Anyway, on with the strange drink selections.
So you see over here sodas, or pops, or whatever you want to call them, are not very popular. Now there are such things as coke and pepsi and diet colas, but there are not such things as mountain dew or sprite. There are however Japanese versions of non-colas such as Mitsuya cider (which tastes nothing like I thought cider was supposed to taste like).
To clarify: the drinks are not like the United States. No syrupy sodas and no flavorful combinations (if you need an example think about the many concoctions that Mountain Dew has thought up in the past few years).
This however does not leave the drinks to be unworthy of sampling; quite the opposite. I obviously can not always read the label so I am often surprised when I make such a purchase. It is fun and somewhat exciting and a great thing to do while waiting for a train.
Now most folks with half a brain would say that it's not too hard to determine if something is a tea (which makes up about 45% of the drink options), coffee (another gimmie really, and about another 45%), vitamin drinks (such as "1000 Lemons" which tastes nothing like lemon consentrate but more like...well I don't know, but lemon concentrate would just not be palatable...just think about the acidity of such a thing..not to mention the morning after factor. That would burn...reminds me of the one time I ate a whole pineapple...ouch) vitamin drinks also include the infamous "Genke" drinks (pronounced: gay-n-key; this being japanese for excited, or healthy, or happy...however in drink form this word means wired, or so I've been led to believe...they are pretty harmless and don't have the heart racing effect of red bull). Vitamin drinks about 4.5% and soda making up another 4.5%. So you may be asking yourself, "well Dan you cheeky little monkey, where's the other 1%?" Well my friends I don't really know if any my percentages are anywhere near correct, but I will say that if I had my way that last one percent would have to be given to the canned corn market share. Oh you read it right. From the country that loves to put corn in any and all ackward positions comes corn in a can...that you can buy out of a vending machine...warm as well...and not just *ching* 20 seconds in the microwave warm, but "ya gotta sip it so as ya don't burn your mouth" kinda warm.
Isn't that awesome?!?!
It's just like the creamed corn that mom used to cook (probably the repackeged surplus to be honest). It is tasty and definately a much needed treat for those standing on the cold train platform waiting for the ole 17:02 to Kyoto Express...whilst sick, either the bottle or the natural kind. It is delicious and I think that we need to press for more of these kind of things both at home and abroad. You want to spread happiness to all the little children of the world? Send 'em a can of Knorr's warmed (creamed) corn (soup)...don't know which it is supposed to be.
So in effect, it may only take up 1% of the vending machine possibilities...it makes up 100% of the warm and happy thoughts in this man's head as he waits for that train.
Soothes the throat too!
Now for today's picture...
Geez you'd think that I opened up an online deli with all that meat...but honestly, I'd rather leave that to the professional.
Well have a good one and I bid you ado.
Love you mom!
1 comment:
that's fantastic danny! and actually a little gagging (i won't make the noises cause mom might hear and then she'd throw up...) when i was in mississippi they had this stuff in the "food store" that was called canned cereal. it was supposed to be a syrupy, fruit-loop or cocoa puffs tasting drink. apparently it was actually pretty thick and not at all tasty. i never had guts enough to try it... or i was never hungry enough or something of that nature. i'm glad you're enjoying your corn. you know where else they have corn? my house. :)
no pressure of course, but, uh... when you comin home? :)
love you brother!
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