2 posts tagged “childhood”
I was in high school when the first Space Invaders-type games hit big in the States. Of course, I had become well acquainted with them during my too-brief stay in Japan a couple years earlier. There was an arcade in my neighborhood, and it was usually empty. I passed many, many hours at the Space Invaders machine - and it was usually free, most of the time, thanks to the fact that I discovered that the coin slots tended to jam. By dislodging the visibly-stuck 50-yen coin, I could usually get another half-dozen or so coins to come tumbling out. When I think about this now, knowing how strict laws in Japan can be, I feel quite lucky to have not been caught!
Sigh. I miss Tokyo, even though I know it's not the same city that it was over twenty years ago. I'm sure the energy hasn't changed, though - the same frantic pace in business and entertainment districts contrasted with the weird antiquated mustiness of the older, more residential neighborhoods like Asakusa, where I lived.
As for my favorite game now - well, I can't pass a Galaga or Galaxian machine without stopping to try my hand. While I'm no longer the champ that I was in high school, I take satisfaction in being quite talented now at Tetris and similar pattern/grid based games - particularly this one.*
*Warning! Do not click that link unless you have time to waste.
Broccoli! Brussels sprouts! Cauliflower! Salad greens! In fact, most vegetables.
When I was a kid, vegetables tended to show up in their 1950s incarnations - overcooked, mushy, and usually covered in something gloppy and/or creamy.
At some point I discovered that, eaten raw and now drowned in some sort of man-made convenience food sludge, a number of vegetables were actually edible. Then I discovered that when lightly roasted in the oven, or stir-fried, many of these same vegetables were pretty darned tasty.
It wasn't the vegetables that I disliked - it was the preparation. And Brussels sprouts, I adore you, truly I do - our time together each year is always way too short. I only wish we had found our love sooner!
