So, what do poor folk eat in Japan, and what can be done with rice?

[Mazzy]

I'm curious what the 'cheap eats' in Japan are for the teenage/young adults living on their own? I'm also interested in any fast and cheap ways to flavor or make dishes with plain rice. I've been eating it a lot lately since I can precook large batches and shovel in rice on the go, but it needs something besides salt. Soy sauce doesn't fit well with plain rice to me, and from what I understand, in Japan you're not traditionally supposed to eat say sauce on white rice, although I could be mistaken.

Anyways, cheap and fast meal ideas, please!

[siokan]

Furikake, Natto

retort pack Curry

[RealJames]

Tamago gohan!
seriously, rice, an egg, soya sauce, done.



you can skip the soya sauce if you want... but that's heresy, only tell your closest friends ^^b

[steel]

If you're a kid, you might be 'allowed' to add soy sauce to your rice, but as an adult, it is seen as a low-class thing to do. Or, some see it as something a Chinese person might do (as I have been told).

Instead, Japanese have a solution ... furikake in all sorts of varieties and flavors including ones for kids. They come in small individual-sized sachets or small shaker jars that you can use to sprinkle on top of your rice.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by steel

If you're a kid, you might be 'allowed' to add soy sauce to your rice, but as an adult, it is seen as a low-class thing to do. Or, some see it as something a Chinese person might do (as I have been told).

Instead, Japanese have a solution ... furikake in all sorts of varieties and flavors including ones for kids. They come in small individual-sized sachets or small shaker jars that you can use to sprinkle on top of your rice.

No child in Japan would ask or want to put soy sauce on white rice.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by MMM

No child in Japan would ask or want to put soy sauce on white rice.

You need to be around some more kids in Japan.

It`s one of those things kids regularly ask for, or try to do themselves... And get yelled at by parents.
My own son, who has never actually had rice with soy sauce alone, will ask for it. The conversation usually goes;

卵しょうゆごはん食べたい～
ごめん、卵なくなってる。後で買いに行こうね
じゃ、しょうゆだけごはん食べたい！
だめ、ふりかけにしようよ。
えー　しょうゆだけがいいのに～～

[masaegu]

Just buy a pack of what you see in my avatar and sprinkle it on your rice.

Pouring soy sauce on the rice is the last thing you would want to do. You won't live long if you do that for all that sodium.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

You need to be around some more kids in Japan.

It`s one of those things kids regularly ask for, or try to do themselves... And get yelled at by parents.
My own son, who has never actually had rice with soy sauce alone, will ask for it.

I wonder if it is regional. I asked two Kansai moms before posting, both knew Americans had a strange habit of doing it, but had never heard of a child asking or a parent allowing it in Japan.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by MMM

I wonder if it is regional. I asked two Kansai moms before posting, both knew Americans had a strange habit of doing it, but had never heard of a child asking or a parent allowing it in Japan.

I highly doubt that it is regional, because parents do not allow it around here. I`ve never seen or heard of a parent allowing it - but I`ve seen plenty of kids ask and try to do it. Obviously it`s going to to depend on the kid, but I doubt it`s uncommon. I`ve seen the same thing up on the northern coast.
It`s just like licking up the soy sauce left after eating sushi, or wanting to eat furikake straight from the pack (with no rice). Doctors get a huge number of children coming in who drank whole bottle (table sized) of soy sauce. Kids just like the salty flavor, I guess. It doesn`t really have much to do with whether parents allow it or not.

It`s not something parents are going to brag about, but it happens. I think it`s also something that parents tend to forget about. A mom in our building took her younger daughter to the hospital about 6 months ago because she poured the whole bottle of soy sauce on her rice and drank the "soup". Even after throwing up because of it, the little girl kept asking for the "soup" and they had to hide all the soy sauce. The older sister consistently requested it because she liked the soy sauce parts of egg and soy sauce rice, but not the egg parts.
But fairly recently, she was asking me about whether it`s true that people overseas put it directly on their rice because NO Japanese person ever would, not even little kids, because they all know better. Umm... What about your daughters? She`d totally forgotten about it. They knew better now.

I am thinking kindergarten level, not older children. The local kindergartens and care centers make a point to not have soy sauce on hand (and ask to not put any in lunches) as the smaller kids will try to drink it straight or use it in parent-horrifying ways like squirting it straight on their rice.

[RealJames]

and yet if there's a raw egg on it then you can add all the soya sauce you want ll