Adapting to New Foods

I think one of the largest challenges of moving to a new culture is the instant adoption of a new diet. During my two moves to foreign countries I have spent a lot of time in the first few months longing for familiar foods from home. But as life in the new country progresses and I learn to find comfort foods within that culture, my dreams of Mexican food and teriyaki hamburgers wane.

I recently got an offer from a friend who was coming to Zamami, and that friend has access to the American base. I had to actually think for a day, "what DO I want?" Most of the holes in my diet have found answers within the Japanese diet, so I rarely dream of unattainable foods anymore.


But there are a few things that are worth taking advantage of. I use the oats for granola and the butter for baking, and both of those items are really expensive in Japanese stores (~$18 for the equivalent in oats and ~$8 for a pound of butter). The cheese fits in the category of unattainable, especially Tillamook (and especially extra sharp). There is one more item - italian sausage - that I am so happy I got. I forgot how much I love the that flavor. The cheese is actually a little disappointing. Yes, I like it with fresh-baked bread and stuffed into omelets, but I think I am going to work on convincing myself that I don't miss cheese.