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Empty Enchiladas   

It's been a couple months since my last entry, and looks as if a few others beat me to talking about spring time weather, sakura, etc., so I'll hit one into left field and talk about something totally different: foreign foods.

Since I came to Sapporo eleven months ago, I expected my diet to change…drastically. Of course as an American who doesn't--and never really did--like American food, it was a welcome change. However, a lot of the little things I took for granted are difficult, if not downright impossible to get here, especially when it comes to foreign foods. In America, because the population is thoroughly mixed when it comes to nationalities and cultures, we can always find lots of different countries' foods at any given time. That convenience is something--aside from family, maybe the ONLY thing--I genuinely miss about my life back home.

For example, I love Mexican food. Because of America's proximity to Mexico, we have a lot of it blended into our everyday lives. It was something I was good at making, and cooked it often for myself. But here in Sapporo, certain staples of Mexican cuisine such as sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, taco sauce, black beans, refried beans are conspicuously absent. If I DO happen to find one somewhere, there certainly aren't any brand varieties to choose from, and the one option is often prohibitively expensive.

And of course many of the local Mexican recipes are…different, to put it politely.

However, I'm not one to back down from a challenge. I've managed to make some things from scratch, meaning they are not only cheaper, but fresher and more customised to my personal tastes. Tortillas, salsa, meat seasonings/spices, sauces, etc. are things I can whip up fairly authentically using normal ingredients from typical Japanese stores, but things like beans are still difficult to substitute. Someone suggested I try a type of yogurt to replace sour cream; a brilliant idea!

So I guess I'm wondering if there are any "authentic" Mexican restaurants here in Sapporo, or if anyone is a fan of that country's food, what are some of your recipes? Where do you get ingredients, or what do you use as substitutes for foreign recipes? Can you suggest anything else to help me abate my cravings? I'm going to be here in Japan a long time, so any ideas and recommendations are very welcome. Please stop by the cafe sometime and we can talk about it!

Aaron (USA)

by chitchatcafe | 2013-05-22 17:06 | カフェ 英会話 札幌

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