How to Enjoy Eating During Inflation
Eating good food is one of the joys of living. Good food satisfies our appetite and makes us feel happy. Eating fine foods is a joy for many Japanese. Some Japanese go to Napoli to taste real Napoli pizza; others go to Okinawa to enjoy goya champuru (bitter gourd), a famous Okinawa cuisine.
How can we maintain the joy of eating easily when recent oil price surges have affected our spending and lifestyle? With only 1,000 yen in one’s pocket, there are still many ways of getting good food, satisfying our appetite, and making us feeling happy.
Puchi Zeitaku (A Little Bit Gorgeous) Food and Drink
Eating a little bit of gorgeous food can be a big reward during current times. Young Japanese men and women told us what their ‘Puchi Zeitaku’ (a little bit gorgeous) food and drink is:
- A piece of hand-made cake. Mille crêpes, for example. “The light and fluffy textures of the cake make me really rich!” (Female, 30s)
- Famous local foods bought at ‘depachika’ (food sections in the basement of department stores). “Local people come all the way to Tokyo to sell their foods. They make me feel as if I was there.” (Male, 20s)
- Alcohol. “Draft beer is a reward after hard work. I bought a bottle of beer when I got a bonus from my company.” (Male 30s)
Various Rice Meal Recipes
Stable rice prices encourage the Japanese to eat more rice. Rice itself is tasteless, but there are various ways of eating rice without getting bored: Donburi (one-dish rice bowl), Curry Rice, Sushi, Rice with Furikake (a topping sprinkled over the rice), Chahan (Japanese fried rice), and Takikomi Gohan (Japanese style pilaf). Of course, more creative recipes are available from chefs, housewives and amateur cooks.
Food price surges are hard on our household budgets, but they make us feel grateful for the foods that are available, such as how tasty Japanese rice is and how important the joy of eating is.
August 16 2008 10:09 am | Clothing, Food and Housing and Economy and Health Care and Life and Research and Technology and Weekly Articles
