A (vegetarian) foodie in Japan...

I'm not going to lie, it's hard being a vegetarian in Japan but only where eating out is concerned.  I've been a vegetarian since I was 15 and I've watched the evolution of American menus to include more and more vegetarian fare.  Hardly the case in Japan.  Usually if something looks meatless it probably has some small chopped meat or fish in it.  Fish, the Japanese do not consider to be meat.  So when once I ordered something and told the server no meat she brought it to me with fish on it.  I shamefully had to send it back but then she brought me a "special pizza" her chef created for me.  Things like this are few and far between here.  Special orders are almost a no-no. 

I am currently without a fridge.  When I created an account on Amazon.jp I only still had my American phone and just got a Japanese phone on Sunday so I had my American phone number on the website.  Now everything else I ordered from Amazon came without a hitch but the company delivering the fridge told my Japanese friend that they would not deliver it because I didn't have a Japanese number.  Quite dumb.  Anyway, all this leads to making cooking very difficult.  I can make one dish meals but I end up throwing away a lot because I cannot store it.  Meanwhile, for lunch I've been eating so much soba I cannot even choke it down anymore.  I am so sick of it and I know that's probably blasphemy in Japan but everyday for lunch since the 11th.  Kill me.

Wednesday, my friend Nate and I made Mexican.  A taco salad with rice and beans and all the wonderful Mexican seasonings: cumin, garlic, onion and chili powder.  I also made guacamole.  It was heaven. 

Yesterday, I made a gourmet sandwich with wheat bread (a hard find in Japan to be sure), apples, gorgonzola and pecans.  Oh so delicious!

My adventures of being a vegetarian foodie in Japan will continue and I hope this fridge delivery comes off without a hitch tomorrow so I can make more delicious foods!