This was so relatable, haha. When I was packing up to move from NYC to Japan, I figured there was no way I could bring my several shelves full of opened and half-used cooking spices. Fortunately I was able to find good homes for all of them, but it was still a bit heartbreaking. I was very happy to find a local spice shop with a great variety and an online presence after I moved. I miss the cheese selection at Fairway, and I've seen fresh fennel bulbs and butternut squash exactly once in ~6 years, but I've also discovered many previously-unknown-to-me local ingredients that I now love cooking with on a regular basis, like komatsuna and Japanese pumpkin.
I know Japan has its own enormous selection of indigenous vegetables but I think I had assumed you'd be able to get any ingredient you wanted simply because the country is so developed. Mirroring what Nadine said, the tragedy of what we have to give up! At least we also get a great many things in return.
The imported ingredients and non-native vegetables you can get here largely depend on whether they had their moment of becoming popular -- there's just simply not a big enough market for a lot of foreign products in Japan. That being said, it's a pretty great environment for growing pretty much anything, so I may attempt to grow my own fennel some time :)
Great story, Jacob! A friendly customs agent in Guadalajara confiscated a "mini-molcajete" that I had stashed in my carry-on to prevent it from breaking. I offered a warm smile and pleaded with her in Spanish, explaining that it was for my Mexican kitchen. She apologized but said it was a weapon and couldn’t be allowed onboard. Accepting defeat, I made a note to write a short story someday about a guy who hijacked a plane with his molcajete.
We knew ex-pats in Costa Rica that would 'smuggle' various cheeses, etc in their suitcases from the U.S. I kept asking them why they went to so much trouble and didn't just learn to live without certain things? I admit, we didn't smuggle food items, but there were plenty of times I wished for something that I had from home and we just wait until we returned to the U.S. periodically to eat it. Which made it all the better. When you move to a foreign country, there is a small sense of loss for things. And those dang customs agents feel the need to assert their 'authority'! yikes.
Now that I have some yard here in Mexico, I find myself wishing I could pick from those rose and fruit tree varieties available in nurseries in the US. But I can't bring them in. Better to just be content with what I have. And, to be honest, the local plant varieties are easier to grow, less prone to disease, etc.
This was so relatable, haha. When I was packing up to move from NYC to Japan, I figured there was no way I could bring my several shelves full of opened and half-used cooking spices. Fortunately I was able to find good homes for all of them, but it was still a bit heartbreaking. I was very happy to find a local spice shop with a great variety and an online presence after I moved. I miss the cheese selection at Fairway, and I've seen fresh fennel bulbs and butternut squash exactly once in ~6 years, but I've also discovered many previously-unknown-to-me local ingredients that I now love cooking with on a regular basis, like komatsuna and Japanese pumpkin.
I know Japan has its own enormous selection of indigenous vegetables but I think I had assumed you'd be able to get any ingredient you wanted simply because the country is so developed. Mirroring what Nadine said, the tragedy of what we have to give up! At least we also get a great many things in return.
The imported ingredients and non-native vegetables you can get here largely depend on whether they had their moment of becoming popular -- there's just simply not a big enough market for a lot of foreign products in Japan. That being said, it's a pretty great environment for growing pretty much anything, so I may attempt to grow my own fennel some time :)
The things we leave behind! But it's good to clear out, and start fresh if possible, as long as we dispose of things properly!
OMG the bean caper debacle gave me the laugh I needed on this Sunday morning made more mellow by the almost predictable CFE outage.
Great story, Jacob! A friendly customs agent in Guadalajara confiscated a "mini-molcajete" that I had stashed in my carry-on to prevent it from breaking. I offered a warm smile and pleaded with her in Spanish, explaining that it was for my Mexican kitchen. She apologized but said it was a weapon and couldn’t be allowed onboard. Accepting defeat, I made a note to write a short story someday about a guy who hijacked a plane with his molcajete.
For the love of beans!!
We knew ex-pats in Costa Rica that would 'smuggle' various cheeses, etc in their suitcases from the U.S. I kept asking them why they went to so much trouble and didn't just learn to live without certain things? I admit, we didn't smuggle food items, but there were plenty of times I wished for something that I had from home and we just wait until we returned to the U.S. periodically to eat it. Which made it all the better. When you move to a foreign country, there is a small sense of loss for things. And those dang customs agents feel the need to assert their 'authority'! yikes.
Now that I have some yard here in Mexico, I find myself wishing I could pick from those rose and fruit tree varieties available in nurseries in the US. But I can't bring them in. Better to just be content with what I have. And, to be honest, the local plant varieties are easier to grow, less prone to disease, etc.