5 American Foods I’m Looking Forward To Eating Again – 英会話・英語　アミック

As I enter the final stretch of my time in Japan, I’ve started to dream about all the foods I’ve sorely missed while being away from America. 

1. Chipotle – Priority number one after greeting my family at the airport (and maybe even before that) will be making a trip to Chipotle. This fast-casual restaurant serves burritos and tacos, letting you choose your own toppings; my go-to is a chicken burrito with extra rice, lettuce, medium salsa, pico di gallo, and if I’m feeling crazy, black beans. It’s one of the few things I can get from a restaurant that will fill me up for $7. 

2. SunButter – I have a nut allergy, so SunButter is my peanut butter (and ice cream). Instead of peanuts, it’s made from sunflower seeds and depending on who you ask, tastes like peanut butter. While it’s easy for me to eat too much in one sitting if I’m not careful, I love putting this stuff on pretty much anything I have around the house: bananas, crackers, in my scrambled eggs…

3. Cincinnati-style Chili – This is a southwest Ohio-delicacy I never paid much mind to (or really had a desire to eat) until I moved abroad. Cincinnati chili is spaghetti topped with a cinnamon and clove-spiced meat sauce and finally, cold shredded cheese. It looks gross, probably sounds gross, and tastes…pretty good.

4. Candy Corn and Candy Canes – I desperately wanted to introduce my students to these classic holiday confections this past year, but I unfortunately couldn’t find anywhere to buy them in Japan. Candy corn is not actually corn (and some would argue that it barely qualifies as candy), but is instead an orange, yellow, and white sweet that resembles a kernel of corn. Candy canes are red and white-striped sticks that host a strong peppermint flavor. Their hook shape makes them fun to hold and eat (and get all over your mouth if you’re a little kid). 

These two candies make up two of the four main food groups for elves. 

5. CHEESE – While you can of course buy cheese in Japan, the options aren’t quite as wide as they are in America. In particular, I’m looking forward to sinking my little cheese knife into smoked gouda, blue cheese, and Vermont cheddar.