went to kotobukiya for groceries and that cheered me up - got staples like rice and green tea and udon and curry powder and seaweed and miso paste, but also kitsune and ochazuke topping and veggie fishcake and mini red bean sweet buns and a packet of edamame for late night conversation. was going to do a curry beef stew when i came home (which is why buying rice was pressing) but found when i came home that someone had nicked my beef stewing pot and microwaveable rice cooker so i couldn't do that. looked around for somebody else's pots to nick, decided it was too much trouble, so tried out my new tunghoon: a generous portion of tunghoon that can be cooked 3 minutes flat in the microwave, and then stir in a spice paste of a light coconuty base, with lots of black fungus and chopped bamboo shoots and taupok and mushrooms. and then i sprinkle some strands of enoki mushrooms on top, and the next thing you know neighbours are coming in the kitchen asking what complicated fancy dish i am making. von is very unimpressed and most snide about all of this when i told him online, but i had a good dinner and am sipping good sencha now and quite pleased with myself.