Roll It Up, Pat It Out...

I see a lot of "different" things here in Japan.  But after two and a half (!) years here I don't notice many of them anymore.  But there is one thing that still - after all this time - puzzles, fascinates and occasionally repulses me.

Japanese bakeries.

First, let me make clear that I am talking about bakeries and not sweet shops*.  I know in my mind they can sort of blend together sometimes but here they are very distinct.  Bakeries here are much more focused on non-sweet items than those in America.  In the average Japanese bakery (this does not include Starbucks or it's imitators) you will be hard-pressed to find cinnamon rolls, danishes, cookies, muffins or any of those other wonderful items you would expect to see. (Although, you may occasionally run across them and most bakeries will have a few dessert items available.)

Here are some of the things you can expect to see.  I've broken them down into categories that I feel best expresses the general composition of a Japanese bakery.

• Fake Hotdog Travesties

that is a really long, bad-tasting fake hotdog
in an equally disgusting "bun-like contrivance".
seriously, the bread is hard and the hotdog
is more like a sausage.

• Things With Corn

on the left is bread with a pile of creamed corn.
on the right is another hotdog monstrosity helpfully labeled "pastry frank".

• Bread With Vegetables (and Mayo)

on the left - broccoli, mushrooms and probably mayo
on the right - tomato and definitely mayo

• Things With an Egg

Japanese people will put a poached egg on anything.

• Green Bread

it's filled with a mashed soybean paste.  Yum!

Two more things of note:  One, it is virtually impossible to find empty hoagie/sub rolls in this country.  They are always filled with something.  Egg, cream, bean pastes, chocolate, peanut butter, cheese, you name it and I've probably seen it sold in a sub roll.  But if you want to buy a plain roll to take home and fill with steak or roast beef or meatballs as God intended then you're out of luck.  Two, if you see bread filled with what looks like chocolate, IT MAY NOT BE CHOCOLATE.  It may be red bean paste masquerading as chocolate.    Trust me, you do not want to bite into that thinking it's chocolate.  If you learn nothing else from this blog, learn that.


*Japanese sweet shops, on the other hand, are usually marvelous and full of wonderful shortcakes, creme brulees, tiramisus, fruit tarts, chocolate cakes, pies etc.  If not exactly what you would find in an American sweet shop (to me they have a bit of what I imagine is a French influence) they are close enough.