Food enriches people’s lives, not only by providing nourishment but also emotionally and socially. As humans, we eat to live—and to develop ties with people who mean something to us. We make friends, cultivate love and enhance our mind and spirit through food. By sharing meals with others, anger is dissipated and smiles appear. The custom of eating communally has been practiced for centuries.
Japan is overflowing with cheap and tasty food options, resulting in more opportunities to eat well. While that may be the case physically, it is not always true mentally. Nowadays, more people are dining alone or opting to consume their meal with their smartphone as company. Although people can fill their stomach easily, they forget to fill their heart. Each meal should make you feel happy.
Global cuisine
As people become increasingly familiar with various global cuisines, they continue to seek surprises from the taste and visual elements of the food they consume. Tokyo has many ethnic restaurants, and people have fallen in love with them. In addition there are a number of new, trendy ingredients available to help people enjoy these global dishes at home on a regular basis.
Why not try making an authentic Indian curry using a large number of spices, cooking homemade products on a barbecue or sampling Greek yogurt with fruit and avocado for breakfast. By taking time to make the dishes we are looking forward to, we can share special moments with others.
Fresh ingredients
Japan benefits from a great food distribution system. For example, fish caught in the morning in Kyushu is served at night in sushi restaurants in Tokyo, some 1,000km away.
Offering the same fast delivery for imported food is a challenge but it is possible to improve the network, thereby enabling people to enjoy more easily the global cuisines they love. Over dinner with friends, Dover sole from England, wine and butter from Paris, and cheesecake from New York could be an everyday occurrence. These foods could be delivered directly from producers or fishermen.
If we continue to embrace new food ideas, we can continue to make eating well an intrinsic part of people’s lives.
