Culinary Delights?

When you think of Japanese food, what do you think of? The usual, sushi, tempura, edamame, teriyaki chicken, and all those other things you might mistake for Thai since they are also offered at most Thai restaurants in Cincinnati. Whew...long sentence...

Well, how about a fascination with mayonnaise? Yes, that's right, mayo; white, creamy and tastes good on a BLT. How about mayo on pizza? In Japan, that's as common as Domino's pizza, Pizza-La, or any other pizza company you can think of operating here. With such flavors and Tuna and Mayo, potatoes and mayo, and of course, corn and mayo, how could you go wrong? The picture isn't the best, but you can see some of the pictures with white stripes crisscrossing on the otherwise delicious looking pies.

And, the fascination with mayo doesn't end with pizza. Before I go on, I must mention that when you buy mayo in Japan, it is not refrigerated. I believe you are supposed to refrigerate after opening, but that is no fun; at least that is what the convenience stores think. Convenience stores are as common as gas stations used to be in America 50 years ago. You can throw stones from one to the next from Kyushu all the way to Hokkaido (southern most island to northern most island). It is there where you can find different types of sandwiches and bento boxes for people on the go. It is also there where you can find things like hot dogs with mayo; bacon, mayo and corn in a flaky crust; mayo and corn pizza; and other mayo-drenched items too numerous to list here. In fact, I find a new mayo-drenched item every time I go to one....all sitting outside of refrigeration on a shelf.

So, the next time you think about your favorite Japanese food, think about mayonnaise. If you have trouble calling a Western creation Japanese, then pizza isn't American at all. Tempura was originally Portuguese and Katsudon was originally Dutch, so it's not the first time the Japanese have adapted Western food into "Japanese" food.