Food for Thought

It’s no secret that I love to eat. The picture above (me eating ice cream, my favorite) is proof.

I’ll eat anything that doesn’t eat me first! I’m not a picky eater, and one of my passions in life is trying new foods. In fact, I’ll try anything once. Escargot, calamari and sushi are three things that I’ve dared to try and ended up liking.

I thought all of the food in Nicaragua over spring break was delicious. Well, almost all the food. I didn’t really care for the fried cheese (which I thought tasted like a salt block), and wasn’t thrilled about the rum raisin ice cream I ordered that was covered in caramel sauce. (That’s what can happen when you don’t speak the language!)

Because I’m an adventurous eater, I’m not too nervous about the food in Japan. I know that it will definitely be different from what I’m used to. It will be interesting to see and taste the differences and similarities between authentic Japanese cuisine and the foods I’m used to eating. I've tried green tea ice cream before, and I didn't like it at all. (see below) I'm not a fan of tea, but I'll still try different flavors of tea -- and ice cream, too -- when I'm on the other side of the world.

*Not my cup of tea...or bowl of ice cream!*

As I’ve written before, I sometimes think about the foods I often eat and wonder if they’ll be available in Kuji – such as cereal. Over the weekend, my friend Darren told me that I’ll probably be eating Rice Krispies cereal for breakfast in Japan, haha!

I’m sure that I’ll eat a lot of rice in Japan, which is something that I don’t eat a whole lot of now. I like rice though. I also like all kinds of seafood. I had rice and seafood last night at an Asian restaurant in Greenwood called Stir Crazy. Of course I couldn’t help but wonder if any of the food I ate last night will be similar to the food I’ll be eating in just a few months.

I really enjoy Asian food. In America (I might add.) Japanese grill restaurants – where they fix the food in front of you – are fantastic. And when I go to a good Chinese buffet with crab ragoons and all the different types of chicken, I can just about eat my weight in food! But as much as I love the food at Chinese buffets, I’ve never been impressed with the desserts. They’re usually kind of bland and not very sugary.

So I was a little worried about the (lack of) dessert situation in Kuji, but Melissa told me there’s a bakery across the street from my future apartment, where the cakes are decent. Plus, my friend Lauren told me that I could be her “sponsored child,” and she’ll send me packages with American cookies, brownies and other goodies to satisfy my sweet teeth. (It’s more than just a sweet tooth.)

I think that idea is pretty sweet!