用雙腳走遍世界 用真心感覺周圍

魚材怎麼挑

魚材：蝦、鮪魚、鮭魚等

握壽司所用的魚材，盡量不要挑太少見的魚肉，從基礎常見的魚類下手，比較能夠掌握紋理與口感的呈現。

為了避免失敗，先請魚販協助切片再帶回家，因為家中菜刀與職業用的生魚片構造不同，難以切出簡潔、俐落的效果。

如果一定要在家中處理，可參考以下的尺寸，基本上要蓋頭蓋尾為佳。蝦要連尾巴一起，頭部則可有可無。魚的尺寸以10公分長、4公分寬為佳，厚度則視魚種而定；如鮪魚這類紅肉魚，厚度約0.4公分、白肉魚約0.2公分。

 
煮飯有撇步

在握壽司的世界裡，米飯是重要的關鍵角色，不僅要選好的米，還要煮得好、拌得好才行。

選米

當然是以越光米為宜，其口感、彈性最佳，不過一開始，可先用一般白米練習，等到熟練後再改用越光米。也有的店家會用壽司米摻不同比例的糯米來增加黏度，不過那複雜度更高，新手不用搞得那麼複雜。

洗米

●工具：一支網杓、一只洗米鍋。

洗米有絕竅，是為確保髒水不會殘留在米飯內。

一顆握壽司的重量約11公克，米量的多寡可依需求調整（要包括自己邊捏，肚子餓時塞到嘴巴裡的分量）。

1.將米倒入洗米鍋，避免洗米過程中刮傷電鍋內側。

2.第一次洗米時，放入米量兩倍的水，稍微用手輕撥一下，就迅速將米用網杓瀝乾，因為白米上原本就附著一些髒物，加入水後，米的孔隙會張開，如果不迅速倒除，會將融到水中的髒污，又被米粒給吸收進去。

3.再將米倒回洗米鍋內，手呈爪狀，如同洗衣機般，快速順時鐘乾洗米30下，再倒入清水，這時不再攪拌，只將混濁的水倒掉。如此動作重複三次，也就是總共旋轉90下。切記不可用手來回搓揉米粒，這樣容易把米撞碎，影響米粒完整性與口感。

4.待水接近透明清澄後，將米瀝乾，倒回電鍋內，並且倒入礦泉水，泡約1小時後，讓米粒充分吸收水分，再按下開關煮米。

醋水

醋水由鹽、白糖、工研醋以1：3：5的比例組成，一碗約200公克的飯需使用30C.C.的醋水，也可按照自己喜愛的口味調整。

撥飯

●工具：一只淺盆、飯匙、醋水。

撥飯有技巧，是製作醋飯的重要過程。

1.飯煮好後，先等10分鐘，讓米飯的水分蒸發掉。

2.準備一只淺盆盛裝，能讓米飯均勻平鋪為佳。

3.白飯淋上醋水。

4.用飯匙斜切白飯，才不會破壞米粒的完整性；各轉90度、連切三回。

You may have noticed the lines at home-improvement stores getting longer or heard the whirring of buzz saws in your neighborhood. After years of economic recession and housing-market malaise, people are starting to fix up their homes again.

According to an April 15 report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, annual spending on remodeling is expected to accelerate this year, with nearly 5% growth over 2009. "This year could produce the first annual spending increase for the industry since 2006," the peak of the housing boom, says center director Nicolas P. Retsinas.

But the forces driving today's action couldn't be more different from those during the boom. Back then, people wanted to renovate their places so that they could trade up to bigger homes, or because their home equity was soaring and they wanted to reinvest some of the spoils.

Now, the opposite is happening: Many people who bought during the boom years are accepting the reality that they won't soon be swapping up for a sybaritic spread. Their mortgages may remain above water, but after years of falling home prices, their equity is so low that the transaction costs of buying a new house would leave little for a down payment.

In short, they are stuck.

"People have seen their down payments kind of wiped out," says Harvard economist Jeremy Stein. "They are locked into their house. They can't really move, even if they thought the other house was cheap and a good deal."

So these people are making their homes more comfortable for a longer-than-expected stay. Setting aside old calculations of how much a particular improvement will add to resale value, they are making smaller tweaks that can make a big difference in livability. You might call it "psychological return on investment."

Nowadays, say real-estate agents and contractors, smaller projects like updating kitchens and baths and humble attic-bedroom conversions are more popular, while two-story master suites and $100,000 kitchen blowouts are decidedly out of fashion. Hidden improvements like insulation also are on the rise, as people realize they won't be able to pass on their drafts, leaks and other problems to the next guy. Tax credits that expire in 2010 are enticing people to make energy improvements, too.

About your personality

You have a great deal of energy and vitality. You are curious, creative and resilient. You have many interests; and you find pleasure in doing and thinking about all sorts of things.

You tend to be optimistic, seeing the world as a place of adventure-- physical, intellectual or both. You seek first-hand experiences. And when you embark on a project or expedition, you like to be organized, thorough and responsible.

You enjoy the pleasures of the senses, yet you are firmly grounded in reality and live in the here and now. You can be charming and charismatic; and you sometimes like to surprise those you love with generous presents.

You also have a clear moral compass and stand up for your beliefs. And in spite of your flexibility and enjoyment of novelty, you have a genuine respect for home, family, work and community. You are conscientious, dependable, cooperative and protective.

With Explorer as your primary type, you can be:

With Builder as your secondary type, you can be:

Relating to others

You have a keen sense of humor and a great many interests-so people gravitate to you. You are also savvy at managing and handling others. And because you are broad-minded, adaptable and playful, as well as dependable and loyal, you can be an exciting yet stable and dedicated friend and colleague.

In love and relationships

You are attracted to people who will explore ideas, philosophies, cities and/or the natural world with you. You like spontaneous, curious risk-takers like yourself. And you want a partner who shares your live-and-let-live attitude. But you also need someone who is eager to help you build strong family and community ties. You are interested in sex; sexual compatibility is an important part of your primary relationship. Although you like to spend your money, you admire frugal people and believe in saving-except when an appropriate adventure comes along. And you seek a partner who is pragmatic, who shares your view of duty and tradition and whom you regard as moral and cooperative. Yet he or she has to have your level of energy and curiosity too.

http://av1.match.com/chemistry/media/Explorer.flv