pizza paparazzi part 2

This week it got cold. Like winter cold. Like toodamncold.

Now as you may know, I live in southern Japan, so the winters are mild. even in December and January, i can rarely expect it to drop below freezing, and even more rarely can i expect snow. Well this week it has been below freezing and it snowed. Still, this should be no big deal, as I am used to Boston and Chicago winters, where the temperature is zero and the windchill is ten below. but the problem is that there really is NO insulation in this country. My walls are only a few inches thick, and on top of that, about 30% of the wallspace in my apartment is occupied by single-pane windows or sliding glass doors. There are a number of home-brew, ghetto solutions, namely taping plastic up over the windows and doors, but it hasn't come down to that yet (In other words, i havent ridden my bike to the mall where i can look for a kit or forraged through the dumpster for large sheets of plastic).

So what does all this mean in the here and now? it means i caught i cold. Between not sleeping enough, spending all of last weekend sleeping on the floors (friday night with the window open, thanks laura) and having friends over last night for a sukiyaki party, which led to Tuesday-night drinking and smash brothers rage... somehow i caught a sore throat and the sniffles. Well go figure. that's what i get eh?

The point is, tonight i am staying home from my Japanese class, because the last thing i need is an expensive, freezing cold commute for a class that will ensure that i dont get home till 11. Instead i have been updating flickr with Osaka pictures and set up my kotatsu.

I was planning on butchering my basil plant to make pesto tonight, since as the temperature drops, so will its life expectency, but i realized that i did not have pine nuts on hand, and riding my bike across town to the grocery store would probably defeat the purpose of me "resting up and getting better."

So that means it's pizza again! this time ordering was (relatively) a breeze. She already had my information so all i had to awkwardly stumble through was pizza selection, crust width, etc.

it comes in 10 minutes and every time they bring me a new 300円 coupon with my reciept (and wow, i just realized how bad [good] the exchange rate has gotten. i should start sending money home). This time the delivery man used ultra-polite subservient japanese and bowed deeply (90-degrees!) after giving me my change and my cheesy gold. I could get used to this.

Oh, I also judged a debate contest last week.

small victories: ordering pizza

oh man, i just ordered pizza in japanese and it was like the most difficult stressful thing ever.

but by now you are surely aware, dear reader, that no pizza-related obstacle is too great a challenge for your hero. I knew what had to be done, and i sprung into action. Gather round the electric heaters, children, for a tale of Illiadic proportions is about to be unfolded.

First of all, the place is called Chicago Pizza, and it's been calling out to me for nearly 4 months. Not only is it named after my hometown, but they also have a reputation as the best pizza in the prefecture, and the place is in my own little town. It's not really Chicago-style, of course, but it's reputably less like Japanese pizza and more like real pizza than usual. Furthermore, i see their little scooters zipping around everywhere, and they have been dropping fliers and $5-off coupons in my mailbox for three months. Needless to say it's been on my to do list.

So tonight is cold and i couldnt bring myself to ride my bike to the local izakaya tonight. So i got off my butt, picked up the phone, and dialed. If course first I wrote up a gameplan with all my information written out in phoenetic japanese, in the order i expected them to ask for it-- phone number: "zero-hachi-zero... roku-yon-zero... etc." Pizza: Magnum Meat -- "Magunaamu mii-to" Crust: heavy -- "he-bii"

So i called, and made it through the gauntlet of questions awkwardly. So awkwardly. I knew i had done well when she finally said some stuff real fast and something about an amount of minutes and a price. victory is mine!!!

a guy just called me again to confirm my address and phone number. I must have freaked out the phone girl. I can imagine it now:

*click*
Hey Ryosuke...
Yeah?
Some ridiculous foreigner just called and tried to order a small Magnum Meat
haha
But i couldn't understand him like at all. I mean i THINK i got his address. MAYBE.
Crap, what should we do?
Well you speak some English, right? Call him back and check.


*ring ring*
aaaaa... Mushi mushi!
Ah! .....hel-lo!
Hello!
Chicago Pizza desu.
(proceeds to check my address and number in Japanese)

Update:
OMG it just came. I'm clearly a genius.





I am gonna go enjoy this wonderfulness under my kotatsu. oh victory, you taste so sweet. sweet and meaty.