September 4th

 

September 4th, 2020, we were treated once again to Chef Mana-sama's Elegant Gothic Cooking. This time the video was ~The Excitement of Spices and "Splendid" Magic~ a trip to a secret summer paradise through flavor. 

You can watched the video here

August 14th

 

August 14th, 2020, the Moi-même-Moitié video featuring magashi-soumen magistrate Mana-sama. Wearing a yukata, Mana administers the soumen meal with the enjoyable sound of flowing water. You can watch the video here

July 21th

 

July 21st, 1997, MALICE MIZER performed at Akasaka Blitz as part of their Pays de merveilles ～空白の瞬間の中で～ sold out standing tour. Songs included Madrigal, ma chérie ~itoshii kimi e~, and Shi no Butou 

July 21st, 2021, Mana served up more deliciousness! This time with the "Mana-sama's Favorite Sweets Orangette Edition" video on Moi-même-Moitié's YouTube channel. They really are yummy! You can watch here to see how to make them

July 18th

 

July 18th, 2012, for the Moi dix Mois 10th anniversary Mana releases his book "Philosophy II". Included were photos from shows from August 2011 to March 2012 and thoughts from band members about the songs on the new Reprise album. 

July 18th, 2020, Mana shared how to make Chef Mana-sama's Elegant Gothic Fruits Paradise with a new video on the Moi-même-Moitié YouTube channel. You can enjoy it here  

June 25th

 June 25th, 1998, MALICE MIZER performed at Kobe International Conference Hall Harbor Plaza on their sold out "merveilles ~Shûen to kisu~" tour. Songs included BRISE, Gekka no yasoukyoku, and Bel Air.

June 25th, 2020, Mana continued with making videos for Moi-même-Moitié's YouTube channel. This time it was the most excellent Chef Mana-sama's Elegant Gothic Knife Sharpening.

April 22nd

 

April 22nd, 2020, Chef Mana-sama treated us to Elegant Gothic Cooking and ~Nostalgic Memories of Paris~! Mana joined the pantheon of cooking maestros with this video on Moi-même-Moitié's YouTube Channel. You can watch it here

February 14th

 

February 14th is a special day for Mana. Every year around that day he shares something with the fans. Last year it was a sweet video of Mana learning to make macarons with Chef Saki. You can enjoy the video here 

Something about Ｍana-sama in Yukata Enjoying Somen Noodles During Hot Summer in Japan

Summer is over and there may not be a lot that we have to look back on, in a friendly way, but there was one thing we were able to enjoy and share in. That was enjoying the Mana in Yukata making negashi somen video. And while most of us do not have a somen noodle slide, it was still possible to make and enjoy cold somen during the hot summer days.

 

Chilled somen is not difficult to make, and Mana showed how to make excellent eggs to go with it. So what I am going to share in this blog is a little information about the dipping sauce tsuyu or mentsuyu.

There are a lot of recipes on the internet, with various ingredients and amounts of how much to put in. So I will share a little bit about the ingredients that can be used. Since they are basic staples for Japanese cooking, it is worth trying to find them. The first staple is sake. You could use regular sake, but it is nice to have a bottle of cooking sake on hand. Cooking sake tends to have less alcohol but also have salt which regular sake does not have. 

Something that works in place of sugar or with it is the second staple, mirin. While sugar could be substituted, I find mirin has a nice distinctive flavor that is found in so much Japanese food. It is also a rice wine like sake, but with a higher sugar content. Like all of the ingredients, there are many good brands, but I prefer a glass bottle because the top closes better.

The third staple is soy sauce or shoyu. So many varieties out there! What I have right now in this photo left to right is a special shoyu from Hokkaido, tamari, usukuchi light color shoyu, and less salt shoyu. 

I use the Hokkaido shoyu for sashimi and sushi dipping and other dishes where shoyu is a stand-alone ingredient. While somen isn't a gluten free dish unless gluten free noodles are used., tamari can still be used to make gluten free sauces. Usukuchi is sometimes used in some Japanese dishes. I find less salt or reduced sodium shoyu is good not just for health reasons, but also for taste. It is up to each person as to what they want to use. I do think it is worth it to try different shoyu, because there can be differences in flavor. 

