Food to Challenge the Japanese Palate (Split from Nova Thread)

[ttjereth]

[Iraira]

[ttjereth]

I work in Toranomon, but haven't done any haggis hunting there, just OLs during lunch. Haggis would be a nice thing to bring into the office at lunch, given that basically all there is to eat for lunch in Toranomon is bento. Actually, I probably wouldn't touch the stuff, or kishke for that matter (tried it once, thanks for the thrombosis).

When I used to actually work in an office filled with Japanese people I used to buy all the oddball foreign food I could get. Not for me, but to give all the unsuspecting Japanese co-workers so I could laugh while they tried root beer or licorice and such.

Payback for 8 years of natto, basashi and inago.

I actually still have a great big thing of root beer barrel candy left over somewhere...

[FG Lurker]

Payback for 8 years of natto, basashi and inago.

I love giving Root Beer to Japanese as well. The facial expressions are priceless! I buy a flat of it at Costco every summer mostly for this reason.

[ttjereth]

I love giving Root Beer to Japanese as well. The facial expressions are priceless! I buy a flat of it at Costco every summer mostly for this reason.

If you can find birch beer it's even better.

Other things I've found that work (with varying success rates):
Root beer barrel candy
Black licorice
Olives (green or black)
Jagermeister (makes me make funny faces too though)
Egg nog
And of course, Dr. Pepper.

There's other things I'm forgetting. Maybe we need a thread on foods that get a rise out of most Japanese people.

[FG Lurker]

Dr Pepper would be good too, I should get some next year. Root Beer is great because if you hand one to someone on a hot summer day they'll take a big gulp and won't realize the taste until it's too late.

Black licorice is another good one, I love that stuff. Licorice Allsorts is also good for a laugh.

[GomiGirl]

There's other things I'm forgetting. Maybe we need a thread on foods that get a rise out of most Japanese people.

Rice pudding is my fave..

However, things that translate well to the Japanese palate are:

We serve vegemite in the bar and explain that it is similar to miso - strong, salty etc. It goes down a treat on toast with drunken salary men - they really enjoy it.

Lemon, lime and bitters was big for us during summer with girls who were not wanting to drink strong alcoholic drinks.

[ttjereth]

Dr Pepper would be good too, I should get some next year. Root Beer is great because if you hand one to someone on a hot summer day they'll take a big gulp and won't realize the taste until it's too late.

Black licorice is another good one, I love that stuff. Licorice Allsorts is also good for a laugh.

I got some natural licorice when I went back to the states last year and that's even better than the twizzlers and such since the taste is so much stronger (although the synthetic stuff like twizzlers has the added bonus of turning a person's shit a horrible green color if they eat too much at a go, so you get to add real trauma to practical jokiness of just having them eat something they won't like!).

With rootbeer I've found that older men often tend to be able to stomach it, but younger people (and women at all ages) seemed to be the most put off. I'm guessing from comments it has to do with the similarity to kanpo (chinese medicine) and the older people possibly being a bit more used to such flavors.

Whenever I hurt my knee and get "shippu" (?medicated pads, heat pads, compress, I dunno what to call them in English) from the doctors here, they smell like root beer

I'll have to try the hot day/cold drink bit. I almost always go at people with "here, try this!" which automatically puts them on their guard.

[ttjereth]

Rice pudding is my fave..

However, things that translate well to the Japanese palate are:

We serve vegemite in the bar and explain that it is similar to miso - strong, salty etc. It goes down a treat on toast with drunken salary men - they really enjoy it.

Lemon, lime and bitters was big for us during summer with girls who were not wanting to drink strong alcoholic drinks.

I couldn't pull of rice pudding because I wouldn't be able to eat it with a straight face myself. My whole family (especially my British grandmother and British born mother) all love it, but it makes me ill.

Not to start any more international crisis on the board, but I've never been able to handle vegemite either. One of my teachers when I was in elementary school brought some back from a trip to Aus. and had us all taste it without telling us what it was or was like and I think that traumatized me in regards to the taste ever since.

I haven't tried it out on any other Japanese, but I know my wife absolutely loves honey mustard sauce/flavorings. She had it once when we were in the states and now I get bothered to make it all the time.

[FG Lurker]

I've heard the same thing about root beer as well -- tastes like medicine.

If you're going to hand someone a root beer to gulp you might want to do it outside. Reactions range from bugged eyes to a spray of root beer on the ground. I find it works very well at the beach, especially if you open one and take a big gulp as well. Yeah, I'm a nasty bastard, what can I say?

[Taro Toporific]

...we need a thread on foods that get a rise out of most Japanese people.

