Tasty, Tasty Ramen

My only experience with ramen back in the states was the instant variety.  Now that I have access to the real thing, I know for a fact that it's a million times better.  While it's not the healthiest of foods, ramen is filling and reasonably priced (¥680 – ¥1100,) and ramen places are everywhere.  Some restaurants  have you order off a menu, but it's more common to purchase a ticket from a vending machine at the door.  Most varieties come with bamboo shoots and a square sheet of dried kelp, with more expensive versions adding soft-boiled eggs, slices of beef and spring onions.  Other types include ground beef, bean sprouts and corn.  Common condiments are black and/or white pepper, soy sauce, chili oil, vinegar, and garlic paste.

Below are pictures and descriptions of some of the varieties I've encountered so far.  Wikipedia does a better job than I could do of describing each type in detail, so if you're curious, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramen#Soup for more information.

 Shio (salt-based) ramen with egg, bamboo shoots and sliced beef.

 Tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen with egg, ground beef and bamboo shoots.

 Tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen with corn, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, ground beef, and a ton of chili oil!

 Tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen with egg, bamboo shoots, spring onion, sliced beef, and chili oil.

 Shoyu (soy sauce) ramen with bamboo shoots, sliced beef and spring onion.

Miso ramen with corn, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, ground beef, black pepper, and chili oil.

 Garlic oil ramen with egg, bamboo shoots and ground beef.

Nagome ramen (not sure exactly what that is) with bamboo shoots, egg, chili oil, and black pepper.

My current favorite is shio (salt-based) ramen with egg, spring onions, garlic, chili oil, and black pepper, though I also enjoy tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen.  I haven't had a bad bowl of ramen yet, though those kinds of broth appeal to me more than the others.  Ramen etiquette states that it is okay, and even polite, to slurp your noodles loudly, and the meal is typically consumed quickly.  Of course, being a well-trained foreigner, I'm not used to slurping anything (and I'm reluctant to try in good clothes,) and I usually take my time eating it.  I do make an effort to slurp the broth, which I hope makes up for not slurping the noodles a little ;)

Entertaining Errors Compilation Part One

My students often say really funny things.  Sometimes it's on purpose and sometimes it's by accident, but it always brightens my day.  I've posted these on Facebook as they've happened, though, of course, not everyone who reads this blog is a friend of mine on Facebook.  I don't post these to get a laugh at the expense of my students, but rather to record some of the amusing quirks of teaching English as a second language, as well as the creativity and sense of humor my students often display.  Enjoy!

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Me: So, we're taking a trip. What's an example of a place we can go to?

Student: Africa.

Me: Great! What are some things we need for a trip to Africa?

Student: GUNS.

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Me: Alright, let's practice. So, how was your weekend?

Student: Great!

Me: Oh really? What did you do?

Student: I went to outer space.

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Student A: I was climbing Mount Fuji and saw a UFO.

Student B: What was it?

Student A: I heard it was on its way to a welcoming party.

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Me: I missed yesterday's meeting. Can you tell me what the boss said?

Student: He said that you should quit. He also asked if you have any work to do, and told me to tell you to come to the company party tonight.

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Student A: I called you this morning, but you didn't answer.

Student B: Oh, sorry. I was taking a shower. Why did you call?

Student A: I missed hearing your voice!

Student B: Ah, me too! How romantic!

Me: Wait a minute…aren't you both married?

Student A: Oh, uh...I called the wrong number. Sorry.

Student B: That's okay.

Me: Let me teach you two about 'hanky-panky' and 'cheating on your spouse'...

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Student A: Have you met Bob?

Student B: No, not yet.  What's he like?

Student A: He's kind of coarse.  He's always using bad language.

Student B: What does he say?

Me: Alright, let's learn about 'not for polite company' and 'not safe for work'!

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Student A: Are you doing anything this weekend?

Student B: Yes, I'm cleaning my room.

Student A: How long will that take?

Student B: Ten minutes.

(Later)

Student A: Are you doing anything this weekend?

Student B: Yes, I'm going to Aquamarine Fukushima Aquarium.

Student A: Really?  How long will you stay there?

Student B: Ten minutes.

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Younger Female Student: I like pandas.  I think they're cute.  Do you like pandas?

Older Male Student: I think you're as cute as a panda.  I have a panda for a pet.  You should come to my house and see my panda.

Me: Easy there, smooth talker, I know you're married!

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Student A: I have a problem with the items I ordered from your company.  I'd like to exchange them.

Student B: No.

Student A: No?

