International Cooking and Eating Trends Issue 22 Home Page

Avocado Rolls: A New Japanese Food? Emiko from Japan Photo: S. Peters Something that came as a surprise to me is that in the U.S. every Japanese restaurant seems to serve avocado rolls or avocado-something with meals.   Every time I come to America, I go out to eat Japanese food because I miss it. Whenever people are in a foreign country, eating their own food once in a while can helps relieve stress because it is something familiar. Sometimes eating Japanese food makes me feel I am back in Japan in a way. Something that came as a surprise to me is that in the U.S. every Japanese restaurant seems to serve avocado rolls or avocado-something with meals. In my country, avocado is not thought of as a Japanese food, and it is not served in Japanese restaurants. However, avocado rolls—the new Japanese food which is found only here in America—are very tasty. I think it's included on the menu here in the U.S. to satisfy American cultural tastes. It's interesting. Something that might be considered "cultural pollution" of food can also lead to a tasty new type of food such as avocado rolls. It is a kind of cultural innovation. More on cooking and eating trends: In Japan, Men are Learning to Cook | In Korea, Both Men and Women are Cooking People in Korea are Eating More Vegetables | Varying Menus: Modified Fast Food Return to: International Cooking and Eating Trends | Issue 22 | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2007 - Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics.mag@gmail.com