Special Feature - Food I'd Like to Eat, Japan Edition: Part 1, The Randoming

So, I'll be in Japan this August! For about 2 weeks, so that means lots of meals & lots of snacks. Funny, I'm going to be there for the 40th anniversary (or is it birthday?) of Hello Kitty, which will be a bit lost on me. I don't dislike Hello Kitty, but I didn't get into her the same way a lot of people across the world have. I much prefer Badtz Maru & the spotty dog, probably named Dotty. Or Dolly. Or Dotty Dolly. That sounds about right.

Now all that being said, I do love themed snacks, and there must be a couple of good ones coming out in celebration of Hello Kitty's midlife birthday! None themed around tummy tucks and lip implants I'd hope; Kitty is aging gracefully.

from Fujiya website

Oh, oh my. Maybe I was a bit hasty saying no lip implants -but man, why do they not draw her with a lip-licky mouth all the time? It's so much cuter! These are your standard issue 'milky' chocolates with additional strawberry cream filling chocolates inside - representing Hello Kitty. Basically, I want this for the adorable packaging, because even though I'm sure the chocolates are tasty they're not exactly setting the flavor world on fire.

Now, as far as setting the flavor world on fire goes, here's an example of what I'm talking about:

from MisDo Website

Ah, delicious shoe fabric. Ha, I know what it means, choux pastry type doughnut full of Calpis flavored cream! Yes, that delicious yogurt-y, tangy, citrus-y drink that has an uneasy thickness for something labelled 'soda'! But I'm a fan - it tastes a lot like Yakult. This will be that...in doughnut form! Well, maybe more like an eclair.

 Mister Donut is actually doing a couple of Calpis collaboration doughnuts, including a traditional cream-filled doughnut, a cruller-style with the filling sandwiched between the top & bottom, and one of their special extra-chewy mochi-style pon de ring doughnuts - with the cream again sandwich style. Also an incredibly exciting mix of small doughnuts that are all Calpis flavored, too! I'm not ashamed to say a trip to Mister Donut alone is worth the air fare to me.

Honestly though, the place I've spent the most time at in Japan has got to be 7-11. My husband and I went there for a month after we first got married, and I think we ate nearly every meal from 7-11. Now, shockingly, I never went to a 7-11 in the USA - my state just doesn't have them. Our exciting gas station was Village Pantry. So I've never had a 'Slurpee' (an official one, anyway) nor did I experience the specifications of the hot dog spinner at a 7 and 11. Anyway, 7-11 in Japan is a much cooler place, with lots of convenience meals, magazines, drinks, and best of all it's all Japanese! I know I come off like a real fan girl in posts like this, but Japan really rings my bell in a lot of ways, what can I say? Where else can I get a cheese curry chicken cutlet, a magazine with a 10-page spread about fake eyelashes, and a grape Mountain Dew all in one shop? If you know, tell me. To illustrate the awesomeness of a Japanese convenience store, here is a video I found on Youtube: It's FamilyMart, but same kinda thing.

Here's some of the bits from 7-11 that I'm most looking forward to having:

image from 7-11 Japan website

Doria is a really tasty baked sauce, cheese, and rice dish - this one is unique as it is a curry sauce with chicken. Since it's butter chicken I presume it won't be a spicy curry, but I'm sure it's still lovely as it encompasses a few of my favorite Japanese things: Doria, and curry with cheese in it. If you like cheese naans with your curry, there is no reason for you to be afraid to combine them more intimately like this - it's delicious!

image from 7-11 Japan website

This is like a big ol' pancake sandwich, with whipped cream and maple syrup. It sort of looks like a dorayaki style 'pancake', but with a more traditionally American pancake flavor with the maple. While it isn't the most exciting thing on Earth, it's presented really well and I know the taste will be amazing...for something that comes from what amounts to a news agent or a gas station, especially!

image from 7-11 Japan website

Now you might be thinking, "Creamy, those are just the Brazilian style chewy cheese puffs known as 'pao de queijo', and you know there is a Brazilian food cart near your work that sells them, so what's so exciting?" To which I respond, buddy, that Brazilian food cart stopped doing the cheese buns, and look at the price! You get 5 fun little chewy cheese puffs for about 60p! That's how much ONE cost at the food cart! So...yes, I am excited! I really like these, and they're going cheap and convenient in Japan. I'm absolutely getting a couple sets.

image from 7-11 Japan website

You know I can't leave out my beloved cream breads. This one happens to be filled with cream & chocolate chips. Hammana hammana. I love how soft and squishy the bread is, and the cream has such a special taste - there is 'fresh cream' that is just the classic whippy stuff which is just great. Then there is this more shelf-stable cream that has the same taste appeal to me as margarine or UHT milk. If you are the sort of person who knows butter is better for you, but still prefers to spread weird margarine on your bread...these shelf-stable cream buns are for you. So basically, they're for me.

It's really hard to stop with this post, since I love Japanese junk food & snacks- I probably should've created a theme! Well, this will be Part 1: The Randoming. Up next will be part 2...The Drinkening.