Just the glow-in-the-dark color of "Bug Juice" is enough to put most Japanese in a diabetic comma.

[canman]

Chocolate covered cherries. The ones that you always get at Christmas with the pink filling and the marashino cherry and syrup inside. I gave some to my students before and I thought they were going to go into diabetic shock. Those suckers are sweet, but one or two a year are so good. Reminds me of home.

[canman]

BTW do any of you Canadians remember the Cherry Blossom chocolate you could get in Canada. It came in the yellow box and had one big chunk of chocolate with a cherry in the center. I used to love those. I wonder if they still make them?

[Mulboyne]

I gave someone a jar of stilton once but they didn't care for it. It later turned out that they had only eaten the wax seal on top of the cheese before throwing it away.

[GomiGirl]

I gave someone a jar of stilton once but they didn't care for it. It later turned out that they had only eaten the wax seal on top of the cheese before throwing it away.

Sacrilege...

[james]

gave some of this to my students that i took canada while we were there, and also brought some back. the "wtf?!" look on their faces was awesome. next time i'll have a camera ready.

[American Oyaji]

Root Beer - Loved it as a kid. I grew out of the taste. I prefer Dr. Pepper now.

Vegemite - Don't mind it, but the first time was absolutely shocking since it has the consitency of peanut butter, I was thinking peanut butter, then suddenly SALTY! A little bit goes a LONG way (I had slathered quite a bit of it)

Rice Pudding. My mum used to make this all the time. I prefer her recipe over any others. Basically, the rice MUST still be firm, not soggy to the point of paste.

[Iraira]

Made California style sushi for my old gf's inaka parents. Layered different varieties of fish on the top of the California rolls and also did the rolls with unagi on top of it. Her parents stared at the stuff for about 30 minutes. They did eat all of it, claimed it was good, but never asked me to cook for them again.

[DrP]

Carl's Junior Super Star w/Cheese Combo with onion rings and a half-gallon of diet coke. I brought that back once from LAX. The burger alone fed about a dozen j-chicks in a bar. I was Jesus for an hour or so -- until the bacteria from the 12hrs-in-a-plane beef hit them --- haha!

The other thing I love is serving REAL Tejano food. Loaded with slow-burn habaneros.

Last thing is chicken and waffles. Somehow this time honored hang-over, last train and tomorrow never comes cure completely flabbergasts the Japanese palate - and generally results in projectile vomiting and explosive [B]Diarrhea [/B]- simultaneously. Especially when the cook is using rancid oil.

[Iraira]

Last thing is chicken and waffles. Somehow this time honored hang-over, last train and tomorrow never comes cure completely flabbergasts the Japanese palate - and generally results in projectile vomiting and explosive [B]Diarrhea [/B]- simultaneously. Especially when the cook is using rancid oil.

Heathen! Thou shall not besmirch the name of Roscoe's!;)

[ttjereth]

If you're going to hand someone a root beer to gulp you might want to do it outside. Reactions range from bugged eyes to a spray of root beer on the ground. I find it works very well at the beach, especially if you open one and take a big gulp as well. Yeah, I'm a nasty bastard, what can I say?

Noted. Both the "rootbeer outdoors" and you being a bastard bits

[ttjereth]

[quote="Iraira"]Heathen! Thou shall not besmirch the name of Roscoe's!]

I have once or twice heard the phrase "chicken and waffles", but never really realized it was actually "chicken" and "waffles".

Can't say as I'd be interested in trying it either and I've never heard of anyplace serving it on the east coast.

[Taro Toporific]

I have once or twice heard the phrase "chicken and waffles", but never really realized it was actually "chicken" and "waffles".

Drawing a blank, I just had to look it up.


[INDENT]
Urbandictionary.com
chicken & waffles
tha greatest accomplishment of the african americans, a fine african american dish made by a man named roscoe

get me some chicken and waffles, BEE-yotch

chicken & waffles
Popular restaurant in Los Angeles, California named 'Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles'. Started out by accident, around the early to mid 40's. Jazz musicians leaving their gigs around 4am each morning, upon stopping in for a bite, didn't know whether to order breakfast or dinner food. So became the single greatest concept brought forth by the nigras...

