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My experiences in Asia come mostly from Korea. Over the last decade or so I've noticed the grocery stores and selection there have dramatically improved such th

by bane 10y ago

My experiences in Asia come mostly from Korea. Over the last decade or so I've noticed the grocery stores and selection there have dramatically improved such that I can usually find a reasonable analog for just about anything I want (so long as I don't get too fancy or want good cheese). But I've never lived there long enough to probably need that one thing. I think also, I've been married into Korean life so long, most of my home grocery shopping occurs at big Asian grocery stores anyways, so the experience isn't that much to translate. What do you miss about groceries in Japan that the U.S. has?

jim-jim-jim 10y ago
Not him, but dark green lettuce for making a proper salad. It exists in some places, but it's considerably expensive and nearly wilting. People seem to prefer flavorless cabbage/iceberg instead. Maybe it's a fair exchange for all the fresh fish though.
Larrikin 10y ago
The most obvious differences for me were the eggs,I honestly thought I got a bad batch the first time I cooked after moving back because the yolk was so yellow, and the fruit. Fruit was always more expensive, but so long as it was in season, it was almost universally better than what I had eaten in the US.
donw 10y ago
Fruit in Tokyo is both ludicrously overpriced and, in general, mediocre. Japanese people prefer soft fruit, so crunchy apples are very hard to come by. Many common ingredients in Western cooking don't exist -- I would kill for a supply of fresh jalapeños, or potatoes suitable for baking (you only find two varieties of potato in Japanese supermarkets). I can't legally have a barbecue, either, so it's really hard to escape from fried meat here. My cholesterol numbers shot up quite badly when I moved to Japan, even though I'm not that much of a meat-eater (maybe 2-3 times per week). A decently-sized kitchen with room for a stand mixer is basically unobtainable unless you spend serious money on an apartment, not to mention a proper oven. Japanese homes don't have ovens, so you have to buy your own. Ovens sold for the consumer market here are only slightly larger than microwaves, and while they come with more inbuilt computing power than AWS, simple things like "cook at a low temperature for three hours" are impossible. I could go on, but suffice it to say: Japan has many wonderful things, but they don't line up with my hobbies and interests.
- masklinn 10y ago
  > I can't legally have a barbecue, either, so it's really hard to escape from fried meat here. Isn't Yakiniku fairly common? Though a personal shichirin would probably impossible if you're in Tokyo itself, just as having a BBQ usually isn't an option if you're in Manhattan or London "proper" unless you have a huge top-floor condo. Japanese cooking definitely seems to be on the fast side though, despite the long and extensive prep'.
  - literallycancer 10y ago
    Couldn't you do it on the balcony though?
    - masklinn 10y ago
      Technically yes[0], legally not necessarily, and practically you'd be bothering your neighbours which probably isn't recommended and may get you in trouble with your landlord as well. [0] assuming you have a balcony which isn't always the case
- bane 10y ago
  Out of curiosity, have you ever tried slow cooking meat in your rice cooker? I have a dead simple Zojirushi cooker (it has "cook" and "warm" as the only settings), and every once in a while I'll toss some pork ribs and other ingredients and seasonings in there (beer, garlic, salt, pepper, whatever), hit "cook" and a few hours later out will come incredible fall off the bone pork ribs (or whatever meat I put in). Not the same as BBQ, but pretty freaking good if you get the rest of the flavor mix right and not fried at all.

by bane 10y ago

jim-jim-jim 10y ago

Not him, but dark green lettuce for making a proper salad. It exists in some places, but it's considerably expensive and nearly wilting. People seem to prefer flavorless cabbage/iceberg instead. Maybe it's a fair exchange for all the fresh fish though.

Larrikin 10y ago

The most obvious differences for me were the eggs,I honestly thought I got a bad batch the first time I cooked after moving back because the yolk was so yellow, and the fruit. Fruit was always more expensive, but so long as it was in season, it was almost universally better than what I had eaten in the US.

donw 10y ago

Fruit in Tokyo is both ludicrously overpriced and, in general, mediocre. Japanese people prefer soft fruit, so crunchy apples are very hard to come by. Many common ingredients in Western cooking don't exist -- I would kill for a supply of fresh jalapeños, or potatoes suitable for baking (you only find two varieties of potato in Japanese supermarkets). I can't legally have a barbecue, either, so it's really hard to escape from fried meat here. My cholesterol numbers shot up quite badly when I moved to Japan, even though I'm not that much of a meat-eater (maybe 2-3 times per week). A decently-sized kitchen with room for a stand mixer is basically unobtainable unless you spend serious money on an apartment, not to mention a proper oven. Japanese homes don't have ovens, so you have to buy your own. Ovens sold for the consumer market here are only slightly larger than microwaves, and while they come with more inbuilt computing power than AWS, simple things like "cook at a low temperature for three hours" are impossible. I could go on, but suffice it to say: Japan has many wonderful things, but they don't line up with my hobbies and interests.

masklinn 10y ago
> I can't legally have a barbecue, either, so it's really hard to escape from fried meat here. Isn't Yakiniku fairly common? Though a personal shichirin would probably impossible if you're in Tokyo itself, just as having a BBQ usually isn't an option if you're in Manhattan or London "proper" unless you have a huge top-floor condo. Japanese cooking definitely seems to be on the fast side though, despite the long and extensive prep'.
- literallycancer 10y ago
  Couldn't you do it on the balcony though?
  - masklinn 10y ago
    Technically yes[0], legally not necessarily, and practically you'd be bothering your neighbours which probably isn't recommended and may get you in trouble with your landlord as well. [0] assuming you have a balcony which isn't always the case
bane 10y ago
Out of curiosity, have you ever tried slow cooking meat in your rice cooker? I have a dead simple Zojirushi cooker (it has "cook" and "warm" as the only settings), and every once in a while I'll toss some pork ribs and other ingredients and seasonings in there (beer, garlic, salt, pepper, whatever), hit "cook" and a few hours later out will come incredible fall off the bone pork ribs (or whatever meat I put in). Not the same as BBQ, but pretty freaking good if you get the rest of the flavor mix right and not fried at all.