Kenta visits San Diego!

Kenta is a Japanese born, University of Oregon going, Oregon Institute of Marine Biology partner in crime. Way back when we were undergraduates we would take the same classes at OIMB, pick up sea creatures on daily field trips and study for tests together.

While in the United States, several of us learned of his love for items he couldn't find in Japan. Mainly: marshmallows, cookies, muffins, root beer, and puffins (the actual bird). Seriously. We would also teach him really awful American slang and then make him repeat it back to us to make sure he had it right.

Our days at OIMB:

Chips, cookies, soda: 

After living together for months we became a very tight knit group of people and we couldn't imagine living without Kenta. When he moved back to Japan we even sent care packages back and forth. Books, muffins, cards, and even root beer were exchanged. A few weeks ago I learned Kenta would be returning back to the US and what a coincidence - the city he was visiting would be San Diego. I'M SO LUCKY! It had been six years and lots of grad school since we'd last seen each other.

We made plans to meet up for a few hours on his last day here. I randomly picked a place in Little Italy that was close to his hotel. And it was delicious!

Trolley to downtown:

Prepkitchen in Little Italy:

Extra things I learned while we caught up with each other:

-The sun is too bright for Kenta in San Diego

-He still misses muffins

-His research has to do with anemones and he has cool pictures to prove it

-Cucumber flavoring in the drinking water is no good

-He still doesn't like the word "weenis" (a word we taught him)

:)