Before becoming accustomed to un-American foods, you could never have convinced me to eat something like oyster sauce. Even though I believed myself a consumer of just about anything, my scope was rather limited when I think about it.
Brussels sprouts? Sure! Asparagus? No problem. Poached eggs? As long as they didn’t have Hollandaise sauce, great!
Pickled duck eggs? Nope. Headcheese? I’ll slice it for you, but don’t expect me to eat it. Vegemite? It’s black. Are humans even supposed to eat black things? Entrails? Nah, I’m good.
So, why oyster sauce? It’s versatile! And you can enjoy its handiness in the recipe below from one of my most used books. It comes from one of Japan’s popular food networks, Orange Page (Japanese only).
Pork and Eggplant with Garlic Oyster Sauce
(豚肉となすのにんにくオイスター炒め)
150g thinly sliced pork / 豚こま切れ肉 150g
3 (or about 300g) eggplant, thickly cut / なす(大) 3個、大きく切れ
2 green bell peppers, chopped / ピーマン 2個、短く切れ
1 clove of grated garlic / にんにく 1かけ、おろし
Sauce
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce / オイスターソース 2 大さじ
1 tsp. sugar, rice vinegar / 砂糖、酢 1名小さじ
Serving size: 2
Coat your frying pan with sesame seed oil and fry up the pork first. When it’s about half-way done, throw in your fixings, adding the sauce after it’s all done. Once coated, cook for another minute or two until you’re satisfied. I added napa cabbage to mine for a bigger veggie boost.
Another versatile food item is the humble egg. Many countries have egg-based dishes and when you’re looking to have a change in your breakfast menu, I recommend scrambles. I like to think they’re wholesomely American as they can be catered to just about any taste. I even remember an ex-boyfriend making french toast flavored eggs for his son!
Here’s my take:
Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables
2 eggs / 卵 2個
1 Tbsp. milk / 牛乳 1大さじ
2 slices of onion, chopped / 玉ねぎスライス 2枚、短く切れ
1 green bell pepper, chopped / ピーマン 1個、短く切れ
Large chunks of bacon / ベーコン、大きく切れ
3 white mushrooms, sliced / マッシュルーム 3個、スライスで
Serving size: 1-2
Warm up some oil in your frying pan. While it’s heating up, whip up the eggs and milk. When your pan is hot, start cooking the vegetables and bacon up. **NOTE: If you’re using raw bacon, cook that first!** When they’re just about al dente, pour in the eggs and scramble away!
Seasoning is optional. I used salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin.
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Both of these recipes are useful for amateur cooks (like myself) and don’t take any time at all. Try them out for yourself and let me know down in the comments below what you think!
A Journal for Ashley 
Please keep up with the blog. It’s really well done and absolutely fascinating. I’m so happy you got to live your dream in Japan. Hope you are doing okay.
-An old friend
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Thank you, Old Friend. I feel bad most days. I don’t update a whole bunch. Thank you for sticking around!
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It makes me sad to hear that the Ashley I once knew, a girl with so much character, ambition and unbounded creativity, feels bad. If you feel like you’re in a rut, stick in there. The storm clouds will clear and things will get better, I promise. If you ever feel like you are alone in this world or that you don’t matter, please try and see that isn’t at all true.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you ever need someone to talk to. You know where to find me.
-An old friend
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Now I’m curious. Who are you? Family or friend?
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oof… I was a friend “of sorts” but I am sure you wouldn’t consider me as such these days after what you were put through many years ago. Please don’t let that take away from what I said earlier though.
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Greetings! I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from New Caney Texas! Just wanted to mention keep up the good job!
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read my lamentations. I’ll continue doing my best. 🙂
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