Check out the line of nigras at Roscoe's chicken and waffles...Syrup on everythang!!!
"Y'all want some fried chicken and waffles?"
"Fo sho mo fo!"[/INDENT]


[INDENT]
Chicken and waffles
From Wikipedia
Chicken and waffles is a dish, combining waffles, typically a breakfast food, with chicken, sometimes fried, that is served in certain specialty restaurants in the United States. The most famous of these are Roscoe's five restaurants in the Los Angeles area.
It's important to note, however, that there are two types of dishes that go by the name of chicken and waffles. The first type is one not often referred to: it consists of a plain waffle with chopped-up chicken on top, covered in gravy. The most common usage of the phrase, however, refers to the serving of fried chicken along with a waffle, the waffle then typically being covered with butter and/or syrup (as is common practice among those who eat waffles for breakfast in the United States). This unusual combination of foods is beloved by many people who are influenced by traditions of soul food passed down from past generations of their families.
* 1 History
o 1.1 Wells Supper Club
o 1.2 Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles
o 1.3 Gladys Knight & Ron Winans' Chicken & Waffles
* 2 Popularity
* 3 Other Restaurants
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_and_waffles
[/INDENT]

[Adhesive]

I'm cracking-up at all of these, I made sure to feed my father-in-law half of these things during his last visit, including green olives (my personal fav), root-beer, and a fireball (hard, spicy cinnamon candy). He thought I was trying to kill him...which...

My wife had a really hard time with all of the stuff mentioned, plus pepto-bismol, or any pink bizmuth type medicine. She also loves honey-mustard (it has completely replaced regular mustard in our house, much to my disappointment).


I encouraged a German colleague to try Dr. Pepper when he first came to the States, and he ended up drinking nothing but, until his return home 3 months later.

[GuyJean]

I have once or twice heard the phrase "chicken and waffles", but never really realized it was actually "chicken" and "waffles"...

:p Hah! I just had that during my last stay in LA; a certain neighborhood in LA..

I thought it would be something special, but it was literally fried chicken and a waffle.. Which sounds strange, but we've all had pancakes with bacon or sausages, right? It's not that different; you got your salt and sweet on the same plate. (Or the same sandwich with McD's McGriddles).. Chicken and waffles is just better for you.

GJ

[ttjereth]

I'm cracking-up at all of these, I made sure to feed my father-in-law half of these things during his last visit, including green olives (my personal fav), root-beer, and a fireball (hard, spicy cinnamon candy). He thought I was trying to kill him...which...

My wife had a really hard time with all of the stuff mentioned, plus pepto-bismol, or any pink bizmuth type medicine. She also loves honey-mustard (it has completely replaced regular mustard in our house, much to my disappointment).


I encouraged a German colleague to try Dr. Pepper when he first came to the States, and he ended up drinking nothing but, until his return home 3 months later.

Irish potatoes candy also tends to not go over very well, although again, I can't stand em either.

I had forgotten about pepto! trying to get my wife to drink some when we were back last year was an absurdly difficult challenge. But pepto has a sort of similiar odor to root beer/birch beer.

The weird thing about the honey mustard is, my wife doesn't like regular or brown mustard!

[ttjereth]

[quote="GuyJean"]:p Hah! I just had that during my last stay in LA]
Sweet and salty doesn't bother me too much, but I'm not a big maple syrup fan anyway (I eat something with maple syrup literally about once a year or so) and I definately don't want it on my chicken.

I can't stand it on sausages and such either though.

Speaking of sweet and salty, something that I have found most Japanese people end up liking if you can force/trick them into trying it, is chocolate covered pretzels.

This all reminds me of a new drink I tried recently here that was horrible.
http://www.suntory.co.jp/softdrink/capsela/index.html


everyone should try this because it is just indescribably horrible.

[Adhesive]

Speaking of sweet and salty, something that I have found most Japanese people end up liking if you can force/trick them into trying it, is chocolate covered pretzels.

QFT. The more I read this thread the more I start thinking that maybe the Japanese really do have a unique, shared appreciation and aversion to certain tastes. I guess I should stop giving my wife such a hard time about her preference for home-grown rice.

[succubusqueen]

Originally Posted by ttjereth

Speaking of sweet and salty, something that I have found most Japanese people end up liking if you can force/trick them into trying it, is chocolate covered pretzels.


Well Japan has the pottatcho...so I guess they did adopt the salty/chocolatey flavor!!

[ttjereth]

QFT. The more I read this thread the more I start thinking that maybe the Japanese really do have a unique, shared appreciation and aversion to certain tastes. I guess I should stop giving my wife such a hard time about her preference for home-grown rice.

Shhhhhh. This'll turn into another nihonjinron thread

I have arguements with my wife all the time about how "Japanese bodies are different" and that's why the quacky doctors she goes to don't work for me (they don't really work for either since she always has to go back for the same problems over and over).

But really, I don't think it's all that special, they are just generally flavors that don't exist here. It's really no more special or much more of a gamble than thinking that most westerners who try natto for the first time won't like it