Author Archives: MD

Learn how to make and use coconut milk

“Hi dad / mom / teacher, how do you do that?

If you are parent and / or teacher, children will ask you many things. And there are so many things that seems to be familiar but we actually don’t know.

For me, making coconut milk was one of them, although I was familiar with it and used so many times (do you also like Thai curry, Indian curry or other food with coconut milk?). Besides, if you make it by yourself, it will cost you much less than the one in the store, and there are many different ways to use it.

In this entry, therefore, I would lie to share how to make and utilize coconut milk from coconut (fruit). Continue reading →

Arigato Natto ２ーHow to Make Natto Sustainablly Even in Africa

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It is faire to say everyone wants to be happy, and each one of us tries to achieve something for that (e.g. lose 20kg, get married, have a nice job, etc.). However, the more your objectives are sustainable, the more it will bring value added in general, as the life continues.

That is also why I highlighted the importance of having good habits (continuation) rather than establishing objectives (which have end point) in the previous entry .

More specifically, the other day, I managed to make Natto in Africa for the first time (for the detail, see here). At the moment I tasted it, I felt very happy, just like when you have a good meal. And I wanted to keep feeling that way.

With that in mind, in this entry, I would like to share my experience on how I achieved sustainability with regard to Natto making in Mauritania as well as some learning out of it.

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First Trial in Africa – How to use Pressure Cooker and how it Works

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Shu Shuuuu Shu Shuuuu Shu Shuuuu! Shu Shuuuu Shu Shuuuu Shu Shuuuu!

It is something most of us know, and its sound reminds us of the locomotive, and despite familiarity, many people do not dear to get close to it.

It is a Pressure cooker.

Although everyone knows in some way that it is useful, I imagine many people do not know when and how to use it, want to use it because it’s dangerous, or do not find any added value over normal pots which are cheaper and lighter (I was exactly like that until 2 weeks ago).

Therefore, in this entry, with specific experience of my first ever trial of using pressure cooker in Africa, I would like to share how to use it and how it functions, as well as some learning out of it. Continue reading →

More Habits than Goal to achieve New Year Resolution

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You have done your best in 2018. You want to change and/or improve something in 2019. So it’s pretty normal to go ahead with new year resolution.

Losing weight, learning language, passing the exam, getting/changing job, You name it.

However, let me remind this unfortunate fact (I am taping the wood now)…out of 100 people who make resolution, 92 of them abandon their resolution. That leaves only 8% of successful people. If it’s true, something must be wrong with resolution making. So through the main point of this pointーmore habits than goalーI hope to contribute to improve this statistic in a long run.

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Happy New Year 2019ーAccumulation

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Happy New Year 2019 from Mauritania (West Africa) !!

Please receive my warmest greeting and new year card I drew, hoping that our 2019 will be the year of “accumulation” as said in Japanese calligraphy “蓄 (Chiku)”.

Pig is the last of 12-year cycle of Zodiac animals and the symbol of preparation and patience for new big start, as well as of going straight.

It is my hope that we keep accumulating what we learned through “Fly High” Cock year 2017 and “Make Effort” Dog year 2018, to progress even further.

Please take care of your mental and physical well-being, and I hope to see you somewhere in the near future,

P.S. Probably you might see something from pig drawing.

Arigato NattoーHow to Make Natto at Home Even in Africa

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Once you touch it, it will stick to you without leaving you. Usually people hate it at the first sight , but some people gradually start loving it and cannot even stand without it as it can be a great supporter of your life.

What is it? Is it what is so called a love?

No, it is Natto, fermented soy beans which is one of the cheapest and healthiest foods in Japan (you can buy 3 packs of Natto for 100 JPYーless than 1 USDーin most markets. In this article, let me share the importance of Natto and how to make it at home, which was successful even in Africa.

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Mauritania 5ー 3 Learnings from the First Rain

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Do you know what does the July 29th mean?

Based on the historical events on this day,

(1221) Japanese emperor Go-Horikawa aged only 10 years old ascends to the throne.
(1836) Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
(1921) Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party
(1923) Albert Einstein speaks on pacifism in Berlin
(2018) 6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes island of Lombok, Indonesia

Well, in short every year something happens on the same day, and although I picked some events which caught my attention, those do not have direct meaning to me.

What’s meaningful to me was the July 29th in 2018, the day I saw the rain for the first time in Mauritania. At that time we were in rainy season more than 1 month without any drip of water. You might think it is no big deal. But what matters is the meaning that brings to the life of each of us depending on the context, about which I would like to share, as there are some learnings which can be aplicable for other context (at least I hope).

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