<![CDATA[A-to-J Connections

<![CDATA[A-to-J Connections - A-to-J Eats]]>Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:01:29 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Event Report: Japanese Food Expo Los Angeles 2024]]>Sat, 09 Nov 2024 06:02:31 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/a-to-j-eats/event-report-japanese-food-expo-los-angeles-2024By J.D.

The folks at the Japanese Food Culture Association (JFCA), and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), recently held the Japanese Food Expo 2024 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel. We were lucky enough to receive two tickets to cover the event, so I grabbed my cousin Matt and headed to L.A. to check out all the tasty dishes they had to offer.

As we entered the expo, we were in the room for fruits and sweets. We got to try fruits from Ikigai. Both Matt and I had samples of persimmons and Japanese pears and thought both of them were delicious. Next to that booth, was the Press Butter Sand. Despite the name, a butter sand is actually a combination of caramel and cream sandwiched between two cookies. The booth had both a regular butter sand and a matcha flavored one. Towards the end of the expo, I got to try both of them, and they were among the best sweets I got to try at the event. The filling was the right amount of sweet and creamy while the cookies were crisp and buttery. I honestly regret not buying some of these to take with me.

After exiting the sweets room, we moved out into the hallway with a few booths showing off Japanese beers and sake, along with red shiso products and tofu skin soup. I really liked the red shiso mixer I tried, and the soup was good as well.

I seem to be either blessed (or depending on your point of view, cursed) with an absolute distaste for all things alcohol. It all just ends up tasting like hand sanitizer to me… Not that I’ve ever consumed hand sanitizer. It just tastes like hand sanitizer smells. I did my best to try at least one drink from all of the vendors, but none of the drinks was able to overcome my distaste for alcohol. Matt, however, seemed to like all of them.

After trying everything in the hallway, we moved into the main room of the event dedicated to what they called “premium tastes from Japan.” This was the most varied of the areas. One of the first things we tried after entering was fried pike conger. It was available two ways: a more traditional, American style deep fried, and a tempura fry. There were also a variety of sauces to dip our samples in, like ketchup and barbecue sauce, but Matt and I both stuck to Japanese dashi salt. They were both delicious, but I think I liked the tempura version the best.

At the end of the first row, there was also a vegan meat substitute being showed off by Bando Foods and Fujiya. Matt and I have a few vegan and vegetarian family members so I’m always looking for options that can work for everyone, so I grabbed a sample of this and it tasted just like a roast prepared by my aunt. I even told the woman working the stall that if I had not known it was vegan, I would have easily believed it was meat.

We moved quickly down one of the aisles towards the main stage where the night’s big events would be happening. The expo had apparently opened up with a taiko drum performance. We hadn’t gotten inside the expo in time to see it, but I could hear it and we saw some of the performers leaving the hall when we were tasting the products in the hallway.

The big event I wanted to see was the filleting of a giant tuna performed by legendary chef Andy Matsuda. It was very entertaining and informative to watch. Matsuda-sensei is a very skilled chef and, with the help of his assistant, was always keeping things moving and showing off things for the audience. I just wish I had arrived sooner so I could have gotten a better view for pictures and video of the event. The chefs would later take this tuna and turn it into sushi for everyone to try. Matt and I had to wait in line for a bit just to try it but it was well worth the wait.

Later, Matsuda-sensei also had main stage workshops for making curry onigiri and a giant, 20 ft. sushi roll. I didn’t get to be a part of that last one but just seeing all those people working together was a lot of fun.

After watching the tuna filleting, Matt and I proceeded to try more of these premium goods. One of the first things I saw as we were leaving the mains stage area was a booth giving out one of my favorite Japanese treats: takoyaki, or fried octopus balls. The company Gindaco apparently prides itself on being “Japan’s No.1 Takoyaki” and after trying it, I can’t dispute that it was one of if not the best takoyaki I’ve had in the United States. It was perfectly crispy on the outside while hot and creamy on the inside. Thankfully, it wasn’t too hot because I know I’ve burned my mouth too many times trying to eat takoyaki that have just been made. Except for maybe the fresh sushi, this one takoyaki was the best thing I ate all night. The company seems to have a place in California that I will have to check out the next time I’m in the area.

After that, we continued to explore the premium tastes room. There was a whole section of tables dedicated solely to soy sauce. It was interesting to taste and compare the different brands available. Another highlight was a spicy kombu jerky from Tsuku-shin. It was a bit too chewy even for jerky, but the spiciness of it was just the right level or pleasantly hot but not too overpowering.

The company Kaishindo had a variety of delicious yokan. They were kind of like little blocks of jelly available in different flavors. I tried the red bean paste and the matcha flavors while Matt tried the walnut one as well and we were both impressed by them. They weren’t too sweet but they were perfect bite size snacks that might go along well with tea.

Speaking of tea, I finally got to try mugicha or roasted barley tea from Sanei Kosan and now, I wish I had tried it sooner. It didn’t taste like much at first but after a few seconds, I could taste a rich, nutty flavor from the roasted barley that was just so pleasant. They gave us free samples and I am probably going to be using that one as soon as possible.

Another little snack that I really liked was these roasted soybeans from Odagaki in the Hyogo Prefecture. They were small and crunchy like the wasabi peas you can get at supermarkets but without the wasabi flavor. They seemed like a perfect thing to just buy a bag of and snack on while I’m working.

After working our way through the premium tastes room, Matt and I went back out into the hallway and entered the room dedicated to beer and sake. There were a few different vendors in here offering their own variations. As I noted before, I don’t like the taste of alcohol, but a few of the fruitier sake brands I tried were things I probably wouldn’t refuse if someone offered it to me. For his part, Matt seemed to like all of these as well, especially some of the darker beers shown off Wismettac Asian Foods.

After visiting most of the booths, we wandered around the expo finding the few we hadn’t visited, and trying a few more things. We got the sushi made from the tuna that had been filleted before our eyes, and Matt bought us both these udon bowls from Inaniwa Udon. Udon is one of my favorite Japanese noodle dishes, and this one was a cold dish with crispy bits, green onion, and a fish nugget. It was a bit difficult to eat with just chopsticks especially all the crunchy bits which were so small that I didn’t get a lot of them with anything else. I just slurped them up with the rest of the broth when I was gone.

