded the plane three weekend ago.. and ended up at krabi!

day 1

going through the immigration was a nightmare, the place is a mess without proper queuing system and there’s so many tourists yet so little officers. took us more than an hour to come out of the tiny airport, met with our driver and finally start our trip with a long journey to our villa.

as the sky was turning dark already, there’s nothing much to be seen, the driver took us to a jetty, then we switched van and went onto a car ferry, as ko lanta is on a separate island. the ferry journey is short but quite interesting, the ferry was run by kinda small engine powdered by diesel, lots of smoke when the ferry started to move, but it was interesting to see how the operator navigate in the dark at his room up high.

after reaching the other island, it took us quite a while to reach our accommodation - kulraya villas.. and it was breathtaking! our villa has two rooms, a living room, dining room, small kitchen, two bathrooms and a private pool! all the walls facing the pool are ceiling to floor glass, which makes the view soooo nice. it was so comforting to step into the villa after such a long and tiring journey.

we then went out for a late dinner, soooo hungry since the last we ate were during noon before boarding the plane. most of the places in town is already closed, and after checking a few places, our friendly driver brought us to this small local thai restaurant named rung ruang thai food. we ordered seafood tomyam soup, green curry chicken, thai omelette, stir fried minced pork with basil and thai fried rice, and not to forget.. chang beer.

after taking our orders, we saw the uncle went across the street, into tesco lotus express, a supermarket, and came out with a few bottle of beers! and then the beers were served to us. all of us is pretty surprised to see that.. and then noticed that the fridge at the restaurant is pretty empty. as the food was served, we saw the uncle went across the street again, and brought some eggs with him this time.. and after awhile, we got our thai omelette! hahaha.. it was really nice to see that the food ingredients are fresh. XD

and the food was unbelievably delicious! all four of us finished everything in no time.. yes, we were hungry, but seriously, the food was the best thai food i have ever eaten in my life. it was the most satisfying meal ever, and the best part is.. it was rather cheap! before we left the place, we asked the friendly uncle if the fish dishes will be available tomorrow, so that we could visit again to try and the uncle told us that the fish would be waiting for us. =)

went across the street to tesco lotus express to get ourselves a box of beer, lots of snacks and then went back to the villa for a night swim! my first time having cold beer inside a pool, with a sky full of stars, facing the sea. it was truly peaceful, relaxing and beautiful. we even play music from the outdoor speakers to enhance this romantic and serene atmosphere, could totally do this every day, all day..

day 2

after a night of peaceful sleep, woke up in the morning naturally to another breathtaking view.. morning sun, swimming pool, blue sky, some fluffy clouds, blue sea, lots of tress around. what more could a person ask for... friend cooked tomyam instant noodles and we had that for breakfast, with beer. XD and then it’s time for morning swim!!

we spend a lot of time taking photos, really funny underwater shots and just playing around, until the sun was really hot... then we lounge at the sun bed to rest before cleaning up and visiting the uncle at rung ruang thai food again.

this time, we ordered the three taste deep fried tilapia, massaman curry, tom kha, thai omelette (again!) and pad thai. the fish is fried till crispy, but the meat is so fresh and yummy, like the taste of sea! haha.. the sauce is also very appetizing. massaman curry is pretty good as well, it’s perfect with the fluffy thai rice. tom kha is tom yam with coconut milk, the spiciness is milder but the fragrance is super appetizing. i can’t remember the last time i finish a full bowl of rice, but i this time, i had two.. another super satisfying meal, washed down with thai iced tea, and concluded that the food in this restaurant is the best in the world. =D

we went shopping at tesco lotus express again.. for more snacks, and then went to 7 eleven as well.. and went back to our villa as the sun is scotching hot and all we can think about is our private pool. spent the entire afternoon until evening snacking and reading novel by the poolside, resting at the sunbed and playing inside the pool.

for dinner, we went to a seafood restaurant by the sea recommended by our taxi driver, reaun mai restaurant, and we were totally let down by the food quality and price here, it was clearly a tourist trap.

we ordered deep fried squid, steamed fish in lemon sauce, clear seafood tomyum soup, fried fish cake and pineapple rice. the squid was over fried and it’s too rubbery, the texture and taste was completely ruined. the batter wasn’t fragrant or anything. steamed fish was fresh, the fish texture is very mushy and the sauce is not appetizing at all. tomyum soup is pretty mediocre and the seafood in it is not fresh at all. fish cake was alright. and the pineapple fried rice was really horrible, overly sweet and the rice was mushy and wet.

