Oink!

My buddy Lisa and I headed down to Little Tokyo on Saturday to eat and shop. At the very first store, I was accosted by two new characters, similar to Hello Kitty, that really struck my fancy: Monokuro Boo, a black pig and a white pig whose motto is “Simple is Best!”

According to Wikipedia, “Monokuro Boo” translates into something like “Monochromatic Oink,” which I find just as cute and charming as they intended. There is something about the rounded square shapes of the pigs that I absolutely love, and which I find evokes the power of the yin-yang symbol.

Oink! I bought a white piggy bank (I’ve been looking for a piggy bank for ages!) and every time I see it on the counter, it makes me smile. Oink! Monokuro Boo is a creation of San-X. If you do a search on “monokuro boo,” you’ll find everything from slippers to soap dishes to cell phone straps.

While in Little Tokyo, I also managed to score some of this fabulous sweet soy sauce I use for soba noodles, a few cans of Calpico, and a variety of Pocky. Excellent day!

PS. Don’t forget that it’s the Year of the Pig, and that pigs are extra-special lucky!