And, with that, our time at the Japanese Food Expo 2024 was done. I like to thank the JFCA and JETRO for having us. There were honestly so many other good dishes in this room that I feel like I can barely scratch the surface in the article. If you have a chance to attend one of these, please consider it. You can also find a list of retailers and products from these events online and some of them may be available in supermarkets around you.

For More Information on JFCA:
https://japanfoodculture.org/

For More Information on JETRO:
ttps://www.jetro.go.jp/en/

]]><![CDATA[Devil Fruit, Anime, Video Games, and Food: An Interview with Alvin Zhou]]>Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:38:32 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/a-to-j-eats/devil-fruit-anime-video-games-and-food-an-interview-with-alvin-zhou

Alvin Zhou is a content creator that can be seen in various places on YouTube. His "Anime with Alvin" series (a show on Babish Culinary Universe) recreates foods from popular anime, while the cooking videos on his own channel feature a more laid back, casual feel that can be quite soothing and relaxing. Other projects include the "Making It Big" series, and short films about chefs in the industry. He's interests in anime made him the perfect guest for FanimeCon 2022 and we were lucky enough to talk to him about his start in content creation, some of his favorite foods, his knowledge on the One Piece series, and lots more! This interview is a bit different from what we usually do as it turned into quite the conversation between Alvin and our interviewer, and it's quite the treat! Fans of Alvin, or those discovering him for the first time, will find something worth sinking their teeth into here, so read on and be sure to check out their videos when you're done as well!

A-to-J: Thank you for the interview. Could you please give us an introduction and tell us a little about yourself?
Alvin: Sure, thanks for having me. I’m Alvin, I like food, I LOVE food, I love videos, I love anime, and I love video games. That should tell you pretty much everything about me!

A-to-J: Can you tell us a little bit about how you get into content creation that mainly revolves around cooking and food?
Alvin: Sure. So, I was messing around in my dorm in college and I was stealing, repurposing, and reallocating ingredients from the dining hall into my dorm room to bake. I wanted to bake, and I wanted to save money because I like saving money. I was making these random creations and this guy came in on my floor and said: “Hey, you wanna borrow my expensive camera?” I played around with it, made a couple videos, threw them up on YouTube, and BuzzFeed reached out like: “Hey, Saw a video. You wanna make food videos for us?” And I was like: “Yeah! That sounds good to me!” So long story short, that’s how I got into it.

A-to-J: So, they reached out to you and then, you cooked for reaction videos? Because I’ve seen those reaction videos for anime food before. Did you make the food for those?
Alvin: Which ones are you talking about?
A-to-J: I usually see on BuzzFeed that they have those cooking shows.
Alvin: I see, I know what you mean.
A-to-J: I’ve seen a couple videos with you and that other person who does the Japanese videos.
Alvin: Rie [McClenny]?
A-to-J: Yes! Do you interact with her a lot?
Alvin: Oh, she’s one of my best friends! I’m legally obligated to say that or else she’s gonna hate me.

A-to-J: That sounds great! So, your YouTube channel mentions that you are heavily influenced by Studio Ghibli films, anime, Asian vlog channels, video games, game soundtracks, and more. Can you explain what you mean by this?
Alvin: Sure, so the things that I love in my spare time always find a way to influence the things that I do during work. I love Hayao Miyazaki, I love Joe Hisaishi, and I love the music in Studio Ghibli films. I love watching anime and playing video games. I have also played piano for thirteen years, and now I just love playing piano. So the things that I love outside work always find a way to influence what I actually do. You’ll often find soft piano songs in my videos. You’ll find cinematography being the highlight of the things I love doing. You’ll find certain waltzes or even music that is similar to what you find in anime, game, or movie scenes.
A-to-J: Now, I feel like I need to rewatch the videos to see all those little details that you put in there. You put a lot of thought into all those videos. That’s really cool!
Alvin: Thank you.

A-to-J: Besides the ones you already mentioned, who are some of the other creators that inspire your work?
Alvin: So on my personal channel there’s a style that I like to use where it’s a little more cinematic, as in it’s subtitles only and you don’t see my face. You’re only hearing the sound of the music and the food.
A-to-J: Like ASMR?
Alvin: Yeah, exactly. There are a lot of these YouTubers especially Korean, Japanese, or Chinese who I watched and I thought: “This format is genius! You don’t have to talk. They can just cook and relax and their thoughts are on the video! It’s beautiful!” So I do have to give credit to them. There’s a lot of them like Zoe’s Café, High Green Doll, and Imamu Room. There’s just so many of these small YouTubers and big YouTubers, Cat’s Kitchen is another one, that are just so good at that style and I want to make my version of that.

A-to-J: That’s amazing! You’ve created a lot of content into the "Making It Big" series. Can you tell us a little bit about how that project came to be?
Alvin: Yeah, I first dived into YouTube for work and I was like: “You know, I like burgers. I wonder how big one could be.” That exists on YouTube already. I kind of wanted to make my own version of it and see if I could make it a little bit in my own way. So I did it. It happened to do well, and if you’re working at a company and something does well usually the logical thing is to do more.
A-to-J: Yeah, they bring you back.
Alvin: Exactly.

A-to-J: That’s good to hear. So, your own YouTube channel has cooking videos of totally different sorts, and you often see that sort of ASMR style that you mentioned earlier with how they’re created. Can you tell us a bit about the process and themes that go into making one of those videos?
Alvin: Sure. So those are not planned. Those videos are just, “Oh, I feel like cooking this" or "I really wanna make my version of a burger or a cake one day." Sometimes there are months with nothing planned but one day I’ll make it, and if I get really lazy I won’t do anything. But maybe if I really feel like something today, I’ll just record it, and I just kind of do it taking my time. It’s just me and my kitchen, one camera, one lens. No light, just sun because it’s free. I take as much time as I need and I enjoy the process, so it’s less of a shoot and it’s more of a diary of what it was like that day: The weather that day, what time it was, what I was doing, what are the sounds. You’ll see shots of scenery because that’s what it looks like outside my window. Those are essentially just ways to capture the day.