we were super sad and disappointed, yet have to pay quite a hefty price tag for such subpar quality food. we noticed that all the other diners were mainly foreign tourists as well. end up with quite a lot of leftover, and went to the nearby 7 eleven for more snacks shopping lol.. why are convenient stores in other countries so much better than those in my country?

before going back to our villa, we stopped by tesco lotus express again, to pick up some stuff for breakfast and more drinks and snacks for the night. XD it’s our most frequent place during the entire trip.

we did another night swim with beer and snacks again, but the sky was cloudy and we didn’t manage to see any stars. i really really love night swim though, the water is warm and there’s no sun. the lighting also makes the place kinda romantic.

day 3

woke up to the same serene and breathtaking view after a restful sleep, i could totally live here forever lol.. this morning’s breakfast is western style with sunny side up, bacon, ham and beer. XD thanks to my friend who cooks for us again! and then back to the pool again, ehehehe.. and the sun wasn’t as hot since the sky is cloudy.

because of the disappointing meal previous night, we went back to visit the uncle for lunch, ehehe.. and he was really happy to see us! we ordered deep fried tilapia with red chili sauce, paneng red curry, stir fried vegetables, thai laab (minced pork salad) and thai omelette (it’s too good not to order!).

uncle and aunty (wife) taught us how to call each dish in thai and we had to repeat the word correctly before they serve this dish to us, it was really fun. and uncle did make a few trips across the street to tesco lotus express to pick up various ingredients, ahaha.. besides the time at the villa, spending time eating in rung ruang thai food restaurant is the best during the whole trip.

as the weather is bearable, we decided to visit lanta old town to do some sightseeing. (be a tourist for a bit! XD) the journey was pretty long, i fell asleep halfway even though the car is open air, the breeze is kinda nice and it was after a satisfying lunch, ehehe..

the town is pretty small, there’s a street with buildings from long long time ago.. the buildings are now cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, guesthouses, etc. it was pretty fun to see the different handiwork and crafty things there and some artsy decoration here and there. the street is also facing the ocean and there’s a pier. since it’s monsoon season, there isn’t much activity going on. just a few boats on the sea, some people spreading net by the pier.. it was peaceful.

went back to the villa after our short exploration.. and enjoyed another dip in the pool as the sun sets. it was a tiny regret that we did not managed to catch the beautiful sunset during our stay as the sky was too cloudy. maybe next time~ ehehe..

and for the last night, we did some research to find a better seafood place and ended up in kaw kwang seafood. this place is also by the sea and there are tourist around, but the food is sooooo much better. we picked clams and squid from the fresh seafood area and my friend told the waitress that we do not want any western style cooking, only thai style. XD we ordered stir fried clams in chili paste, tom kha seafood, thai style steamed squid and pineapple curry chicken (was supposed to be duck, but duck meat wasn’t available).

the clams was huge, juicy meat and was really fresh, the chili paste is flavorful and so fragrant, goes extremely well with rice. tom kha is awesome too, the style has less coconut milk compared to rung ruang thai food, it’s super light and appetizing. the steamed squid is surprisingly fresh and bouncy, the cook have timed the steaming temperature and timing perfectly to maintain the texture while the chili and line sauce brings out the freshness. the curry was yummylicious as well, so so so appetizing and i enjoyed the fruity taste a lot. pineapple is fresh and not overly sweet, the after taste is rather refreshing.

even though rung ruang thai food is still the best, kaw kwang seafood restaurant is highly recommended for some yummy fresh seafood with rather reasonable pricing. the environment here is also better, more spacious and peaceful and the staff here is so much more friendlier.

on the way back to the villa, we did not forget to stop by tesco lotus express again, lol.. picked up some snacks to bring home as souvenirs, and food for next morning’s breakfast. and one last night at the pool.. i totally miss the place~

day 4

another sunny day (even though it was supposed to be the monsoon season), the morning view is so breathtaking, would never get tired of that at all. another western style breakfast, basically just finished everything we bought from the store. and one last dip in the pool before we shower and pack our luggage.

went to visit our favorite uncle and family for one last lunch, and the uncle gave us a drawing with heartful message as souvenir. this time, we ordered stir fried pork curry with long beans, green curry chicken, seafood tomyum soup and thai omelette.

