San Jose Area Fun Times

My blog is long overdue for an update, which is easy to do without pictures, which may be added at a later time. I just got back from a lovely week in Sunnyvale, and that means I had some memorable experiences with food. Picnics. Excellent home cooked dinners/ breakfasts. Fun Japanese snacks. Organic produce. I was a very lucky lady, and not just because I scored a huge head of Kohlrabi, but because of everything I had the good fortune to experience.

My boyfriend's parents are fantastic cooks. Our dinners included meals such as Greek steak with potatoes and corn on the cob, shrimp scampi, and customizable hot dogs. We also went on some picnics, once with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches using my mom's home made plum jam, and the other time with cheese, crackers and apple. Sunnyvale has some lovely parks, of which we had time to visit four. Next time I go over there, I hope to visit some of the others.

One day we went to Japantown in San Jose and visited Nijiya Market where I bought some soda flavored hard candies, chocolate filled Koala cookies, and a funny looking cartoony rice seasoning to send to my penpal in England along with some green tea. I also found some cute strawberry flavored Hello Kitty cookies. Let me loose in an Asian market with candies/cookies with cute, brightly colored packaging, and I can't resist buying at least $10-$15 worth of goodies. I guess it's one of my weaknesses. :)

Anyway, while we were in San Jose we went to Kazoo Japanese Restaurant for a late lunch. We both got "lunch box" meals which included miso soup, rice, some California roll, salad, and (for me) some sashimi and fried seafood and (for him) some sashimi and teriyaki chicken. Truly a satisfying feast, and we managed to still be hungry for the home cooked dinner awaiting us a few hours later. That's why I love Japanese food!

This other day in Sunnyvale we went to this Chinese place called Wok's On that one of my friends recommended I check out, and to be honest, it wasn't as amazing as my friend made it seem, but I think it's hard to find truly "amazing" Chinese fast food. I got sweet and sour chicken and some chicken chow mein, which were fine, but my hot and sour soup was a bit too peppery for my taste. Should have went with the egg flower soup. Chinese food is all kind of the same to me, but I enjoy it more if it's at a nicer sit-down restaurant.

One day we went to Full Circle Farm and took a tour. We learned about the planting and tending process, what kinds of fruits and vegetables they grow, and how the community comes together to help. Along the way we got to sample some herbs and berries, and we were given some kale and kohlrabi to take with us. At the farm stand we bought some basil and some honey they also make at the farm with their own bees. They have about 20 chickens on the farm too, and it was so cute watching them gather around to eat some of the kale we gave them.

So, that's about it for now... can't wait to go back to Sunnyvale in about a week and a half!