I had every intention of posting a photograph of tonight's meal. I made a superb teriyaki chicken! Despite the wonderful taste, however, it looked just like that which it was....crispy chicken in a brown shiny sauce.

So, I chose the above image which was of a dinner served to us at a private home in Tayonaka, Japan. Wonderful people with a typical flair for cooking and presentation.

Speaking of wonderful people.......Two friends who have been doing a lap of the western Pacific have arrived back in Darwin aboard their yacht. They will be here for two weeks before heading off to Bali, Singapore, Malaysia and Bruneii. They count Darwin as their favourite place; Brisbane comes a close second (they stayed in the City Marina) helped in ranking by their boardwalk promenade every morning.

They count New Caledonia as the worst place they visited. They report Noumea is dirty, festooned with garbage, covered in grafitti and they say sewage is pumped directly into the marina which stinks like a huge open toilet. So..count two for the Aussies and none for the Frogs.

Back briefly now to food. Today I went food shopping at the Asian Emporium with my globetrotting Japanese mates. It is quite an education to be able to discover what the contents of the containers are in asian foodstores.

Consequently I have arrived home with quite a collection of goodies. The major problem of course, is that I have already forgotton what some of these weird things are and, as to how to prepare them is concerned, I have not the faintest idea.

My girl is currently visiting her ancestral home with her family for Obon. When she arrives back home I will be quizzing her about my new provisions and how to use them. I know what chilli baby bamboo slivers are....but just how hot are they and when do you use them?

Time will tell