we took a photo with the uncle and family before we left, thanking them for serving us great food over the past few days, hoping to return and visit again soon. we felt really content that we found such a gem in such an unplanned way, fate always has its way.

going back to the airport via the van is pretty much uneventful, but we did get to see a lot of the scenery we missed when we came. checking in at the airport is less painful this time, but we waited for quite a while at the airport for boarding, without wifi.. lol. and the tiny airport did not have much for us to sight see either.

finally on the journey home, didn’t want to leave this place though.. even though it’s a touristy place, small town like ko lanta does have its charms and it’s really nice to getaway from all the hustle and bustle and relaxing for a few days without needing to think or stress much. the breathtaking scenery and yummy food certainly makes me miss this town very much.

more travel photos can be found in my facebook album and my friend’s album.

[quieteating]

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New Forest

DISCLAIMER – THIS VISIT WAS CONCLUDED BEFORE THE UK IMPOSED LOCKDOWN

With such clarifications out of the way (stay home everyone, it is for your own good), I thought to write the below to brighten up your (and my) day.

By way of another disclaimer, regardless of the cover photo for this post, this is not about me eating a ferret.  It is (as usual) about me eating but the ferret was just someone I saw in between meals.

The below is about my trip to the New Forest.

Given the political chaos among the enlightened ruling class, something that seems to be sadly more common these days, we felt we needed a bit of peace and quiet.  So out of the pandemonium of London, we thought to decamp to the country side.  Fleeing to the country side (at least for a few days) had particular attraction.  Less people to stoke up mindless hysteria here and even if people tried, I do not think the deer would be particularly empathetic. 

In my usual stubborn nature, I refused to go with the top hotels/estates chosen from the newspapers.  Instead, I was sure that I could pick something much better myself by doing some detective work.  However, choosing a place to stay was a bit difficult given the numerous options on offer.  To narrow down the choices, I thought to narrow the criteria to choose a local bed and breakfast.  Annoying person that I am, I decided to put emphasis on the “B” part.  So after a comfortable snooze, this was breakfast.

The full English.  Decent fuel before a heavy day of walking.  With coffee and toast on the side, quintessentially British.  All washed/chomped down in a cosy little breakfast room with a very friendly host.  Nice placings too and a very affordable price with nice touches to make it all feel like home.  Our host helpfully pointed out what to eat, where to walk and what to see.  She even loaned us a parking ticket that would let us park around the area for free.  A lovely hospitable touch.  My pocket thanked her, more money to be spent eating.

Definitely will be looking forward to staying here in the future.

  Whitemoor House

Southampton Rd, Lyndhurst SO43 7BU

  After having spent the day out and about, we strolled into the nearby town looking for a recharge.  What made the choice up for us (or me) was a rather intriguing name.  Surfing Moo Moo.  I just hoped that curiosity would not kill the cat.

Surfing Moo Moo is a reference to the meat and seafood on order in this snug little place.  Little tree in the corner, multi-coloured cushions, a mix of high chairs and normal tables and neatly and uniformly uniformed wait staff.  It looked promising based on my very rigorous scientifically empirical facts (to use language of recent government announcements), that if a restaurant can be bothered to pay attention to where you eat, your chances of scoring decent fare increases.

Panang seafood curry, prawns, scallops, squid and catch of the day served with coconut rice and yogurt.  Nicely presented.  However, perhaps I should have been suspicious of Asian dishes coming out of an otherwise very Western menu.  It seems like the surfing should really stay at home as the seafood didn’t really taste of much at all.  The various different morsels looked different but were almost indistinguishable in flavour.  They did have a different texture though so not everything was watered down or blown away.  However, even though the bite might be different, the various marine offerings were indistinguishably tasteless.  At least, the curry sauce saved it somewhat, bringing a little bit of happiness to the dish.  Then again, that probably came out of a packet like the seafood.

Surf tagliatelle, mussels, prawns, squid and catch of the day in a creamy turmeric and white wine sauce.  Probably coming out of the same mixed seafood bag as the previous, there was something a little extra here.  Some shellfish!  Sadly they didn’t add much though.  Instead, it was the sauce mixing with the pasta which saved the day.  Better than the curry but then again, that wouldn’t be hard.

