Doing it the Japanese Way

摘要

WHEN I FIRST came to Japan I was very enthusiastic, and was determined to try every new food that was offered to me. I enjoyed some things, was amazed by others, struggled with some, and was nauseated by just a few! However, at the end of my first month my palate was utterly homesick. I longed for something familiar and "safe."Trawling up and down my local shopping street, I soon found a bakery. I heaved a sigh of relief and dived inside, only to stop short in amazement at the variety of weird breads and buns. There were, of course, the standard white loaves, French baguettes, doughnuts and so on. But even the doughnuts were a bit odd, on closer inspection. I had never seen a doughnut with sweet bean paste in it, for example, and the one with curry mixture oozing out of it was extremely strange. Once I had recovered from my disappointment, I had a happy few weeks munching my way through the bakery's stock.