A-to-J: That’s amazing! Especially since you don’t have to worry about a script as well. You’re just kind of showing what you’re doing so it’s a lot less stressful. You also worked on a show called "Anime with Alvin" where you recreate foods from anime and games. Can you tell us a bit about how this particular project came to be?
Alvin: Sure. So I love anime. You mentioned before that I have that in my YouTube bio. I believe someone on the Babbish team saw that and reached out like: “Hey, I heard you like anime.” And I said yes and they said: “You wanna make anime foods for us?” I was like: “Yeah, sounds good.” And that was it.

A-to-J: That sounds very easy and very fun! Is there a lot of planning that goes into making those specific dishes because you have to make it look very similar to the source? Like trying to get that right texture or the correct shape. Do you ever find that process difficult?
Alvin: Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. There’s a lot of research that goes into the recipe, especially if it’s a cultural dish or something that needs context to understand. I’m not Japanese, and I don’t know a lot about the things we make, so we have to make sure we do our research and credit the creators that we reference the recipes from. We then cross our fingers and hope it goes well. We don’t test it, we just go for it.
A-to-J: You just go for it, hit record, and hope it goes well?
Alvin: (Nods) Saves money. Saves time.

A-to-J: Yeah, a lot of re-recording, a lot of food takes. That would be really expensive. Is there a food dish that you would want to do from a particular anime that you haven’t done yet?
Alvin: Ooh... I wanna try making one of the Devil Fruit from One Piece. [Transcriber’s Note: In-Universe they taste terrible, so the only way to go flavor-wise is up.]
A-to-J: Oh, which type of Devil Fruit because I know there’s different types of Devil Fruit that you could possibly do?
Alvin: I gotta admit I’ve never really watched One Piece.
A-to-J: It’s okay, it’s very long!
Alvin: There’s the purple one. Is that the Gum-Gum one? The one that Luffy eats.
A-to-J: I’m pretty sure that’s it! [Transcriber’s Note: It is.]
Alvin: Yes, that’s one of them. The other one I want to make is the one with the flames on it. It comes in very early in the show and it has fire on it. [Transcriber’s Note: He’s referring to the Flame-Flame Fruit eaten by Ace]
A-to-J: I’m gonna be honest and hopefully, A-to-J doesn’t kill me for this, but I actually haven’t watched it either!
Alvin: All right! Then we’re both in the same spot! Let’s go! (They high five.)
A-to-J: Because I have my friend who’s very, very intro interested in One Piece. I think I got through five episodes, because it’s on Netflix. Netflix helps, but I’ve only kind of dabbled into it. I watched like episode 356 and that was it.
Alvin: Wow. All I know is that they’re hunting for the One Piece. That’s it.
A-to-J: And I think the series is entering its last arc right now too, that’s gonna be very interesting. So then you can kinda skim through and see all the Devil Fruits that you might want to make.
Alvin: Yes, that would be fun.

A-to-J: Since we’ve been talking so much about food, what are some of your favorite foods and cuisines unrelated to anime?
Alvin: Fun Fact: I don’t know what you think I eat every day, but it is quite weird and boring. I eat half a box of spring mix everyday dry, no dressing. I eat a chicken breast. I eat Chinese pickled lettuce condiments. You know what I’m talking about? I drink Spindrift. That’s it. That’s my day-to-day food. I’m trying to keep things tight, but if I go out to eat it makes the food taste better because the stuff I eat every day is boring. When I finally get flavor in my mouth it’s amazing.
A-to-J: So, what would you go out to eat as comfort food? Do you only do it with friends, or do you do it when you want to treat yourself?
Alvin: Mostly it’s with friends. I think eating with friends just makes everything more memorable.
A-to-J: Friends always make food better. That’s why I love eating out at conventions.
Alvin: Exactly and you get to share and try a lot more food.
A-to-J: I always do everything family style as well.
Alvin: See, you know what it’s like. So usually I go for strong flavors, whether it’s certain kinds of Asian food or certain kinds of cuisine that sound interesting to me. The kind that punches my palate is what I really like because I don’t want to eat something that I could make at home.
A-to-J: Yeah, nothing bland. You want to get some exotic spices and things you've never heard about. Do your friends usually say: “Yeah, sounds great!” and go with the flow?
Alvin: It happen pretty often. I usually shoulder the mantle of responsibility…
A-to-J: Finishing the dish?
Alvin: I don’t mind doing that. Also, the pride of ordering for the table is quite fun.
A-to-J: Yes! The power!
Alvin: You listen to me!

A-to-J: Sounds great! Since "Anime with Alvin" is so different than the content of your own channel, do you prefer one style over the other?
Alvin: I don’t. They’re both different. When I make the food and someone else makes the video, that’s "Anime with Alvin". When I make the food and I make the video, that’s my personal channel. When someone else makes the food and I make the video, that’s the chef documentary series I do.

A-to-J: Oh, it sounds really simple depending on what you want to do that day. Would you consider yourself more of a technical chef or one that cooks more with feeling?
Alvin: There’s both. When it’s for a video or an anime recipe where we have to be pretty precise, or a dish where I’m investing a lot of money and time in like on my personal channel, I’m quite the perfectionist. I try to give it the best that I can, so I’m very technical in the way I approach it. Not necessarily the amounts of ingredients, it’s more about anticipating how the food behaves, slicing it carefully, treating it, giving it the attention that the dish deserves. You have to stand by the dish, take care of it like you would a woman, so that when you finally eat it... that sounds weird... it turns out the way you want it. Because if you don’t show it love, it’s not going to show you love back.

