Jinja and Shoga: Life in the Land of the Rising Sun

I decided to try a new recipe out on Monday, since I was actually able to cook dinner on a weeknight for once. I opted for a recipe from Whole Foods, since they're usually pretty reliable in terms of healthiness and overall quality of recipes. I was also going for something Asian-related, because I didn't feel like running down to the grocery store yet again after having gone that morning and completely forgetting to buy anything for dinner. So I already knew that it was going to be something Asian, and something with chicken breasts, the only protein we had in the freezer besides some edamame.
Lo and behold, there appeared 'Sesame Chicken' on the Whole Foods website recipe list! It had pretty good reviews, I was able to substitute sesame oil for the butter, and....doh. Paprika. I swear, we had pretty much every single spice possible, except for paprika. After making the very trip back to the grocery store that I'd been hoping to avoid, I started in on the chicken. The recipe was indeed easy and fast to make; basically just mix up the breading and spices, dip the chicken in oil and then in said breading mixture, then pop it into the oven.
However, it was only as Yuki and I started eating the Sesame Chicken that I realized I'd made...Chicken Fingers! Not that I have anything against chicken fingers, but it really wasn't what I had in mind when I started cooking. Pretty good chicken fingers, and definitely healthier than the store-bought ground-up-random-bird-pieces kind, but chicken fingers nonetheless. Still, if you like chicken fingers or are looking for a healthier option to feed your child, click here.
I substitured panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and used sesame oil instead of the butter, but otherwise everything else was the same as the recipe. My picture also includes hijiki on the side. Hijiki is a type of seaweed that's pretty common here. It tastes great but probably looks incredibly unappealing to Westerners! I myself will admit to at least once thinking we had a bug on the table when I was clearing up after dinner and came across a piece that'd escaped from a plate.

Side note on hijiki: while it's high in iron, calcium, and magnesium, I've started to severely limit how much I eat due to other studies that show it's also high in arsenic. There's still some controversy on this issue, but I'd really rather not be a guinea pig and find out for myself!