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Category: Food

  • Kyoto Express in Brunswick, Georgia Is My Favorite Americanized Japanese Food

    a white plate with plain fried rice, fried zucchini, teriyaki chicken, hibachi shrimp and broccoli,

    Another favorite restaurant of mine in Brunswick, Georgia is Kyoto Express. It carries on the tradition of Kyoto Restaurant (lovingly called Kyoto’s) that used to be the go-to celebration hibachi restaurant on St. Simon’s Island, which featured large hibachi grills you sat around, twirling knives, explosive fire cooking, and good times. After Kyoto Restaurant closed, one of the chefs opened Joe’s Japanese next to Glynn Place Mall, which recreated the Kyoto Restaurant experience without the same kind of atmosphere as the original. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long, but thankfully, Kyoto Express opened as a quick alternative without the show and atmosphere but with the same good food. It is located in the Publix shopping center next to the Super Wal-Mart.

    I went there several times during my last trip to Brunswick. My go-to meal is the teriyaki chicken and hibachi shrimp dinner (above). I also like the teriyaki chicken and hibachi steak combo dinner (below). If I’m real hungry, I’ll add on a side of extra veggies (stir-fried zucchini, onions, and sesame seeds).

    There are two key elements that keep me coming back to Kyoto Express besides the overall quality of the food. The first is the way that they make stir-fried rice. It’s simple. They begin with oil on the grill. Then dump the rice. After working it a little, they add a lot of butter while working it over the grill’s surface and then toss in some soy sauce for flavor and color. The second element are the sauces. While most folks tend to like the “white sauce,” I don’t. I only use two sauces: mustard sauce (a concoction I’m guessing of thick mustard and soy sauce) and ginger sauce (both seen below). I use the ginger sauce for shrimp and steak. I put mustard sauce on everything else–chicken, veggies, and rice.

    several plates: one plate of plain fried rice, hibachi steak and mushrooms, teriyaki chicken, stirfried zucchini, a bowl with extra stir fried veggies, and a small plate with three cups of mustard sauce and one cup of ginger sauce

  • Pizza Inn Thin Crust and a Box of Grandy’s French Fries is a Delicious Combination

    A family favorite meal when I was young was a box of french fries from Grandy’s and a thin-crust pizza from Pizza Inn. When I make my way back to Brunswick, I try to get this combination at least once. However, this past trip I went four times during my two week trip! Since my parents live about 30 miles from Brunswick now, my dad and I would eat our pizzas and fries in the car–sometimes in the Marshes of Glynn Overlook Park and sometimes in the back of the Pizza Inn parking lot. Nowadays, my dad prefers a double helping of hamburger on a pan pizza, and I get a handful of different toppings (hamburger, pepperoni, black olives, spinach, mushrooms, and onions) on my thin-crust pie. If you find yourself in Brunswick, both restaurants are recommended!

  • Remember to Ventilate Your Flameless Ration Heater When In an Enclosed Space

    water-activated mre heater warming an elbow macaroni in tomato sauce entree inclined on a window's sill and next to open window

    While its instructions state that “When ten or more heaters are used inside a vehicle or shelter, ensure the ventilation system is operating or a top hatch or door is open,” it gives me peace of mind to let my flameless ration heater (a water-activated magnesium, iron, and salt chemical heating device for MREs) do its thing on my supper next to a cracked window when I’m indoors as part of its reaction produces hydrogen. Also, it pays to remember that these things get HOT!

  • Green Onion Pancake Tacos

    hand holding a green onion pancake folded in half filled with ground beef taco mix, sauce, and shredded cheese over a flat green onion pancake in a white ceramic plate

    Last night, I made a delightful meal by mixing two things that don’t normally go together–Taiwanese green onion pancakes and ground beef taco mix.

    I asked Y to cook me two green onion pancakes, a breakfast staple back in Taiwan. Normally, you eat them with a fried egg rolled inside with a little bit of soy sauce paste like the one below.

    a green onion pancake with a fried egg and soy sauce paste folded inside resting on a white ceramic plate

    Dubious about my plan, Y cooked me two green onion pancakes while I reheated some leftover ground beef and onion taco mix that I had made on Saturday afternoon. I also set out my favorite sauce, Ortega Medium Original Taco Sauce, and a small bowl of shredded cheese.

    from left to right: a bottle of ortega medium taco sauce, a small bowl of shredded cheese, a large bowl of ground beef and onion taco mix, and a green onion pancake on a plate

    Then, I spooned the beef onto a green onion pancake, poured ample sauce, and covered with plenty of cheese.

    a green onion pancake flat with ground beef taco mix, sauce, and shredded cheese over a flat green onion pancake in a white ceramic plate

    The crispiness of the pancake resisted folding, but it eventually went over and formed a taco-like shape. Biting into the crisp outer layer and soft inner layer of the pancake before hitting the taco mix, sauce, and cheese really was something else. I wanted to savor it, but I made a short order of it because it was so good!

  • Vegetarian With a Kick: Mexican Style Rice and Bean Bowl MRE Menu 14

    brown MRE pouch

    Yesterday, I enjoyed MRE Menu 14: Mexican Style Rice and Bean Bowl from Case B. After teaching one class and spending an hour in the library archives pulling materials for a graduate student from the City Tech Science Fiction Collection, I was ready for some sustenance before teaching my evening class. This MRE hit the spot!

    brown MRE pouch next to its contents in a clear plastic pouch

    Menu 14 includes the following items clockwise from the top left:

    • Carboard Sleeve
    • Mexican Style Rice and Bean Bowl Entree
    • Pretzel Nuggets Honey Mustard & Onion Flavor
    • Crackers
    • Peanut Butter
    • Beverage Pouch
    • Water-activated Heater
    • Spoon
    • Crushed Red Pepper
    • Chocolate Protein Drink Powder
    • First Strike Nutritious Energy Bar Cran-Raspberry Flavor
    • Accessory Packet (Coffee, Creamer, Sugar, Artificial Sweetener, Salt, Moist Towelette, TP)
    plastic and foil pouches of food from an MRE

    I tried the rice and beans before adding the crushed red pepper, and I liked the flavor as is and saved the pepper for later. I didn’t try any of the sides of this MRE, because I also brought some dessert from home. I’ll mix-and-match the sides with other MREs in the future.

    open pouch of MRE entree: rice and beans