Maui is a tropical paradise- what’s not to like? It’s so gorgeous and lovely and the very nice people are so full of Aloha spirit there that I’d go even if they had sub-par food (a few of the Caribbean islands come to mind, but I’m not naming names). But they don’t! The food there is some of the best. Especially if you are like me, and enjoy eating spicy raw fish multiple times a day.

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Bike-powered microphones for this band that was playing at the Alemany Farmers Market. Only in SF!

My friend Eliza gave me these awesome little containers. They are about an inch and a half high and super frickin’ adorable.

Their sole purpose is to allow you to bring a little bit of soy sauce with you wherever you go, just in case. They come with a little tiny eye-dropper so you can fill them up with soy sauce. So far they have never leaked and they always make me smile when I pull them out at lunchtime! Something about those vacant, beady eyes and perky ears- they are really endearing little pals to have around.

Eliza got these for a couple bucks at one of my very favorite stores in the world, Daiso Japan. Daiso is kind of like a super cool Japanese Dollar Store, except most things cost two dollars instead of one. Daiso has a crazy cross-section of stuff, from garden supplies to kids’ toys to dishes to cards (many in hilarious Engrish) to fake flowers to, er, individual soy sauce holders. With ten bucks in hand, you can have a GREAT time in there.

There are 3 stores in the Seattle area and 6 in the Bay Area- here’s a list of all U.S. locations.

I saw this lovely recipe for chocolate thumbprints filled with a delectable ganache over on Macheesmo. But I am kind of lazy and couldn’t deal with making ganache and fill the cookies, so I was overjoyed to find some dark chocolate mint UFOs at Trader Joe’s to stick in the middle instead. The cookies were fabulously chewy and tasty, and the light sugar crust added some nice texture.

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Spotted on Cakespy: this cute cupcake ring.

I like it because from afar it kind of looks diamond-shaped so it’s a little tricky that way! Also because the pieces are handmade by this guy Rusty and I’m always a fan of a master craftsperson. $95 from Pnut Jewelry unless you want it made of gold or with diamonds on it!

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I couldn’t resist sharing these neat and somewhat bizarre foodstuffs (and food-related) stuff I found in Japan!

• single serving glass of wine with sardine-can top from the Muji flagship store

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I haven’t been cooking that much lately so I have no recipes to share today, but here are three food-related things I think everyone should be aware of.

• I love this tape-timer from Urban Peel, and it’s a bargain at $19. Housewarming gift?

I bought this rice called Tiny Rice, because it’s tiny and adorable, and also because I like saying “Tiny Rice” all together like it’s one word. Tinyrice. Tinyrice. Tinyrice!

So what is Tiny Rice and why is it so tiny? It’s a small (some might say tiny) grain basmati rice imported from Bangladesh. It’s also called Kalijira rice (which incidentally is ALSO fun to say) or sometimes baby basmati. It says on the package it’s the Prince of Rice. (And here I was, not even realizing that rice could be royalty.) It’s cute, it’s delicious, and it’s way more fun than those big awkward rice grains you’re used to, as you can see in the photo below.

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Heh. This is a great idea- salt and pepper shakers emblazoned with the visages of 80s female rap stars Salt N Pepa. You know, in case you’re color blind or something.

They’re sold out on Etsy right now, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before these things are being sold at Urban Outfitters.