Getting Fit With Fugu

I had the opportunity to try Wii Fit for the first time when I friend brought it over earlier today. It was amazing how sensitive it was. When you first attach a Mii to the game, you go through a series of balance tests to determine a Fitness Age. For me it gave an age of 27, which was exactly correct! It also said I was a little underweight, but what do you expect when I am full of small plastic balls?!?

The games we played were good fun (especially heading balls and a ski slalom game, though I wasn't very good at it), but I think it would be too much of a fad for me to get it and play it enough. Too lazy to exercise...

My friend also brought Big Beach Sports for the Wii. Trust the 1 * reviews.

Cooking With Fugu

Please note the title of this post - cooking with Fugu, not cooking Fugu! I am poisonous (and not tasty!)

Today I became a true Englishman by cooking my first ever Sunday Roast, following this recipe from Waitrose. The roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings were provided by Aunt Bessie, so I cheated a little bit. Next time I will make my own crispy potatoes.

After eating all that food I'm stuffed! Time to take a nap.

zzzzzz

Chibi Fugu Report - Kabocha Edition

Chibi Fugu here! Sorry for the long gap between reporting, I was being lazy and letting Game Fugu do all the updates. Still, now I'm back I have some great news on the Bromley vegetable garden. In addition to chillis, aubergines, pumpkins and tomatoes we now have a new addition to the family - kabocha (カボチャ)!

Mrs Game Fugu bought a kabocha from Waitrose recently, and after we finished eating it she tried planting some seeds in spare pots. We didn't think anything would grow, but a few days ago one of the four pots had a seed starting to sprout. It has already reached about 6 inches in height.

Now we have to hope a Japanese pumpkin can survive in the British summer. I think it will be kept indoors mostly!

Figeac, France

This week I spent two days in Figeac, France at the Chateau Viguier hotel. The town has a long history, and the hotel we stayed at was a converted 14th century monastery. It was also surprisingly clean. A couple of times I saw a guy on a moped riding around with a suction pipe, and noticed he was hoovering up dog mess - maybe this is the secret of how the town stays so tidy!

Figeac is a small town (about 10,000 people), but is famous as the birthplace of the one of the Rosetta Stone translators, Jean-François Champollion. The region is also well known for its Foie Gras - perhaps a more stomach churning dish than black pudding and haggis!

Wine Fugu - Chat-en-Oeuf

Now that the English summer has arrived (and gone, and arrived again), it's time to break out the chilled rose wine and relax in the heat. Our local Waitrose has a good selection which Mrs Game Fugu and I are working through.

My buying process is a complicated one - as I know nothing about wine, I go by what looks like good value and has an interesting bottle. For this reason a picked up Chat-en-Oeuf (Cat on Egg), a French Rose with a kawaii drawing on the bottle.

Unfortunately, my selection method failed me on this occasion. Instead of a nicy fruity wine as described on the label, it was dry and a little sharp. Any advice on how to pick a better wine next time?

May Day at Hastings

As the weather was great, I visited Hastings on May Day. Unfortunately I didn't realise that was the same day everyone else South of London goes to Hastings as well - including hundreds of bikers. The place was absolutely heaving and it was impossible to find anywhere to eat lunch without a reservation, but fortunately after climbing the cliffs it became a lot quieter. I ended up sitting down on the grass looking over the town and enjoying an ice cream to keep cool.

Dutch Beer Experience - Rodenbach

Last weekend Mrs Game Fugu and I stayed with friends in Izegem, a small city in Belgium close to Ghent and Bruges. The first thing we did, after eating a few waffles, was try the local brew - Rodenbach. It was my first time trying a red ale (mixed from young and aged ales), and it tasted pretty good.

Of course, as a Belgian beer it was also pretty strong...