The fourth staple of Japanese cooking is dashi. Again, there are a lot of recipes online and just as many varieties of dashi. Basic dashi consists of three things. Water, konbu and katsuobushi. Konbu is a dried seaweed. It is thick and for cooking you can buy it in large pieces and cut off as much as you need. Konbu is used in various ways so it's worth searching for it to have in the kitchen. You can even use it in non-Japanese cooking. Add to a broth or sauce or rice for additional umami. Finely shredded konbu can be used as a topping for okonomiyaki and rice.

As for katsuobushi, that also comes in various forms. Katsuobushi is dried smoked bonita, a skipjack tuna. In Japan, some cooks have it in blocks which they shave with a katsuobushi kezuriki. While it helps to use larger pieces for making dashi, outside of Japan it's the smaller shavings that are usually in stores. These also work, just a little harder to remove from the dashi broth.

While dashi does take time and effort to make, it is definitely worth having. An easier way is to find instant dashi. Which also comes in a lot of varieties. If you want basic dashi stock, there is instant dashi for that. There is also dashi that can be used for making ramen, like the anchovy iroko dashi. Another instant dashi that I like is the Shimaya tennen dashi. As you can see, it also has shiitake mushrooms and anchovies in it. I use these and also make dashi, depending on the dish.

Of course, there is another way to have tsuyu. You can buy it premade. I do think it's fun to make dishes from scratch, but sometimes it's not possible to find all the ingredients or there isn't enough time cook it. So nothing wrong with using good premade items.

I hope you enjoyed my blog post. Here is the Moi-même-Moitié video of gothic elegant Chef Mana making somen noodles.

It's Mana's 『Elegant Gothic Fruit Paradise』 Sangria!

One of the fun things in the Moi-même-Moitié Salon is that Mana gives hints as to what the next cooking video will be. So it was perfect timing for the 『Elegant Gothic Fruit Paradise』 sangria. Because I had just bought a pineapple.

The first step in making Mana's sangria is to find as many different types of fruit that is out there. I was able to find everything that Mana used, except chunks of aloe vera. For the record, there was pineapple, lime, lemon, apple, kiwi, watermelon, melon, and two types of cherries. I went with Bing and Rainier cherries.

I was looking forward to making this sangria, because it reminded me of one I enjoyed at the Portland restaurant Ataula. So to honor that sangria, I added something extra. Pomegranate seeds. Because Pomegranate sangria is delicious.

I would guess that most people are familiar with red sangria. But white wine works very well with fruit. The above stated pomegranate sangria is a white wine sangria. As for what white wine, I think something a little sweet and less acid works well with Mana's sangria. As for me, I went with the Charles Shaw chardonnay. It was a good choice.

I will say, this is a labor intensive drink to make. First up I cut the pineapple. Not fancy like the video. Although I do think pineapple is pretty just as it is.

Something different, a yellow watermelon! Because of the pandemic, it's a little difficult to shop here. The store I went to did not have regular watermelon, but they did have these cute little yellow watermelon. So I went with this. And yes I gave into cutting out the pieces in hearts and flowers.

It's a simple recipe. All the fruit goes into a pitcher or container. After that, pour in as much honey that you want. It's a totally subjective measurement. 

I mixed the honey into the fruit and then poured in the wine. Then mixed some more.

I think serving it with ice is refreshing. The chilled liquid keeps the fruit fresh. 

Just one more photo of this fun festive Elegant Gothic Fruit Paradise. And for the record, I did make more pineapple version to go with Mana's pork curry. That was really good too!

That was a lot of fruit. I enjoyed eating some of it separately, with a little more honey and brown sugar. I also added a few blueberries.

Here is Mana's video for the sangria. You can watch it and all of the other Mana cooking videos at the Moi-même-Moitié YouTube Channel here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp24JyPNmvF0jPJoLLX-r2w

Cooking Mana's Elegant Gothic『The Excitement of Spices and "Splendid" Magic』

Because of the pandemic, cooking at home has become extremely popular. Someone who has been known for their skills in cooking, guitarist Mana, decided to make good use of the time and began filming cooking videos. Despite difficulties at times trying to get ingredients, I decided to try to make each of Mana's dishes. So, I'm going to document how that went with the last dish, Mana's 『The Excitement of Spices and "Splendid" Magic』

While I had many of the needed ingredients already, I still had to find a pineapple, curry powder, pink peppercorns and ground pork. Above are the spices I used. Because it is really difficult for me to digest bell pepper, aka paprika in Japan, I substituted ground paprika for it. I do like the smoked varieties of this.

