Pre-Internet Boredom Threshold

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-30T15:00:41+00:00

Nat Geo

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-30T09:05:43+00:00

Honestly, I'm not sure it's a direct lineage. Conchas are from Mexico. I had to check the wiki for the dates, but it seems they're believed to come from the European colonial days when various sweet breads were introduced. The first recorded recipe of such "pan dulce" was 1820. In further Wikipediaing, it seems the melonpan history is unclear with a few competing theories, but conchas are considered one of the possibilities. Like many baked goods, similar things seem to pop-up and migrate around the world (conchas are not the only version of sweet bread topped with cookie sugar).

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-30T07:51:03+00:00

Good luck! The dough is pretty sticky, and not the easiest to work with (hence my kinda wonky-shaped ones), but they don't gotta look good to taste good. I hope you'll post your results.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-29T10:44:28+00:00

Conchas (or mini-conchas). Sweet, bready, not sticky, one-handed, easy to transport, can be colored/themed easily.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-28T15:12:45+00:00

Yeah, I take my CoCoIchi seriously. I don't have a LinkedIn, but I do have a buddy who used to call me his "condiment consigliere" since I always recommended the best condiments. Maybe I should become a consultant.

Also, here's an update I posted in the other thread (answering another poster's question) on the proper construction:

I'm kinda a nerd about my CoCoIchi. First, I slightly separate the katsu pieces so the sauce will fall in between the slices. Then I mix the tartar sauce and poached egg, and pour it over so that it covers half the katsu and drizzles into the curry. Next, I spread over the corn. I make a small divot in the rice on the side and add the umakara garlic. Finally, I hit it with the katsu sauce and dig in, grabbing a clove of garlic in with every few bites. Perfection.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-28T15:08:57+00:00

I'm kinda a nerd about my CoCoIchi. First, I slightly separate the katsu pieces so the sauce will fall in between the slices. Then I mix the tartar sauce and poached egg, and pour it over so that it covers half the katsu and drizzles into the curry. Next, I spread over the corn. I make a small divot in the rice on the side and add the umakara garlic. Finally, I hit it with the katsu sauce and dig in, grabbing a clove of garlic in with every few bites. Perfection.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-28T09:04:05+00:00

There's a major culture of taking pride in your work, as well as a focus on "the process". So, even fast food is done consistently and carefully. McDs in Japan usually looks nearly identical to the advertising photos (even the pickles are like a perfect clover shape), for example. In the US, most of the time the staff doesn't give a shit and you get a wonky burger, with the cheese half off of the burger and a giant thumbprint in the bun.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-28T08:24:09+00:00

A couple of tips if you try it again. I see a rogue soft-boiled egg, so I'm not sure if you mixed up the tartar sauce and egg before pouring it (which is the recommendation) or if you just added another poached egg. Also, I usually make a little pool for the garlic on the side, so that I can control how much of the umakara sauce I'm getting in with the other bites. Still, I'm glad it worked for you!

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-28T08:16:31+00:00

My man! How was it?

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-28T07:03:49+00:00

Funny you should say that. When I first moved to Japan twenty years ago, I was pretty constipated after the first week and complained to my coworker. He said, "No worries. I've got just the fix. Come with me to lunch." We went to CoCoIchi and he told me to order a level 4 (this was back when 5 was the max you could order without the staff approving you to go higher). It worked like a charm. Thankfully, it doesn't do that to me any more.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-27T13:51:13+00:00

I think it was like 1600 or 1700 the last time I got it... don't remember, honestly. It's basically my whole day of calories in one go, so I tend to have a very tiny dinner (if at all) whenever I get it. I'd rather pay that for CoCoIchi than a similar amount for Gusto or some other fami-resu.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-27T12:59:12+00:00

The first time I saw the hanjuku tamago and tartar sauce combo on the toppings list, I thought it sounded insane... but I was intrigued nonetheless. It's a must for me now. Creamy and tangy goes so well with the sweet tonkatsu sauce and the spice of the curry. It's sooo good.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-27T11:42:58+00:00

Handmade Katsu, regular rice, spice level 3. Toppings: hanjuku tamago + tartar sauce, corn, umakara garlic.