A-to-J: Since you’re a fan of anime, could you tell us some of your favorite series and characters?
Alvin: I love the darker stuff that kind of sets you in a world that operates on a different set of rules: Psycho-Pass, Attack on Titan, Darling in the Franxx, Darker than Black, Terror in Resonance, Erased. Anything that has you just thrown into this world that operates very differently, and you figure out how the world works. Then it slowly reveals, peels back the layers one by one. Usually there’s a big reveal at the end and you’re just like: “Oh my god!” And, you’re probably crying.
A-to-J: Yeah, the kind of show where all the puzzle pieces are eventually revealed. Those types of anime are really nice as well. I think we were touching base on magical girls because I we were doing that panel earlier. [Here are the slides from the most recent version of that panel!] We were going to do a series on dark magical girls that we couldn’t talk about at an all-ages panel.
Alvin: Ooh! I’ll go to that one.

A-to-J: That one’s gonna be really fun, and I think it’s going to get a pretty good audience. Speaking of conventions, do you often come to conventions like Fanime? You said this was one of your first conventions, but have you been to any as an attendee before like Comic-Con or Fanime?
Alvin: This is my very first real one.
A-to-J: Oh? Are you having a great time?
Alvin: It’s been a blast!
A-to-J: Have you been to the Dealer’s Hall and seen all the artwork? I know there’s a lot of people in there.
Alvin: There’s a lot! I was lucky enough to have a team of talent wranglers like Jessica and Arthur, and people that are just happy to show me around and navigate me through the craziness that a convention center can be. You know, to help me purchase art, to help me go to where I need to be, and show me the ropes. So it’s a very lucky experience that I’ve been able to have.
A-to-J: That’s good to hear. Hopefully, you’ll come back to another anime convention especially since you have a lot of anime foods that you like to make. Maybe as a guest, or maybe as an attendee.
Alvin: I’m down.

A-to-J: Have you found it fun to meet your fans at the con?
Alvin: It’s been really crazy because I didn’t even really know I had fans. As video people, we just make the video and put it out on YouTube. Sure, we see the numbers and the comments, and it’s always amazing, but I think it means something else when someone in real life literally references something that you made, tells you how much they liked it or how it inspired them. It's quite humbling, but also very inspiring at the same time, to keep making the things that make people feel a certain way. Because my intention when I make videos is not to inspire people how to cook, not to teach people how to cook, not to help them get through tough times, not to help them reconnect with their family, even though they do say these things to me. I’m just like: “Wow! That’s awesome but I never intended to be that!” All I wanted to do was make something that I like, and that was it. So to see people say those kinds of things, it gives me a lot of unexpected surprise and pressure because I’m like: “Oh, I didn’t know people saw my work like that. I better be good.”
A-to-J: When people see you doing anything you love like cooking, they can really feel inspired from that. Especially from those videos, you’re very informative in some of them. In other ones, you’re just very chill. Those chill ones are the kinds that I like to watch when I’m doing my homework, or when I’m eating as well. They're kind of nice background videos.
Alvin: Thanks. Me too.

A-to-J: Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get into content creation? Like making food videos, or videos in general? I know you mentioned your friend offered you that camera and that’s how you got started, but do you have any other advice?
Alvin: A common piece of advice I hear is, “Just do it”. [Insert Shia LeBeouf meme here.] Which is a good piece of advice, but I would like to add a caveat to that with: “The most successful people, and the best content that I personally enjoy watching is made by people doing something that they actually love.” Usually, that means finding their own voice. It sounds really artsy but for me, it was the whole silent Asian vlog style cinematography. That’s what I found myself loving. The fact that I get inspiration from anime, video games, and movies and put those into my videos, that’s how you know it’s an Alvin video. It has a certain feel to it that is very difficult to explain. Even though that’s not a very popular way to do things, because YouTube is: “You’re talking, you’re cooking, your face is there. It’s high energy," but I’d like to think that by just doing things the way you want to do it, if you do succeed, it will be way more meaningful and impactful than if you just try to mesh in with everybody else.
My channel was almost an experiment personally. It was an experiment to do everything you don’t do on YouTube: I post once every five or six months when you’re supposed to post twice a week. You’re supposed to show your face: I don’t show my face. You’re supposed to talk: I don’t talk. You’re supposed to have high energy and quick cuts to keep the energy going: Mine are the slowest things you’ll ever watch. You’re supposed to use high energy music and crazy thumbnails and titles to hook people in, and even though I have training from BuzzFeed, I just feel like: “This is the food!” whatever it is. It’s crazy to see that people actually enjoy that. I thought it was going to fail because it was literally everything you’re not supposed to do. It was inspiring to see that you don’t have to go with the majority in order to succeed. Sometimes it’s the opposite that can set you apart.
A-to-J: That sounds really interesting because I know a lot of people who are doing things like streaming on Twitch. They say you have to follow very strict rules and then if you don’t post often enough you might lose fans, but I feel like if you’re actually doing something that you really love and enjoy, fans will keep coming back just to watch you enjoy doing that one thing.
Alvin: I think they can sense it.

A-to-J: It’s something that they can look forward to. What are some of your hobbies other than cooking that you like to do in your spare time?
Alvin: I love exercising. I eat a lot so I have to. I just love listening to music so whether it’s like high energy music or soft, slow music. I love watching movies. I love playing the piano. I don’t play classical anymore because I have a very intense experience from training as a kid.
A-to-J: I have some of that experience as well.
Alvin: You play the piano too?
A-to-J: Yeah, I play piano as well.
Alvin: So you know what it’s like?
A-to-J: Definitely.
Alvin: I’ve got a secret YouTube channel that has me playing piano. You’re not going to be able to find it unless you search really hard.
A-to-J: Especially since you don’t have to show your face when you’re playing piano as well. It's just something you can enjoy doing.
Alvin: Exactly. And if it’s not cooking, it’s eating.
A-to-J: Definitely eating. I love eating too. I eat all the time. All my money is spent on food I like. Good food too, because if I’m going to eat it, it might as well be delicious.
Alvin: One small thing that I don’t think a lot of people know about me: I love leather restoration.
A-to-J: Leather restoration? I would never expect something like that, but judging by what we’ve been talking about, and how you feel with your personality and what you’re saying, I feel that kind of really does suit you.
Alvin: It’s nice.
A-to-J: Especially since you’re just working on it slowly and then you get to see the end product after you’ve been working on it for so long.
Alvin: A lot of my hobbies just involve me using my hands. I love using my hands whether it’s piano, cooking, video editing, or working with leather. It’s relaxing just using my hands.
A-to-J: De-stressing; nothing stressful.
Alvin: Exactly.

