Favorite things of bluecat

DORAYAKI (Japanese Red Bean Pancake)

Dorayaki is a Japanese food. It is a red bean pancake. Doraemon and Nobitalike to eat dorayaki a lot. They say that Shizuka cooks the best dorayki in the whole world

Dorayaki is a type of Japanese confection, а red bean pancake which consists of two small pancake-like patties made from castella wrapped around a filling of sweet Azuki red bean paste.^[1] [2] Dorayaki are similar to Imagawayaki, but the latter are cooked with the batter completely surrounding the bean paste filling and often served hot.

Dorayaki originally only had one layer, and the current shape was invented in 1914 byUsagiya in the Ueno district of Tokyo.^[3]

In Japanese, dora means "gong", and because of the simililarity of the shapes, this is probably the origin of the name of the sweet.^[2][3] Legend has it that the first Dorayaki were made when a samurai named Benkei forgot his gong (dora) upon leaving a farmer’s home where he was hiding and the farmer subsequently used the gong to fry the pancakes, thus the name Dorayaki.^[3]

How to make DORAYAKI

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8 Dorayaki

Ingredients:

·         4 eggs

·         140g (2/3 cup) sugar

·         2 Tbsp. honey

·         160g (1 cup) all-purpose flour

·         1 tsp. baking powder

·         1-2 Tbsp. water

·         1 (18 oz/520g) can Ogura-An, or homemade sweetened red bean paste

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and honey and whisk well until the mixture gets fluffy

Sift flour and baking powder into the bowl and mix. Keep in the fridge to rest for 15 minutes.

Stir in ½ Tbsp of water at a time to get the right consistency. It should be a little bit thicker than pancake batter. If the batter is too thin, Dorayaki buns will be too flat and not fluffy.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan on medium-low to medium heat. Dip the paper towel in oil and coat the bottom of the pan with the oil. The pan should be slightly oiled but shouldn’t be visible. That’s the secret to get nice texture on the surface of Dorayaki. With a ladle, drop the batter from 1 foot above the pan to create 3 inch diameter “pancake”. When you see the surface of batter starts to bubble, flip over and cook the other side. Transfer to a plate and cover up with damp towel to prevent from drying. Continue making pancakes.

Make sandwich with red bean paste. Put more red bean paste in the center so the shape of Dorayaki will be curved (middle part should be higher). Quickly wrap them with saran wrap until you ready to serve.

EASY & YUMMY !! 

Ending story

Do you know Doraemon? yeach, it’s comic character created by Fujiko F. Fujiya (if i’m not mistaken), Japan’s comic writer.

I read this comic since I was 10 years-old.

As you know, Doraemon is a story with no ending, but this small story is about the “last episode” of the famous cartoon.

Someone made this story (finally I know the name, Nobuo Sato) and uploaded it to his homepage, and it is now widely spread all around Japan through the internet.

One day,a very normal day, Nobita came back from school and went upstairs of his house. Doraemon was there sleeping, just like the other normal day.

“Hey, Doraemon, please wake up, lets play!” but Doraemon does not wake up.

Nobita thought that Doraemon is tired, so he went out to play with Shizuka-chan and other folks. After few hours, he returned to his home, but Doraemon was still sleeping. Nobita felt something strange, and tried to wake him up. But there was no reply. He became to feel afraid, and tried to wake him up, but whatever he does, Doraemon did not wake up.

     Nobita exactly knew that something was different. This never happened before. He began crying, but though he screamed or cried, the famous fat-cat-robot did not make a single move at all. He came up to one idea, and jumped into his desk-the time machine-and went to the future to meet Dorami-chan, Doraemon’s sister. He begged her for help, and forced her to go with him back to 1998.

After a short trip again back to 1998 by the time machine, Dorami-chan looked all over his brother Doraemon to see what was wrong with him.

After few minutes, she said “the battery is out”. Nobita was relieved, and said,”battery? so he is not broken right? please replace or recharge his battery, and put him back like before”.

But Dorami-chan shook her head and said,”Nobita-san, should I really do that?”.

