An adventure in North Fork and General Updates

I arrived in North Fork on Thursday. The drive was beautiful. It was snowing heavily on Friday morning and my original plan was to leave from Sanae's and Eric's cabin in North Fork on Friday but I got snowed in! I had to wait until it stopped snowing, and they finally plowed the roads so that my little 2-wheel truck had enough power to move through the 6 inches of snow!

Here are some pictures of North Fork and me clearing the snow out from under my truck. I took the dogs for a hike and they just love to play in the snow. It is really pretty here, especially as the sun comes out and melts all the snow. I'll be able to drive out of here now! Don't get me wrong though. I loved being stuck here because it gave me extra time to spend on my little vacation. The cabin is gorgeous. Eric and Sanae spent a long time and put in hard work to remodel it, but as you can see from the pictures, they did a great job. I've been happy to help Sanae around the cabin.

I've been proofreading Sanae's new book which is called, "love, sanae" and it's almost finished! Sanae made some excellent dishes while I was here. She made miso soup, mochi, brown rice, kukicha tea (I like to mix the tea with grain coffee. It may not sound appealing but I like it!), vegetables, seitan, and some other great foods. Now I know what her recipes in her book must taste like if prepared properly.

On another exciting note, Seed was listed in the top 10 best vegan vegetarian macrobiotic restaurants in Los Angeles (by Blackbook), and this is only after being open for 3 months! I'm looking forward to seeing what impact this will have on Seed; I think it will be a very positive one!

Things are really starting to gain momentum in Eric's and Sanae's world. 2009 is proving to be a great year!

So my macrobiotic journey continues, and as I spent these last two days here in North Fork, I notice what a difference being in a secluded part of central California makes. I slept like a baby. It's very quiet here. I'm glad I was able to come up here and give myself a chance to get away for a couple of days, while at the same time helping Sanae with what she's up to in her life. I noticed that my macrobiotic meals here in North Fork were more enjoyable and meaningful, and I think it's because I am out of the city; this gave me a chance to really clear my mind and enjoy the present.

I'm going to stop at Yosemite on my way back to Los Angeles. Hopefully they'll let me in since I don't have chains on my tires. I want to go hiking and take some pictures.

I feel so warm and comfy after having winter foods; it warmed up my body temperature. It's cold here but I think that the drive back won't be too bad. In fact, I'm looking forward to it.

Make a note to eat at Seed this week and buy "love, sanae" when it comes out. You'll be doing yourself a favor!

Until next time,

Joel

A New Year's Greetings from Joel

Hi everyone,

I just got back from my walk with Oro and Kula, and they're exhausted as usual!

The word is spreading about Seed. People are beginning to discover how great the food is, and the restaurant is growing due to increased foot traffic.

When one ponders the concept of yin and yang, one begins to discover how everything in our universe is yin and yang, for without this there can be no balance. For example, the generally accepted theory among the scientific world today is that the Big Bang, a supernova-like explosion, set the universe into motion and it has been expanding ever since. This expansion is yin, and so what would be contracting? Well, yang of course! We believe that the universe will contract after it's expanded, and on and on the cycle goes. Expanding and contracting; yin and yang.

Think of your daily routine and try to find the yin and yang. Work = money, and no work = no money. Exercise = health, and no exercise = no health. Eating well = eating at Seed! Not eating well = eating fast food. Everything is in opposites, like yin and yang. This keeps the universe in balance.

For 2009, consider that a life of harmony and balance will derive the greatest happiness, and a life of chaos will leave you with the greatest unhappiness.

With all that said, resolve to eating well and exercising this year. You'll live a longer and happier life; I can promise you that!

Let's toast to a great 2009 for you and all your loved ones.

Warm regards,

Joel

Seed Self-Leadership

Hi, everyone. I'm Nobu, a new family member of Love, Eric and Sanae.

Let me talk about Seed Community Clean-Up a little bit. We decided to clean up our neighborhood about one and a half months ago. Every Sunday morning, from 10am to 12pm, we clean up a parking lot, side-streets, and a bus stop around Seed.

Sometimes some people just show up and join us to clean up, and others just come to us and say, "Thank you!" One day a car-driver said, "Wonderful! Wonderful!" so many times with clapping his hands.

These kinds of things give us motivation and passion for cleaning up.

Like we clean up rooms at our home, clean up streets. By cleaning up our Home, which is our life and natural environment, we will learn to clean up our minds, too. I believe cleaning up is another form of meditation.

Our future goal is to expand the area to clean up in the Venice community and at the same time develop a sense of social and environmental contribution.

Always lead yourself first, then create rapport with others (co-workers, customers, and so on).

If anybody is interested in this clean-up, please let us know. You are very welcome to join us.

Enjoy cleaning up!

Nobu

Bring in the New Year powerfully with a commitment to yourself, and please read this post for the latest updates! Happy Holidays!

That's right, now's the time to create a powerful, healthy, wholesome, healing diet for yourself! If you're not already macrobiotic or want to learn more, attend some classes at Studio Mugen and go eat at Seed (now open)! Remember, your health is everything, and if you have it you have everything.

