Blood Blog - Step 1 - Information

As I have mentioned in my previous blog entry, I am preparing to donate blood as a form of support to my friends running the BMO Vancouver Marathon. I've always wanted to donate ever since 2001 when I found out I am a universal donor (I've know I am an O since I was a kid, but not sure about the neg part). There was a mobile blood donation clinic that visited UBC dormitory where I lived, and I sat in to talk to a nurse about what donating blood is about and she tested my blood type then. For other health reason I did not donate back then, and since then I did not have an incentive to start, till now.

This afternoon I was just in the Canadian Blood Services clinic located on Oak and 32nd, Vancouver. I did as much research on the Internet as I could but still feel like it would be nice to have a human to talk to before I really have a needle stick in me. So I took a bus to the clinic and had a short chat with a lady there. Basically, if you are in good health you can donate. So the steps are:

1. go online to register (did that this afternoon)
2. confirmation email to set up account (waiting for that)
3. set up an appointment (will do once I completed #2)
4. eat plenty of protein and iron rich food to get your hemoglobin up (checked)
5. make sure you have good meals and sleep before the donation, and have a snack an hour before so you have good level of blood sugar so you won't faint (need to remember that)
6. show up at the appointment
7. fill in questionnaire
8. quick talk over with nurse regarding recent health
9. lay down and wait for the needle
10. have a cookie after you are done

Simple 10 steps, and you could save a life.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Gyu-Kaku is the first Japanese style BBQ place I have noticed in Vancouver. When I visited Taiwan 4 years ago, this Japanese style, as opposed to the Korean style, was all the fad (and still is I believe) - every couple blocks would have a BBQ place. The difference in the two style is mostly in the marinate - Korean style marinate the meat to death (with great flavour, but to death) so the cut of the meat is not the most important thing, while the Japanese style focuses on the meat, only marinate minutes, if at all, before bringing to the grill.

Happy hour starts at 9pm~

The other main difference is the point of the Japanese style is not to grill the meat until you have the charcoal flavour, but to lightly cook the meat till it just slightly passes the raw-cooked line, then take it off the grill, eat it right away or dip in sauces to stop the cooking process. This way you can really enjoy the cut and flavour of the meat. But because of this, you will need to baby each piece carefully, watch out for the slightest change in color so you know the best time to flip the meat (only once). And it is important the grill surface is clean so you don't burn the meat. All of the above reason make it a really slow cooking process, so not recommended when you are hungry. However, the fact that this kind of places always serves alcohol baffles me - how are you supposed to baby the food when you have beer goggles on?

It is very cute that one of the dessert you can order is smores - well, yeah, why not?

Anyway, highly entertaining meal and highly recommended. Just go during happy hours because might as well save the money on food so you can spend on alcohol.

Ten Hachi revisited

So it was two days before my friend running the BMO Vancouver Marathon, and in his training schedule, it is time for carbo-loading. So he brings me to Ten Hachi for lunch, telling me the rice here is one of the best he has ever had. I have been to Ten Hachi with another friend before, and I remeber the food was really good, but I can't exactly remember if I ordered something with rice and if I did how it was. But sure enough, the rice is outstanding. It is soft but chewy at the same time, making you want to refrain from swallowing the rice just so you can enjoy it a little bit longer. And best of all, extra bowls of rice are free :D-

Ten Hachi in many way is a very unique restaurant. It is not exactly located in a business area, and it is not in a typical restaurant building. It is actually the restaurant attached to the Shaughnessy Village, a hotel/short-term apartment. And because of this, Ten Hachi serves breakfast - how many Japanese restaurant you know serves breakfast?!

You can also see the set meals at Ten Hachi come with miso soup and side dishes, but not the typical soup and side dishes (iceberg salad / gyoza) you see in other Japanese restaurant, the side dishes here are actually complex traditional dishes on their own - mashed potato/salad with colorful ingredients, candied salmon, konyaku (yam jelly) stewed in mirin/bonito fish soup, pickled veggies, and fish based soup with cabbage, seaweed, and sprouts. You can tell extensive effort had been put into the food here.

I was in the mood for something "light" so I ordered tuna sashimi - it tasted fatty and fresh as it should be. The fact that the shreds of daikon are not in curls means it is really cut with a knife by hand, not by that weird peeling gadget, skills man! Last time I was here I ordered the tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet) and I was blown out of my mind. I was told whenever you go to a Japanese restaurant you never been before order two things - egg nigiri and tonkatsu. The egg nigiri can tell you where the chef learn his skills (northern or southern part of Japan), and tonkatsu tells you if he/she is any good. The tonkatsu in Ten Hachi was made (I think) the traditional way which a thick cut of pork is wrapped in ooba (perilla or the green beefsteak plant, that green thing you see underneath the tuna) so there is a extra layer of taste, then coated with egg then panko. And it was deep fried to a light golden color but the thick pork inside is well cooked through but moist. Yes, it is a definite great feeling when you can feel the chef's effort.

If I had to pick a small fault it would be the rice is not steaming hot. But overall great restaurant, A++, definitely I will come back to try the breakfast. And remember to grab a membership/stamp card so you can get free appy or free combo.

Iron-Loading

I'm starting my iron-loading process because I promised my friend that I would donate blood 5 times if he and his wife can finish the BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 6th - and they did. So now it's my turn. This dish is as simple as it gets. Scoop couple spoon of my favorite marinated minced meat on top of washed spinach, and microwave for a minute and a half. I feel like Popeye the sailor man.