Friday, June 24, 2011

It's 86 and Melty

It's freaking hot in Tokyo now. But it's not just the heat; it's the humidity. And don't forget that Japan is made up of islands, so anywhere you go in Japan is gonna be sticky.

I'm wearing a skirt and pantyhose (you'd think that for something so thin and see-through, it'd be cool, but it's just like wearing a blanket on your legs). Instead of my usual thin, knit top, I'm wearing a short-sleeved, button-down shirt and skirt and already feel like I'm melting.

If I had to wear a suit with a long-sleeved shirt, undershirt, and jacket like I see many salarymen still wearing, I'd pass out for sure.

The only upside is that I treat myself and sometimes my colleagues and students to ice cream.

For lunch, I'm having (from Mos Burger) a chicken teriyaki sandwich and a vanilla ice cream cup with real, big blobs of mochi, green tea pudding/jello chunks, adzuki beans, and some kind of cereal flakes (!). I don't think they're corn flakes, but rather rice Kellogg's rice flakes. Definitely crunchy and thick enough to withstand the wetness of the ice cream. Sounds like a strange combination, but it was pretty good.

I read an article today comparing some product prices in the US and in Japan--for American foods as well as comparative, like an American beer versus a Japanese beer. It found that ice cream was cheaper in Japan than in the US.

After a trip to the local 7-11, I have to say I agree. I got a box of generic chocolate ice cream popsicles and it was only 198 yen. Sure, that might sound a lot or like regular prices when you convert it to dollars, but don't forget that their dollar stores are 100-yen stores, so it's like getting a box for less than two bucks.

I don't think any American supermarkets carries similar products at these prices. I've seen similar for Asian flavored (red bean, green bean, mango, coconut, etc) at the Chinese supermarket in NY for a little more than this. Maybe the box was three bucks.

Anyway, I'm gonna go back to my burger. I always forget that Japanese people love putting blobs of mayo in their burgers, though. x_x

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