Yuck.

So, I love the fact that Japan has a tendency to learn, change and adapt many things from other cultures. Usually they are improvements, such as technology (tv's, cell-phones), but sometimes they are utter failures. This is one such case. Where-as Americans are used to many flavors of yummy ice cream produced by Ben & Jerry, Haagen Daas, and many other wonderful companies, there are a few companies in Japan destroying this American favorite. Here are some of the (no other word is appropriate) disgusting flavors I found out about.

Soy Sauce (was on the top for icky flavors of the list - but so many more of them are worse), Pit Viper (!), Indian Curry, Pearl (with real Pearl chunks!), Oyster, Salad (Pickles and red peppers included), Charcoal, Miso Ramen, Chile Pepper(one big one sitting in there..), Risotto Cheese, Sea Salt, Grated Yam, Cypress Tree, Cream Cheese (might not be too bad), Squid Gut (ugh), Squid Ink, Rice Straw, Miso, Char-grilled Seaweed, Hot Spring Water (hopefully not used!!!), Garlic (Brand named: Dracula), Genmai, Pickled Plum & Shisho, Collagen Lemon ("like eating a sweet bone."), Tomato (ketchup anyone?), Yakuzen (Herbal Remedy), Potato, Raw Horseflesh (usually used for DOG FOOD), Goat (goat's milk with a taste of real goat!), Whale, Shark Fin (also a popular soup in China), Abalone, Seaweed, Deep Sea BRINE, Spinach, Sesame/Soybean/Dried Kelp mixture, Lettuce & Potato Mix, Wheat, Curdled Bean, (Hahaha you'd think we'd be done by now...) Silk (yep, the same stuff as your fabric), Chicken, Black Beer (mm), Shochu (Potato Alcohol), Red wine, Tulip, Cherry Blossom (might be ok?), Fish, Octopus, Squid, Ox Tongue,((None of these are "flavored" they are the real meat!)) Sweet Potato, Fried Eggplant, Crab, Corn, Kashihikari Rice, Wasabi (Spicay), Shrimp, Eel, Nagoya Noodle, Chicken Wing (Mm bones in my ice cream), Miso bean paste, and last but not least: Cactus.

So, if you really want to try something exotic head to the (not-so-local) grocer's freezer and nab some nasty Japanese ice cream. (I'm sure they must have something normal, right? Right?))

Thoroughly disgusted, I remain yours,

Jenna

Mmm. Horse meat...

As they say: "Pass-u"