So Surfing Moo Moo.  An interesting concept, especially with cartoons of a surfing cow on proud display in several locations.  Mixing seafood and cow, just like those surf and turf places that would offer steak and lobster in days of decadence.  In this well-to-do township, with a Ferrari, Porsche and BMW dealership less than 50 metres away, perhaps this is the type of clientele this establishment is targeting.  Yet the bright point was that if the food doesn’t entertain you, the walking around the forest will.

  Surfing Moo Moo

16 High St, Lyndhurst SO43 7BD

  This is what I felt like after this meal.  A bit dejected.  This is Mr Ferret, who I met at the nature park.  He looks sad, like me after Surfing Moo Moo.  Should have known that surfing cows could not make good chefs.

However, now more than ever, I try to remember that tomorrow is a new day.  The next meal that we had the following day was to be better.  

Rather good bread.  Even if there was only one piece of it.  Nicely sculptured butter.  Smooth and creamy to spread on the crisp and bouncy bread.

Half dozen Porlock Bay oysters.  A refreshing and rather delicious way to start the meal.  As they decanted into my dining companion’s mouth, her smile of happiness said it all.  Fresh, succulent and carefully seasoned.

Fish and chips with pea puree and tartare sauce.  As we were out by the coast in Lymington, I thought I would have to try that quintessential British dish.  Fish and chips.  I’m glad I did.  Although it lacked elements of a fish and chips by the sea, wrapped up in greasy newspaper, eaten with a wooden spork by the sea and with angry seagulls dive bombing you to try and get a bite, I would pick this any day. 

The fish was succulent and moist inside, the crust crunchy and the whole package rather delicious as tender flesh encased in crisp batter with delightful tartar sauce on the side.  The chips were decent too but it was the peas that were something out of the ordinary.  I could still taste the garden freshness of the peas as opposed to other mashes that I have had before.  Instead of bland, insipid green gruel from an industrial masher, these tasted like that this was made with individual care.  Perhaps even from their own back garden as I could almost taste the earthy nature of these vegetables.  

St Austell Bay mussels, light and creamy sauce and lemon.

Fries.  Delightful mussels in a light sauce.  These were particularly moreish having been cooked just right served with some light fries.  Not as awe inspiring as the fish though, in any other restaurant these would be stars by themselves.

Latte.  Sadly very watery.  It tasted as if instant coffee had been mixed with hot water and then topped up with some milk.  A quite sad end to an otherwise good meal.

Cappuccino and standard chocolate.  However, thankfully the chocolates offered meant that we left with a sweet little goodbye.  

After that meal, I did perk up a bit.  Just like him.  Will have to be back to that seafood restaurant if I’m in the area.

  The Elderflower Restaurant

4A Quay St, Lymington SO41 3AS

  For our second dinner, we tried some Thai next.

Som tum, shredded fresh green papaya salad with hot and sour dressing, green beans, tomatoes, fresh lime.  A deceptively cool looking dish, this look covered hidden menace.  As it became a crying shame if you didn’t watch it carefully.  Which my companion did not.  Which I found particularly amusing.  As a result of which later that night I was subjected to particularly sharp umbrage.  Yet, I think it was worth it.

Drunken Noodles Prawns, with fresh flat rice noodles. Stir fried with prawns, chillies, garlic, mixed vegetables and fresh basil.  This was rather hot and rather good.  Tasty, juicy prawns with bouncy rice noodles.  A surprise out in the countryside but very welcome.

Pad Grapow Gai Kai Dow, stir fried minced chicken with chillies, garlic and fresh basil, served with Thai jasmine rice and fried egg.  Described by our waiter as Thai fried rice, it definitely was fried.  That is, if you decided to add the chilli in the small bowl, you would have a fiery time.  After the initial burning sensation calmed down, the heavy flavour of the chicken mixed with the egg to make something worth eating.  Quickly.  So much so that my dining companion who was sharing the meal with me wolfed it down.  Then again, perhaps she was just trying to reduce the burn of the aforementioned dish.

Perhaps a bit too fast though, as the burn caught up with her soon.  Yet still she persevered getting the majority of it down.  One problem with that type of appetite.

As my dining companion attacked the food with such gusto, the next day as we crossed a bridge, a thought sprung unbidden to my mind.

Sometimes I worry.

  Anissa’s Thai kitchen

74 High St, Lyndhurst SO43 7BJ

  After having explored the New Forest, we thought to decamp to a nearby locale.  The Cotswold.  For change of scenery.  And more importantly food.