Although I don't really have that much of a sweet tooth, I do appreciate a good dessert from time to time. In Japan, I find I'm partial to 杏仁豆腐 (
almond jelly). While the recipe originated in China, the Japanese know how to make a mean, uh...cube.
What got me thinking about this topic, though, was yesterday's post by Orchid over at
1000 Things About Japan. She put into words something that I've been thinking for years. I've been aware of the fact that the Japanese don't much like sugar (which I suppose isn't a bad thing when you consider overall health). All I have to do is try to share a dessert with my girlfriend or bring some American candy into work to be reminded of that. Though sometimes I don't understand the big deal, as there are plenty of sweet things in Japan - ice cream, chocolate, lollipops, pretty much all the cereals and dried fruits...
Anyhow, now and then I'll be with a friend at a shopping center or supermarket and remark that a cake or pastry looks really good. Looks really good. My experience has informed me that Japanese pastries never taste as good as they look. And I think Orchid just gave me my "why." The (lack of) sugar doesn't just detract from the sweetness, but it causes a loss of moistness. Damn your disappointing, dry cakes, Japan!
And this is why I loved France. Everything tasted as delicious as it looked :D
ReplyDeleteYeah, but too much of a good thing can be bad, too. Gotta wonder which is worse - rarely eating dessert because it sucks, or eating dessert all the time because it's so good.
ReplyDelete"Though sometimes I don't understand the big deal, as there are plenty of sweet things in Japan - ice cream, chocolate, lollipops, pretty much all the cereals and dried fruits..."
ReplyDelete... not to mention the fact that all traditional Japanese dishes contain sugar, it's the first of the basic seasonings (さ、し、す、せ、そ): Sato, Shio, Su, Shoyu, Miso.
Yeah. Perhaps I should have said rather that they tend not to like large amounts of sugar. But you're right - they do use it. Just not enough for our Western palettes, I guess.
ReplyDelete