After getting everything in place and chopping onion, (and bell pepper and hawk claw peppers if you are going to use them), it's time to heat olive oil at a low temperature. Crush garlic cloves and cardamom pods before putting in the oil. I happen to use the garlic cubes from Trader Joe's, which are really good quality. Since I was only cooking 1/2 pound of pork, the amounts I used were less than in Mana's video. This amount of pork, plus the rice, was enough to fill the pineapple bowl. Two crushed cardamom pods and three garlic cubes. One cube equals one clove. Sine I did not have hawk claw peppers (I've been searching for them) I used a bit of crushed red pepper. It's very similar. Since there are a number of types of pepper in this dish, I kept the amount of red pepper low. 

I used about 1/2 of an onion, which went into the pan next. At this point the bell pepper would be added. I sprinkled on a bit of paprika instead. No measurements, all by eye and experience. I'd say maybe about a teaspoon?

Onions and all were sautéed till slightly brown, to bring out a bit of caramelization flavor. I raised the heat under my pan to medium by this point.

And in goes the ground or minced pork. I had not bought meat in months, due to the poor situation at meat processing plants in the US. There is a butcher near me that sells products from farmers and ranchers here in Oregon. Oregon has been working with businesses here to make sure employees are safe, including giving them free face masks and more. A visit to Ponderosa Meats and I had pork, chicken and turkey. 

Season the pork with ground pepper, ground pink Himalayan salt, curry powder, chili powder and ground cayenne pepper. Of course sea salt could be substituted, but grinding peppercorns brings out a lot more flavor and scent so if possible, that is best to use. As for the curry powder, some places call it Indian curry powder. The distinction is it is not Oriental curry powder or garam masala. All of the spices in the recipe can be added in amounts according to your taste. If you like food hotter, add more.

Now comes the secret part of Mana's dry ground pork curry. Ketchup and Worchester sauce.

The basics for okonomiyaki sauce and many sweet and sour sauces. I mixed 1/4 of a cup of each together, then added that to the pork. Seriously, do not leave this out. I would like to say, that this dish could also be made with beef, chicken or ground turkey for people who do not eat pork. Personally, I think ground turkey would be a good substitute. Although pork does give it a South Pacific vibe.

Right now is a good time to taste and add more of the different peppers if you think it needs it.

There is one more thing that I needed to cook. It's not in the video, but I will explain it here. It's simple yet delicious. Turmeric Butter Rice. Now, you can cook it with onions and stock, but since this is part of the whole dish, here is a simple way to make it.

If you can find Basmati rice, it makes this dish even better. You can use a pot or rice cooker. Just follow the directions for cooking your rice, but add in butter and turmeric. I think I went with one cup of rice, a teaspoon of turmeric and maybe two teaspoons of butter. It helps to mix the rice a couple times while it is cooking. Seriously this color and the fragrance, so amazing.

It really is gorgeous. You don't need a lot of turmeric, although it's a great spice both in taste and in health benefits.

So now comes the hard part. That pineapple in the first picture? I cut in half and scooped out the inner part. It helps to cut up the inside of the pineapple, remove the core and then scoop out the rest. I saved that for something else. A pineapple bowl isn't necessary for the dish, but it's fun to see and the flavor of pineapple adds to the curry. Since not everyone can find whole fresh pineapple, it might be enjoyable to add some pieces after plating, to eat with the curry.

In goes that wonderful rice. It would be a fun surprise for anyone to eat who didn't see this being cooked. 

Next is the dry curry and then pink peppercorns and chopped parsley for a festive appearance.

Since I did not use red bell pepper, the pink peppercorns add color to this.

