Craving Satisfaction

Today I happened upon Oreos at the supermarket. It was $2 for 18 cookies which was rather steep, but I had a powerful craving for American snack food and I just couldn't resist. Eating these made me think about some of the little things I miss from the US.

I miss being able to buy large quantities of food items. Food in Japan is sold with the assumption that wives will visit the store every day to buy the fresh ingredients for today or tomorrow's meal though this assumption is behind current trends. For example, the largest package of bread you can buy is 6 slices and eggs come in packages of 6 or 10. Most snack bags of things like chips are single servings and even the "BIG" bags they sell are smaller than the average US bag. The way things are sold, it is rare to open a package, eat some of its contents and then seal it for later. Smaller quantities also mean the products are more expensive per unit meaning that there's no way to save by buying in large quantities. These sizes likely make a lot of sense for single people, but as I buy groceries with my roommate, we find ourselves returning to the store at least every other day to replenish something that has run out.

I also miss the taste of many American products. While I am a big fan of many Japanese dishes, I am sometimes disappointed when I can't find a certain taste that I miss from home. In general Japanese food tends towards subtlety which to me often translates to blandness. Most flavors are done in moderation meaning that even potato chips are not too salty or oily. Some American food goes overboard with these things, but I miss finding treats with masterfully decadent combinations of fat and salt that are absolutely delicious in moderation. There is also a tendency to make salty things a little bit sweet and sweet things a little bit salty which I am not a fan of.

Finally, though this is not Japan's fault, I miss knowing where to go when I need something. For food this is clear, but for things like housewares, sometimes I am not exactly sure. One day I stumbled upon essentially the Japanese equivalent of Mills Fleet Farm where they had just about every product a person could need though large department stores like that are few and far between.

On the whole, these things don't greatly diminish my enjoyment of Japan though it does make me appreciate a few little things about the US that I hadn't thought of before.