So I was walking through the grocery store the other day and thought to myself that I might be taking it for granted. What I mean is that, all of the strange things that I used to be in shock over, have become common place. So, in honour of all the weird things, both good and bad about the Japanese grocery store, I brought my camera with me. I didn't get to take as many pictures as I wanted to, due to the strange looks I got and the eventual "no no no, dame (itself meaning, no)" from the employees, I wasn't able to get all the pictures I wanted. But here is what I've got.
For starters, Japan is much more 'seasonal' with food than we are in Canada. When a season for a fruit or vegetable begins, you will see nothing but that fruit or vegetable until it's time is up. October? GRAPES and PERSIMMON! Now, I didn't even know what I persimmon was until I was in Japan. I had heard of it, but never actually seen one. It kind of tastes like an apple and a cantalope together. I loved them the first week that I had them. I haven't eaten them ever since. In autumn, after all of the leaves have fallen off the trees, they bright orange fruit will remain. They stay on the trees all winter if they are left uneaten. They also eat these in January around New Years. What they do, is they pick the fruit, peel it, dip it in alcohol to clean it, then hang it back up outside. They leave it in the wind and the cold to try. By January, they are ready to be eaten. I will put up more pictures of them when they are in the grocery store. They are covered in a white mold that, apparently tastes best when it doesn't rain a lot while they are hanging. I haven't tried dried persimmon yet, but one of my students says she makes them herself in her garden and they taste great. I guess this will be the year I try them!
Grocery stores here also sell gift fruit. That is, fruit that is ridiculously expensive. It's pretty fruit, as far as fruit can be pretty, and I'm sure it is delicious. The best 'deal' I've seen so far was a box of 10 cherries for about $65. I was disapointed this week because the best I could find was a bunch of grapes for $25.