A-to-J: Have you ever tried to create a dish and the whole thing just failed spectacularly?
Alvin: Oh always.
A-to-J: Especially since you said you just do it and hope it goes well. Do you usually end up having to finish the food or does everyone share that burden?
Alvin: Oh, I’m passing that on to everyone else! They’re guinea pigs. My failure is your failure!
A-to-J: So everyone’s gotta take a part in it.
Alvin: Yes, it is our failure.

A-to-J: Do you have any secret talents that your fans might not know about? Oh... That would probably be leather restoration.
Alvin: Leather restoration and piano.

A-to-J: Lastly, can you leave us with a closing message?
Alvin: Yeah. I mean, one, thank you for taking the time to talk with me. It’s also cool that you’re doing a lot of stuff in the magical girl space. [Referring directly to our interviewer, Garwye] Now, I’m interested in that too, but also I think the biggest thing is that anime and video games, this entire world of culture is often seen as useless, a waste of time, taboo, "Why are you doing this?", especially from older generations. Literally my work is influenced by that heavily: my video work, the way that I approach shooting, and even editing music. It’s the one thing that makes my videos feel personal to me, and I think that's really fascinating to think about. What used to be just “a waste of time” is now what sets me apart.
A-to-J: I know that anime conventions are getting more popular, that’s why it’s they're always so crowded. It’s good to see that newer generations are appreciating anime culture, and they like things such as cooking, and other things, as well. Thank you so much!
Alvin: Thank you!

We'd like to thank Alvin Zhou for the interview and we strongly encourage everyone to check out his work and follow their social media via the links below. As always, keep an eye out for more from Alvin in the future! Also, special thanks to FanimeCon for this opportunity!

For More Information On Alvin Zhou:
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AlvinKZhou/videos
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alvin.zhou/
Alvin Zhou Films: https://www.youtube.com/@alvinzhoufilms/

The above interview was conducted by Garwye Wong, with assistance by Manuel Figueroa. Transcription by Jeffery Kelly.

]]><![CDATA[Take A Culinary Tour Through Hydaelyn with "The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook"]]>Thu, 05 Aug 2021 03:58:23 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/a-to-j-eats/take-a-culinary-tour-through-hydaelyn-with-the-ultimate-final-fantasy-xiv-cookbook

Square Enix and Insight Editions are today revealing "The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook", giving fans around the world a chance to experience the gastronomical delights Hydaelyn has to offer.

Releasing November 9, the 192-page cookbook provides an opportunity to recreate and experience the rich culinary landscape of "Final Fantasy XIV Online". Featuring favorite flavors from across Hydaelyn and Norvrandt with easy-to-follow instructions, this tome provides numerous tips on how to make the most of the ingredients involved and includes recipes such as the Farmer’s Breakfast, Knight’s Bread of Coerthas and La Noscea’s Rolanberry Cheesecake.

A sizzle video showing off some of the recipes can be viewed below.

Key features of the book include:

Exclusive Foreword written by "Final Fantasy XIV Online" Producer and Director, Naoki Yoshida.
Perfect for every home cook with step-by-step directions and beautiful photos, learn to make iconic in-game foods, bringing the lush culinary landscape of "Final Fantasy XIV Online" to life.
Recipes for every occasion, from quick snacks you can enjoy while exploring Eorzea to decadent desserts and meals fit for royalty, this book contains recipes for both simple and celebratory fare.
A stunning addition to your collection, this exquisitely detailed hardcover book is the perfect acquisition for your kitchen library—a must have for every FINAL FANTASY fan.
"The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook" is available to pre-order now at the Square Enix Store and select retailers. An exclusive version of the cookbook featuring an alternate cover design will be available to players in North America and Canada who purchase the book through Gamestop.

Gamestop Will Offer a Version of the Cookbook with Special Cover Art which can be seen below.

With more than 22 million total registered players, there has never been a better time for newcomers to begin their adventures in the critically acclaimed "Final Fantasy XIV Online" saga. The expanded Free Trial now includes all content from A Realm Reborn and the Heavensward expansion (and updates through Patch 3.56), as well as an additional playable race (Au Ra), and three additional playable jobs (Dark Knight, Astrologian, and Machinist). Free Trial players can enjoy hundreds of hours of award-winning gameplay and story experiences equivalent to two full Final Fantasy titles, without limit on playtime. More information is available here: https://sqex.to/FFXIVFreeTrial

Sample pages of "The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook" can be seen below.

Related Links
Endwalker Teaser Site: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/endwalker/
The Lodestone: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FinalFantasyXIV
Official Twitter: @FF_XIV_EN
Official Instagram: @ffxiv

]]><![CDATA["Miss Hooters Japan Contest 2019" Finds Its Winner]]>Thu, 18 Apr 2019 02:16:08 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/a-to-j-eats/miss-hooters-japan-contest-2019-finds-its-winner

©Miss Hooters Japan Contest 2019

We reported on it last year and it's that time again! "Miss Hooters Japan Contest 2019" recently took place in the Shinjuku Store (Tokyo) on April 15th and here are the results!

For those that don't know "Hooters" is an American Casual Dining Restaurant & Sports Bar operated by HJ Inc. and "Miss Hooters Japan Contest" is an annual event that determines the top active Hooters Girl. Fifteen girls are chosen via having successfully won qualifying competitions held at each store and through the Contest's special Instagram account (@misshooters2019). The Contest then goes on with the girls appearing on stage with swimwear, original costumes which represent themselves, and the standard Hooters uniform worn in store. Approximately 200 people gathered and filled the Shinjuku Store to attend this event.

©Miss Hooters Japan Contest 2019

The winner of the Grand Prix this year is NANAKO from the Akasaka Store (Tokyo), selected by, not only the votes of the judges, but also the public present at the store and the preliminary votes held at each store and via the aforementioned Instagram.

