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PROJECTIONS FOR 2021 AND MY FAMOUS O-ZONI

Nine years ago only four of ten predictions were right.  This past year I was more right than wrong, but mostly because it was a joke and I thought I'd get them all right:

  • I started RIGHT by predicting what had already happened    .  Something to do with published works, or 1-0
  • The UK would leave the European Union:  RIGHT, or 2-0.  But they cut it awfully close, departing at 11PM last night.
  • Israel will continue to be bedeviled by uncertainty on who is running the country:  RIGHT, or 3-0.
  • The Mars 2020     rover mission will be launched:  RIGHT, or 4-0.  Did you know that in that July 2020 window three such missions were sent out--first, Hope orbiter by the United Arab Emirates, then Tianwen-1 by China, and, finally the USA.  All three will arrive at Mars next month.
  • The XXXII Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo from July 24 to August 9:  WRONG, or 4-1.  AS you know, this was postponed to this year, from July 23 to August 8.

  • The ICC Men's T20 World Cup will be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15    :  WRONG, or 4-2.  This was for my cricket fans.  The Cup was moved from Australia last year to India in October and November of this year.
  • The World Expo in Dubai will open on October 20, and run until April 10, 2021:  WRONG, or 4-3.  This Expo will now be held from 1Oct21 to 31March22.
  • Donald Trump will not win a Nobel Prize     in 2020: RIGHT, or 5-3.  One of my best predictions.
  • The key antagonist will be Michael Bloomberg, for he will spend half a billion of his own dollars to make Trump look bad, which is not all that hard to do.  Bloomberg will not be the Democratic candidate that day, but just as well, for he will be 78, and it doesn't matter who runs:  RIGHT, for his money was important, or 6-3.
  • A particularly key factor will be the environment:  RIGHT, OR 7-3.  I say right because the vote was so close that a margin of victory was the environment.
    • The shift in female votes will be significant:  RIGHT, or 8-3.
    • Greta Thunberg will smile:  RIGHT, or 9-3.
    • The Sun will rise on the morning of 1January2021:  RIGHT, or 10-3.

For this coming year, again, I'll go with the obvious as my Top Ten Predictions:

  • 2021 will be better than 2020.
  • The UK will actually leave the European Union.
  • All three Mars expeditions will get to Mars in February of this year.
  • The Tokyo Summer Olympics will be held this year.  However, if it is delayed until the Fall, that would be better for spectators, for the weather in that city is just awful in July and August.
  • The World Cricket Cup will be held in India this year.
  • The Dubai World Expo will be begin later this year, and I'll be there sometime during its run.
  • Donald Trump will not win the Nobel Prize this year.
  • Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20, 2021.
  • The USA will rejoin the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
  • The Sun will rise on 1January2022.

My holiday meals started the eve of the new year with steak, scampi and cheesecake from 15 Craigside, plus sashimi from me, accompanied by a sunset:

My Famous O-zoni is only famous because that is what I call it.  Every year is different, and this time it was a partnership with 15 Craigside.  I bought some ingredients from Marukai.  However, on Wednesday, served was miso soup, so I kept it to add to the zoni.  Then on Thursday, as a snack, 15C gave us some zoni, which I also refrigerated.

On New Years's Eve I first fried some wagyu fat:

Then added the scallops, topshell, water chestnuts and shiitake mushrooms:


Kept the solid part and added the zoni and mochi soup, plus the liquid portion of the canned topshell, to the, pot, which I let sit overnight.  This morning I added those solid ingredients, plus:


Thus, first heated the ozoni (the "o" is just an honorific) stock and added some of the ingredients from the 15 Craigside zoni and miso soup:



This is the first time I've added egg to the ozoni.  My New Year 2021 brunch with hot sake and cold beer:



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