I can’t believe it’s been almost two years since I made Soy Sauce, Sugar, Mirin.
Some of you are still buying it for Christmas presents.
A few weeks ago, I flicked the ‘global distribution’ switch, which means you can buy the book now on your local Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Dymocks … everywhere that sells books online.
What’s gonna happen is that once ordered, the book will be printed locally in a warehouse near you.
The upside, especially if you’re overseas, is shipping. You can now pay local shipping (or none at all for some) instead of me licking stamps from Australia.
So now I am the Asian Bernie Sanders, once again using emotional blackmail on my birthday to ask you, the readers - if you’ve ever bought the book and enjoyed it - to leave a review on Amazon to kick-start the algorithm.
Even if it’s 1 star, I’ll take some PR for no PR.
Last year I wrote a wanky guide to Christmas.
This year, I’m just going to keep it real and short, as Black Friday Sale is ending as we speak.
So, let’s go.
The previous list still holds up - the Alessi citrus juicer, Apple Airtags, a bottle of Junmai Daiginjyo, truffle oil, vanilla beans, saffron, SK-II Pitera treatment essence, dried scallops.
Expensive wanky tea is definitely still in. It’s been a year, and no one can still tell me the difference between Da Hong Pao and Pu Erh tea. So buy them for your white friends.
For your photographer-wannabe friends, gift them a year of Adobe Photoshop / Lightroom subscription. I don’t think you can buy a giftcard as yet, just give them cash, and make up a very poorly-drawn card like my daughter does.
If you REALLY like this photographer friend, get him/her a Capture One Pro subscription. I’ll have to write more about it next time, but basically don’t buy a new camera; buy industry-standard editing software.
Real, professionals? Gift them a couple of high-speed SD cards, and 2TB worth of SSD hard drive. That’s all you need, man.
On the same note, if they’re trying to be a writer, gift them a distraction-free writing app.
If they’re into cooking, 2 for 1 Masterclass to watch Massimo Bottura flirt intensely with his sous-chef Taka.
Basically, online lessons and subscriptions, so hot right now.
Home cooks?
A Kitchen Aid or Kenwood mixer makes sense.
Oh, you don’t like them THAT much?
How about attachments? I hear KitchenAid has pasta makers, bronze bowls, and attachments to grind meat, slice cucumbers, massage your neck etc.
Still don’t like them that much?
How about Silpat baking mats?
Nordic Ware baking trays?
(Better make sure they fit the ovens.)
For home cooks who don’t cook?
Anything LeCreuset.
Anything Tom Dixon. Anything Georg Jensen.
Here’s a Harvard Wang exclusive tip:
Amazon Japan has resume shipping to Australia.
Tamagoyaki pan is a good start.
Donnabe pot, if they have gone beyond electronic Zojirushi or Tiger or Cuckoo rice cookers.
Konbu, the really good ones from Rishiri, Hokkaido.
Noda Horo teapots.
The possibility is endless.
Just stop getting scammed by CIBI, the Facebook ads from Minimaru or whatever, buy from Japan straight away.
Filter coffee lovers, the JX Pro Coffee Grinder.
Have you heard, coffee price is gone up to $6 now?
Any coffee subscription will do.
Did you also know, Aesop is old news?
A friend showed me photos of the ingredients label of a product, and they have added more WATER. Come to think of it, when was the last time you memorised the ingredients of your facial cleanser?
Anyway, this dishonesty has pushed us up the hill of the pursuit of wanky handwash, and we arrived at Aotea, a brand from New Zealand that tight-rope walks between honesty and bullshit.
Constantly out of stock, but you may find a few in Australia online.
At the bottom of the hill, there’s The Ordinary.
Looks expensive, but available at Priceline.
Get the buffet, it’s good.
Recession is looming, so take your friends out for a nice meal.
Buy them a meal voucher.
This also supports the hospitality industry.
Go through the Good Food Guide, or Gourmet Traveller and throw a dart.
Everyone complains about fine dining, until you tell them it’s free.
How about this, the best gift, completely free - instead of buying stuff, try listening to your friend during a catch-up.
As in, don’t talk at all, don’t one-up the misery, don’t emphasize or emphatise, just ask ‘and then what?’
Or ‘what about x?’
Or ‘wow’.
And listen.
There’s a huge backlog of people waiting to see their therapist right now, and the foreseeable future.
And I personally think sometimes, people just need to vent, without the feeling of being judged. I think they used to call that ‘friends’ and ‘relatives’ and ‘support’.
That’s not too much to ask, yea? Don’t over think stuff, and pretend you’re a spirit above your physical body, and listen.
Think about your listening pose.
Yea?
There’s always some good in us.
Now, take that goodness, and write a positive review for Soy Sauce, Sugar, Mirin.
Thank you for your birthday wishes.
I lol’ed at the suggestions for “home cooks who don’t cook” 😂😂😂