On A Claire Day by Carla Ventresca and Henry Beckett for November 07, 2011

A nice braised eel butt will really get your morning started.

Having had bean soup, I think Claire needs to get out of her mental rut. It’s rather tasty. Besides, they also do rice porridge and some amazing sausages.. She can close her eyes and think of oatmeal.

And won’t she have a stove?

is she going alone? Paul doesn’t seem to have much input

I’m sure they have stores that carry Western goods (albeit pricey Western goods). I know Tokyo does. There is one near where most of the embassies are that has everything one could desire.

I’ve tasted eel – it is the yuckiest thing I have ever eaten!

Especially boiled in brew! (Old English folk ballad, Lord Randal)

Personally, forget China. Any country that would rather blame others for the problems they have, rather than look at themselves for the problems they’ve caused, doesn’t deserve to have anyone visit them even for a vacation. Stay in America, Claire.

Tako taco with beans & eel butt. Sounds good.

Ronald — right you are.

And she’s a cartoon, and I usually try not to criticise cartoons.

I do get that, as characters, they’re supposed to represent young people just starting out, still learning, and making mistakes.

But they’re so immature, and spoiled, that it’s sometimes hard to sympathise —

even Paul says she’ll be able to “order pancakes”, as though neither of them knows what a kitchen is for……

or sees any reason to learn.

I suppose I shouldn’t expect 2011 to be anything like the caveman era, when I was that age!

I wouldn’t recommend going to China. The plastic tableware is unbreakable.