https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEc4G82E9Dg
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Hot chocolate
I have a small, handleless, pottered clay cup I bought when I was down in Melbourne. I use it for hot chocolate. More accurately, I use it once a week for my favourite hot chocolate which is Mörk hot chocolate, also located in Melbourne. I especially like their Dark Milk & River Salt, but their Original Dark (70% cacao) with a pinch of cinnamon runs a close second. They are expensive at $32 AUD for a 250g tub and I have to get them shipped up when I run out. I buy two at a time and it takes a long time to run out.
I’m going to Japan for the first time. I’m actually planning a holiday for the first time. The logistics of doing this is not something I enjoy as I am especially untalented and/or unskilled at this task. I have previously booked places to stay in the wrong cities, on the wrong dates, and even managed to gain entry into an Airbnb adjacent to the place I had actually booked (ie correct date, wrong address). I have always been bad at things like this. About ten years before the Airbnb break-in, I borrowed a car to get McDonalds for my team (I was riding to work at the time and couldn’t retrieve the order on my bicycle). After picking the order I had some difficulty gaining entry into the car. Sliding the key in the lock was a bit clunky and twisting the barrel a bit rough. This was back in the day when keyless entry came only on expensive cars like a Mercedes or a BMW, and I had borrowed a Toyota Corolla which is not an expensive car. I managed to get in, then noticed a pink sweater on the passenger seat beside me. That sweater hadn’t been there when I left the car. It then occurred to me that I had gained entry into the wrong car. How that happens with the wrong key I have no idea. Even worse, I had borrowed a white Corolla hatchback. The car I had entered was also a Corolla hatchback. But it was red.
You can see the problem. I prefer to leave holiday organisation to other people.
I have been drinking Cadbury Drinking Chocolate for many years. I buy it through my local Coles or Woolworths at $8 AUD for 450g. That’s good value for a nice hot chocolate. I remember the same 450g tub selling for $5 AUD just four years ago. Actually, the tub changed in early 2025 and now uses a recycled cardboard base, but they didn’t downsize the contents. I understand that cacao has become more expensive. And there has been a rise in inflation. It’s a nice treat but nothing special.
I have a conference in Kyoto and I would like to spend some time roaming through Kyoto and Tokyo. I have two weeks. The one thing I have learned about preparing for an overseas conference is to make a spreadsheet with dates down the left side and flights/ accommodation/ activities labelling the adjacent columns. I made one for Japan and filled out the flights and conference dates months ago. The conference is getting close and the spreadsheet is otherwise empty. I watch videos to get a basic understanding of the history of Japan and its people. Preparation is key as I know little about the country and I have a brief opportunity for immersion. I need to book accommodation. Then triple check it, then check it once more. Get the logistics done and the rest is flow.
All it takes is the right frame of mind.
I like hot chocolate with oat milk. Not the thin, watery stuff but the thick, expensive stuff barista’s use. I went off cow’s milk when I spilled tea on a book I was reading. I was really enjoying the book and now it smelt of milk. I realised that I didn’t like the smell of milk.
I romanticise finding a hidden temple in Kyoto. Of marvelling at joinery in some random corner of the building. Google tells me that the joinery is called Kumiko. YouTube tells me that the complex interlocking of wood comes in many varieties, and that hidden tranquility comes at a cost. Am I seeking the “authentic” experience in a popular holiday destination? I suspect I am. I hate that word. Does the signature of a word depend on its usage and context? Yes! Absolutely. #authentic. I should experience a Ryokan.
I check out some accommodation. I will not be booking a Ryokan.
The working week is coming to an end. In a couple of days I will have my Mörk hot chocolate in a small, handleless, pottered clay cup I bought when I was down in Melbourne. I bought the cup at The Lost Trades Show. The show was crowded with people and money to burn.
I like my hot chocolate with expensive, barista oat milk which I heat in a microwave. The small, handleless, pottered clay cup is almost too hot to handle when I take out of the microwave.
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