Friday, July 10, 2009

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.

4 comments:

Wren said...

You do miss cheese. You always will. Cheese has you wrapped around its little finger.

Dave said...

I hope you're working on commission.

Son of Higashi said...

For me, it's natural peanut butter, you know, the kind that won't kill you years from now. Tell your friend next time he's on base to grab me a few pounds.

radish said...

i think i'd miss peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the most. not sure how available they are in Japan. $18 for oatmeal? That's is incredible!