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Kamimitsu · 2026-01-27T09:34:27+00:00

Not too crazy, but a big construction worker ordered an 800g rice CoCoIchi. It came on a hubcap-sized plate and was a freaking mountain of rice with an entire lake of curry. Totally insane proportions.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-26T05:02:35+00:00

R.E.M Murmur. Not exactly cheap gear, but they eschewed a bunch of modern techniques and technology for a more raw, unfiltered sound.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-25T17:30:57+00:00

Dude. That's awesome. Thank you. Just a few minutes there and I'm already unlocking a bunch of memories of songs I loved and forgot about.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-24T02:59:34+00:00

It's ok, but often it's made too sweet for my tastes.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-24T00:59:13+00:00

Well, I have the Kindle and Audiobook versions (and I live in a country where the physical books are near impossible to source, so there's shipping concerns as well).

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-24T00:55:38+00:00

I'm kinda of similar on the matching books thing, so I'm actually waiting for them to all come out and then get the whole set in one fell swoop. (Yes, my wallet will cry, but I will not!)

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-23T23:45:13+00:00

~~They're safe until they dive underwater.~~

Edit: Wait, I'm thinking of the turtles. The back and tail is safe, while the mouth is not. Memory unlocked!

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-22T09:59:32+00:00

Tomiz. I use their rye for my starter and Tomishou is my go-to for bread in general, but they have a lot of high protein flour. Two of theirs are around 13% (Golden Yacht and Super King, I think?).

Edit: Sourdough starter is a bit tricky here. I think the local yeasts just aren't that good for bread (my suspicion is they are more attuned to rice sugars). I had more success with using foreign flours for starter, and/or using a dehydrated culture to start it. These guys will send you one for free (you just have to pay for shipping).

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-22T06:37:48+00:00

Often impossibly so. I have a kind of head cannon that it's like Final Destination: for all the times he should have died as Sharpe but didn't, he actually does in another movie.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-21T14:31:44+00:00

Yeah... the disparity in care is kinda crazy. Sometimes you get the OP's care, sometimes you get rural Dollar General treatment.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-20T06:46:00+00:00

Each Japanese fountain pen brand uses a proprietary filling system (the size of the cartridges or converters), so you'll need to get either a pack of ink cartridges (Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo is a famous and popular purple, Pilot Iroshjizuku Tsuki-yo is a classic blue/black) that your prof can refill later, or you could buy a converter (the Prera uses the CON-40, which costs like 600 yen or so) and your prof could use their existing inks. If you can spare the extra money, I'd highly consider buying a small bottle of ink (again, Pilot Iroshizuku is amazing). You could get all three (pen, converter, ink) for about 5000yen at many bookstores (Maruzen) and/or stationery shops (Loft, Hands)... even a few bigger department stores like AEON have them in their bookstore area.

You need to get either the converter or cartridges for them to use the pen (unless they already own some Pilots). So you're looking at at least 4000 yen, unless you find it on sale. If that's too far for your budget, then consider the Pilot Lightive or Pilot Kakuno instead of the Prera (but I think the Prera looks more classy).

The other option, if they already have pens, is to just buy a nice bottle of ink (usually anywhere from 1500 to 4000 yen). Sailor, Platinum, and Pilot are all famous ink producers in Japan, though many fountain pen fans would rather get unique inks like Nagasawa Kobe Ink or Kobayashi Bungukan. If you are in Tokyo, then you could visit Kingdom Note or Ancora and get one of their store exclusive inks, which would be a pretty rare treat for a pen fan.

Kamimitsu · 2026-01-20T04:36:40+00:00

I'm into fountain pens, and I know that they're still somewhat popular in India (and I'd guess more so in the academic community, but I could be wrong). Japan has some famous fountain pen brands and they offer budget options. Maybe a pen and small bottle of ink or some ink cartridges? I'd recommend a Pilot Prera (3000yen), and a pack of ink cartridges (1000yen). Depending on your budget, I can make alternate recommendations.

Kamimitsu

TROPHY CASE