In today’s article, we will have a great compilation of information and curiosities about Food. Below you will find curiosities and information related to food and cuisine from Japan.
- Japan has the largest number of vending machines in the world. These machines are known as hanbaiki;
- Convenience stores called konbini are found everywhere. There you can find all kinds of food you never dreamed of finding in Brazil. You can also buy the famous obentos, which are Japanese lunch boxes, without the need to make your lunch;
- Food in Japan is not as expensive as most people think. Vegetables and meats are priced higher compared to Brazil, but it is quite affordable for the Japanese salary;
- It can be said that the Japanese people eat the best in the world. It has been proven in various studies that Japanese cuisine is one of the richest and most diverse in the world;
Table of Contents
Food in Japan
- The main foods in Japan are rice, noodles, fish accompanied by various leaves and roots, vegetables, and legumes… and it is normal to season all food with ginger;
- The traditional Japanese breakfast is called Asa gohan, which means morning rice. It is a complete meal similar to lunch and dinner, including white rice, fish, misoshiro, and tsukemono, and you are satisfied with a bread xD
- There are indeed expensive fruits and vegetables, which can cost up to 2,000 reais, but they are artistic fruits, with different shapes and rare for collectors, however, the price of a normal natural food is quite affordable, and if you think about it, they eat much more fruit than we do, which we waste;
- There is no bean in Japanese cuisine, there is sweet bean which is only used to make sweets, this means that your mother cannot make excuses that if you don’t eat beans you will get sick, since Japan is the country with the most centenarians;
- In Japan, there is indeed barbecue, the meat is not expensive, there are even restaurants where you do your barbecue, grill the meat, and eat with friends..;
- It is normal to find sweets, cakes, and various things made from rice and rice flour;
- It is normal to find rice fields all over the city;
- Although Japanese cuisine is very natural, full of things that many do not like such as vegetables and fish. The Japanese manage to transform these foods and make them have completely unique flavors that awaken the interest of many who hate them. I myself do not like fish, but I love sushi;
Processed Foods
- It is normal to find processed foods with toys and packaging from anime and games;
- Sweets, Japan is rich in sweets and chocolates with completely different flavors, and it is normal to find chocolates with tea flavors, wasabi, pepper, pumpkin, even bars that are baked in the oven. Not only sweets but also savory snacks have their exotic flavors, not just fish but various things, and it is common to find avocado-flavored Doritos and Cheetos, and even Pepsi flavor;
- There are various types of foods for children to eat while playing, like powders that turn into sweets in the shape of sushi or bento;
- There are various flavors of processed foods like sweets and snacks, sodas and drinks, that have their flavors for a limited time or region;
- Everything made in Japan is designed to be easy and practical, including the ways to open packaging and food boxes like milk;
- It is normal to find vending machines (hanbaiki) even in the middle of nowhere, on highways, mountains, even next to a supermarket, and the interesting thing is that no one breaks in or steals like in Brazil;
- KitKat is one of the well-known sweets in Japan unlike Brazil which only has one flavor… there must be more than 8,000 flavors, orange peel, chocolate with pepper, raspberry, wasabi, bean, tea, etc;
Customs and Etiquette
- Before eating, you say Itadakimasu, an expression used to thank the food, and when you finish you can say Gochisousama [deshita];
- It is normal to serve hot and cold drinks in hanbaiki, and the Japanese really like coffee, tea, and bitter things. You have no idea how bitter green tea is there;
- Ohashi, chopsticks are usually much more practical than any fork or spoon, and even easier. But don’t worry, it is not unusual to eat using a fork in Japan;
- Trash is completely separated and should not be exposed on the street like in Brazil, because of the crows… there is a 100% functional collection system;
- Going hungry in Japan is impossible due to thousands of varieties of things to eat. Food from malls that here tends to be expensive for some, there is much cheaper without considering the salary earned;
- In Japan, it is customary for students to bring their own bentos to school;
- In Japan, there is beer for children. Is this an incentive to drink in the future?
- It is easy to find sweet foods with bean flavor. This bean sweet is as sweet as sweet potato sweet;
- Food in Japan is taken seriously, it is like an art, the obento is a living proof of this. Sometimes they go overboard in their creations making people drink even in toy toilets;
- Regarding recycling, it is not normal to find trash cans on the streets. When buying something from vending machines, you must carry the trash home or until you find a place;
The Art of Cooking
- Onigiri – rice balls filled with chicken, meat, or sauce are very famous, especially as a quick snack;
- It is easy to find gadgets to help in cooking like apple and banana cutters, package openers, and much more;
- In Japan, it is not common to find French bread. But there are various different breads, especially stuffed, even bread stuffed with yakisoba;
- It is normal for them to mix sweet and savory flavors, it is possible to find shrimp snacks with chocolate;
- It is normal to find small empty stalls in the middle of nowhere where various vegetables and fruits are found. In these places, a person simply takes the product and deposits the money in a box, and no one usually steals;
- There are various festivals in Japan, where it is possible to buy dango, takoyaki, tempura, and others;
- It is very normal to make faces, arts, in food;
- Unlike Brazil, they usually separate food into several containers, even the obento usually comes all neatly separated;
There are thousands of curiosities that you can find in other articles on the site! Thank you!
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