Nobita said “what? what do you mean?” Dorami-chan replied; “His main battery is here, close to his pocket. And it ran out. But originally, he had a back-up battery in his ears, but as you know, his ears were eaten by a rat very many years ago, so he does not have a back-up battery now”.

“so what do you mean?”.

“I mean, if I replace his battery, every memory of you will be eternally lost from his brain program”.

“WHAT?????”

“Shall I do that?”

Nobita closed his eyes. He cried, but after few minutes, he stopped crying,and quietly told Dorami-chan.

“Dorami-chan, thanks for coming here. I will take care of the rest. You have to go back to your future time now”.

Dorami-chan could not decide what to do, but anyway she hugged Nobita quietly, and she went back home. After she went back,Nobita carried Doraemon and placed him into the shelf.  

Year 2010, Nobita grew up. Since that day, he changed. 

He studied hard, did not cry anymore, and he lived without Doraemon. He told Shizuka and other folks that Doraemon had to go back to his future, and could not meet him anymore. Shizuka was impressed to Nobita’s mysterious appearance which became completely different from 10years ago.

They fell in love, and married. Nobita became a scientist. He made a laboratory in his room, and was studying hard with his job all day. He told Shizuka not to come into the room, as it is very dangerous inside.

But one day, he called Shizuka and told her to come in to his room. It was the first time for her to enter her husband’s room. The moment she went in, she lost her words.

…..There was her friend Doraemon, who she used to play in her childhood days.

Doraemon was not moving. It seemed as he was sleeping.

“Look, Shizuka, I will plug in from now”.

Nobita turned on the main switch on Doraemon. Doraemon quietly, very quietly started to open his eyes. It was the moment the inventor of Doraemon became clear. It was Nobita. He studied hard and hard just to meet and talk with his old friend again. Going back and forth of time, Nobita was the one who made Doraemon. He discovered all the programs and architecture of Doraemon-type-robot.

Nobita and Shizuka was crying gently.

Doraemon opened his eyes. He looked around, and finally said,

“Nobita-kun, did you finish your homework?”

There was the same white clouds in the sky like the times they used to spend together.

Main characters

Doraemon

Doraemon, the titular character, is the main protagonist of the series. He is a cat-like robot created by the Matsushiba robot company, and is sent back in time by Sewashi to aid Nobita. He possesses a fourth-dimensional pocket from which he can acquire various kinds of futuristic tools, gadgets, and playthings from a future department store. He also has the tendency to panic during emergencies, characterized by him frantically trying to pull out a very much-needed tool from his pocket, only to produce a huge assortment of unrelated household items. Still, Doraemon is very friendly and intelligent, not to mention long-suffering because of Nobita's antics.

Doraemon's physical appearance changed as the manga progressed. At first, he was predominantly blue, with a blue tail, a white stomach, and flesh-coloured hands and feet. He also stooped, and had a body much larger than his head. In later issues, he sported a smaller body, white hands and feet, and a red tail--the appearance most identify him with today.

In "The Doraemons" story arc (and the 2112: The Birth of Doraemon short film), it is revealed that Doraemon's original paint color was yellow. After getting his ears gnawed off by a robot mouse, he slipped into depression on top of a tower, where he drank a potion labeled "sadness". As he wept, the yellow color washed off and his voice changed due to the potion. As a result, he developed a morbid fear of mice despite being a robotic cat, because he was suffering musophobia.

Nobita Nobi

Nobita (born on 7 August), is the main characters of most stories. He is a fourth grader (fifth grader in anime version) and is 10 years old^[4] inTokyo's Nerima Ward and an only child. He wears glasses, a red or yellow polo shirt with a white collar, and blue shorts. Nobita's character flaws are endless: he is lazy, uncoordinated, dim-witted, frail, plain-looking, unlucky, and bad at sports. Nobita's typical day consists of arriving late on classes, scoring zeros in his tests, getting lectured by his teacher, being bullied by his classmates Gian and Suneo, falling into curbside rain gutters, being chased by dogs, and getting grounded by his mom for his sloth and poor academic results.

