June 17, 2013
by Kayoko
Conbini is a shortened word for “convenience” which is referred to when talking about convenience stores in Japan. Littered around on any street corner in most cities, conbinis are like a typical corner store, or bodega — but from the future. They are well-lit, sparkling clean havens stocked with freshly prepared foods to-go, nail clippers, panty hose, comic books and magazines, cigarettes, cup noodles, cold + hot drinks, and anything else you would have ever fantasized about picking up on your way home after a long day of work.
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Posted in Article
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Tagged Conbini, DJ Chungtech, Grease Box, Kronnerburger, Party, Party of the Year, Peko Peko, Sutton Cellars Winery, Takara, U-Mart, Yataiya
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June 14, 2013
by Kayoko
Welcome to a special edition of Kayo’s Kitchen: Live from Hopkins Buffet! For those who follow our Instagram, you may have asked yourselves, “Where is the Hopkins Buffet?” Well, it’s Yoko’s house of course! God forbid she should name her place something bore-a-thon like Yoko’s Kitchen!
I tested out a new cocktail creation recently in Yoko’s new kitchen. Her kitchen is literally brand spankin’ new — new dishwasher, new stove, new refrigerator, new countertops.
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June 10, 2013
by Kayoko
In seven years of Umami Mart, there has not been a single post about dashinomoto! As the editor and founder of this international food blog, I am… ashamed. Dashinomoto (aka fake dashi aka MSG) is the backbone of LAZY Japanese home cooking. Yoko and Harumi Kurihara would not approve. But COME ON, sometimes, I don’t have time (aka I’m too lazy) to make dashi from scratch.
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June 7, 2013
by Kayoko
Our shop is located right next to Oakland’s Chinatown, where I spend a lot of my time. This is sort of a dream for me, I’ve always wanted to be near a Chinatown, whether in NYC or in the Bay Area — so I could have access to a variety of banh mi, noodles, dim sum, and roasted ducks hanging in the windows.
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June 6, 2013
by Kayoko
It all started out so innocently, like any of Yoko’s casual ideas: “Why don’t we add a konbini to the back of the store???”
A konbini inside Umami Mart?!?!?! This will go onto the wall of Genius Yoko Ideas, on par with: “Why don’t we open an Umami Mart storefront???” (Circa March 2012).
This was about three weeks ago, and since then it’s been a non-stop flurry of meetings with the city (can we sell food?); meetings with Anders (can you design a konbini and get your bum over here asap?); and meetings with Devin and Joe, furniture builders (can you get this done on a VERY MINIMAL budget?).
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May 30, 2013
by Kayoko
Ume (Japanese plum) season is upon us! Through the years, we’ve brought you many posts about making umeshu (plum cordial) at home. We’ve had several umeshu features and recipes on the blog, from Yoko’s kitchen in Tokyo, MOTO’s kitchen in NYC, and from Sylvan’s Peko Peko HQ in Oakland.
There have been loads of of questions and feedback from these various posts, with lots of specific questions about the umeshu-making process.
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May 27, 2013
by Kayoko
I don’t know about you, but finding a gift for Dad has always been so HARD. Trying to brainstorm the perfect gift for my mom was tough, but a gift for my father? Impossible. I think it’s a misconception that women are pickier than men — at least in my family, Kuni was the toughest gift critic.
Father’s Day is coming up on Sunday June 16, and I’d like to think that we’ve put together gift sets that fathers would really appreciate.
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May 24, 2013
by Kayoko
Guess what, we’re re-doing our floors!!! This is SO exciting for us — as many of you know, our floors are white. While beautiful, we’ve come to a point where they must be replaced. We’ll be getting down on our hands and knees to install NEW WHITE FLOORING this Sunday 5/26 + Monday 5/27, which means we must close our doors.
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by Kayoko
On a lovely spring day, we hosted an event focused on seed season and gardening. One of our most popular items at Umami Mart are the Asian vegetable and fruit seeds by the Kitazawa Seed Company — so we knew that many people in our community would be interested in a gardening event. The talk was led by Kristyn Leach, a friend of mine who manages Namu Farm in Sunol, CA, a farm dedicated to providing produce exclusively for the popular Namu Gaji restaurant in San Francisco.
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May 17, 2013
by Kayoko
I have a confession to make: I am not a fan of potlucks. I’ve always found it to be a lot of pressure and kind of take them too seriously. But bringing a home-cooked dish to a party is not only financially practical for the party host and guests, but also supposed to be FUN, right? Arg.
I actually blame Hideko, my mother, for my fear of potlucks.
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