Shoku and Awe

[la_sonnambula]

Recently, the Asian grocery store I work in received a shipment of Japanese white bread, Daiichi Pan (it translates modestly to The Number One Bread). It costs $4.99 a loaf and weighs nearly a pound. Each loaf is divided into six slices and each slice is about half an inch thick. That comes to eighty-three cents a slice. I've only sold one loaf to

Comments

[baggylettuce]

That panda is awesomely scary. Pandas = brilliant. Crazy eyes = brilliant. So what can be more brilliant than a panda with a sociopathic gaze?

Mmmmmm, bread. I blame bread for why all my diets ultimately fail. I think I need a bread icon.

[la_sonnambula]

It's an ASBO panda!

I blame my diet failure on the fact that I'm neither French nor Japanese.

[baggylettuce]

Ha ha ha. I'm going to write a bestselling book too: British women get fat. And don't care. Inside will be tips for the best toast, and many, many sandwich recipes.

[la_sonnambula]

OMG you totally totally should!

[rockgeisha]

...it translates modestly to The Number One Bread: This is also how I'm known to the Japanese.

Also, based on my research, I have now determined that perpaps I'm not Benjamin Button. I'm a Japanese woman!

The bread with condensed milk reminds me of a favorite old people meal in the south--cornbread broken up into a glass of buttermilk.

I think these two are my Sanrio (Japan) spirit twins. I am sensitive and I can also tell what cherries are good.

I know theoretically I should like (Sanrio character) Pandapple, but..."Pandapple is a boy panda who absolutely LOVES apples! He feels the most relaxed when he is seated in his apple chair in his apple-scented house." Oh, okay. I prefer Kuromi, because she is HOMG HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

[la_sonnambula]

You're a Japanese bread woman!

I didn't know about the cornbread and buttermilk. That sounds interesting.

And you're also bright and energetic! Cherina and Cherine are adorable!

Yeah, I'm not feeling Pandapple either, though I like that fact that a character is based on cute and clever portmanteau. Oh I do not like cactus Kuromi, and her friend's name is Bastardino what the hell. I do like the name Donutella.

[edda]

I seem to recall that condensed milk is very big in Vietnam and Thailand. Like iced coffee in Vietnam involves copious amounts of condensed milk and ditto iced tea in Thailand.

And I am intrigued by that cheese toast. Hmm. Must try...

[la_sonnambula]

Yeah, and many Asian countries have a shaved ice dessert that is sweetened with condensed milk.

I forgot to write in my post that the cheese toast is made with thick white bread slices, though I bet it'll work well with bread of regular thickness.

[zooby]

When I was a kid, my grandma would make banoffee pie and heat the condensed milk in the can until it was caramel. But recently, I bought a can of condensed milk for a pie recipe and noticed it said "do no heat product in can." I called the company because I was so confused. Like "How else would you heat it?" I've never done it, because I've never made banoffee pie by myself. Too work intensive. The woman was like "We get four or five calls a week about exploding cans." Good to know.

Um... I have nothing else to say except I hate white bread. And love pandas. That panda reminds me of the Paul F. Tompkins bit about alternative pets that people put on themselves. Like a cockatiel or an iquana. He's like "Maybe the lizard wants to lay on a rock and get some sun. Maybe the bird wants some alone time with the bell. Maybe they don't want to come with you on your jackass errands. 'C'mon Cecil! We're going to the bank so everybody can get a load of your CRAZY EYES!'"

[la_sonnambula]

I found two ways of heating condensed milk in a can. It seems like one just have to be careful. That said, I'd be scared to do it.

I wish I hate white bread. The Tompkins bit is hilarious! I want a pet panda. One of my customers who's from Sichuan showed me a photo of her hugging a real life panda. Jealous.

[stoof]

You can make it in the microwave, sans-can. Much safer and much faster.

Mmm banoffee pie.

[stoof]

Do you sell Pocky? I LOVE that stuff, especially the strawberry flavour.

[la_sonnambula]

Oh yes we do. All kinds of flavours. I love Strawberry Pocky too. As many flavours of Pocky as there are, we often come back to the classic, simple ones like strawberry and chocolate. I also higly recommend blueberry Pocky. The "regular" supermarkets here often have an "ethnic" section, which often carries Pocky, but the price is higher than you would pay at an Asian grocery store.