Despite his flaws, Nobita possesses some unique talents such as his unrivaled marksmanship and ability to weave intricate string figures. Although Nobita is usually portrayed as being cowardly, he has often risked his life to help save others or even entire civilizations in full-length stories. Nobita is lazy and unmotivated, but he can be very serious and responsible at times. Nobita also has a talent for finding unusual applications for Doraemon's gadgets, and to abuse them, which usually gets him into trouble.

In the original history which Doraemon doesn't interfere, Nobita would marry Jaiko (as long as he only wants to marry Shizuka), never find a good job and eventually go bankrupt. Despite everything, Doraemon succeeds on his mission, as seen in several episodes in which they travel to the future, Nobita eventually marries Shizuka and becomes an officer of Ministry of the Environment.

Shizuka Minamoto

Shizuka (born on 8 May), usually called Shizu-chan (静ちゃん^?) or Shizuka-chan (静香ちゃん^?), is the smart, kind and pretty neighborhood girl and Nobita's best friend. She takes baths several times a day. Nobita often disrupts her in the bath due to some misuse of Doraemon's gadgets, and Shizuka usually shouts out "Go away, pervert!" to Nobita. Her true passions are sweet potatoes, which she'd rather keep to herself out of the knowledge of others, and the violin, in which her playing is as atrocious as Gian's singing. She is also known for taking piano lessons unwillingly (as she loves violin more), which is sometimes used as an excuse for declining to hang out with Nobita. Due to Doraemon's intervention, Shizuka will marry Nobita. At present, she doesn't have any true crush on male friends (both Nobita and Dekisugi), but she fancies lots of handsome idols

Takeshi Goda

Takeshi (born on 15 June), usually known by the nickname "Gian" (ジャイアン Jaian^?) from English word "Giant", is the big, strong, and quick-tempered local bully. He also frequently steals other children's toys and books under the pretext of "borrowing" them, unless the toy is damaged. This is how most fans considered Gian to be the antagonist of this show. However, he does not hesitate to help Nobita and his friends when they are in real trouble, which often occurs in full-length stories.

He is known for his confidence in his terrible singing voice, though he considers himself a great singer. But in some episodes when his voice is recorded and he hears it, denies it being his voice and threatens to beat up the person who sung his songs in a bad way. Several of the stories revolve around Nobita and his friends' efforts to avoid Gian's concerts. Gian is also confident in cooking, but just like his singing, his foods can "beat up" people very easily.

Although he bullies the other children (mostly Nobita), he is terrified of his mother, a fact Nobita and Doraemon sometimes use in their favor. He founded his own baseball team named after himself. Although Nobita is often blamed for the losses against the baseball team's rival, the "Tyranos", Gian still forces Nobita to play because they do not have enough players.

Suneo Honekawa

Suneo (born on 29 February), is the fox-faced (inherited from his mother) rich kid who loves to flaunt his material wealth before everyone, resembling Reggie Mantle. Some of the stories start with Suneo showing off some new video game or toy which evokes Nobita's envy. He is often seen with Gian when the two bully Nobita together. He sometimes despises Nobita and often makes fun of Nobita, most often resulted in Nobita getting in trouble. He also often pushes Nobita aside with excuses while he invites Gian and Shizuka to his parties or resorts. He has an extensive knowledge of science, and is a talented artist and designer.

In some scenes, Suneo is seen as a narcissist who loves to stare at himself in the mirror while telling himself that he is the most handsome guy in the world. He is still a bed-wetter and needs to wear diapers when he sleeps, despite being in the fourth/fifth grade. He considers this humiliating habit his secret weakness. Suneo is also very self-conscious about his height, being the shortest kid in his class.

Our Doraemon

Doraemon is sent back in time by a young boy named Sewashi Nobi to improve the circumstances of his great grandfather, Nobita so that his descendants may enjoy a better future. In the original time-line, Nobita experienced nothing but misery and misfortune manifested in the form of poor marks and grades, physical disasters, and bullying throughout his life. This culminates in the burning down of a future business he set up which leaves his family line beset with financial problems. In order to alter history and better the Nobi family's fortunes, Sewashi sent him a robot called Doraemon.

