This post is dedicated to some truly delicious things I have eaten in the past few days that I will be having serious withdrawals for when I return to the States.
1) The wide availability of authentic Japanese food
The supermarkets here are a DREAM. Forget nasty hot dogs that are kept warm on metal rollers. I can just pick up a bento-box style plate from a convenience store and get all sorts of meats, veggies, rice, and sushi in it. It's AWESOME. I have recently become addicted to dango as well, after first buying it with Julia in Kichijoji. I've always wanted to try it and I was NOT disappointed :) Chewy and soft and oh so yummy, I could eat these things forever. Do these count as bad for you? It's essentially just rice powder from what I know...or nori or powdered barley or whatever other flavorings are on it.
The supermarkets here are a DREAM. Forget nasty hot dogs that are kept warm on metal rollers. I can just pick up a bento-box style plate from a convenience store and get all sorts of meats, veggies, rice, and sushi in it. It's AWESOME. I have recently become addicted to dango as well, after first buying it with Julia in Kichijoji. I've always wanted to try it and I was NOT disappointed :) Chewy and soft and oh so yummy, I could eat these things forever. Do these count as bad for you? It's essentially just rice powder from what I know...or nori or powdered barley or whatever other flavorings are on it.
2) The ridiculously large variety of ramen types you can buy
Haaaaaaallelujah. Haaaaallelujah. Angels are singing. Doves are fluttering. A golden ray of light is shining down on my wondrous revelation...the. ramen. is. not. (all). spicy. here. WOOO! As much as I grew to like and tolerate the spiciness of Korean ramen, it made it difficult that I was coughing every other bite from accidentally inhaling some chili powder or something, and needing to drink milk with every bowl :D They have all sorts of ramen here including this little glass noodle looking type. This one pictured is egg ramen!! It tasted like a mix between egg drop soup and regular ramen. Yum!
Haaaaaaallelujah. Haaaaallelujah. Angels are singing. Doves are fluttering. A golden ray of light is shining down on my wondrous revelation...the. ramen. is. not. (all). spicy. here. WOOO! As much as I grew to like and tolerate the spiciness of Korean ramen, it made it difficult that I was coughing every other bite from accidentally inhaling some chili powder or something, and needing to drink milk with every bowl :D They have all sorts of ramen here including this little glass noodle looking type. This one pictured is egg ramen!! It tasted like a mix between egg drop soup and regular ramen. Yum!
3) The desserts
They are adorable, delicious, and widely available. How are you people not all a thousand pounds?! They have all types of these little desserts that vary from store to store. My favorite so far is the almond jelly (it's a Chinese dessert Julia told me, I seem to recall my mom making almond milk that tastes just like this jelly. It is SUPERB. I can't stop eating it). My second favorite is the little custards they have with carmelized sugar at the bottom. Also highly difficult to restrain from eating constantly. I'm working on it @.@ Other desserts I've tried include mini-cheesecakes, pumpkin custard/pie (left on above picture), and a mango parfait thing (right on above picture). Pretty aren't they?
They are adorable, delicious, and widely available. How are you people not all a thousand pounds?! They have all types of these little desserts that vary from store to store. My favorite so far is the almond jelly (it's a Chinese dessert Julia told me, I seem to recall my mom making almond milk that tastes just like this jelly. It is SUPERB. I can't stop eating it). My second favorite is the little custards they have with carmelized sugar at the bottom. Also highly difficult to restrain from eating constantly. I'm working on it @.@ Other desserts I've tried include mini-cheesecakes, pumpkin custard/pie (left on above picture), and a mango parfait thing (right on above picture). Pretty aren't they?
4) MOCHI
Mochi mochi mochi everywhere!! I love it haha, there are so many different and unique flavors. I'm going to pull a Pokemon and try 'em all while I'm here! :)
Mochi mochi mochi everywhere!! I love it haha, there are so many different and unique flavors. I'm going to pull a Pokemon and try 'em all while I'm here! :)
5) The fabulous array of amazing drinks!
My favorites thus far are their sparkling lemonade (a lot of lemonades in the US are too sickly sweet for me, but this one is fuzzy and just sweet enough), their Mitsuya Cider (they have a clear version of this cider I tried as well but I like the milky one better; less bubbly but more tasty), and my favorite melon soda (a different type than the kind we sold at the sushi place I used to work at though).
One of things I've enjoyed the most while I've been abroad is simply going to the store to try out all sorts of new and sometimes unknown food and drinks. Everything is so attractively packaged, and there are so many things I've a) never seen before, b) they don't sell in the US, and/or c) they are rarely found in the US or very expensive. It's a learning experience, and one I enjoy thoroughly! :)
My favorites thus far are their sparkling lemonade (a lot of lemonades in the US are too sickly sweet for me, but this one is fuzzy and just sweet enough), their Mitsuya Cider (they have a clear version of this cider I tried as well but I like the milky one better; less bubbly but more tasty), and my favorite melon soda (a different type than the kind we sold at the sushi place I used to work at though).
One of things I've enjoyed the most while I've been abroad is simply going to the store to try out all sorts of new and sometimes unknown food and drinks. Everything is so attractively packaged, and there are so many things I've a) never seen before, b) they don't sell in the US, and/or c) they are rarely found in the US or very expensive. It's a learning experience, and one I enjoy thoroughly! :)