Active in the entertainment industry since her childhood, she aims to be a world-class entertainer with her outstanding expression and smile. For her second participation in the Contest, she won a splendid first place. NANAKO will go to America in June to represent Japan at the "Hooters International Championships". She is also now the face of Hooters Japan during many events throughout the year.

Miss Hooters Japan Contest 2019 results:
1: NANAKO (Akasaka Store)
2: BIAN (Ginza Store)
3: REIAN (Akasaka Store)
4: GLADYS (Shinjuku Store)
5: MIZUKI (Shinjuku Store)

All photos ©Miss Hooters Japan Contest 2019

©Miss Hooters Japan Contest 2019

]]><![CDATA[Square Enix Announced Final Fantasy X/X-2 Themed Beverage Available at Kung Fu Tea Locations Nationwide]]>Mon, 18 Mar 2019 07:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/a-to-j-eats/square-enix-announced-final-fantasy-xx-2-themed-beverage-available-at-kung-fu-tea-locations-nationwide

Square Enix is working on a new food collab event and it's not Cup Noodles this time around! Square Enix is teaming up with New York-based beverage chain Kung Fu Tea to launch an exclusive drink inspired by Final Fantasy X/X-2 to celebrate the upcoming release of the HD Remaster on the Nintendo Switch and XBox One!

From March 25 through April 20, Tidus & Yuna’s Grape Elixir (A.K.A. Kung Fu Tea’s Grape Cream) will be available at all 170+ Kung Fu Tea locations nationwide. Fans who purchase the drink will receive an exclusive sticker, featuring the artwork of famed illustrator Nomura Tetsuya, while supplies last. The Final Fantasy X/X-2-themed beverage is a blend of fresh black grapes and berry jam topped with Kung Fu Tea’s best-selling creamy Milk Cap.

Fans will also have the opportunity to enter into a daily sweepstakes and an add-on giveaway through Kung Fu Tea’s official social media channels for a chance to win a digital copy of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster or a custom-designed Xbox One or Switch console.

“We’re extremely excited to partner up with Square Enix and believe that our Kung Fu Masters in the gaming community will truly enjoy Tidus & Yuna’s Grape Elixir,” says Mai Shi, Kung Fu Tea’s Marketing and PR Lead. “We hope that this drink will keep gamers refreshed throughout their unforgettable journey in the World of Spira and Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster.”

Finally, fans that attend this year’s PAX East in Boston from March 28-31 can visit the Square Enix booth #11017 to obtain a limited quantity promotional flyer that can be redeemed at Kung Fu Tea locations in Massachusetts for a discount on the themed beverage during this time.

For more information on the collaboration, sweepstakes and giveaway, visit: www.kungfutea.com/ffxx2.

]]><![CDATA[OKASHI BOX Brings Authentic Japanese Candy to the US]]>Fri, 18 May 2018 22:13:52 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/a-to-j-eats/okashi-box-brings-authentic-japanese-candy-to-the-us

Are you a fan of Japanese candy but find the selection in the US a little lacking? Well, there's a new service that we think you should check out: OKASHI BOX! OKASHI BOX gives people outside of Japan the chance to taste authentic Japanese candy!

OKASHI BOX is a monthly subscription service that delivers authentic Japanese candy to your doorstep! With its headquarters located in Japan, it is the only candy subscription service to include region-specific goods from Hokkaido to Okinawa. If this wasn't all cool enough OKASHI BOX also offers free shipping to the US!

OKASHI BOX offers two types of boxes: the Okashi Box and the Sample Okashi Box. The Okashi Box ($32) contains 18 to 20 pieces of candy, including several region-limited sweets. This box is offered on a subscription service. The Sample Okashi Box ($19) contains 8 to 10 pieces of candy with 1 region-limited candy included. Since this box does not require a subscription, it’s great for anyone who is just curious about OKASHI BOX or Japanese candy in general!

More details are listed below and more can be found at their website: https://okashi-box.jp

Okashi Box ($32.00)
Monthly subscription

- Contains 18 to 20 pieces of Japanese candy
- includes region-limited candy
- Delivered once a month
- Free U.S. Shipping

Sample Okashi Box ($19.00)
No subscription is needed.

- Contains 8 to 10 pieces of Japanese candy,
- Includes 1 region limited sweet
- One-time purchase
- Free U.S. Shipping

About OKASHI BOX

'Okashi' means 'candy' in Japanese!
OKASHI BOX is a monthly subscription service delivering Japanese candy directly to your home!
The contents are carefully selected by our Japanese staff to ensure you a 100% authentic experience!
If you have never tasted Japanese candy, you can try our Sample box first!

We ship straight from Japan
Our company resides in Tokyo which enables us to deliver a selection of the latest candy on the market straight from Japan!
OKASHI BOX is the only monthly delivery service that also includes region limited candy from Hokkaido to Okinawa! These varieties can be extremely difficult to find outside Japan!

]]><![CDATA[Hooters Japan Picks "Miss Hooters Japan 2018"]]>Thu, 19 Apr 2018 02:56:55 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/a-to-j-eats/hooters-japan-picks-miss-hooters-japan-2018

Hooters is a brand that many of us in the US are familiar with, but are you familiar with the Japanese branch of the restaurant chain?

Similar to contests of their type in the west, April 16, 2018 saw the eighth "Miss Hooters Japan Contest" be held in Shibuya, Tokyo. This annual event seeks to find the top Hooters girls throughout the active staff working at Hooters Restaurants across Japan. The winner of this contest will then participate at the Hooters International Championships held in the US in May, 2018.

This event was streamed on LINE LIVE, a video service operated by LINE which has more than 215 million users worldwide (as of December 2015) amd 58 million users in Japan alone (as of June 2015). More than 262,000 users watched the event over the course of the stream.

The competition consisted of the top fifteen Hooters girls from across Japan showing off their cute and glamorous sides by taking to the catwalk in outfits ranging from their standard Hooters uniforms, an original outfit, and a swimsuit. After a little over ninety minutes of competition, the top five girls were then chosen by both customers who attended the event, as well as a panel of judges.

