Two of my Japanese friends just came back from a three-month stay in Australia. The moment they got back, they had natto and tofu. They lived in a small town out of Sydney, and thus were a little deprived of things Japanese. One thing they found really weird they said was the weird tofu in the supermarkets. I was asking them, what do you mean weird? The wife explained that the tofu had a use-by-date of almost two weeks. They said, tofu can only last 2 to 3 days.
It was about the preservatives. It seems anything containing preservatives here is some kind of poison. I’ve had really long discussions about the use of food coloring (yes, the reason why all their cakes are white is because they refuse to use food coloring). I always say, it’s not like you’re going to drink the bottle! It’s just a few drops…
With all their issues with use-by dates: a confectionery store using expired milk and now McDonalds with their expired salads; you’d think long-lasting tofu would have been a little more welcome…
It’s interesting to hear this because the Japanese have ESL (extended shelf life) milk in abundance and it has to be treated in such a way as to diminish its nutritive quality. It’s not as if Japan is devoid of long-shelf life or foods that use food coloring. For instance, I buy “fancy salami” (which is essentially bologna) which is a radioactive pink at my local market (and it is Japanese). There is no way it hasn’t been artificially colored. Also, the vegetables in markets are sprayed with chemicals on a daily basis to keep them looking green and fresh looking so they can be kept around for sale a lot longer.
I think this is a case of “ignorance is bliss.” If they don’t know which items are being treated with artificial colors and preservatives, they can assume they are not, but this is a reflection of not looking carefully because then they’d have to accept a reality that differs from the one they prefer.
Do their reservations about preservatives and coloring only apply to tofu?
Thank you again for your comment, Shari! I value your insights.
I wasn’t aware they sprayed the vegetables here with chemicals, but I have known for a long time that there are people who insist on buying produce at farmer’s markets and who go to the lengths of driving out to the country to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.
I’m pretty sure they have some sort of selective reservations, avoiding food coloring, preservatives used in bento and fastfood restaurants, preferring to bring their own bento, often made with supermarket bought sausages (which is no different from the bento store-sold ones I’m guessing).
In a country where convenience stores and microwave meals are the norm, I think it would be quite impossible to avoid the intake of preservatives. But that’s just me.
I think it’s pretty impossible to avoid preservatives as well, but I do admire people who go out of their way to find farm fresh produce. For those of us in Tokyo, it’s really not an option.
Apparently the spraying of vegetables in supermarkets has been going on for a very long time in Japan. It may happen in other countries as well, but I’ve never checked. Since lettuce and cabbage and whatnot are especially prone to wilting, it’s probably one of the only ways they can keep them on the shelf past one day.
By the way, do you know what substance dyes the pink and white pickles you often see in bento? Those things always look painfully fake to me, but I guess it could be a vivid natural coloring?? Thanks.
With fruits and vegetables, it’s probably not that bad. I heard you can mix fresh with frozen. For the fresh, they’re harvested young, packed and shipped early, so they keep only half of the nutrients. With frozen, they’re harvested later, cooked and then frozen, so they also only keep half of the nutrients. When served together, you somehow get full nutrients or atleast the chances are greater…? I only heard this from a health nut friend and did not research on it, but it sort of makes sense.
I have heard of some countries in Asia cheating on market produce by playing with the lighting. If it’s a little dimmer, the customer won’t see if the fruits or vegetables are a day old. I guess too much food would go to waste if all these use-by dates were to be strictly implemented.
About the pink pickles, I think they’re dipped in umezu (plum vinegar) which gives it the pink tint. The vinegar preserves it. The sausage you mentioned earlier, I’m pretty sure some kind of cheap food coloring was used there…