Who can think of food when you just dropped a new single!?

Drinks of Japan - Part 2

We had a reallllly good time in Japan.  Which is why I need 2 blog posts to talk about their drinks.

Of course, we had our share of Sapporo's...but the MVP of the trip (or perhaps the ruiner, depending on how you look at it) was Kirin Strong.  A lovely tall can of a Grapefruit flavored cocktail.  Maybe even more lovely by the fact that you can't taste any alcohol despite it be 8%.  This drink was the starting point of many nights...I'm pretty sure I would make a small fortune if I started importing them into Canada.

And what better way to cure the hangover than going outside your hotel to a vending machine where you can buy a HOT can of Obama Coffee?  Ohhh Japan.

Drinks of Japan - Part 1

The Japanese like to have a good time.

Luckily (for me), none of the photos of me doing drunk karaokee are going to make this blog, but that doesn't mean I didn't have a good time as well.  I'm not exactly sure what it says on the mug, but they had some delicious beer over there.

However, without a doubt, the drink of our trip was Plum Sake.  As you can see from the picture, it was a little too sweet for me, so I would drink at a slower rate.  But the rest of the guys would throw down glasses like they were shots.  Speaking of Sake, the band we were on tour with (FACT) had their own signature bottles of Sake.  That rules!  When are we going to have our own signature 6-packs of Lucky Lager?

English Pub - Paris, FR

The title should seem a little weird.

After our of our UK tours, the guys headed to Paris )while I headed to Slovenia) for mini vacations.  So they had already experienced the fun of dropping some serious coin on delicious french food.  So when we finally got there for a show, I was the only person there for the first time.

Needless to say, I wanted to find the best restaurants the city could offer, but the guys were...over it.  And so often in our band, majority rules.  So we ended up at an ENGLISH PUB.  In PARIS.  After we had just spent 2 weeks in ENGLAND.  Argh.  So instead of eating, I sat there and pouted...and drank...but then in the end caved and had myself a little creme brule so I could at least tell people I had been to Paris.  Otherwise, I would have denied it, because I still feel I have not experienced the city. 

....But fuck was the creme brule tasty....haha

Salad King - Toronto, ON

As you can imagine, I would not too thrilled when my favorite Thai place in Toronto, Salad King, burnt to the ground.  However, they have picked up the pieces and re-opened since the last time I was in Toronto, so I am greatly looking forward to my return this fall.

And a large reason for that is the dish above, the Sea Queen.  And yes, the name is just a coincidence, they don't have some weird quirk where every name associated with the restaurant has something to do with monarchy!  Lightly breaded squid that has an amazing dipping sauce with thyme, chili, honey, and lime juice.  It's sweet with a LOT of kick.  Calamari wishes it tasted like this.

Roadside Cafeteria - Nagoya, Japan

We do a lot of driving...which means a lot of stopping off the highway for the usual parade of fast-food restaurants.  Luckily for us, in Japan, it wasn't quite the same

On route to our show in Nagoya, we stopped at this rest-stop that included a cafeteria where you would insert your money into a machine, pick your meal, and then a small ticket would come out.  You bring the ticket up to the "serving line" and are presented with your choice.  Perfect for a couple skids from Canada who aren't exactly fluent in Japanese.

And the food wasn't exactly Burger King quality.  You could tell people still took a lot of pride in the food they were serving you, even if you weren't sitting down in a nice restaurant.  Mmmm noodle soup

Tim Horton's - Leeds, England

Speaking of Tim Horton's...

We were doing the long drive up to Newcastle on one of our UK tours, and when we pulled over for lunch we were shocked to see a familiar banner.  I am not a big coffee guy, but even I will admit that there are few coffees I have tasted that match delicious Timmy Ho's (yes, you can even TYPE in Canadian).

It is a Canadian institution that has started to spread across the world.  We have started to see a lot of it when we tour in the North East US.  Anyways, word to the wise to anyone outside of Canada who makes the trip in...You better go, and wear your lumberjack clothes while you are at it