So what did I do with that pineapple? I made more of Chef Mana's Elegant Gothic Fruit Paradise Sangria. This was more of a pineapple version and very refreshing. As to how I made Mana's sangria, perhaps that will be my next post.

And here is the result! As to how this curry tastes, it's very good. The addition of ketchup and Worchester sauce turns a regular spicy pork curry into something that reminded me of Hawaiian and Okinawan pork dishes. The flavor of the pineapple bowl seeped in the rice and pork, adding to the delicious flavor. I think these ingredients move the flavor up into something unique and fun. I did have a feeling of visiting South Pacific Islands. 

Here is Chef Mana's video from the Moi-même-Moitié YouTube channel. You can use the YouTube video settings to automatically translate the subtitles into your preferred language. I hope my post helps if anyone is wanting to cook this dish. If you have questions, please ask! And thank you for visiting my blog.

Since the video may not show up if you view this on your phone, here is the link to elegant gothic chef Mana's video https://youtu.be/rh3uHyws3TQ

A Beastly Good Time

In June I found myself at duo MUSIC EXCHANGE in Shibuya. Because it was time for tea.

For two years I had read about Moi dix Mois ~La Kitchen Knife Aristocracy~Another Face~ experience and wished that I had gone. Finally I was in the place where it all comes together, music and food, to create magic.

The space inside was dark, mostly black lit with green that in the past people might have thought was radioactive. The green fairy would have been jealous of this fluorescent hue.

After entering people were directed to the bar in the back to purchase their drinks. I arrived during Miyoshi Seiji's enka performance. I waited back there for my "Wild Beast in a Playful Midori Paradise", also known as a melon soda float. It was the non-alcoholic drink for the day. Melon soda and ice cream with a cherry on top. I couldn't help but think of MALICE MIZER drummer Kami while sipping this. Seiji finished up his performance, singing while handing out flyers. He is a charismatic performer that can handle singing enka and screaming rock songs. Definitely impressive. 

At my seat, a waiter brought my Tea Time plate. It was a bright green Lesson 3 from Holy Girl. It looked delightful.

A stack of mini pancakes topped by a strawberry and American blueberries surrounded by a pool of kiwi and dragon fruit sauce. Sweetly blended tastes of brandy in the sauce and sherry with the pancakes hinted that this lesson might have a little wickedness in it.

Pound cake flavored with matcha and brandy was topped by a cherry. The menu mentioned a flower of evil that spells words of love. That image of delicate and caring yet laced with a bit of corruption was coming through.

I was happy I would get to have a macaron this trip. The outer cookies were crisp and the inner almond pudding was sweet and creamy. There was a hint of matcha but not overwhelmingly so. It was a first rate macaron.

Finally the tiramisu, topped with matcha and a strawberry. It really did look like green moss. Inside was kiwi with mascarpone cheese, flavored with brandy. It was delicious as was everything on the plate. If this was a restaurant, I would return again and again. The green ambiance reflected in the utensils and food, all of it was delightful.

(photo from HAYATO_dtp Twitter)

Moi dix Mois members Seth, Hayato, Sugiya and Ryux enjoying their Tea Time plates. Seth, who also performed as Miyoshi Seiji, has much experience cooking including taking classes and was noted as being in charge of desserts.

(photo from M_d_M_official Twitter)

As everyone finished their Tea Time snacks, out came the band for their Question and Answer session. Sitting on stools with tables in front of them, they did arm motions as all but Mana said out loud that they were "La Kitchen Aristocracy Dix".

Seth read various questions that had been submitted prior to the show date. One was if Mana did not do music what would he do? Mana would lean over and tell Sugiya his answers. This time it was that he would climb Mt Everest, making coffee from melted snow. Seth responded that's a gentleman's romance. The members were asked about what kind of socks they wore. Both Sugiya and Ryux wear black socks. I think Seth said something about losing one when washing his. Suddenly Mana stood up and showed everyone his socks. That was a bit of surprise since he also lifted his overskirt to do it. At one point Mana decided he wanted to also show everyone his DJ action. There was talk about fashionable macho men, Mana drew the Lumberjack character on the Bourbon Kikori No Kirikabu Biscuit box that was on a table in front of him. These boxes they gave out later when drawing people's seat number from a box. Mana was laughing so much he had to hide his face with his pad. Everyone was really enjoying the event.

