The Least Useful Guide to Fukuoka

Notes on Supermarkets

¯ The term “supermarket” seems to mean large-scale stores selling foods, furniture, drugs, and clothing while stores that sell foods and household goods, such as washing-up liquids and bathroom tissues, should be called “grocery” regardless of the size of the stores. I tend to imagine family-run corner shops when I heard the word grocery, but I seem to have been wrong.

¯ This time I didn’t have to rely on Subways or V8 juice in order to cover vegetable deficiency, thanks largely to supermarkets (grocery, based on my new knowledge) and delis which offer a wide range of ready-to-eat veggies. I particularly liked salad bar and heated vegetables at Hy-Vee.

In fact, most of our meals were provided through their deli counters and salad bars.

Unfortunately their bread was not as good as their delis, though.

¯ Not only their products, I also liked their customer service. At every corner a smiling and friendly person was standing to help their customers. It was not only once that I was looked after by them and I felt I was so special (without having to pay through the nose). Last year I was very much in favour of Trader Joe’s, but this year I was completely taken to Hy-Vee’s wide range of products, helpfulness, and convenience (they open 24 hours, 7 days, even on Easter Sunday!). The only downer, souvenirwise, was that their ecobags were not made in the USA.

¯ Food, whether processed or unprocessed, tends to be cheaper than in japan as long as I ate the same way the Americans do. But if I wish to eat as same as I do in Japan, I might go bust as vegetables and fishes seemed to be more expensive (even if I apply the current exchange rate which is very favourable Japanese travelling in the USA) than here.

¯ Some everyday foods have different characters. For example:

l  Grapefruits are much juicier and sweeter

l  Dairy products are incredibly low-priced (it was not easy to find ordinary whole milk and plane yogurt, though—most of packed milk were half-and-half, low-fat, non-fat, or vitamin D added, and yogurt were added some flavours, such as blueberry, vanilla or coffee )

l  Nuts and dry fruits have more varieties, but peanuts looked somehow belittled

l  Frozen foods had a great variety, and tasted not so bad. Actually, they tasted much better than more expensive dishes served at some locally operated restaurants.

l  About frozen food, some Japanese company, such as Ajinomoto and Nissui, operate their businesses in the USA. If feeling anxious, go for those produced by Japanese companies and I should be OK.  

¯ Compared to “conventional” food, organic food is extremely expensive. The price gap seemed to be wider than in Japan.

¯ Does this name appeal to American consumers, by the way?