The perfect Halloween treat

I saw these at Hinata Sushi Carryout and Grocery on St Elmo Ave in Bethesda, MD and, given the proximity to Halloween, couldn't resist getting some. They are single serving, snack size dried sardines. Each sardine is about 1.5 to 2 inches long. In addition to the fish, there is a bit of corn syrup and sesame seeds.

Since I got them, I felt obligated to try some. They are crunchy and taste a little bit fishy. If you can get over the fact that you are eating whole fish whose dried out eyes look like they are pleading with you to spare them, they are perfectly edible. I ate about half a package before deciding I had enough. My cat quite enjoyed them and has been asking for more.



According to the nutrition label (The only part of the package that is in english) they have no fat, 3g of sugar, 3g of protein, and 24 calories per serving. A serving is three packages.

Hinata has more than dried fish snacks, they also have fresh sushi and a plethora of other Japanese snacks. If you want something a little out of the ordinary, this is a good place to go.

Not such a bad storm

Yesterday I got a Montgomery County severe weather alert and expected a pretty bad storm overnight. when you read "WIND FIELDS WILL SUPPORT ORGANIZED LINEAR STORMS CAPABLE OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND NOCTURNAL TORNADOES." that is serious. So this morning I was glad that the wind hadn't woken me up and we still had power. It doesn't look like there was much damage here in Bethesda, though I did find a tree on these two cars.



There are lots of things you tend not to think of until something happens and you need to. Finding a body shop is one of those things. Can anyone recomend a good auto-body shop in Montgomery County, MD?

La Madeleine gets a new sign

Normally I wouldn't post an entry just for a new sign on a restaurant, but today I was walking down Old Georgetown Rd here in Bethesda, MD and I'm like, whoa, what happened. Gone was La Madeleine's calm, beige and brown sign and in its place is a bright yellow and maroon one that really, really stands out.

For comparison, here is the old sign.

Kolmen 3-day makes its way through Bethesda.

The Susan G. Komen 3-day walk for the cure came through Bethesda, MD this afternoon. It started as a trickle, a few people set up by the Bethesda Metro station, an occasional person or two wearing a pink shirt mixed in with the normal lunch time crowd, making their way up the sidewalk towards Gaithersburg (their stop for the night). Later, it turned into a frequent, larger groups walking along the sidewalk and bunching up as they waited for traffic lights.

There was a good sized cheering section by the Metro who cheered and shouted encouragement to walkers as they went by.


According to the website for this event:
How does Susan G. Komen for the Cure utilize the contributions?
Net proceeds from the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure fund innovative global breast cancer research and local community programs supporting education, screening and treatment. Every major advance in the fight against breast cancer in the last 28 years has been impacted by a Susan G. Komen for the Cure grant.

According to Charity Navigator, for fiscal year 2009,the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization spends 84.4% of its budget on program expenses, 10.5% on administrative expenses, and 6% on fundraising expenses. The president of the charity, Hala G. Moddelmog made $531,924.

Update 4:45pm:
As the afternoon has progressed, the flow of people has really increased. Earlier in the day you'd see groups of 5-10 people waiting to cross streets, now it is more like 15-20. Here are a couple pictures from around 4:30.

Armored Car robbery in Bethesda

Shortly after noon, two people held up an armored car outside this Wachovia bank on the 7900 block of Wisconsin Ave (MD-355) in Bethesda, MD. The suspects reportedly fled in a black jeep, going northbound on MD-355. There have been other armored car robberies in the DC area in the past week that are possibly related.

The top photo was taken this afternoon and shows the armored car involved in the incident. Police tape had surrounded this vehicle but it was removed prior to the picture.


More information at Patch and TBD.

Taste of Bethesda wrapup

Taste of Bethesda couldn't have happened on a better day. The sun was shining and it wasn't too hot. The streets were packed, lots of people came out to try the food. I tried a bunch of it myself, the Pad Thai from Bangkok Garden was great, I also tried Lamb Stew from Ri-Ra, some crispy pork dumplings from Hanaro, and Gazpacho from Daily Grill.


It wasn't just food either, I watched The Players Band on the Fairmont Avenue stage for about 20 minutes.

Taste of Bethesda is today

Today from 11am to 4pm is the 21st annual Taste of Bethesda. This is one of the biggest events in Bethesda, MD each year. There are going to be more than 50 different restaurants participating this year as well as entertainment on 4 stages.

Taste of Bethesda will take over the Woodmont Triangle area of downtown Bethesda closing parts of Norfolk, Fairmont, St. Elmo, Cordell and Del Ray Avenues. It is also a short walk from Bethesda Metro Station. Going on at the same time (and within walking distance) is the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad's Rescue Day, giving you an opportunity to see the equipment, get a tour of the station, and see live demonstrations. Also going on is the Come Back to Bethesda classic Car show