【中級日本語】What Do Japanese People Really Eat for Breakfast？ #310

Hello, I'm Sayuri. Today I'll talk about breakfast. Do you eat breakfast, or do you not eat breakfast? I eat breakfast. What kind of breakfast do Japanese people have? And what kind of breakfast do I often eat? It's a relaxed anecdote introducing a special breakfast eaten on special occasions. Listening to this anecdote might just make you a little hungry. Yes, first of all, what do you think Japanese people typically eat for breakfast? Rice, grilled fish, miso soup, and tamagoyaki (rolled omelet). I think many people might associate this with pickled foods, and while there may be such a process, I suppose... I think many people prefer bread for breakfast. Even among my acquaintances, and when I go to supermarkets, there are many people who buy bread. It's possible that it's because I currently live in Osaka, in Kansai. They say that many people in the Kansai region eat bread for breakfast. And apparently, a common catchphrase among Kansai mothers, especially those from Osaka, is "Do we have tomorrow's bread?" According to what I've heard, they seem to always be worried about tomorrow's bread. That morning, there were quite a few instances of bread being involved, as far as I can tell. Although we don't have clear data on this yet, that's how it seems to me. If I were to eat bread for breakfast, how would I go about it? When I go to a hotel, there are usually toast or small rolls available. I think that's probably what they eat. Toast is still simple, inexpensive, and quick to prepare, so I believe many people choose to eat it. We call a large piece of white bread a "kin," but when you go to a supermarket, you'll see how many pieces it's been cut into. It's divided into sizes like 5-piece cut, 6-piece cut, and 4-piece cut. The 4-piece cut is relatively thick—somewhat thick toast that's fluffy and soft. I think people who like bread will buy it. Honestly, I do like bread, but I don't eat it for breakfast. I don't understand it, but when I see people buying things like that often sold at supermarkets, I think bread must be very popular. I think many of the people listening to this are foreigners, but the grilled fish that's a morning staple isn't quite as common in their minds as they might imagine. I don't think there's really much of a process involved in eating a meal like omelet, miso soup, pickles, and rice. How is it living in Japan? Please let me know if you're living there. It seems like even on busy mornings, you might still prepare a wide variety of dishes, especially if you have a family. What I usually eat is really simple. The most common thing is Rice, miso soup, natto, things like that. I'm a bit particular about the rice. I cook freshly cooked rice every morning using a clay pot. Although electric rice cookers are easier and more convenient, I'm cooking rice in a clay pot using fire, because it tastes delicious. Besides, anything tastes delicious when cooked in a clay pot, like shirasu, which is a small fish. I think many people might find it a bit unpleasant, but I sometimes eat small fish placed on top of rice, and when I really don't feel like cooking, I just eat tea-infused rice. Ochazuke is a dish you make when you don't have freshly cooked rice—just cold rice and a packet of ochazuke seasoning. That's it—just sprinkle it on and pour hot water over it. It's also delicious when eaten occasionally. It's not exactly risotto, but it has a refreshing, risotto-like feel. Oh, another thing I often eat is tamagokake gohan. This is TKG—scrambled egg over freshly cooked rice, eaten with raw egg and soy sauce. Sometimes I add bonito flakes or seaweed; it's really delicious. You can make various things from morning on, if you like. I think the most important thing when it comes to cooking at home, and preparing meals yourself, is being able to stick with it. I'm making and eating breakfast like this. I don't really decide in advance what to put in my miso soup; I just add whatever is in the refrigerator at the time. That's why onions, daikon radishes, and so on Eggplant mushroom I add various ingredients such as fried tofu, tofu, wakame, and more. But generally, up to three items. If you add too many, the flavor becomes blurred and doesn't taste very good, so I'll stick to about three. My favorites are radish, fried tofu, and wakame; though I also think green onions as a topping would be great. Yes, do you have a favorite ingredient for miso soup? By the way, what kind of dashi do you use? I use a dashi pack, which allows me to easily extract dashi by just adding hot water. If you want an even simpler way to make dashi, try using real dashi or... I think many people use things that are in a degraded state. "Degraded state" refers to small particles that dissolve easily when added to water. I think you've seen it before; many people use it. I use a dashi packet, and inside that packet there is probably I think it contains ingredients like bonito flakes and kelp; they boil these to extract the broth. What are your favorite ingredients in miso soup? Please let me know! I said I'm a rice person, but actually I like bread too—just once a week. It's about once every two weeks, really. When that time comes, I eat something called an English muffin, which is a type of bread. I toast it, slice some avocado, season with salt and pepper, and make a sandwich. Sometimes I make something like an avocado toast burger and eat it. If I really had that energy, I'd fry some sunny-side-up eggs there. My favorite thing to go with sunny-side-up eggs is soy sauce. Yes, my usual breakfast is rice, and I occasionally eat bread. Recently, I went to a restaurant called Bills, which is famous for its breakfast and was born in Australia. I thought this breakfast was amazing, so I'd like to share what exactly I ate. Bills is available in quite urban areas in Japan—there are locations in Osaka, of course, in Tokyo, and also in Fukuoka. I've been to Osaka and Fukuoka, and it's really delicious there. What's delicious is that they have ricotta cheese pancakes. It's wonderfully soft and fluffy, yet the flavor is solid and satisfying, filling me with happiness with every single bite. Since there are two pancakes per plate, you'll only be able to eat pancakes if you have them alone, so we recommend visiting with two or more people. I think it would be more fun and allow us to try various foods if there were about four of us. Aside from the ricotta cheese pancakes, the only other thing I had was the Big Prince plate. There were those roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and so many other incredibly delicious things over there. There was an omelette I'd never tasted before. The inside of the store is very peaceful, the coffee is delicious, and the service is excellent. I truly thought it's nice to have breakfast like this once in a while. It's not just the Bills; I probably prefer Australian-style breakfasts. I've spent a little time in Australia for three months. What I enjoyed eating at that time was Eggs Benedict. Hash browns, and then avocado smash toast, or something like that? Mashed avocado smashed onto toasted bread—something like slightly squashed avocado with probably salt and pepper or lemon or lime on top. I thought that was also incredibly delicious. Plus Australia is where I first tried harami cheese, and I thought it was delicious too. What we're talking about right now might not just be breakfast in Australia—perhaps it's breakfast eaten in your country too. The country where I had a genuine one was Australia, and also because Bills is an Australian store. I really liked Australia's breakfast. Melbourne in Australia is famous as a city of cafes. I've never been there, but I like that style of coffee too—espresso. I think that sometimes drinking milk-based beverages can be really delicious. I also really like flat white. Flat white probably originated in Australia or New Zealand, I guess. It was a commonly seen menu. So, while the ideal breakfast is a bit too extravagant for everyday, I sometimes feel like having a slightly luxurious breakfast once a year or twice a year. Yes, what is your favorite breakfast? Today, we talked about breakfast in a fairly relaxed manner. Thank you for listening until the end. See you in the next episode. Bye-bye