Friday, June 17, 2011

Won't Miss #332 - little joy for turkey fans

A rare food stand selling smoked turkey legs in front of a shrine in Ueno.

If you grew up in America, there's very little chance that you don't have some experience with turkey because of Thanksgiving. Well, maybe you didn't eat it if your parents were vegetarian or vegan, but even then perhaps you had a tofu turkey. Around the holidays, my husband and I always embark on a quest for turkey, and often find that we come up empty or with a choice of buying a super expensive bird or versions that have been pre-cooked and cured such that they essentially taste like ham. Things like ground turkey, sliced turkey, or even a good quality whole bird are few and far between and expensive.

There's plenty of good food in Japan, but that doesn't meant that I don't wish sometimes for things that taste of home, especially around the holidays, and I won't miss not being able to eat turkey when I want and without a lot of hassle or cost.