I haven't been here for a few weeks and it's good to be back. I miss volunteering. I get so caught up in my own life and find that everything's all about ME, and not ANYONE ELSE! I enjoy giving myself to others for a change, instead of always giving myself to me. It's easy to make excuses to not do good things, but ultimately it's not very rewarding and the satisfaction derived from this is fleeting; it doesn't last.

On a lighter note, I have found that drinking miso soup (I know, I know, I've talked about this in previous blogs! :) ) makes me feel better throughout the day. It's so warm and healing. Drink your miso soup as much as possible, preferably every morning.

After I post this blog Sanae and I are going to have winter soup, and then I will take the dogs for a walk. It's gray and cold today, and we're expecting rain, so it won't be a long walk, but the dogs don't care! They're just so happy to get out and walk!

Also, visit the events page at http://www.loveericinc.com/events_en.html for upcoming events and activities at Studio Mugen.

Until next time, don't forget to pay a visit to Seed for your winter diet, and have a wonderful holiday season and a great New Year!

Enjoy the pictures!

Joel

Happy Holidays!

All of us at studio mugen would like to wish you a Happy Holiday! We hope you have a safe one, and get to spend a joyous time with your friends and family.

I will be spending time in Los Angeles with my friends cooking and eating tons of delicious vegan food! Eric and Sanae gave me their dessert cookbook for Christmas, so I will be making decadent desserts for all my friends. Yummm!

Seed will be closing early Christmas Eve and will be closed Christmas day and the 26th. Eric and Sanae have been working really hard and deserve a break!

Bye for now!
Christy

Jessica Porter teaches at studio mugen!

I was in Texas last week visiting my family and eating delicious vegan food and it seems that no one was in the office. I think Annalise went to Italy to visit family (lucky her!), so that leaves me to catch you up on what is going on here at studio mugen. :)

We are very excited to have Jessica Porter again at studio mugen in January!

She is the author of The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics and will be teaching three amazing classes to help you on your way to health and happiness.

Jessica has been practicing macrobiotics since 1992. She teaches regularly at the Kushi Summer Conference, Kripalu Yoga Center and The Taste of Health Caribbean Cruise. Originally trained as an actress, Ms. Porter does standup comedy in her spare time. Her lectures and cooking classes are lively, funny, and full of macro wisdom. Check out her blog, classes and videos at www.hipchicksmacrobiotics.com

Saturday, January 24
Winter Cooking: Winter is a very special time when energy gathers in the body; we need to keep warmth inside ourselves, so we need to heat things up in the kitchen. EVEN IN CALIFORNIA! In this class, we will bake, stew and deep fry!

Saturday, January 31
Comfort Foods: In this class we cover two amazing recipes in depth. First, you will learn how to make your own seitan--which is incredibly easy once you've seen it done, but almost impossible to learn from a recipe! Second, we will build the most amazing lasagna, with seitan, portobello mushroom, 3 kinds of "cheese" and carrot/beet tomato sauce. Bring your appetite!

Saturday, February 7th
Spring Cooking: They say Spring doesn't being until March 21st, but that's not true. The energy begins to lift and expand on December 21st and by the end of January vegans and macros can really feel changes happening in their bodies. In this class, we learn how to lighten up in the kitchen as springtime approaches. It's one of the most delicate and yet important transitions of year. We will press, toss and make a lovely spring soup in this class.

Time: 2-5pm
Place: Santa Monica, CA
Fee: $75 each

Register and pay by January 14th to receive $10 off a class!
Register and pay for all 3 classes by Jan 14th and get $30 off!

*Please bring pen, notebook and indoor shoes or socks.
*If you wish to take food home, please bring your own container.
*Please bring your own plate and chopsticks.

*Please pre-register and pay no later than January 17th by e-mailing us at events@LoveEricInc.com

(Minimum of 5 people is required to hold the class. Space is limited so don't wait.)
(Refunds can only be given if a 5 days notice is received. Or you may take a credit for future class.)

News from seed restaurant

Studio mugen's sister company is "Seed"restaurant, located in Venice, California. Seed prepares vegan, macrobiotic cuisine without using any refined sugar or chemicals. They also use filtered water for cooking and locally-grown organic produce when possible. Their wholesome, minimally-processed food is prepared according to macrobiotic principles and their menu features burgers, paninis, curry bowls, desserts, organic teas and more. If you are ever in the neighborhood, drop by!

If you have already eaten at seed, please review your experience online at Yelp.com, Citysearch.com, and HappyCow.net.

Also, seed offers gift cards available for any amount, making for the perfect gift for friends and family who enjoy healthy and delicious food.

Special for the holidays, seed offers a Holiday Bento Box for pickup on Christmas Eve.

The Holiday Bento Box includes:
* Parsnip & Chestnut Soup
* Tofu Turkey with Gravy and Cranberry Sauce
* Baked Yams
* Green Beans w/Kale and Almonds
* Sanae's Homemade Pickles
* Pecan Amasake Pie

All this for $45. We are taking pre-orders now, so give us a call with your credit card at 310.396.1604