Food in Japan

[Vidgmchtr]

I hate most fish. I hate rice. I hate noodles. Japan seems to have a surplus of all three of these.

If I were to live in Japan in the latter portion of my life, would I be able to sustain myself while avoiding the three things I listed?

[RaspberiHevn]

You can survive on bread =/ and salad... probably.
But I often wonder what people eat when they can't stand fish, rice, pasta (ie my ex)...
It's baffling. Cuz that's the typical Asian food.

[neta]

How can you not like rice? I dont think that you can get by (at least not cheap) if you don't eat rice as a staple food (unless you just eat a lot of "Toast bread").

[Rogue_7]

yeah that would be very hard. I mean sure there are lots of foods without fish, thats no problem. But almost everything comes with rice, and if it doesnt have rice it has noodles. So yeah, unless you eat at mcdonalds everyday, you wouldn't last too long.

[Vidgmchtr]

How can you not like rice? I dont think that you can get by (at least not cheap) if you don't eat rice as a staple food (unless you just eat a lot of "Toast bread").

Eh. I just....don't. I remember eating both noodles (basically, spaghetti, with no sauce or meatballs) AND rice as a very young child, but started to think they were disgusting, so I stopped eating them.

As for fish I do like....Shrimp. I don't even think that's considered fish. Is it?

yeah that would be very hard. I mean sure there are lots of foods without fish, thats no problem. But almost everything comes with rice, and if it doesnt have rice it has noodles. So yeah, unless you eat at mcdonalds everyday, you wouldn't last too long.

Eh....I hate McDonald's, too.

[Xenotrauma]

I'm starting to get the impression that it would just be easier to hear what IS on your diet...heh.

[Beebs]

I didn't and still don't like sushi that much. I used to hate any kind of noodles, seafood, rice dish, pretty much anything that wasn't drenched in Bullseye BBQ sauce. But, after a few months in Japan, I developed a HUGE liking for tempura (I'm sorry, but pumpkin and shrimp tempura make me horny ;) ), ramen, soba and fried rice. Needless to say, it makes a HUGE difference when its being cooked by a JP cook instead of an Italian mother. :D

Unless you're physically unable to eat those foods (or just stubborn as hell), you'll probably find you have a liking for at least ONE of those things.

[rameek]

you will not be able to survive... every spaghetti/noodle dish is made with fish... even at mcdonalds everything is fish... they have some limited dishes with chicken that is fried and greasy. They have KFC, McD's, Denny's, Dominos (most pizza are made with fish toppings and american cheese)... They limited the import of beef because of some kind of brain disease so its a premium. They do have pork as well. I have difficulty eating as well because I was a vegetarian hate seafood, fried chicken, beef, pork but I have to adapt to the culture if I am going to stay here... My first trip to Japan I brought my own food and that lasted 2 weeks...

[Pierrot le Fou]

If you can't tolerate a different diet, do you really think you can weather the storm of a different culture, language, and social mores?

Personally, I don't.

People who complain about food don't seem to do too well in this country. Because food is really the least of the issues you'll deal with in Japan. If you can't stomach something you dislike now and then, how the Hell are you going to manage to live in a foreign culture where you are going to be constantly confronted with unfamiliar things you may very well dislike?

[jindojim]

You can survive if u do all your own shopping and cooking. Supplemented with trips to Western food places (Mos Burger, Denny's, McDonalds, whatever). U don't have to eat fish, noodles, or rice, but if you can get used to eating them, it makes living there so much more convenient and cheaper. Hopefully if you decide to live there, you'll be in a big city where it's a lot more possible to avoid those 3 foods.

[Vidgmchtr]

Well, cooking, I probably won't mind teaching myself how.

[stillbornsinger]

Vidgmchtr- Why don't you try to learn to like these things?

I used to be a seriously picky eater, I wouldn't eat any kind of white cream (sour cream, mayonase, etc.) most vegitables, beer, fish, especially raw fish, and the list goes on. Over the years, and especially since moving to Japan I've forced myself to try new foods and have found some of the things that made me shudder before are some of my absolute favorites now.

All noodles and rice don't taste the same so give a few different kinds a try. Unless your alergic there really isn't much reason not to. You might find you like some of these things now!

If you can't force yourself to try some new foods, then really I wouldn't suggest going to Japan. For all of the reasons mentioned above, you WILL have a difficult time there. You will probably hate life... And just imagine if you get injured or something and have to spend time in a Japanese hospital. You wont get any choice in what you eat there. Or what if you meet a nice Japanese girl and she wants to take you home to her family? If you eat dinner with them I can guarentee there will be either rice, noodles, or both at the table, are you just going to be rude and not eat?

[h2orowe]

Grow some balls, man.
Or if you're a chick...
Umm... Grow some ovaries?

[Pierrot le Fou]

Seriously, it baffles me as to how someone who has trouble eating food they don't particularly like thinks that they will be able to move to another country with their biggest concern being whether or not they can find food they like.

Talk about trivial and missing the forest through the trees.

[decswxaqz]

Indeed. Grow to like rice, noodles etc. I hate certain foods but if it's the only choice then I'll all for it. Especially (others have said above) as non Japanese style foods are generally more expensive.

I know someone who doesn't eat anything green. _That's_ being picky. Just because they don't like the colour.
Just put up with the rice and noodles. Az hates fish and he says he can do without fish on a day to day basis.

And whoever said tempura was delicious was right. Although having a bowl full at a restaurant nearly made me throw up on my first meal in Japan _ever_ :S

[dzee]

i love rice. i really love rice.

there are different types of rice and noodles -- you should give them all a try. sadly, i don't think you're gna have much fun when japan isn't a country that offers a variety of easily-accessible, genuine fare from different countries.

other than that, i second the first reply: bread, and salad. and yeah, pick up a good recipe book! :D that one would be a real life-saver.

