snack away! #8 - let's enjoying snack.

i’m not an economist. being a kanji novice and thus generally unable to read even the headlines of the daily paper, i have no chance of deciphering the business section. this leaves me ample opportunity to speculate and develop personal theories on the driving forces behind the japanese economy. i have gathered a few basic points that may actually be grounded in reality. indeed, as consumer confidence declines and americans have less and less disposable income, demand for japanese automobiles & electronics has plummeted. the effect on the industrial sector has been catastrophic.

rather than taking a sane route and studying the language with the fervor necessary to understand the complexities of reality, i have instead chosen to consider more amusing economic ideas that may or may not be rational. for instance, a good friend of mine has made the claim that the entire japanese economy is based on “可愛い” (kawaii, or cute). i must say, from looking at the clothes, toys and cartoonish foods available at my local market, this is not a farfetched idea. if it is cute, people will buy it--no matter what it is.

it may not be a cornerstone of the economy as a whole, but the snack sector is definitely one that is not going away any time soon. it’s a cultural staple of japanese life. first, there is the concept of “omiyage.” anytime a japanese person goes on vacation (even a short one), they are socially obligated to bring back small gifts for their coworkers. while there are no specific rules (at least not that i have yet divined) stating that the gifts should be in the form of snacks, this is most frequently the case. omiyage shops can be found in spades near any point of interest in japan. in fact, i think there is one down the street from my apartment and my town, while charming, is not exactly a “point of interest.”

right now i have a collection of rice crackers and sweets in my desk drawer. each piece is wrapped and each bears the name of the place from which it hails. there are sembei from shikoku, chocolates from wakayama and something i have yet to identify from somewhere i have yet to identify (i think it may be stuffed with sweet bean paste. mmmmmm!). all were found on my desk when i arrived to work this morning. apparently, a lot of people were out of town this weekend.

it’s difficult to tell which is more common in japan, omiyage shops or snack bars (スナックバー sunakku bā), more commonly referred to as “snacks.” snacks are an interesting phenomenon and they reflect heavily the peculiar way in which an ancient society like japan’s has entered the modern era. the idea is very simple. male customers visit snacks and are entertained by attractive women. the menu will generally have no set prices and the bill is arbitrary (and generally expensive).

by no means are snacks brothels or strip clubs. the staff is paid to serve, flirt and make the clientele feel at ease. it’s somewhat reminiscent of geisha culture. however, though being a “snack girl” may be somewhat of an art, it does not require the same training and meticulous preparation for which geisha are renowned. i imagine that going to a snack would be quite enjoyable, but i don’t think i’ll be doing it any time soon. the arbitrary charge is a bit daunting, the idea of paying for female attention is a bit repulsive and there is a chance that i might find an ex-student of mine working there. this is a small town. i’d never hear the end of it.

i have yet to explore the breadth or depth of the japanese snack market. the munchables aisle at the supermarket is a bit too much for me. sensory overload is not what i'm looking for when i shop--i have a hard enough time finding baking soda (conveniently located between the drano and coat hangers). lucky for my midsection is the fact that i generally tend to dislike the most popular snacky treats here. i love life in japan, but snacks are just too much of a crapshoot. there are a few delicious (and ridiculously unhealthy) exceptions. i am eating one right now.

snack away! #8 - let's enjoying snack.
guest blogger: cain gibbs, minami awaji-shi, hyogo-ken, japan

snack: umaika
drink: homemade chu-hi (shochu highball)



the chu-hi is always a great way to relax after work. it's my drink of choice when kitchen drinking. my version usually consists of three ingredients:

1) mugi shochu
2) fruit juice (today it's grapefruit)
3) mitsuya cider

i have found mugi (barley) shochu to be the most mixable variety (potato is good with hot water in winter, but has too strong of an odor to make good chu-hi, and the rice-based kind has too much flavor). It's warming in the winter and refreshing in the summer. the cider (which is sweet and carbonated, but i have yet to nail down exactly what the flavor is supposed to be) adds a crispness. citrus juices mix best with shochu, although i have enjoyed a good peach juice chu-hi on occasion.

umaika rocks my world and clogs my arteries. i am not sure if "umaika" is a general term or a brand name, but i lean towards it being a brand name, as umai can mean “exceptionally delicious” and ika is japanese for squid. this snack is indeed exceptionally delicious squid. it is essentially strips of squid jerky battered and deep-fried. opening the bag smells like low tide, but the flavor is sweet and delicate. it's the right balance of salt and sugar to accompany any sort of alcoholic beverage.

i discovered this on a bus trip to fukui when the vice principal of my school handed me a beer and a cup of umaika at 7AM on a saturday morning. that was quite a trip. ask me about it sometime. for now, I should go. i have a sack of fried squid and a carton of shochu, and they aren't going to disappear without a little help from yours truly.

cain is from tennessee. once he lived in boston. now he's in japan teaching high school english. he often has impressive hair.