The Grand Prix winner was Nanako.K who is from the Hooters Restaurant of Akasaka, Tokyo. She will hold onto the title of Miss Hooters of Japan for the next year and will be representing Japan in May. Let's hope she takes the top prize!

Event Summary
Date: 16th April 2018 7:30PM~9:30PM (JST)
Place: Hooters Shibuya (www.hooters.co.jp/en/shop/shibuya)
Address: SHIBUYA PRIME 4F, 2-29-5 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0043

]]><![CDATA[Gudetama x Curry House Review]]>Thu, 25 Jan 2018 06:57:07 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/a-to-j-eats/gudetama-x-curry-house-review

Care to add an egg with your curry? Perhaps a lazy egg? Gudetama - the beloved Sanrio character introduced in 2013 - collaborated with popular Japanese restaurant chain Curry House at all 9 of their locations. The promotion has been extended until the end of February; we were lucky enough to grab a bite at the Cupertino location last week.

The meal set is four courses, with a drink, and comes with a souvenir beanie. When it was ordered, we were given special placemats that were optional to color-in on the back. Then, we decided on our drinks and were started off with Curry House’s house salad. It’s a small bowl of freshly chopped lettuce and thin carrot slices, served with their special soy sesame sauce - very simple ingredients, and a good way to whet the appetite. It wasn’t Gudetama themed, but the tangy, savory dressing made the salad a satisfying appetizer.

After the salad came corn potage in a cup - this time, actually part of the character theme. Gudetama’s cute blobby face, adorned in a chef hat, was depicted in green matcha powder on top. Steamy hot chowder was a wonderful way to warm our stomachs on the chilly day, and the aroma was delectable. The soup itself was nice and creamy, with a light sweetness from the corn chunks that didn’t fight the overall savory taste; definitely a delicious start to our Gudetama meal adventure.

When the keema curry came out, a sunny-side-up Gudetama laid on top of the rice and curry, jiggly and cute as always, though perhaps still a little bit too wet (for us). We almost felt bad for breaking the adorable yolk and eating it! The rice under the curry was perfectly textured - not too undercooked, and not too soggy either. Nicely separated hunks of beef were generously mixed into the dish as well as cooked onions and mushrooms. There was also a vegetarian option, for those less inclined to eat meat. The curry itself was also very savory and tasty, and there was lots of it! We barely finished our plates, we were so full. The only possible complaint was that there were no pickled veggies to pair with this dish.

For dessert, Gudetama came in what looked like flan-form. We quickly realized - after dipping in our spoons to carve out his glazed face - that he was an egg custard pudding, appropriately themed for his collaboration and final farewell. It was refreshingly cold after the curry, and the flavor of the pudding was very milky, almost as buttery soft as its texture. The syrup on top was very sweet, and smile-inducing for us sweet tooth candy kids!

The meal set was definitely worth the price; we dare it was… egg-cellent! It would be quite egg-citing news if Curry House added the items to their regular menu, but we won’t hold our hopes too high. If you’ve got time before the end of February, go check it out - especially if you love cute themed food events. There are several locations in California. We recommend that you check out this cute themed event before it ends. Grab some cute photos and a beanie for yourself!

Danny

]]><![CDATA[J-POP Summit 2017 Announces Premium Line-up of Ramen, Sake, and Food Vendors at This Year's Festival]]>Mon, 21 Aug 2017 07:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/a-to-j-eats/j-pop-summit-2017-announces-premium-line-up-of-ramen-sake-and-food-vendors-at-this-years-festival

The San Francisco Bay Area’s Premiere Japanese Pop Culture Event Announces A Slate of Japanese Food and Drinks Participants at Fort Mason Center For Arts and Culture This September

J-POP SUMMIT 2017 announces another exciting year with a diverse line-up of Japanese ramen chefs, sake producers, and food and drink vendors to be featured on Saturday, September 9th and Sunday, September 10th starting at 11:00am at the Fort Mason Center For Arts and Culture’s Festival Pavilion, located at 2 Marina Blvd in San Francisco, CA.

Ramen Summit
Launched in 2016, Ramen Summit returns this year featuring top-rated ramen restaurants from around the Bay Area as well as Seattle. The ramen restaurants will show off their best broth and noodles from 11:00am-6:00pm in the Festival Pavilion Parking Area inside Fort Mason Center. More details at http://www.j-pop.com/2017/ramen-summit/

Slurp a variety of ramen from:
nojo ramen tavern
Orenchi Beyond
Marufuku Ramen
Hinodeya Ramen & Bar
Yoroshiku

Sake Summit
Prominent sake-makers and distributors from Japan and the U.S. will gather at the Festival Pavilion inside Fort Mason Center from 11:30am-4:30pm. The featured tasting menu includes a variety of sakes from:
GRC Imports
Hosoda Brothers Inc. (Sat. only)
JFC International
NA Sales
Sake Brothers (Sun. Only)
Sushi Ran (SAKE SUMMIT Premium only)
Takara Sake U.S.A. (Sat. only)
Wismettac (Sat. only)

Snacks, Drinks & Food Trucks
A variety of Japanese snacks, drinks, and local food trucks will also be offering Japanese fare available for purchase. The food trucks will be stationed in the Food Park located outside the Festival Pavilion.
Food trucks will include:
JapaCurry
J-Shack
We Sushi
Wapioca

Inside the Festival Pavilion is the Food Court that will feature samplings and sales of popular and delicious Japanese snacks and drinks offered by:
iichiko
SAPPORO
Kikkoman
ITO EN
Choya
Takara Sake U.S.A.
Minamoto Kitchoan
Hirotako
Shige Sushi
Shimadaya

Tickets
Ticket details are available at www.j-pop.com/tickets/

About J-POP SUMMIT
J-POP SUMMIT is one of the world’s biggest Japanese pop culture events, held every summer in San Francisco, CA. By introducing the latest in Japanese music, fashion, film, art, games, tech-innovation, anime, food, as well as niche subcultures, the festival has become a launch pad for new trends from Japan.