 Doraemon has a pocket from which he produces many gadgets, medicines, and tools from the future. The pocket is called yōjigen-pocket (lit. fourth-dimensional pocket). Some of the gadgets (dōgu) are based on real Japanese household devices with fanciful twists, but most are completely science fiction (although some may be based on folklore or religious stories). Thousands of dōgu have been featured in Doraemon. The number of dōgu has been approximated at 4,500. It is this constant variety which makes Doraemon popular even among adult readers/viewers. In the series, the availability of dōgu depends sometimes on the money Doraemon has available, and he often says some dōgu are expensive in the future. The more famous ones include the "bamboo-copter" (very similar to the ones that appears on the older series of Beany and Cecil), a small head accessory that allows flight; the "Anywhere Door", a door that opens up to any place the user wishes; and the "Time Machine". Some of the recurring dōgu appear also in Fujiko F. Fujio's other works such as 21-emon, Kaibutsu-kun,Kiteretsu Daihyakka, Mikio to Mikio or Pāman.

Although he can hear perfectly well, Doraemon has no ears: his robotic ears were eaten by some robotic mice, giving him a series-long phobia of the creatures.

The only main female characters is Shizuka Minamoto, who serves as a friendly interest for Nobita. Shizuka is intelligent and is Nobita's good friend. Nobita's main human friends and/or rivals include Takeshi (nicknamed 'Gian', from the English word giant), a consummate bully, and Suneo, a wealthy but cunning and arrogant brat. There are many recurring supporting characters, such as Dekisugi, Nobita's parents, Gian's mother, his school teacher, his descendants from the future, and Doraemon's little sister, Dorami.

The stories are formulaic, usually focused on the everyday struggles of fifth grader Nobita, the protagonist of the story. In a typical chapter, Nobita comes home crying about a problem he faces in school and/or the local neighborhood. After hearing him out, Doraemon often offers helpful advice to his problem(s), but that's never enough for Nobita, who is consistently looking for the "quick, easy" way out (which offers insight to the viewers as to why Nobita's life turned out the way it did). Finally, after Nobita's pleading and/or goading, Doraemon produces a futuristic gadget out of his aforementioned pouch to help Nobita fix his problem, enact revenge, or flaunt to his friends.

Unfortunately when in possession of the gadget, Nobita usually gets into deeper trouble than before, despite Doraemon's best intentions and warnings. Sometimes, Nobita's friends (usually Suneo or Gian) steal Doraemon's gadgets and end up misusing them. However, by the end of the story, there is usually retribution to the characters who end up misusing them, and a moral is taught.

Doraemon talks about his past on a Japanese TV program and explains why he’s lost his ears and how he turned blue.

Did you know that Doraemon was once yellow and had ears? He looked just like he does in this photograph. The video clip bellow shows Doraemon being interviewed by Tetuko, a very famous Japanese TV host, on her show, Tetuko no heya (Tetuko’s room), which has aired every weekday for the past 30 years. Tetuko interviews very well known people and, although it’s very odd to have a cartoon character as a guest, this time it’s Doraemon’s turn. And Doraemon has revealed what he originally looked like.

Doraemon is actually a robot who travels to the futureunder Sewashi’s (Nobita’s great-great-great-grandson’s) orders, in order to make changes that affect the present. When Doraemon lived in the future, he was yellow and had ears. But, one day, a mouse robot ate his ears and Doraemon cried so hard that the tears rubbed the yellow off. That’s how he turned blue.

Doraemon’s story begins in the 22nd Century. He was a defective robot who was auctioned off and sold to a very poor family. The family- Nobita’s descendants- were living in misery due to the huge debts inherited from their great, great, great grandfather. Sewashi decided this could not go on like that. So, he sent Doraemon back to the past in order to help Nobita become a better person. The idea was that this would change the future and so improve the family’s lot in life. 

Doraemon arrives in the past, popping up in Nobita’s desk drawer. He lives with Nobita from then on and tries to stop him from becoming a failure. Each time Nobita gets into trouble, Doraemon digs into his fourth dimension pocketand uses gadgets from the future to fix the problem.