Katakana Analysis

ラムネ - I think this is a foreign word, or at least a foreign concept. It is not an English loan word, sop I am not sure. It may also be a brand name. Putting a brand name in katakana like ラムネ or トヨタ gives the brand name emphasis and makes it stand out in a block of text, like the way the we capitalize brand names.

ノブ- this is a character's name in a manga. I think it is "cool" to have your name written in katakana to make it seem more exotic.

Different textbooks go into different depths when explaining katakana. There are some easily definable categories, like loan words or onomatopoeia that all of them tend to mention, but it is harder to define use for emphasis or to be "hip." I think it all depends on the depth that they want to try to explain it to.

Schedule

こんばは、

まいにち、くじにおきます。くじからじゅうじはんまでしんぶんをみます。

じゅじはんからしちじまでべんきょします。

じゅういちじにみるごはんをたべます。しちじにばんごはんたべます。

はちじからじゅうにじまでやすみます。ときどき、はちじからじゅうにじべんきょします。

So, Ola asked if かっぱ　means cucumber in English.

No

it means:


かっぱまき is Kappa's favorite maki.

At the risk of recreating Julie & Julia, this post is also going to be about my culinary explorations



Yes, I made すし. かぱまき in fact.

Making this type of maki is quite easy. All you need that you probably won't have lying around is a sushi mat, which is just a set of bamboo stick tied together that helps you roll and not rip the sushi. You will also need a fairly sharp knife for the same reason.

Sushi rice isn't just plain rice, one needs to add a touch of salt, sugar and vinegar. After that, making simple sushi is just what you would expect. Lay out the nori, spread rice, cut thin strips of whatever you want in the sushi and then roll it with the mat.

This time I didn't do something quite so nontraditional, i just put cucumber in it. I hope to try making California rolls next.