durendal

I see, we don't have Costa, cafe Nero or Kenco. We have Nescafe not as a coffee shop but as a coffee you buy off the shelves of the grocery. Some of the famous coffee shops here that I think are available internationally are Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, UCC Coffee, Country Style, Dunkin Donut (though mainly known for their donuts, duh), Gloria Jeans, J. Co Donuts, Seattle's Best Coffee and Ya Kun Kaya toast, to name a few. Oh, Krispy Kreme also There are also some lesser known establishments that serve Illy's and Segafredo. Although coffee drinking is still going strong, we see a rise in the demand for Milk Tea, as new Milk Tea establishment seems to pop up pretty often.

Oh, pardon me. UCC is a coffee brand from Japan. They have cafes all over asia so i presumed they are also available in the other side of the world. Apparently this is not the case. Thinking about it, I don’t seem to have seen any UCC when I was in indy. In asia, UCC coffee is available in the shelves of the supermarket.

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If you are looking for premium tea, I would suggest Tieguanyin. It claims to have health benefits as well as having a rich flavor. I know very little about tea, but the tea shop in Hong Kong recommends this. I don't usually give in to the sales talk but the gentlemen in the tea shop really convinced me. I don't know how to describe it, but the gentleman was advanced in years, and speaks in an old fashioned way lined with wisdom. The sagacity of his words made me choose it. As for coffee, I'm not an avid coffee drinker. But I have heard that the coffee from UCC tastes very well.

Hmm... maybe it's a culture thing then? MSG is present in a lot of commercialized or processed foods. Which is why some people tend to avoid it. As I said, MSG is the "cheat code" to enhance the flavor of food, which a lot of chefs tends to avoid. Then I guess this can also be an additional reason for my original topic. Sure, it may be present in some foods, but you know the saying that anything in excess is bad for you.

This might not be related to the topic on hand, but may be relevant. Funny thing that I heard. Christians have been bullying the Muslims for a long time (crusades, etc), so God gave all the oil to the Muslims. Find one Christian land that is rich with oil.

Oh, you mean Chai? I think that's the traditional Indian drink. Although I am curious about the ginger, how strong is the ginger? I still prefer Kopi.

I will have to correct you on that. Chinese food in no way uses MSG. All of our recipes do not use MSG. In fact, MSG is not even part of our common kitchen ingredients (like salt, starch etc). Chinese food in your parts perhaps uses MSG, but traditional Chinese cooking does not have MSG. Chinese have this abhorrence towards MSG. MSG does give food their tastes, but it is not healthy. Do note that MSG was created in Japan. Ajinomoto ring a bell? Any decent cook knows full well that MSG is the "cheat code" for every cooking.

I have heard that name somewhere before. Not sure where, but I have definitely heard of Kouga Ninpochou. Can't think straight at the moment since I still have jetlag. but I have definitely heard of Onmyouza.

Ok, i stayed in indianapolis for a week. Let me first say that i am in no way a health buff. I don't eat a healthy diet and I'm not a wellness nut. I'm just a regular person who eats what i want when i want to. Now, based on the foods that i have consumed in a weeks time with different kinds of food, as well as the foods i ate the last time i was here, i found the food to be very unsettling. I mean majority of the food are oily. They have large servings of food, and down to the drinks, not really helpful with my digestion. God, it was really unhealthy even for my standards. And they serve you cold drinks all day long. Although the steaks are very nice and tasty, after one meal, i am really stuffed. And this is coming from a guy who can eat 2 whole 12 inch pizza in one sitting. And every morning, i only get a choice of coffee or ice cold orange juice. No other hot beverages? Cold beverages in the morning screws up your metabolism for the day. (well, it does in my case). Also, i can understand why most people would not want to eat vegetables. I love vegetables, even broccoli, but the vegetable here is tasteless. Every establishment that i have been to, their vegetable has no taste. I guess it is how they are customarily prepared. I don't know about you guys, but if i continue to have that kind of diet, i would either get bloated or have my life expectancy reduced. Do remember that these opinions are purely based on my experiences. If these are not what they are for you, then good for you.

Not really, just staying for a week, but it's a royal pain in the butt without data as i need to check my email from time to time. Not to mention for other uses like navigation and stuffs. Thanks for the address, i think the one in washington is just around the block. But i don't think i have the time and I'll be heading back in a few days so it's kinda pointless now. But at least i know the next time i come back. Besides, if i understand you correctly, it seems that tmobile wouldn't work.

Walked into a verizon store and they said they couldn't help me as they don't support unlocked phones. They pointed me to at&t which is just right next door. Walked into at&t, they can support unlocked phones but for calls and text only. No data. I don't need call and text, i need data for my emails. So they tell me there's nothing they can do for me. What a let down for two of the largest carriers. I hope i don't experience the same in t-mobile. Now i get why everyone is complaining about their carriers. But at least the customer rep at these stores are friendly. Now i wonder where i can find a convenient t-mobile store.

Thanks for the tips guys.unfortunately, I'm no where near vancouver. I'm currently in detroit coming from japan to my final destination in Indianapolis. I'm pretty sure my phones are capable of the frequencies in the US since I've been here before. I'm also pretty sure my phone is unlocked despite it coming from the carrier. (Long story, but based on info I gathered its unlocked, just can't test it since I don't know anyone with a microsim. ). Anyway, walmart is one of my destinations, so I guess ill go check it out later.

I guess nobody is from the US much less indianapolis. Oh well, i guess I'll just try my luck when i get there. Currently in japan waiting for my next flight. Shame too, i might have picked up something nice for the stand up guy who was willing to help me. Perhaps next time then.