This post is an oldie, but I’m submitting it to Rocking in Hakata‘s February 2009 Japan Blog Matsuri about Foreign Food. Enjoy!
With food prices soaring, and butter disappearing altogether, there is no doubt that Japan is suffering an unprecedented food crisis.
Learning from the British
At university, balancing the budget to accommodate both food and beer is a skill most Brits have mastered, but it wouldn’t be possible without that staple of the British food industry, baked beans.
Supermarket chain, Tesco, is where I used to buy baked beans for as little as 8p (16 yen) a can. I believe you can still find tins of the little beans in tomato sauce for 10p (20 yen). Even a can of the brand name, Heinz Baked Beans, will only set you back 41p (84 yen).
Therefore, I think it’s fair to say that no matter how bad the food crisis gets, the British will prevail due to their willingness to dine on something that would most likely make the Japanese barf.
Poll shows Japanese hate British food
9,872 former Japanese exchange students recently took part in a nationwide poll by the Japanese Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Of the respondents who had lived in the UK, a whopping 93.8% rated British food as “bland”, and as “edible as poisoned Chinese gyouza”. The source of this poll has yet to be verified, but I won’t let that get in the way of a good story.
Could baked beans be the answer to Japan’s food crisis?
If Heinz were to sponsor a few Japanese celebrities to try their flagship product on TV, we are guaranteed an orgasmic reaction as the guests scream oishii! and umai! in delight at the orange bean treat. This could lead the way to mass production of the food, and huge eatership numbers among Japan’s soon-to-be-poor population.
If you’ve got the money, why wait?
You don’t have to wait for Japan to accept baked beans as the natural alternative to every other food, you can order a tin of the original, 84 yen Heinz Baked Beans via The Meat Guy for as little as 650 yen with FREE postage and packing! 🙄
Failing that, until Heinz brings to Japan its British operation of 1.5 million cans of baked beans a day, you’ll just have to survive on natto…
Thanks to Haikugirl‘s search for baked beans for inspiring this post.
If you like, you can find me on Twitter at @nick_ramsay. I'd love to hear from you!
Baked beans are good for your heart,
The more you eat the more you fart.
The more you fart the better you feel,
Let’s eat beans for every meal! 😛
I’m loving this post! I just don’t see how a country based on convenience can NOT have baked beans!? I mean, I can buy a can of good beer at my local 100 Yen store… why not baked beans?
It think the equivalent of baked beans in the US must be Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, although it’s not quite as economical. But I still want butter!
Here’s another fart related rhyme for you…(for when you burp)…
Excuse me for my rudeness,
It wasn’t very smart,
But if it came out the other way,
If would have been a …..
savory beans are generally unpopular in Japan, as they’re used to the dessert type of Adzuki beans, as pastry/dessert fillings. It’s kind of the same reason Adzuki isn’t popular here, as we’re used to savory beans.
Simple: market the baked beans as “British-style natto”. To be eaten e.g. on a bowl of rice with raw egg mixed in.
They’re already available from Tesco in Japan.
I really thought you were onto something with your rice, egg ‘n’ beans marketing plan, but then you lost all credibility with that photoshopped picture of Tesco. I mean, really, Tesco in Japan? I wish! 😉
I say, have a contest:
The British guy eats nothing but natto and drinks nothing but aojiru non-stop.
The Japanese guy eats nothing but baked beans and drinks nothing but root beer non-stop.
The last one to puke shows that he truly comes from a nation of survivors.
LOL! Rootbeer! Don’t forget the Dr. Pepper.
How is it that a country with the economy the size of Japan is having trouble obtaining food??? One of the largest economies AND they rely on the USA for their defense. How is the LDP still in power?!?!?
Yeah, had you going there didn’t I? I’ve even faked their corporate website 😉
You never know, Tesco might be able to crack the Japanese market. I’ve never seen a supermarket in Japan on the same scale as Tesco, so if they can bring their fancy tills with them, they could prove quite a hit!
I know it’s sad, but I’d actually quite like to see Tesco in Japan… It’d trump MaxValue!
OMG there’s a food crises in Japan??? Id better hurry and buy and all the baked beans I can before leaving Japan from the Meat guy!!!
I think if you leaked some info to the Japanese media about baked beans causing weight loss or that it reverses ageing you’d be on to something. Remember how quickly natto flew off the shelves when everyone in Japan believed it was the new diet pill.
Baked beans convert fat into a harmless, invisible gas, dispersed in the privacy of one’s underwear. Brilliant! 😀
This post smells.
This food is rich of protein…But, thinking to eat it everyday I don’t know how long I could stand. I’ll get bored soon…
Guys don’t you know that baked beans will make you lose weight! Spread the word and see if we can get it on NHK news.