I No Longer Wish I Were Someone Else | A Quiet Life in Japan at 54

In this video, I spend an evening with old friends and share some thoughts on how my feelings about myself and others have changed as I've gotten older. I also share some quiet moments at home, making simple meals and preparing bento lunches for the week. Thank you for spending time with me. ❤️ --Ingredients-- I don't usually measure ingredients very precisely, so the amounts listed below are approximate. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your taste! 【 Egg Rice Porridge (Tamago Zosui)】 Serves 1 Ingredients 200 g cooked rice 1 egg Chopped green onions, to taste 250 ml water 1 tsp Hondashi (Japanese dashi powder) A pinch of salt You can use mentsuyu (Japanese noodle soup base) or shirodashi (white dashi) instead of Hondashi. Adjust the salt to taste. 【 Ginger Pork (Shogayaki) – For Bento Lunches】 Makes 4 bento portions Ingredients 480 g thinly sliced pork (any thin cut works) 1 onion Sesame oil, for frying 4 tbsp sake 4 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp sugar 1 piece of fresh ginger, grated (about 1 inch / 2.5 cm) 1 tbsp potato starch Red pickled ginger (beni shoga), for topping (optional) Note: This recipe is designed for bento lunches, so I mix the seasonings with the pork before cooking to help prevent excess liquid. If you're making it to eat right away at home, I recommend coating the pork with just the potato starch first, then adding the seasonings while cooking. 【 Green Peppers with Bonito Flakes】 Makes 4 bento portions Ingredients 4 Japanese green peppers (piiman), thinly sliced Bonito flakes (katsuobushi), to taste White sesame seeds, to taste 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp sugar Instructions Microwave the sliced peppers at 600W for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. 【Japanese Rolled Omelet with Salted Kelp (Shio Kombu Tamagoyaki)】 Ingredients 3 eggs About 5 g shio kombu (seasoned salted kelp) 1/4 tsp Hondashi (Japanese dashi powder) 1 tbsp water Notes: You can substitute mentsuyu or shirodashi for Hondashi. Shio kombu is already salty, so be careful not to add too much seasoning. Adding too much water can make the omelet difficult to roll. 【Tofu with Savory Japanese Toppings】 Serves 1 Ingredients 150 g silken tofu Shio kombu (seasoned salted kelp), 5ｇ 1tsp concentrated mentsuyu (4x strength) Tenkasu (crispy tempura bits), to taste White sesame seeds, to taste Bonito flakes (katsuobushi), to taste Chopped green onions, to taste Instructions Place the tofu in a microwave-safe dish. Add the shio kombu and mentsuyu. Microwave at 600W for 1 minute. Top with tenkasu, sesame seeds, bonito flakes, and green onions. #LifeInJapan #JapaneseDailyLife #LifeInMy50s #QuietLife #JapaneseHomeCooking #Bento #SlowLiving