Job Discussion Forums

[markle]

Disclaimer: I've got a bit of a headcold right now so if anything doesn't make any sense put it down to that.

Over the past couple years cooking has become like therapy for me so I'm just preparing things (food and food related -wise) I should stock up on before I come over. Obviously I'm not bringing tons of it, just a couple bottles or so to tide me over. So which stuff is impossible to find, can be found but/and/or is only in Tokyo, at insane prices, on a full moon; or is readily available. I found a book titled food buying in Japan which is a bit dated but still pretty useful especially for terminology etc.

Here's the (to be expanded) list
lemons / limes
flat leaf/Continental parsley
pinenuts
balsalmic vinegar
tahini
chick peas
olive oil (extra virgin)
pide / Turkish bread
smoked praprika
salami/chorizo etc
olives (kalamata, marianted, etc)
sun-dried semi-dried tomatoes
cheese namely fetta, blue, parmasean (and I mean Grana or Reggianno aged varieties not Kraft)
fresh herbs esp. basil, coriander, mint, thyme, oregano

Also given the current battle with my wife over washing the dishes what's the story on dishwashers?

[azarashi sushi]

Where are you going to be living? That would make a difference on the availabilty of stuff.

In Tokyo anyway, the only things I have never found are flat leaf parsley and tahini... Although I have seen a Chinese sesame paste. I don't know what it's like though as I've never tried it. All the other things you mentioned are available at reasonable prices.

As for dishwashers, space is an issue for a lot of people. That's why they don't have dishwashers.

[justcolleen]

You can make your own tahini:

4 cups sesame seeds
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350�F. Spread the sesame seeds on a cookie sheet.
2. Bake (do not brown), shaking frequently, until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Let cool, then put sesame seeds in a blender or food processor.
4. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil.
5. Process to a smooth, thick paste, about 5 minutes.
6. Add more oil to bring the paste to a smooth consistency.

[markle]

I'll be outside Nagoya.

I'll be in a 3 b'room apt so space won't be an issue.

tahini and flat leaf parsley hmm not bad

[azarashi sushi]

But is there space for a dishwasher?

[Eleckid]

I live 10 min train from Nagoya. You can find most of your things from supermarkets, organic/health food stores, or international food stores (pricey). Dishwashers here are smaller.

I think instead of trying so hard to find the home ingredients you want here, why don't you try to change the way you cook? Try to use the local ingredients here, to substitute or replace the ingredients you usually use. It might taste better! And if you learn to cook local dishes, then finding ingredients will not be stressful anymore~ I think learning how to cook local dishes using the local ingredients are part of the cultural experience~

The first few months for me here was not so good cuz I was frustrated not being able to find (or found but it's pricey) the ingredients I was used to at home, but then I learned to adapt & make use of what I can find, then life got much better. Besides, some of the fresh ingredients I find here cannot be found in my home country, so mind as well eat a lot of those while I have the chance to.

[JimDunlop2]

[Nismo]

The grocery store near me didn't sell limes. I was horrified.

[markle]

Thanks for all the replies,

I'm encouraged by the fact that most things can be found, I suspected as much anyway.

Eleckid thanks for the advice but my kitchen here has a fairly good selection of Japanese food already so I'm not going to starve because I don't know/ can't cook the local food.

Actually anybody have any suggestions for places to learn Japanese cooking over there, my sushi and nigiri skills have a lot to be desired.

What about bringing stuff in? Anything that the customs /quarantine guys will confiscate immediately? (I'm thinking cheese)

[bshabu]

[fizayded]

When I head over there I'm gonna take a bunch of dried chilis, so I can soak em and make some good salsa over there. How expensive are fruits and veggies really though? My girlfriends mom was telling me a story about 100 dollar watermellon.

[Nismo]

There are these melons that you would only ever give as a gift. They are hand massaged daily and are still attached to a large portion of the stem, which is still green. They can sell for up to 15,000.

Watermelons are typically around 1,000 yen and are rather small. An apple might sell for 300 yen.

The fruit in Japan can be expensive or cheap, depending on what fruit you are looking to buy. It looks really nice, but that is a negative trait. A Japanese teacher I had informed us to steer clear of fruit that looks too perfect, because most likely it was raised with gratuitous amounts of pesticides and other foreign agents.

[Gordon]