Unutterably Silly I love food porn! so...what are you craving?

[happy_terd]

Hash browns!!!

I WANT THEM!!!

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by happy_terd

Hash browns!!!

I WANT THEM!!!

"Hey, are you gonna eat your tots?"

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by happy_terd

Hash browns!!!

I WANT THEM!!!

now you've done it! I am making sausage gravy, hash browns and eggs!

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

now you've done it! I am making sausage gravy, hash browns and eggs!

YUMMM!!

[Stitchawl]

I need some good local fast food. Got a REAL craving for some fresh sushi. Maybe it's the rice they used in the US, but it just didn't taste 'right.' The fish was fresh, but something was 'off.' I'm in need of a dose of 'local.


Stitchawl

[BenBanned]

anyone else thirsty?

[Stitchawl]

Today I woke up with visions of really gooey melted cheese. Lots of different cheeses like Mozzarella, Ricotta, Emmenthal, Gruyere, Monterey Jack, Parmesan, Muenster, etc., all melted and mixed with butter and baked into some pasta!


Stitchawl

[kindlekitten]

I would think that cheese would be one thing that would be difficult for you to get there?

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I would think that cheese would be one thing that would be difficult for you to get there?

It is. While the supermarkets do have cheese areas in the fridge sections, the selection is poor. But there are a couple of good Import Food shops in both Kyoto and Osaka that carry what I like. I just have to pay through the nose for it.

Stitchawl

[kindlekitten]

I can imagine! I bet just about any dairy is pretty dear there!

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I can imagine! I bet just about any dairy is pretty dear there!

Milk and yogurt have become staple items in the Japanese diet so the prices for those are OK, as is butter, flavored cheese spreads, and processed cheese slices. Kraft is big here. The price/availability problems arise with the various European cheeses other than Brie or Camembert, and for someone who really loves good cheese, it's a pain. I shop in a place downtown Kyoto (about a 45 minute ride from my house) that carries a very good variety but something like a small roll/package of goat cheese runs about $12 compared with $6-$7 for the same product in the States. Guda and Edam, Fontinas from either Denmark or Italy are equally dear or worse.


Stitchawl

[kindlekitten]

so does that mean that westerners are no longer so stinky to the Japanese?

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

so does that mean that westerners are no longer so stinky to the Japanese?

It was the meat that did that in past years more than the dairy. And garlic. Oh, and the bathing. When the Japanese take a bath they remove the top 11 layers of skin! The first time I went to an Onsen I was amazed to see people scouring themselves with washcloths so abrasive I'd use them to remove rust from a 57 Chevy! They scrub viciously for five minutes, rinse off, then do it all over again another three or four times before getting into the hot springs. Some of the Onsens had signs on them forbidding entry to foreigners because they said the foreigners didn't wash thoroughly enough and got the hot spring water dirty!
The water in public baths (found in every neighborhood) and Onsens is so clean you can almost drink it. MUCH cleaner than any public pool I've ever been in anywhere else in the world.

When I first moved to Asia 20+ years ago, there was virtually no garlic used in Japan's cuisine. These days garlic has become common. About 10 years ago there was even a fad of garlic restaurants, where every dish was prepared with handfuls of the stuff. I loved it, but the craze died off. More and more beef and pork has been added to the Japanese diet too, so now we all get to smell like a Big Mac!


Stitchawl

[kindlekitten]

oh! I thought it was the dairy. if garlic and pork are big offenders, they must have really loathed the Chinese then!

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

oh! I thought it was the dairy. if garlic and pork are big offenders, they must have really loathed the Chinese then!

They did, and still do. Koreans too. They call them the 'Dog Eaters.' Japan is one of the most xenophobic cultures I've ever experienced. If you've ever been in Korea or eaten in a good Korean restaurant, you know that one of the 'side dishes' that gets served with every meal is raw garlic cloves. When you get off the plane in Seoul or Pusan, you are overwhelmed with the smell of garlic. Fortunately, I love the stuff, but up until recently, the Japanese didn't.


Stitchawl