Article: Eating Japanese part 1

Eating Japanese part 1

Japan, Like any country has it's own distinctive cuisine. Understanding what a country eats is very important to understanding them as a whole since people naturally eat several times a day. While the foods listed in this article are by no means a complete list they are a few snacks that don't require that you know how to cook and can be eaten as snacks, the perfect compliment to your anime viewing.

Ramen There is a good chance you have eaten this already. In fact if you are the college student type that is the Otaku stereotype you probably eat this a lot, mostly out of financial necessity. This stuff is available in any grocery store that I have been in and the stuff is cheap so if you haven't tried it there is no reason not to.

Sushi When people in America think of Japanese food their minds often picture that strange dish called Sushi. There is a couple of fallacies that some people have regarding it that I should clear up. First of all Sushi is rice flavored with vinegar. Although it does often contain Sashimi(raw fish), fish eggs or some other seafood there are varieties that have vegetables instead if the idea of eating raw fish repulses you. Sushi is most often served with a green condiment called Wasabi, be careful the stuff is spicy. I found that I didn't really like Sushi, mostly because it was too bitter due to the vinegar. If your stomach becomes a bit queasy after eating some I suggest that you eat something sweet to balance it out.

Ramune Japan has an assortment of it's own soft drinks and Ramune is one of the most famous ones. While the taste is nothing special (it tastes like a fruity version of 7 up or sprite) what really makes Ramune neat is the special bottle it comes in. Instead of a normal lid there is a marble stuck in the top of the bottle. To open the bottle you press down on the marble with a opener that comes with the bottle. When you open the bottle the marble sinks to an indentation in the middle of the bottle which helps keep the drink from going flat.

Pocky An article about Japanese snacks would be naturally incomplete if I did not mention the favorite Otaku snack, Pocky. Pocky is a substance (for example chocolate is the commonly available in America, although there many flavors) spread on a biscuit stick. This product has been immensely popular in Japan ever since it was first made in the 1960's. There are only a few flavors available in America, Chocolate, Strawberry and Almond Crunch being the ones I have found in stores. Pocky can be found in most large grocery stores in the Asian section.

That's it for my first installment of Eating Japanese. If I get positive feedback I will probably do a second installment.