The band went back stage and after a little time returned one by one with their instruments to the sound of En Lumiére.

Tea Time Set List

En Lumiére (SE)

Solitude

deus ex machina

front et baiser

SE into Twilight Flower

In that Hill

Immortal Madness

Dead Scape

message from Mana

Ghost Whispers

Perish

Ange-D side holy wings

Lueur Blanche

En Lumiére (SE)

It didn't take long for the fun to begin. Mana came out without his guitar, holding his hands behind his back as Ryux played a rocking guitar solo as the first song began. As everyone started to play a bossa nova version of "Solitude" Mana showed off his skill on his new instrument, maracas. It was quite marvelous and the audience showed their approval. Mana then exchanged his maracas for one of his guitars and the band swung into "deus ex machina". Both older and new songs were played. Everyone was very much into the music.

For "Immortal Madness" Seth instructed everyone how to do the arm signs for "La Kitchen Aristocracy Dix" and the audience was asked to shout this and do the movements during the song. It was a little chaotic but fun. "Dead Scape" was next followed by the Message from Mana portion of the show. Since it was pretty much the same as the second live, I will post it with my description there. Following the song "Ange~D side holy wings~" the band left the stage. The audience chanted "Moi dix Mois" hoping for an encore. They got what they wanted and more. The band returned wearing the new long t-shirts, except for Mana. Mana had donned the new Moi-même-Moitié white apron, much to the delight of everyone. He proceeded to play guitar while wearing it, as the band finished the show with the beautiful "Du Blanche". I am still not sure what the first word of the title is, but it sounds better each time I have heard it played. 

At that time the band walked off the stage and everyone in the audience left. Since many were going to the second show, most stayed around the front of the venue. It would be a little time between shows but there was merchandise to buy and people chatted with their friends. I found a place to sit for a bit and returned after a time.

Since I came a long way for this, there was no way I would miss dinner. Because I stayed in the area in between shows, I was able to enter sooner and get my "Nativity Festival of the Wild Beast and Black Mage". This time it was an ice cream float of lime cola and Jack Daniel's whiskey. If it wasn't evident before, this was an ode to guitarist K, who passed away five years ago.

I made it to my seat before Miyoshi Seiji's performance. Introduced by drummer Hayato, Seiji performed two of his songs. The second one "Wet Night" was sung in part while he ran around the room handing out flyers. I was really impressed by his vivaciousness and skill. He is a really great performer.

Dinner was served to everyone. Lesson 4 from Holy Girl.

"What are you thinking and what are you looking at during the five-year day . .

How does that picture that sleeps underground look in the eyes of a girl?

The image of that glossy face

I can not forget it

It is time to end

I may have come across now. . ."

(from the dinner menu)

Chef Mana's meal was a tribute to K. Compiled of various leafy lettuces, sprouts and radishes, the salad was layered with apple and strawberry dressing. I wish I could get a bottle of the dressing, it complimented the greens. There were two types of potatoes, one coming from near where I live, the Columbia River Basin. Seasoned with bay leaf, parsley, thyme and rosemary, they would be favorites at any burger joint. Well done in creating this menu Chef Mana.

And the Beast Burger. Black bun tinted with bamboo charcoal to get that inky look. Minced beef meat patty topped with cheddar cheese, tomato, red cabbage and bacon. There was also daikon in there somewhere along with mayonnaise and ketchup. But what I want to talk about is the guacamole. Growing up in Southern California, I've had a lot of experience with guacamole. Good and bad. Chef Mana's guacamole had a pleasing tone of spiciness, brought on by jalapeño peppers, pimento, black pepper and garlic. Nicely creamy, it was right at home on this special Beast Burger.