Student B: It's not my problem.

Student A: Then I'll buy them from your competitor instead!

Student B: Fine!  Go ahead!

Student A: Fine!  I will!

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Student: It's been really grating having you here.

Me: Sorry, I think you meant 'great' there...

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Student: Meiko, you're really pissing yourself today!

Me: Actually, it's pronounced 'pushing'...

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Student A: What do you want to do this weekend?

Student B: I don't know, what do you want to do?

Student A: I don't know, what do you want to do?

*Students realize what they just did and burst out laughing.*

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Me: …we could also say that your parents are babysitting.

Students: Babyshitting.

Me: Sorry, let's try that again.  BabySITTing.

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Student A: What would you do if you baked a cake?

Student B: If I were to bake a cake, I would hit Matt-sensei in the face with it.

Me: Okay, okay, that was a well-constructed sentence, so I'll take that cake.  What kind of cake would you make?

Student B: Shortcake.

Busy Busy!

I hadn't intended to go so long without writing a blog post, but I guess all I can say is that I haven't felt like I've had the time, energy or desire.  I have a number of responsibilities at school besides teaching, and two of those responsibilities in particular – creating material for discussion classes and writing progress checks – are computer-intensive and time-consuming.  Because of my hands (for those of you who don't know, I have bilateral wrist tendinitis, a form of repetitive strain injury,) I've elected to do these things at home in my free time so that I can use my special equipment, which minimizes my typing and mousing time.  That, combined with keeping up on my correspondence and my creative writing drive, means that I spend a lot of time writing already.  I always put 'write a blog post' on my weekend to do list, but it's one of the easiest things to dismiss when I want a breather.  There are a number of topics I'm interested in talking about, including my trip to Aquamarine Fukushima, driving quirks, ramen, some of the funny things my students have said, and my trip to the doctor today.  Today, however, I'll stick to why I haven't been writing ;)

Discussion classes are based on articles chosen by myself and my fellow foreign colleague.  They have to be short (ideally 2-3 pages,) not too difficult (but with some challenging vocabulary we can talk about,) interesting to the students, and open enough to support a 50-minute discussion.  After we find a good article, we have to choose four words/phrases for a vocabulary check and six others as extra vocabulary to talk about.  We also have to come up with four comprehension questions and 6-8 discussion topics, which usually have 2-3 questions each.  The whole process takes about two hours, and we take turns creating materials each week.  I've taken to doing an article almost every weekend so that if I feel lazy or make other plans, I don't have to worry about my deadline.  The discussion classes easily one of my favorite, and I enjoy finding articles that I think will appeal to my students, but there's no denying that it's a lot of work.

We also have to write progress checks for the students in our classes every few months, usually around the time they end one class and/or start another one.  Each progress check needs an opening statement, the student's strengths and weaknesses, our recommendation for their next class, and some encouragement/motivation.  Ideally, the student should also be able to read what we wrote, though the staff can translate it if need be.  At least at my school, a progress check comes to about 200 words, enough to fill a small box about 1/3 the size of the page in size 12 font.  I'm not the fastest writer in the world, so depending on how well I know the student, this can take 15-30 minutes.  I've also recently learned that I'm more intuitive and less analytical than I used to think, so even with students I know well, it's often hard for me to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses.  I'm much better at assessing overall performance and personality than specific skill levels, though hopefully that will change as I get more experience.  With students I barely know, a progress check can be an almost painful process of trying to find something, anything, to say without sounding insincere.  Again, hopefully this will get easier.

As for my creative writing, I've actually been quite prolific by my standards since coming here.  I think some of it has to do with my working with English so closely every day, as well as my (relative) isolation as a foreigner.  I may be immensely more outgoing than I was 10 years ago, but I'm still an introvert, and it's easy to stay in my apartment and get lost in my own thoughts and ideas if there's nothing more pressing to do.  I'm even doing a discussion class on introverts and extroverts this week! ;)  In any case, I'm enjoying this wealth of creative energy, and I've written at a pace of about one short (2-5 pages) story a month, with a significant backlog of ideas I'm eager to explore when I have more time.  I knowledge that my work isn't for everyone – my favorite topic is fantasy/gaming tropes and quirks – but if you're interested, you can check out my stories at the following sites:

http://mattperrett.com/ (My online portfolio, though badly out of date.  I have a site redesign in mind that I also haven't gotten around to...)
http://www.scribd.com/matthew_perrett
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1261067/Matt_Perrett
http://www.fictionpress.com/u/783615/Matt_Perrett