Official website: https://www.j-pop.com
Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JPOPSUMMIT/featured
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JPOPSummit/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jpopsummit/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JpopSummitFest

]]><![CDATA[Hello Kitty Mini Cafe Grand Opening]]>Fri, 14 Apr 2017 03:24:30 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/a-to-j-eats/hello-kitty-mini-cafe-grand-opening

On Friday, April 7th, the Hello Kitty Mini Café opened at the Santa Anita Mall. After their recent great success and incredibly high demand from both the Hello Kitty Café Truck and the Hello Kitty Café Pop-Up Container, they decided to open a permanent location for guests to enjoy.

At this location they will offer a vast assortment of treats and beverages that you were able to experience at the food trucks and the pop-ups. Pastries are made fresh every day by hand. Even better, they will adapt their menu to seasonal changes which allow fans to experience fresh and new treats! Other than their amazing food, you are able to pick up special merchandise such as: t-shirts, mugs, water bottles, and more from this location.

For their grand opening, the Hello Kitty Mini Café offered a special for their early customers. A free drink with purchase to the first 50 customers and a commemorative prize to the first 100. We, Hama and myself, got there right when the mall opened but were surprised to already see a long line waiting! While in line we had the chance to interact with other customers that were equally as excited for the event. When the café finally opened, there was a roar of excitement as the first customer made their order. The service was fast and polite. There were a lot of people ordering and we had first anticipated that the workers would not be ready for the rush but were very pleasantly surprised. They took to their job with ease and everything was very orderly despite the crowd. We hardly had to wait between ordering and receiving our food! Everything was just amazing.

Their menu had an assortment of treats to offer and we couldn’t stop with just one. We were able to meet up with Mark, whom we know from Harajuku Day and Akiba Day, which was awesome since we were able to enjoy a lot of the menu together. In total we ordered the: birthday cake, 5 piece macaron set, strawberry cake, mama's apple pie, mixed berry tart, Hello Kitty pocket pie, and the strawberry mint lemonade. It was a lot of food but every bite was magical.

The macron set came with five different flavors that were color coded: blue for chocolate, green for pistachio, red for strawberry, cream for vanilla and yellow for passion fruit. These macrons are just amazing. They had amazing texture and were really soft when bitten. The filling flavors were rich and you could tell that they used actual ingredients when making them. Pistachio was very nutty while the chocolate was very smooth. Strong but not overpowering. My favorite were the fruit ones, especially the passion fruit. It had an amazing layered taste that perfectly balanced out the tartness of the fruit and sweetness of the pastry. Every macron other than the cream one, which was decorated with Hello Kitty's face, had a cute fondant bow at the corner. If I could order just a set of passion fruit macrons, that would be amazing.

One of their most iconic pastries would have to be the birthday cake. It is shaped like a present with fondant ribbons and Hello Kitty color themed sprinkles covering the whole cake. It seems like the base is made of pound cake but I loved that it was not heavy at all. The cake was light and spongy with a rich taste. Each bite also included the sprinkles that gave it great texture. This is the kind of birthday cake I wish I could have every year!

Next was the pocket pie, or pop-tart. It comes in the shape of Hello Kitty's head with icing, sprinkles, and a large chocolate bow. The shell of the pocket pie tastes like short bread and the filling was luxuriously smooth. You can get the filling in two different flavors: ??? and raspberry, we got the raspberry. Again, what I love is that the filling was not overly sweet and had a great smooth texture. Like the birthday cake, the sprinkles on top also gave a great crunch with every bite. This pastry has a very intricate layered taste.

With a super cute presentation of edible pearls, Hello Kitty shaped fondant decoration, white icing, and a large strawberry; is the strawberry cake from the Hello Kitty Mini Café. This cake is amazing! Its cake part is very light and fluffy with a layer of more strawberries and icing. What I love to do was to cut a slice so I am able to have the cake and decorations in one mouthful. I would leave the strawberry for last because the lingering taste of the cake on the tongue was a mix for the tartness of the fruit.

I am a sucker for tarts, fruit tarts are just the best! For the mixed berry tart, it came with: blueberries, blackberries and raspberries! All piled onto a red crust filled with custard and topped with a dark chocolate disk embossed with the image of Hello Kitty. Originally, I had thought the crust would be flavored with berry puree but it was just colored. The berries of this tart was all fresh and very delicious. It was a great foil to the custard below.

The last pastry would be the mama's apple and that was by far my favorite. Its crust was so flaky and soft while the apples within were very well seasoned. My favorite part is that the apples were a little tart. Having the apples a little tart makes everything refreshing and not overpowering. Add in the mix of cinnamon and sugar seasoning and everything is a dream. The presentation for this treat is just as cute. It is in the shape of a mini pie with lattice top crust and topped with another Hello Kitty head. This is definitely the pie that I'm going to order on my every visit.

With a spread like this, you need something equally as great to wash it down. My pick was the strawberry mint lemonade and I was not sorry. This is by far my favorite drink and especially for the summer. Inside are little cubed pieces of strawberries and mint leaves. In every gulp you can taste the berries and the mint leaves make it so light. The lemonade itself is also very nice and tart without being overly sweet. Again, by far my favorite drink and on my "to order" list on my visits to come.

At the grand opening, fans came dressed in super cute Hello Kitty themed coords and products. Children were very excited and some of them were also decked out in super Hello Kitty outfits. I was lucky enough to be able to get the commemorative gift, which was a cute key chain in the shape of a to-go coffee cup. It is decorated in with an adorable design and had a sleeve that announced the grand opening date. We had so much fun. Hama even got a picture taken by Sanrio and was featured on their Facebook page! I continued to stay throughout the day and by the time I left, around 6:15 PM, the line had not decreased at all! While they sold out of their most popular treats by that time, the staff were still diligent and helped out customers to the best of their abilities.

My go-to menu:

Strawberry mint lemonade
Mama's apple pie
5 piece macron set

Overall, this was such an awesome experience and we're so excited to have this café as a permanent fixture in a location that is so close to us! We also want to give a huge shout out to Mark and Dyann for helping us so much! We can't wait to come back in the very near future. In the words of the Hello Kitty Mini Café staff:

Have a sweet day!

-Eunice

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