Wading in on the bread debate, I've been told that Chinese/Japanese/Korean people tend to have less saliva, and therefore prefer bread with more moisture in it. Not sure how true it is, but anecdotally they do seem to prefer softer bread.

voices wrote:

I've been told that Chinese/Japanese/Korean people tend to have less saliva, and therefore prefer bread with more moisture in it.

Look we get on so I know this will be well received, but I will spoiler for those of a more delicate disposition

She has literally cooked snake skin into a medicine for herself.

Also, the us too prefers white soft bread. It's shit and the Americans have no excuse. Generally Europe and the me have the best bread tradition.

Good point, that's possibly even a bigger factor. The Chinese do use wheat to make noodles and steamed buns though.

Milk is important in baking as ingredient for bread and deserts. Without it I doubt we'd see the variety in pattiserie we see today.

Bread doesn't have milk in it.

It's 4 ingredients. Flour, water, salt, and yeast.

My understanding is that the reason that many East Asians are lactose intolerant is due to the make up of the bacteria in their gut rather than genetics; they are less likely to have the bacteria that breaks down lactose present.

GooberTheHat wrote:

What does traditional bread making have to do with dairy farming? Surely it's more to do with wheat farming? In the east rice was the dominant grain, in the middle east and west it was wheat.

Frosty wrote:

Bread doesn't have milk in it.

It's 4 ingredients. Flour, water, salt, and yeast.

Yeast is the link to milk.

Bread, beer and yoghurt, all emerging in the fertile crescent and around, as a means to preserve perishable food somehow. Probably beer came first, then yoghurt (or proto cheese) then bread (some flat bread).

The beer I'm talking about is some kind of sloppy, bready
brew. Apparently what fed the pyramid builders.

You do, in a sense, need milk for bread. You need civilisation, domesticated animals, and a need to feed lots of people something carb rich and which doesn't go off in a hot climate overnight.

I just meant that with yeast, magic happens. That's the only link to milk. It's indirect. Obviously Yog and cheese lasts longer than milk.

I mean, who doesn't love red bean paste.

Today was the hottest day so far, 35 degrees with nearly 100% humidity. Tokyo's sweaty summer is fully in effect. With that in mind we obviously went to DisneySea today. 30,000 steps later and with one of the train lines closed on our way back, made it home, utterly destroyed, but elated.

DisneySea is probably the only Disney park where adults seriously outnumber kids. Shows, rides, restaurants are all geared for an older audience, hence we got a live jazz show with a 15 piece band, followed by drinking cocktails on a full size replica steamliner. There is nothing like it.

Sadly we didn't get on the new ride, "Soaring" which only opened on Tuesday and at one point boasted queue times of 270 minutes (!?) But that's for another time.



They've been doing a show / theme called "Pirates Summer! GET WET!" (no, seriously) since 2017 when we were last here. Because it's so hot they basically put on a parade, but on the central lagoon, and completely drench the crowd in water. It's all quite insane.



Little things like this make me smile -



As does the Japanese voice actor on the crystal skull ride.

This is an ukiwah bun, minced prawn inside, served piping hot. It's like a big dumpling and it's done like a life preserver so it looks like Dolan is in it. It's fuckin delicious - really ginger-y.




My favourite ride is the Tower of Terror. The Japanese park isn't affiliated with the Twilight Zone, and instead has its own self contained narrative about a guy called Henry Hightower, a colonial type who stole a bunch of famous artifacts, including one called Shriki Utundu, who is the doll that curses him and causes his, and our, lift shafts to fall. The world building around the ride is remarkable.

. Some good names on that guest book.

the hallway with the broken lift.

Lunch was at the Sakura restaurant. First time we have been there. Had a tonkatsu set with cold udon. It was incredible and too much food for me to finish.



With it, I had their own private label brand of sake that you cannot get anywhere else in Japan except that one restaurant. Disney branded booze!



Hello from one of the only pictures where we don't look like we are dying from the heat.



Before the Pirates GET WET show (where we did get absolutely soaked) I bought Pirates Summer limited "beer cocktail". It um... Wasn't the best, unless you want a raspberry and mint flavoured beer. Should have just got a pint of Kirin.




After more adventuring, we retired to the Teddy Roosevelt Bar. I've banged on about this place long enough before, and there's plenty of reviews on Disney sites, but for me and flora, it's just the best way to end a DisneySea day and has become our tradition. I still can't think of any bar I've ever been to that does the classic cocktails as well as this.



My martini


And my Manhattan



Had another martini after and we tottled home.

Tomorrow we are going to Roppongi and a "Science of Pixar" exhibition, among others.

Probably. I'd advise anything after that as backing up into the start of the Olympics shit. Yesterday was the official "one year to Olympics" event and now Shibuya station is jammed with an official Olympics shop. It'll be cold mind.

Hello from Roppongi, and a shit load of Doraemon.



Have spent the morning at the Science behind Pixar exhibition.



If I look petrified on the 52nd floor that's because I was.



Going back for an Attack on Titan exhibition on Sunday too...

Currently tucking into a beef pho set meal with spring rolls, oolong tea and a beer for £7.

I honestly always just assumed reg was terrible at videogames.

Oh ho. Remember that fight stick you bought.