Greg de St. Maurice
@gdsm.bsky.social
Cultural anthropology • Food studies • Japanese studies • Craft, cuisine, place, branding, design
I saw this woman feeding stray dogs in Patan, Nepal. They knew who she was and all but one went over to her immediately. Seeing so many strays was sad, but they clearly weren’t afraid of people. I saw some in stores, hanging out. At night, some of them were sleeping in the middle of the street.
June 13, 2025 at 10:10 AM
I saw this woman feeding stray dogs in Patan, Nepal. They knew who she was and all but one went over to her immediately. Seeing so many strays was sad, but they clearly weren’t afraid of people. I saw some in stores, hanging out. At night, some of them were sleeping in the middle of the street.
Nepal has been one discovery after another. This one is chhang: a fermented rice beverage low in alcohol. The taste varies from family to family. This one has a lactic acid flavor with vegetal and herbal notes.
June 9, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Nepal has been one discovery after another. This one is chhang: a fermented rice beverage low in alcohol. The taste varies from family to family. This one has a lactic acid flavor with vegetal and herbal notes.
Me: Carpets are dust and stain magnets and unhygienic. Dislike!
Also me: There’s such a thing as a Yeti rocking chair?!? Want!
Also me: There’s such a thing as a Yeti rocking chair?!? Want!
May 27, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Me: Carpets are dust and stain magnets and unhygienic. Dislike!
Also me: There’s such a thing as a Yeti rocking chair?!? Want!
Also me: There’s such a thing as a Yeti rocking chair?!? Want!
Absurdly proud of the first garlic bulb I’ve grown. It’s so small because I had to harvest it early after spotting the allium leaf miner infestation on my balcony.
May 25, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Absurdly proud of the first garlic bulb I’ve grown. It’s so small because I had to harvest it early after spotting the allium leaf miner infestation on my balcony.
The world is a mess. As we try to improve it for everyone, it’s not bad to find things that bring you joy. Yeti finished a whole bag of iburigakko potato chips! Joy was had.
February 5, 2025 at 12:27 AM
The world is a mess. As we try to improve it for everyone, it’s not bad to find things that bring you joy. Yeti finished a whole bag of iburigakko potato chips! Joy was had.
I do love how ekiben include regional specialties. For lunch I picked up this bento with bracken, iburigakko, and a good serving of shredded Hinaijidori over rice.
February 4, 2025 at 3:03 AM
I do love how ekiben include regional specialties. For lunch I picked up this bento with bracken, iburigakko, and a good serving of shredded Hinaijidori over rice.
Buddha’s hand citron. No seeds, no pulp. Perfect for marmalade and an auspicious thing to have in the new year. Here’s to new experiences in 2025!
January 1, 2025 at 7:09 AM
Buddha’s hand citron. No seeds, no pulp. Perfect for marmalade and an auspicious thing to have in the new year. Here’s to new experiences in 2025!
Monjayaki night with friends to celebrate the end of the year. Learned that there are two different styles of monja: Tsukushima style, where you build a damn for the batter with the other ingredients, and Asakusa style, where everything is mixed together from the start.
December 30, 2024 at 6:49 AM
Monjayaki night with friends to celebrate the end of the year. Learned that there are two different styles of monja: Tsukushima style, where you build a damn for the batter with the other ingredients, and Asakusa style, where everything is mixed together from the start.
The dog got treats from her fan club too.
December 25, 2024 at 12:21 AM
The dog got treats from her fan club too.
Duck hot pot and two kinds of stollen. No fried chicken, no strawberry shortcake, so not your “traditional” Japanese Christmas dinner. But still Japanese and good.
December 25, 2024 at 12:20 AM
Duck hot pot and two kinds of stollen. No fried chicken, no strawberry shortcake, so not your “traditional” Japanese Christmas dinner. But still Japanese and good.
So lucky to live near a restaurant where I can get tacos made with fresh handmade blue corn tortillas.
December 17, 2024 at 8:40 AM
So lucky to live near a restaurant where I can get tacos made with fresh handmade blue corn tortillas.
Okonomiyaki at a friend’s house. I tried all the sauces. I’m honestly not sure if I enjoy finding my favorite more than the process of figuring out how they differ in taste.
