Hiroyuki, thank you so much for linking to Michaela's blog. I find the natto video hilarious and also a great idea of eating it. I was disappointed with natto's blandness compared to the cheesy promising smell, but I really have to try it with soy sauce or other seasonings and with crisps, like she does. It looks like a great (scary) party snack ;-) She speaks such a good Japanese! (Does she?) It makes me all sad with my poor level...
She spins the guey slime (which is a perfect look alike for snot before whirling) around the crisp with her chopsticks. Guess most of the european would not try it even if there lives depend on it (laugh).
Kiki: I can imagine natto haters, whether Japanese or non-Japanese, rinsing off all the slime meticulously and having the beans while pinching their noses (laugh).
Natto is a true favorite of mine. I posted a response to Michaela's video--and won't repeat it here--but I've found people pretty willing to try it. It's partly how you describe it to them.
Hiroyuki, I know people who have lived in Switzerland for 5 years or more and who cannot say even 5 sentences in French fluently in a row (I live in the French speaking part). They still rely on their English and "body language" and say they try to learn French ;-)
Sissi: If I were to live in a foreign country, I would swear off rice, soy sauce, mirin, and sake, and try to learn the local cuisine, as well as the language!
Sissi: I wish I could do the same, but cornmeal, basmati rice, and other imported foods that I'd like to buy are too expensive for regular use and too hard to come by here in Japan. And, I'm not sure if I can get quark here.
I think Japanese products in my city are not expensive because there are quite a lot of Japanese living here and because people love so much Japanese cuisine :-) Other, Asian food products are not expensive either for the same reasons.
Hiroyuki: I think it's a question of tax policy. Japanese products are not that overwhelming expensive in asia food stores around here. The world market leads to some strange constellations: local products are often more expensive than imported. Ok - chinese are the cheapest. But in Japan there is a high tax on imported food products from outerspace (not japanese) to support local producers/farmers. That is ok, the european union does this too on different levels. At least some tax barriers crumbled already: sugar market... I think there is a huge difference between prices I pay for basmati rice (it's really cheap) to prices you may pay for the same product. (Basmati is the rice I use the most). We live in different trade union areas and tax spheres. So, that is how it is. I wish I could by your wonderful fish varieties but no chance.
Basmati rice is around 500-1500 yen per kg in Japan, so it's as expensive as premium Koshihikari rice grown here in the Minami Uonuma region of Niigata. I usually buy cheaper rice (3,000-3,500 yen per 10 kg).
Japan is a country where two types of industry coexist: Electronics and auto industry where productivity and efficiency are everyday words, and every yen counts, and Agricultural and construction industries where inefficiency is the rule.
14 comments:
Hiroyuki, thank you so much for linking to Michaela's blog. I find the natto video hilarious and also a great idea of eating it. I was disappointed with natto's blandness compared to the cheesy promising smell, but I really have to try it with soy sauce or other seasonings and with crisps, like she does. It looks like a great (scary) party snack ;-)
She speaks such a good Japanese! (Does she?) It makes me all sad with my poor level...
She spins the guey slime (which is a perfect look alike for snot before whirling) around the crisp with her chopsticks. Guess most of the european would not try it even if there lives depend on it (laugh).
Sissi: Yes, she speaks fairly good Japanese.
Kiki: I can imagine natto haters, whether Japanese or non-Japanese, rinsing off all the slime meticulously and having the beans while pinching their noses (laugh).
Natto is a true favorite of mine. I posted a response to Michaela's video--and won't repeat it here--but I've found people pretty willing to try it. It's partly how you describe it to them.
I'm not so sure about the chips, though :)
Best wishes...
Hiroyuki, I know people who have lived in Switzerland for 5 years or more and who cannot say even 5 sentences in French fluently in a row (I live in the French speaking part). They still rely on their English and "body language" and say they try to learn French ;-)
Arthur3030: Are you Arthur3030 there? I tried to identify your comment, but gave up because of so many comments there.
>It's partly how you describe it to them.
I guess you are right, but it's also true that the proof of the pudding is in the eating (laugh).
Sissi: If I were to live in a foreign country, I would swear off rice, soy sauce, mirin, and sake, and try to learn the local cuisine, as well as the language!
I watch Micaela's videos, I was happily surprised to see that you watch her videos too!
Hiroyuki, I live in Switzerland, but I buy mainly Japanese food! Haha! I also explore the French cuisine, but I buy it just across the border.
Stacy: It's a small world!
Sissi: I wish I could do the same, but cornmeal, basmati rice, and other imported foods that I'd like to buy are too expensive for regular use and too hard to come by here in Japan. And, I'm not sure if I can get quark here.
I think Japanese products in my city are not expensive because there are quite a lot of Japanese living here and because people love so much Japanese cuisine :-)
Other, Asian food products are not expensive either for the same reasons.
Hiroyuki: I think it's a question of tax policy. Japanese products are not that overwhelming expensive in asia food stores around here. The world market leads to some strange constellations: local products are often more expensive than imported. Ok - chinese are the cheapest. But in Japan there is a high tax on imported food products from outerspace (not japanese) to support local producers/farmers. That is ok, the european union does this too on different levels. At least some tax barriers crumbled already: sugar market... I think there is a huge difference between prices I pay for basmati rice (it's really cheap) to prices you may pay for the same product. (Basmati is the rice I use the most). We live in different trade union areas and tax spheres. So, that is how it is. I wish I could by your wonderful fish varieties but no chance.
Basmati rice is around 500-1500 yen per kg in Japan, so it's as expensive as premium Koshihikari rice grown here in the Minami Uonuma region of Niigata. I usually buy cheaper rice (3,000-3,500 yen per 10 kg).
Japan is a country where two types of industry coexist:
Electronics and auto industry where productivity and efficiency are everyday words, and every yen counts, and
Agricultural and construction industries where inefficiency is the rule.
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