[yakamashii]

You're 16 years old. The "latter portion of your life" is three lifetimes away. You're not done developing tastes, ideas, or anything yet. If I recall, you're also the dude who had the next several years of your life planned out and was asking about what to do after "[your] three years in Japan."

Get through high school, college, part-time work,moving away from home within your country, and all of that stuff before you worry about this.

You'll meet a girl (or a guy) who wants to go eat Thai food, and you'll do it gladly if you want to get to second base. You'll go on a camping trip and eat burnt fish and love it.

Grow up first. Only bratty little kids won't try something new.

[Hira-Kata to Sawa]

I second that. Actually, when I studied abroad in Japan, I learned to like chili! Funny thing is, I hated the stuff back home in the US. Going to other countries broadens the taste spectrum...and gives you new appreciation for things you might not have liked before~ And before anyone says, "What about Japanese food?", I eat my fair share of natto and takoyaki, and am a masterchef of okonomiyaki (modestly stated, of course).

[dzee]

I eat my fair share of natto and takoyaki, and am a masterchef of okonomiyaki (modestly stated, of course)

i can't stand the sight of natto. nearly gagged when it was placed in front of me once, and needless to say, didn't touch it.

[stsparky]

no one eats natto, hehe hehe

I love raw fish and rice myself - Sparky

[atomiton]

Mmmm... natto. raw rice? EWW!

[nameplease]

If you can't tolerate a different diet, do you really think you can weather the storm of a different culture, language, and social mores?

Personally, I don't.

People who complain about food don't seem to do too well in this country. Because food is really the least of the issues you'll deal with in Japan. If you can't stomach something you dislike now and then, how the Hell are you going to manage to live in a foreign culture where you are going to be constantly confronted with unfamiliar things you may very well dislike?

Well, it seems to me that some people have a much harder time dealing with smells/tastes they don't like than other types of things they dislike. It's like smell and taste are separate from the other senses and are much more easily offended for these people. I'm not saying that your point of view doesn't make any sense, but I wouldn't say it applies to everyone.

[atomiton]

i would suggest staying at home for the latter half of your life and eating nothing but corn flakes and homogenized milk. You DO like Corn flakes, don't you?

I feel sorry for really picky eaters. You grow to like almost any food.

[Pierrot le Fou]

I have rarely met a picky eater who is adventurous towards the rest of the cultural differences here in Japan. By rarely I mean never. Perhaps there could be some people to whom this does not apply, but I have never met one.

Food tends to be a good indicator of how willing to try something new you are, because barring allergy, it really can't hurt to try something you find disgusting. I have eaten everything under the sun given to me here (from bite-sized miniature squid, to natto, to fish ovaries, to chicken heart), despite the fact that I tend to like more 'basic' food. Some of it I enjoy, some of it I don't, and that's the way it goes, but an unwillingness to find out which category it belongs in, well, that just strikes me as silly.

[nameplease]

Eh. I just....don't. I remember eating both noodles (basically, spaghetti, with no sauce or meatballs) AND rice as a very young child, but started to think they were disgusting, so I stopped eating them.

As for fish I do like....Shrimp. I don't even think that's considered fish. Is it?



Eh....I hate McDonald's, too.

I'm the opposite. I hated rice and noodles when I was younger, but now I love to eat them.

[Rogue_7]

I have rarely met a picky eater who is adventurous towards the rest of the cultural differences here in Japan. By rarely I mean never. Perhaps there could be some people to whom this does not apply, but I have never met one.

Food tends to be a good indicator of how willing to try something new you are, because barring allergy, it really can't hurt to try something you find disgusting. I have eaten everything under the sun given to me here (from bite-sized miniature squid, to natto, to fish ovaries, to chicken heart), despite the fact that I tend to like more 'basic' food. Some of it I enjoy, some of it I don't, and that's the way it goes, but an unwillingness to find out which category it belongs in, well, that just strikes me as silly.

I see your point, and I've tried a lot of craaazy shit. But I dunno If I can ever go for squid and octopus. I did try squid sushi once and hated it. All that shit is too chewy, and since it takes an hour to chew I spend all that time thinking "shit I've got raw squid in my mouth!" Hello gag reflex. Course not eating raw chewy squiddies and octopods is a far cry from not eating rice, hello let me introduce the least offensive thing to eat on the face of the earth. And Natto isn't *that* bad. It's not that good either, but its edible. One of my coworkers said its her equivilant to Macaroni and Cheese as comfort food.

[RDClip]

I don't know about Japan, but in any country rice and noodles are a cheap way to stretch out a meal.

I used to hate rice when I was a kid, but I eventually learned to like it and how to makes really good things to go with it. I'd say you should give certain foods a chance before you say you'll never eat it again. As for fish, believe me there are many ways to make really really tasty fish.

[Quatrina]

Well, picky eater does not necessarily = close-minded person. Though someone might have picky tastes, it ultimately boils down to whether they're willing to just suck it up and eat unusual cuisine anyway. When I studied in Japan over the summer, I met an American girl who told me that she was a picky eater. Even so, she was always very mindful that she was in another country and tried her hardest to eat what was served to her. By the end of the trip, she left with quite a few new foods that she could say she actually liked. :D

[atomiton]

Quatrina, I think that's the point. Saying you don't like foods but trying them anyway, isn't really being that picky. Refusing to try foods which you think you may not like is picky.

However, there are some people who are only picky because they've had quite a sheltered foodlife... and have only been used to relatively few foods... and have a narrow concept of what is edible... but when put into another country change their attitude.

Hmmm... suppose i mildly contradicted myself... but hey, this is Japan... contradicting paradoxes are normal.