December 12, 2024 at 1:20 AM
Okonomiyaki at a friend’s house. I tried all the sauces. I’m honestly not sure if I enjoy finding my favorite more than the process of figuring out how they differ in taste.
Made corned beef hash this morning to use up a can I accidentally opened yesterday (thinking it was tuna—to put in a kimchi jigae to use up very expired kimchi!). Didn’t have any potatoes, so I used a sweet potato. Not bad for improvisation, I’m the end. The dog was especially impressed.
December 7, 2024 at 1:30 AM
Made corned beef hash this morning to use up a can I accidentally opened yesterday (thinking it was tuna—to put in a kimchi jigae to use up very expired kimchi!). Didn’t have any potatoes, so I used a sweet potato. Not bad for improvisation, I’m the end. The dog was especially impressed.
Ginkgo leaves and ginkgo dust. You can smell it as you walk through. It’s a lovely season.
December 6, 2024 at 7:55 AM
Ginkgo leaves and ginkgo dust. You can smell it as you walk through. It’s a lovely season.
Campus ginkgoes’ seasonal performance peaking. Nice weather too.
November 29, 2024 at 8:28 AM
Campus ginkgoes’ seasonal performance peaking. Nice weather too.
In Okinawa for preliminary field research on the local coffee industry, I had to have a cup of good local ☕️. At Flap Coffee in Nago, I had this ☕️ from Higashi-son. I picked up on notes of cherry, cocoa nibs, and rosehips. The bag said: “cherry, cacao nibs, citrus, syrup, sweet, mild mouthfeel.” 🎯
November 24, 2024 at 9:15 AM
In Okinawa for preliminary field research on the local coffee industry, I had to have a cup of good local ☕️. At Flap Coffee in Nago, I had this ☕️ from Higashi-son. I picked up on notes of cherry, cocoa nibs, and rosehips. The bag said: “cherry, cacao nibs, citrus, syrup, sweet, mild mouthfeel.” 🎯
I love that there’s a feed on here called 🥚Japanese Eggs🥚 and full of photos of dishes containing eggs.
November 21, 2024 at 3:00 AM
I love that there’s a feed on here called 🥚Japanese Eggs🥚 and full of photos of dishes containing eggs.
Did a double take while walking the dog last night…
November 21, 2024 at 12:52 AM
Did a double take while walking the dog last night…
Yuzu Bohemian. Best yuzu cocktail thus far. Maybe because there’s a whole 1.5 oz of yuzu juice in each one?
November 20, 2024 at 12:19 PM
Yuzu Bohemian. Best yuzu cocktail thus far. Maybe because there’s a whole 1.5 oz of yuzu juice in each one?
Amaebi from Fukui for dinner last night. I didn’t realize that cooking these spot prawns robs them of their distinctive sweetness (though you can then eat them whole). My Japanese friends set me straight and one of them even prepared a delicious Thai style dipping sauce.
November 19, 2024 at 6:15 AM
Amaebi from Fukui for dinner last night. I didn’t realize that cooking these spot prawns robs them of their distinctive sweetness (though you can then eat them whole). My Japanese friends set me straight and one of them even prepared a delicious Thai style dipping sauce.
I have a lot of fresh, fragrant, and delicious yuzu. What would you do with it?
November 19, 2024 at 1:18 AM
I have a lot of fresh, fragrant, and delicious yuzu. What would you do with it?
I’m a both / and kinda guy. And this hit the spot.
December 19, 2023 at 9:16 AM
I’m a both / and kinda guy. And this hit the spot.
Tokyo’s Nishi-Kasai neighborhood has Japan’s largest concentration of Indian residents. One reason is that it’s convenient for IT workers. It’s also got a lot of delicious restaurants, offering dishes that are hard to get in other parts of Japan. Photos from an afternoon exploring the area.
December 17, 2023 at 10:27 AM
Tokyo’s Nishi-Kasai neighborhood has Japan’s largest concentration of Indian residents. One reason is that it’s convenient for IT workers. It’s also got a lot of delicious restaurants, offering dishes that are hard to get in other parts of Japan. Photos from an afternoon exploring the area.
Alps Otome. The smallest apples I’ve ever come across. Made apple cinnamon raisin oatmeal this morning.
December 16, 2023 at 12:59 AM
Alps Otome. The smallest apples I’ve ever come across. Made apple cinnamon raisin oatmeal this morning.