(photo from M_d_M_official Twitter)

As we finished our Beast Burgers, it was time again for the Question and Answer session. Again they came out and did the"La Kitchen Aristocracy Dix" chant with arm motions. Sitting at the tables questions were answered like "Who is your favorite member? Some of the responses were that they like Hayato because he tidies up, Ryux is a happy guy, and Mana wants to be DJ, demonstrating again how he would "scratch" records. Someone said they want to play Sugiya's wooden base, and that Seth is liked because he is the voice that supports Moi dix Mois. A question was asked about Mana's grape Halo Halo that he posted about on Twitter. Mana mimed his Halo Halo experience by showing waves with his hands and popping motions, and also like he was grabbing with his hands the grapes. Again numbers were drawn for boxes of Bourbon Choco Anpan cookies and  Doraemon Coco Biscuits. There was great camaraderie between members during both sessions and while playing. It was nice to see everyone having fun. 

(photo from RYU59 Twitter)

Dinner Set List

Destructionxx (SE)

Beast Side

Night Breed

front et baiser

Lueur Blanche

In that Hill

Immortal Madness

Dead Scape

Message from Mana

Solitude 

Ghost Whispers

Ange~D side holy wings~

En Lumiére (SE)

Following the Question and Answer session the band left the stage. After a time "Destruction xxx" played while the stage lights flashed. As the song ended the band returned with their instruments and dove into the song "Beast Side". I have to say there was a very intense and powerful pairing with these two songs. This show was a memorial for guitarist K and this was a great way to open it.

Again the audience was requested to do the arm movements and shout "La Kitchen Aristocracy Dix" during "Immortal Madness". This was followed by the song "Dead Scape" and then the Message from Mana. It was similar to the first show with Seth reading from a paper on a Moi dix Mois clip board. The format change to the MALICE MIZER 25th Anniversary video was mentioned, that Mana wanted everyone to see a beautiful image and he was sorry for the sudden change. The July Moi-même-Moitié events were mentioned along with one in October, which is the Anime Weekend Atlanta convention.

The MALICE MIZER August handshake event was mentioned by Seth, reading Mana's notes. "Since there are only a few handshake events, let's go everyone! Sorry, it was a lottery." What got more of a reaction was that from Autumn to Winter, Mana plans to do album production and is thinking of releasing it next year. (This is the same as what he said in Hawaii). Seth still reading Mana's notes said that people who have attended the recent lives are familiar with one or two of the new songs. And if the album isn't released next year, let's do an event where you pull on Mana. The audience cheered at that suggestion. Seth said that everyone would be happy then if he could not do it. I'm not sure if those were Mana's words or Seth's but it was followed by "I am lying" in reference that people would be happy if he could not do it or to the pulling on Mana event. One last event was mentioned, the Dis inferno show, which will happen on December 1st at a new venue, Shibuya VEATS. 

Once again Mana went off stage to get his instrument. Ryux played an even meatier guitar solo as Mana came out sans guitar and stood at his side of the stage watching Ryux. Again it was "Solitude" and Mana shook his maracas as he swayed in time to the music. The song works really well in a bossa nova style. It would be a fun bonus song for whatever singles may be released in the future. 

Following the song "Ange~D side holy wings~", the band left the stage. Chanting by the audience began and finally the band returned wearing the black version of the new shirt. Mana appeared this time with the black Moi-même-Moitié apron and proceeded to play guitar to the last song, "Je l'aime". Before the song started, Seth mentioned this was the second time that he would be singing the song dedicated to K. The first time he had trouble finishing the song. He showed everyone how to make the K sign with their fingers, that K-kun was looking down from the sky and our voices would reach up to him. The show had built to this emotional point, and it was clear the band had given it's all. "En Lumiére" played as they exited the stage, looking a bit exhausted but I think pleased at what a great pair of shows these were. Everyone in the audience left, also looking exhausted but happy.

There were some new goods available at the shows and I did get a couple of items. I really like this shade of green with black for the new version of the Moi dix Mois long t-shirt. It also came in white.

I knew I was going to get a lunch bag with the Moi dix Mois logo printed in shiny silver. But I was unable to make up my mind which color I wanted. I had the same indecision with the coasters. So yes, I bought all the colors. They will all be used.

I want to say that I loved every second of these shows. I really wish that I get a chance to do this again. The feeling of being able to hear and see Moi dix Mois and Mana perform in a smaller venue reminded me of the days when I would go see musicians perform every week. Add in the enjoyment of both meals and this became one of my most favored events ever. Thank you very much to everyone who put this on.