Good food on a Stormy night!

Take out or eat at picnic tables

It was quite stormy last night as Cyclone Lusi skirted the west side of the north island.  We went out at about 6 to run errands and visit the Night Market in Pakuranga.  The market runs from 6pm to midnight every Saturday night in the lower car park under the Warehouse in Tauranga. Makeshift stalls are quickly assembled and foods from SE Asia, predominate.  But there are stalls with Mediterranean and Eastern European edibles as well.  It was hard to choose between Singapore noodles, kebabs, German bratwurst, steamed char siu bao, pot stickers, BBQ’d ribs, dolmas, and a myriad of other succulent delights.  We settled on Chinese pork, pot stickers and okonomiyaki, a form of Japanese savory pancake with minced sea food and vegetables in a flour/egg batter disc about ½ inch thick and 8 inches in diameter, topped with a secret (soy infused, maybe tonkatsu) sauce. This we complimented with a mango/banana smoothie.

Family BBQ, parents cook & sell daughters serve

Many Chinese imports

Having wrested two chairs and the edge of a table from the throng of people, we devoured our fare and then walked along the booths of wares.  These included many options from cell phone covers, toys, t-shirts, and nail polish to fresh vegetables.  With a bag of veges we exited the garage and came home to walk along the beach as Lusi’s winds tried to toss us up onto the lawn.

The wind kept intensifying as we were preparing for bed to the point of causing the 5’ X 5’ windows to bow inward.  We placed tape across them, closed the curtains and went to sleep.

Howick Beach waves breaching sea wall

This morning the wind has shifted and eased with only a few minor gusts. The windows are intact and I'm hoping the tape will come off easily.  Lusi must be moving further south along the east coast and we are expecting fair weather tomorrow.

All good! J