Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Things I'll Miss...

As February slips from present into past tense, I can't help but think about my impending return to America: my horror at seeing the cereal aisle in any supermarket, the obesity (sorry, America, but you're getting soft in the tummy...and Japan is just so...fit!), the unnecessarily huge vehicles, etc. For some reason, in my mind, March-April-May is one month. It's possible that because my birthday is in June, I've always just lumped them up, so I could say "Well, it's March now, and April is like March as far as the weather goes, so it's practically the same month, and May starts with M, too, so it's like...not that long until my birthday!"

Of course, my birthday this year will pale in comparison to my previous birthdays. ...Though I'll see if I can't manage to get out and have a little fun. In any case, my thoughts are slowly turning toward home and the things (good and bad) that await me there. And all the wonderful things I'll miss.

Like the food. God, the food is good. I used to miss American food, like macaroni and cheese (it's been almost eight months now, and counting...), real pizza! (they're tiny here, and they usually have fish and mayonnaise on them. Sick), and everything else. But, that desire is practically gone from me, when I think about giving up sushi, champon, tempura, yakitori (so delicious), ramen, shuu-mai, good white rice, etc. Not to mention the shit you can buy in stores. ...Which is usually hilarious.

Like WasaBeef. Yep. Wasabe. Beef. Turned to powder and sprinkle atop potato chips. Only in Japan, my friend. Sure, it tastes...not so good. And, I'm not sure what process is needed to turn a cow into powder, but I'm sure it's horrifying in it's own way. Added to the Snackfood list, my new favorite, Kaki-pi. It sounds hilarious. Say it aloud. I dare you. "Kaa-Kee Pee!" Yep, sounds like an outhouse. Tastes delicious. It's Kake-no-tane (lit. "seed of...something"), a rice cracker with soy sauce coating, and peanuts. I'll miss it forever. Another consumable that hasn't made it stateside; C. C. Lemon. Although, in Japan, it's "shi shi remon." Still, shesheremon is incredibly delicious. Each bottle says proudly "Contains the Vitamin C of 70 lemons!" SEVENTY FUCKING LEMONS. Sometimes, I wonder how these people lost the war. And lastly, Pocari Sweat. I bet you've heard of it. Google it if you haven't. They don't drink Gatorade here. Instead, they have their own bizarre lines of sports drinks. Like SWEAT. It...looks like sweat. Tastes a little salty. ...But, what's not salty is grapefruit-y. And I like that.

So, Japanese junk foods, you've stolen my heart. And I'll never really be the same. So, now I'll take my remaining time in Japan to consume as much food as I possibly can. That way, I'll either get my fill for the rest of my life, or ... at the very least, I'll fit in when I get back to the states.

I still haven't eaten the fugu fish...

2 comments:

Mr. Smith said...

You should just buy as much of it as you can before you leave, and bring it with you on the trip home.

And the way the economy is shaping up, people might start losing weight regardless on account of not being able to afford to eat anything. :|

I miss you buddy!

Unknown said...

Look at you, trying to garner sympathy when I've already told you that you can get kaki-pi and Pocari Sweat in Bloomington. Shame on you.

Face it, Japan's got nothing on Indiana. Except maybe the nice people, excellent public transportation, cleanliness... well, we do have Pocari Sweat, OK?