It is cold again today, but the weather is clear and sunny. It is around 11 a.m. now. I am still at home, and I plan to go to the workshop in the afternoon. I will continue the work from yesterday and work on the 3-sun 12-step puzzle boxes. The boxes I am making this time have a combination design of traditional yosegi and walnut wood. However, for pieces made for my own stock, I am thinking about whether to include some with a solid wood bottom panel instead. That would mean making the usual stripe pattern using solid wood. I would like to think about it a little more before deciding. Recently, requests like this have been increasing. Since traditional yosegi boxes can now be seen in many places compared to before, some people are asking for something a little different.
Since today is Sunday, I sometimes go to McDonald’s. Yes, that famous hamburger fast-food chain. I know there are mixed opinions about eating this kind of food 😅 In Japan, you can sometimes receive something called a “McDonald’s Card” through various promotions or point exchanges (as shown in the photo), and I use that card to eat there. I don’t usually go very often, and it’s more like I go because I have the card. Still, there are nearly 3,000 McDonald’s locations in Japan. There are many different hamburger chains, but McDonald’s seems to be the most popular because people feel it is tasty and affordable. They also often release new products and hold collaboration events. Another reason may be that it is an easy and fun place to visit for families with children.
I often go there in the morning, so I usually eat what we call “Asa-Mac.” Asa-Mac is a breakfast-only menu, and it is sold until 10:30 a.m. The potatoes are not the regular fries but a fried hash brown, and the bun is a special breakfast one (it becomes an English muffin). It is sold as a set with a drink, and I usually choose coffee. Today that menu is already over, so it will be the regular menu instead. The set I order most often is the Big Mac set. Is it called a Big Mac in your country too? It’s the biggest hamburger, right? I also like the Double Cheeseburger, but the price difference is only about 100 yen, so the Big Mac always feels like a better deal 🤣. By the way, in Japan there is now an even bigger one called the Double Big Mac. In Japan, original items like the grilled soy sauce burger, teriyaki burger, and Samurai Burger are also very popular. Until recently, there was even a collaboration with Dragon Quest (video game). The limited goods were extremely popular and very hard to get. There used to be a McDonald’s near my workshop, but it was a small store, so it moved to a larger one in the same town. Unfortunately, that made it a bit farther away. Sometimes I eat at the store, but when I go from home or the workshop, I usually use the drive-through or take it home.
Another hamburger place I like is MOS Burger. It seems to be common in many Asian countries. Even though it is also a hamburger chain, it feels quite different. The burgers feel more carefully made, and the waiting time is longer 😅. The prices are a little higher, so I only go there once in a while. But what I like about this place is that they have burgers with sliced tomatoes inside. By the way, MOS Burger actually started in Japan (in 1972). If you ever come to Japan, I hope you’ll give it a try 🍔.
