July 25, 2009, FOOD

So everyday I eat ice cream. I have to stop this habit though, but it’s so hard. I had goma (black sesame seed paste) and grape ice cream: one scoop of each. In America I don’t think we have goma at all. I have never had it there. They say it’s good for your health. Also, I hate grape in America, I think it tastes like medicine, but here it’s my absolute favorite.

Nato is fermented sticky beans. Coming to Japan I have found that Japanese people love it so much (some even declare it’s their favorite food). They put a bit of it in some sushi rice and seaweed and call it sushi. I think it’s the worst smelling food ever. In America, when my grandparents would eat it, I would profusely refuse because the stench was so awful I could not bring it to my lips. When I came to Japan, during the week where we were quarantined at a really nice hotel, we had buffet style breakfasts. On some mornings, they would have nato. I decided, might as well try it; When in Japan, do as the Japanese do, right? So, I put some soy sauce on top, mixed it in well, and took a bite. The first bite was more than what I asked for, and I had this string of slime connecting my lip to the tiny cup container of which the nato resided in. I was pretty grossed out by the texture, more so than the stench this time. It was slimy, gooey, and slippery in my mouth. My first impression: Ew, I wish I could rewind time. Texture, bad. Smell, bad. But, what about taste. I decided to try to ignore the rest and focus on taste. We were all trying the foods we were weirded out by together and so while eating nato someone mentioned cheese. I guess it was sort of cheesy tasting, but slightly salty too. Salty, probably thanks to the soy sauce, which probably was the reason why it was even remotely bearable. All in all, I was surprised it didn’t taste as bad as it smelled. The second time I ate nato, I had it at my host family’s house. Now, since I said I would eat anything given to me, and they really like this part about me, I decided just to eat it all, no matter the circumstance. I mixed some soy sauce, and ate it all. The second time around was definitely better and I actually was able to say I kind of enjoyed it. Third times a charm, right? Right! I tried it for the third time, and decided that I do, indeed, like it. The smell doesn’t even bother me anymore. Afterwards, I always feel a little self-conscious that my breath is kicking, and brush my teeth each time.

Dear fruit, I miss you. In Japan fruit and veggies are so expensive I barely get a chance to eat them. Although every packaged piece of fruit and veggie is perfect, they are so expensive. Fruit especially is pricy. I usually get to eat some of it because my host family gives it to me. Let’s start off small. The price for a bundle of grapes is $7.80. One kiwi, $1.40. For a small container of maybe 15 cherries, about $8.80. For small strawberries, $7.80. One peach, $4.85. But, this will surprise you the most of all: for one cantaloupe melon, as much as $150. Just for one! The cheapest cantaloupe melon you can get is about $3.90, but supposedly these suck and they are smaller. On average, they cost about $20-60. And they have them in every supermarket. They make a great gift, from what I hear! My host family occasionally feeds me strawberries, cantaloupe melon (OMG!), and watermelon. Of course, the price of food dips when you decide you’ll buy the bruised peaches, or overripe bananas. But, quality is what determines the price in this country. If something is imperfect (food wise), you will most likely see a 20% off from original price sticker on the item in the supermarket. And once it’s passed 5:00pm or 6:00pm, the price of food that will spoil if left for the next day (like bentos or rice balls) is discounted at times by as much as 50%. It’s still good, it’s still good.