Life in Japan: Things I Didn't Expect to Miss
For days now I've been craving a fish and chips.
And I mean a proper fish and chips, not the weird 'Salmon Fish and Chips' we sell at the bar I work in... I want proper chip shop chips, wrapped up in the bloody newspaper, covered in an unholy amount of salt and vinegar. Also, it has to be from a good chip shop, like I'm thinking about this one particular chippy that was my usual back in Portishead.
It's strange though, I never even liked fish and chips that much when I lived in England.
This got me thinking about things I find myself missing, as some of them are a little surprising.
After all, apart from Cadbury's Chocolate (obviously), I never really expected to miss anything at all. I can't really think of anything that great that England has to offer.
But, like the aforementioned fish and chips, there are a few things that I feel like I am missing from my life and I'm sure I will continue to think of more things that I miss as time goes on.
I mean apart from my family and one very awkward phone call with an ex-boyfriend, I hadn't heard another British person speak for more than a month.
So then I start work, and everyone there mentions how I have to meet one of my coworkers, the Japanese boy who grew up in England and therefore has a British accent, like me. 'Okay.' I think to myself. 'That's... nice, I guess.'
Then we have our first conversation and it hits me. I haven't heard a voice like that for a while and it's comforting and actually really attractive and every stereotype about British boys having adorable accents that I never previously understood began to make sense.
This is when I realised, I was really missing hearing British accents.
I mean, you can buy cheese out here, but it's more expensive and some of it is just not quite as nice as the ones we'd buy at home.
In fact, we even brought some over with us at first. However cheese doesn't seem to travel so well and I figure I have sensitive taste buds because it just did not taste quite right to me.
Also it had gone ridiculously crumbly which was disappointing.
(OH! It's just occurred to me I also really miss Red Leicester and Double Gloucester...)
Like nothing can beat Cadbury's and while you can buy a bar of Dairy Milk, maybe even the Fruit & Nut one if you're lucky, I'm yet to see a Flake, a Twirl or a Crunchie.
Also, Terry's Chocolate Orange gets a notable mention, though I'm sure I've seen it for sale in a Kaldi.
I also am partial to a bar of Galaxy and a pack of Malteasers, so I would definitely say I am missing those too.
Before this becomes little more than me talking about my favourite chocolates, I'll move on.
I couldn't say I miss Wetherspoons in particular, let's be honest, it's not the world's greatest pub. I'd much rather spend my time at the bar in which I work.
Yet I do miss the whole ritual of someone asking "Wanna go to 'Spoons?" and various murmurs of agreement. I miss the cheap drinks and being able to order from the app. I miss walking an hour to get to the toilets and seeing majority of the students from my Sixth Form on the way.
Hanging at 'Spoons is a rite of passage for any British 18 year old.
This probably isn't the complete list of things that I miss. As I'm away from the UK for longer there's no doubt I'll think of some more things, so maybe we can expect another couple of blog posts over the year detailing anything else I decide I really miss.
And I mean a proper fish and chips, not the weird 'Salmon Fish and Chips' we sell at the bar I work in... I want proper chip shop chips, wrapped up in the bloody newspaper, covered in an unholy amount of salt and vinegar. Also, it has to be from a good chip shop, like I'm thinking about this one particular chippy that was my usual back in Portishead.
It's strange though, I never even liked fish and chips that much when I lived in England.
This got me thinking about things I find myself missing, as some of them are a little surprising.
After all, apart from Cadbury's Chocolate (obviously), I never really expected to miss anything at all. I can't really think of anything that great that England has to offer.
But, like the aforementioned fish and chips, there are a few things that I feel like I am missing from my life and I'm sure I will continue to think of more things that I miss as time goes on.
One of the first things I noticed I missed was the absence of other British accents.
I mean apart from my family and one very awkward phone call with an ex-boyfriend, I hadn't heard another British person speak for more than a month.
So then I start work, and everyone there mentions how I have to meet one of my coworkers, the Japanese boy who grew up in England and therefore has a British accent, like me. 'Okay.' I think to myself. 'That's... nice, I guess.'
Then we have our first conversation and it hits me. I haven't heard a voice like that for a while and it's comforting and actually really attractive and every stereotype about British boys having adorable accents that I never previously understood began to make sense.
This is when I realised, I was really missing hearing British accents.
Another thing I began to miss quite a lot was cheese. Cheddar, specifically.
I mean, you can buy cheese out here, but it's more expensive and some of it is just not quite as nice as the ones we'd buy at home.
In fact, we even brought some over with us at first. However cheese doesn't seem to travel so well and I figure I have sensitive taste buds because it just did not taste quite right to me.
Also it had gone ridiculously crumbly which was disappointing.
(OH! It's just occurred to me I also really miss Red Leicester and Double Gloucester...)
Chocolate in Japan is just not as good as English chocolate, in my opinion, so that's something else that I miss.
Like nothing can beat Cadbury's and while you can buy a bar of Dairy Milk, maybe even the Fruit & Nut one if you're lucky, I'm yet to see a Flake, a Twirl or a Crunchie.
Also, Terry's Chocolate Orange gets a notable mention, though I'm sure I've seen it for sale in a Kaldi.
I also am partial to a bar of Galaxy and a pack of Malteasers, so I would definitely say I am missing those too.
And while I won't be missing a tin of Roses and/or a tin of Quality Street this year at Christmas (we stocked up), I'd say that Christmas wouldn't feel quite right without them.And Celebrations, Heroes and those Christmassy Cadbury's chocolate biscuits. Obviously they're all a seasonal necessity.
Before this becomes little more than me talking about my favourite chocolates, I'll move on.
A weirdly specific thing I miss is going down my local 'Spoons.
I couldn't say I miss Wetherspoons in particular, let's be honest, it's not the world's greatest pub. I'd much rather spend my time at the bar in which I work.
Yet I do miss the whole ritual of someone asking "Wanna go to 'Spoons?" and various murmurs of agreement. I miss the cheap drinks and being able to order from the app. I miss walking an hour to get to the toilets and seeing majority of the students from my Sixth Form on the way.
Hanging at 'Spoons is a rite of passage for any British 18 year old.
This probably isn't the complete list of things that I miss. As I'm away from the UK for longer there's no doubt I'll think of some more things, so maybe we can expect another couple of blog posts over the year detailing anything else I decide I really miss.
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