Dead Red

We were invited along to the birthday celebrations for a Japanese aquaintance last night. Masami-san decided the special evening would be best spent at the nearest Outback Steakhouse. This agreed with me, as steak was one of the things I didn't have a chance to sample when back in the states recently. I actually like the grass-fed beef you can get out here (it's all they feed their cows here in Japan and in Australia - the last country Japan will still import beef from). The vice principal at my school swears by the American corn-fed stuff that's no longer available out here (thanks to a mid-Atlantic distributor who didn't check for loose spinal columns in a shipment back in January), but I really don't think either one tastes better. And the grass-fed stuff is supposedly leaner and higher in Omega-3 fatty acids, so what the hell. I'll eat it.

Spekaing of dead cow, our friend and fellow English teacher Ben was along last night as well, giving us a chance to conspire about our 4th of July barbecue. The 4th isn't a holiday here of course, so we'll be throwing the party on the 1st this year. Close enough. Last year the festivities were at our place, but Ben has offered his more substantial parking area for the grill and fireworks this time around. Should be fun. We'll let you all know, of course.