Yet another too hot day

It’s very hot today, and I had to go shopping. All by myself. Two things to make me feel like I am not having a good day. Happily, I was shopping in Chinatown, which, like the Pike Place Market, is always interesting and a little less awful than other shopping venues. I had no adventures, just went, suffered some, and came home. I documented my trip slightly, and here are some pictures you might like.
To the right is Japanese paper – I always stop and admire it when I am in the Japanese book store. I also have to admire the little office and school gadgets and restrain myself from squandering money on them. Here are lovely pencils, and I think the other things are food shaped erasers, but I’m not really sure.
Lastly, some objects which were floating in little vats in the Asian food market. My questions is, “Animal, mineral, or vegetable?” I think we can probably eliminate mineral. They were situated sort of in between the vegetable and fish section, so their location was not a clue. They don’t really look like either. Or rather, they look a bit like both. Initially, I thought “bamboo shoots,” but they looked a little more fleshly than your run of the mill bamboo shoot. I asked the man what they were, but he didn’t speak English, and just stared at me uncomprehendingly. What do you think?