Snack Time - 02/09/23
inari sushinsecurities
Snack Time: Inari Sushi
I have a sushi-making update! The update is that I have officially made my first attempt, and… it tasted good!
The visual and structural integrity is obviously a different story.
This single sushi dinner was a big ordeal that honestly took weeks of prep. I waited until my dad came to town so I could go to the Asian supermarket with him and he could translate/tell me what specialty ingredients to get (he knows some Japanese and lived a couple years there when he was a youth). I bought a rice cooker (not necessary, but I hate cooking rice on the stove), rice paddles, and bamboo mats. I planned and purchased the other ingredients. I decided what I’d put in each roll, and wrote a timed-out task list. I did a lot of reading and watched many videos of sushi making.
All in all, it went very smoothly! And luckily I won’t need to do nearly as much prep now that I have a vague idea of what I’m doing.
All the sushi tasted great. Where I struggled was with making the rolls nice and tight so that they’d stick together even after dipping them in sauce. The only solution for that is practice, I suppose, though I also accidentally added too much of my vinegar mix to my sushi rice, which probably made it stick less due to added wetness.
HOWEVER, there is one lil sushi I made that doesn’t need to be rolled. Inari Sushi, the snack of the week! Inari Sushi is made by stuffing sushi rice into seasoned, deep-fried tofu pockets. The tofu pockets are marinated, so they’re soft. The result is a tangy little portable snack that I plan on making again this weekend!
I used this sushi rice recipe from NYT.
I used these canned aburaage/tofu pockets, which I got at my local Asian supermarket for a much better price than the linked one. When you take them out of the can, you can see there’s a side that looks more cut, which is where you can find the pocket opening.
Top the sushi with sesame seeds to make them a lil fancy!
And there you have it! Enjoy this easiest of sushis!
Saltair Bead Studio Sale!
All of the necklaces in my Etsy store are currently 20% off, so if you’ve been waiting to buy one, now’s the time!
Games To Play Instead of Hogwarts Legacy
The new Harry Potter game came out this week, and has become this week’s subject of “the culture war” (bleh). Basically the question is— do you shell out money for a game that, yes, may be nostalgic, but is very dubious in quality, features racist stereotypes, and ultimately supports an extremely transphobic author and her deteriorating fantasy franchise? Or… do you not?
I think it’s hilarious that there is any question about this, especially since I’ve been served YouTube ads for it all week and the game looks like UTTER TRASH. Like, what in the mobile game hell is it??? The plot sounds horrendous and the graphics are awful and lifeless. From what I can tell, the gameplay looks like a FromSoftware game (read: somersaults), if FromSoftware games were devoid of any creativity, life, artistic value, and, frankly, worth.
However, say you’re a person who wants to support workers in the game industry. That’s great! Here are other games you can buy to support the game industry:
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion— a funny little puzzle/adventure game about bad government in a post-apocalyptic vegetable town.
Knights of the Old Republic— Yes, it’s decades old. But it’s also one of the best games ever and if you want to immerse yourself in a franchise RPG, why not this one?
Disco Elysium— a sort of noir detective story set in a futuristic world. The story revolves around a labor dispute, and instead of your usual stats you give power to different voices in your head. It’s fascinating, with beautiful art and extremely unique gameplay.
A Short Hike— You play a little bird who is going on a hike! That’s all! I cried a lil when I finished it. It’s so sweet!!!
Inside— another absolute masterpiece. You play a boy with mysterious powers (sounds like Harry Potter, amiright???), on the run from bad guys. Deliciously scary, with fantastic world building.
Cozy Grove— This is the game I’m currently playing, and I love it. The art is gorgeous, and I love the music. It’s so relaxing. You play a “spirit scout” who is helping the ghosts of bears find their way to the afterlife.
Literally Anything Else— seriously.
Shouting Into the Void → Writing Into the Void → Video Into the Void?
I love to watch YouTube videos while I’m doing mindless, mundane tasks. I do mindless, mundane tasks a LOT— it’s basically my entire day job— so I watch a lot of YouTube. I’ve gone through a variety of “genres",” from Animal Crossing Gamers to Antique Restoration to Dog Grooming to Extreme Cleaning to Soap-making. I like the laid-back vibe of YouTube, and how watching often feels like chatting with someone.
For the past several months, I’ve been watching a lot of vlogs, specifically studio vlogs, where artists and small-business owners document their week and share their creative process and thoughts. I’m particularly taken with this style of vlog. It’s purposefully very relaxing, with an emphasis on aesthetics and fun and pretty things. The setup for those who do it full time is essentially a patronage; the artist shares their art and personality with people who fund their work. In that sense, it’s not very commercial, which I like. Vloggers are not constantly pitching products. They may have a sponsor for the video, but the by and large the content is more of the “slow down” variety, with longer-form videos, very little promotion, and a weekly (rather than daily or several times a week) release schedule.
I’ve toyed around with starting a YouTube channel for years. Yes, it’s one of the many ways people become a product in and of themselves in order to survive in the capitalist hellscape. But it’s always been appealing to me. On a practical level, I enjoy video editing, and the things I’d be filming are things I’d be doing anyway. One an artistic level, I’ve always wanted to give people entertainment and diversion through my art, and to share a bit of myself and my thoughts. More and more, I find that personal connection important, which is why I’ve increasingly shared personal writing on this newsletter rather than just film writing. Additionally, as an adult I’ve come to realize that living life happily is a creative pursuit in and of itself. That realization is one I feel compelled to share. Life is not about our big achievements— it’s the day-to-day moments that really matter. So aren’t those the ones I should share?
I haven’t started a YouTube channel, obviously. For one thing, I am not a thin 21-year-old with a kitten, an extremely aesthetic vibe, and a business designing washi tapes with pastel animals on them. So, I feel pretty self-conscious about the whole thing. While part of me feels like it would be nice to provide a different voice, I wonder if people really want that voice. Which brings me to my second thing— I feel like no one would watch it. Not that people need to see something in order for it to be a worthwhile practice, but sharing is an extremely important aspect of my artistic practice and a huge motivator for my work. I write to share and to create community, and I would want a YouTube channel to do the same thing.
I’ve always had a very difficult time believing anyone wants what I have to provide in terms of writing and art. I’m honestly always surprised when someone tells me they’ve read this newsletter. Who, me? My little thoughts? My silly stories? It’s not like I’ve ever even had a tweet or instagram picture that has gotten attention aside from a few friends, so why would someone read a whole essay or watch a whole video? Honestly, sometimes I am so convinced that no one is interested in me and my work that it becomes excruciatingly embarrassing to share it at all. I feel like I’m shouting into a void, except everyone is watching me do it and going “what on earth is that large woman child doing, pretending to dress up and be a real writer and yelling at nothing.” Starting a vlog would be like putting a magnifying glass on that insecurity.
I want to share my latest little projects, the restaurants I try, my hobbies, my setbacks and achievements, my creative processes. And, I know, I should try it out and see if I like it, I need to start to build a following, etc. But is it really worth putting effort into shouting even louder into the void?
Anyway, if you’ve made it this far into this very self-indulgent and insecure edition of my newsletter, I am deeply impressed. Either that, or you’re my mother. But, if you would ever be interested in watching a chill little video of me making some jewelry, organizing my office, or outlining my screenplay… let me know. I’d like to know if I’m delusional or not.
I would love any organizing videos. It’s such an ongoing challenge to stay organized. My kitchen is organized but my desk and bedside table… not so much!