Cakes, Pastries and bread in Japan.

[TalnSG]

My memory of bread from my childhood in England is strangely absent of any sort of bread, and I never realized it till reading this thread. The only bread or cake I remember from then is the occassional dried-out petit-four.

Its seems my addiction to bread began with baguettes while visiting France back then. These days its the Japanese and Korean bakeries in the area that have me driving across town for my "cake" fix.

I wonder if the dismal state of breadmaking in the UK stemmed from refusal to compete with its neighbor on yet another level. Though the scones in the Midlands are excellent!

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Columbine

Actually, the UK's idea of a 'conbini' sandwich is probably what put me off sandwiches for good. Dried out chicken salad or grey looking tuna mayo? Squishy cheese with watery tomato on soggy bread? A 'pastry' that's 80% reconstituted cream with an E-number infused neon cherry on top? Mmmm~... I think I'll pass.

I`d say the situation in the US is likely quite similar, outside of fresh delis (and sometimes even then). Back long long ago when I actually had a part time job at a small convenience type store, we would FREEZE the sandwiches and randomly thaw them out and put them on the shelf... Absolutely horrific. The level of freshness and general tastiness of things in Japanese conbini is really amazing when compared.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by TalnSG

My memory of bread from my childhood in England is strangely absent of any sort of bread, and I never realized it till reading this thread. The only bread or cake I remember from then is the occassional dried-out petit-four.

Its seems my addiction to bread began with baguettes while visiting France back then. These days its the Japanese and Korean bakeries in the area that have me driving across town for my "cake" fix.

I wonder if the dismal state of breadmaking in the UK stemmed from refusal to compete with its neighbor on yet another level. Though the scones in the Midlands are excellent!

Maybe it depends what you count as bread. I mean, steamed puddings? Mince pies? Cream Tea? We're well ahead. Trouble is, us Brits don't seem to be all that fussy about what we cram in our mouths (unlike say, the French) hence why Greggs the 'Baker' runs riot across our green and pleasant land. I don't know... maybe it's the lack of home-baking that's done it. I remember stuff my mum made, but not anything we routinely bought. :/

Biscuits, on the other hand, I can list until I run out of fingers and toes and then some.

Originally Posted by Nyororin

I`d say the situation in the US is likely quite similar, outside of fresh delis (and sometimes even then). Back long long ago when I actually had a part time job at a small convenience type store, we would FREEZE the sandwiches and randomly thaw them out and put them on the shelf... Absolutely horrific. The level of freshness and general tastiness of things in Japanese conbini is really amazing when compared.

Urgh, how horrible! Still, I think things are improving gradually. When I was growing up you either baked bread yourself or bought it sliced in a bag at the supermarket and that was pretty much all that was available. Now the Farmer's Markets have boomed, I can get proper bread weekly, if not daily, as more places start turning back towards 'old-fashioned' uncut loaves. They go stale quicker because they're not stuffed with fat to preserve them, but they are a million times nicer. They don't turn to silly- putty when you squish them about either.