Energy Breakfast - Try!

Do you know that 200 ml of fresh watermelon juice, if consumed with a teaspoon of salt and a cup of barley tea, altogether provide us with a set of minerals equivalent to that in a sport drink? This facts is based on a research by a health practitioner in Japan recently. So if you feel you want extra energy in a hot summer, please do try the above.... Well, i always go for natural stuff wherever possible.

But you are right, sports drink is available everywhere around the corner. It is probably easier just to get one.... the point is to drink enough minerals in summer time, when you tend to loose a lot of them through sweat.

Theme: Easy Red and Green

Left: squid stir fried with spring onions, red and green pepper

Right: 7 fruits jelly in watermelon

First, empty the watermelon with spoon and make a shape of a watermelon bowl.

Then, cut into pieces 7 types of fruits and put them nicely in the watermelon bowl.

Prepare jelly mixture as usual.

Believe it or not, my six year old daughter was the one in charge of this fruit jelly dish :D

Top Five Most Expensive & Rare Fruits

What are the top five most expensive fruits in Japan? ... well, here are some facts from walking around Tokyo. Check it out! (92.5 Yen = 1 USD as per today)

1. A home grown Musk Melon at 26,250Yen! ( = USD 283 each)

2. Mango named as Taiyo no Tamago (The Egg of the Sun), claimed to be the Tropical Fruit of Miyazaki Prefecture, sold at 15,750 Yen (= USD 170) each.

3. A 19 cm width cube-shape watermelon - especially grown with the latest patented technique in Kagawa Prefecture. This fruit has brought international attention and is now exported to some cities in South East Asia and Canada, priced at 15,000 Yen locally ( USD 162)

4. A box of red cherry (branded Sato Nishiki) containing 40 pcs, at 11,800 Yen (= USD 127 a box or USD 3 each bite)

(www.satonishiki.com/)

5. Papaya - only the size of an adult fist, grown in Japan, branded National Papaya, at 2,625 Yen (= USD 28 each)

You may be disappointed to know that I have not bought any of those fruits for my own consumption, BUT have done so for "ochugen" instead. The same way i think with most Japanese who purchase these rare and expensive fruits, they usually buy it for gifts more than for their own consumption.

Check out "ochugen" at http://4love4live.blogspot.com/2009/07/o-chugen-gift-giving-today.html