We had finished an amazing day of snowboarding and were coming home. Five of us crammed into a car the size of a shoebox, with as many snowboards and skis strapped to the top. As we careened down the road, a 7-11 beckoned with promises of good food and drink.
(A side note for those from the U.S. The 7-11 chain is also ubiquitous here in Japan—to the point that many Japanese think it’s a Japanese rather than an American-based business (UPDATE: oops—so much for fact-checking). But unlike at 7-11’s found in the States, you can actually find decent food at a 7-11 in Japan. Convenience stores here offer so much more than junk food and slurpees.)
We piled, or rather exploded, out of the car in search of sustenance. Along with a generous helping of snacks, all but the driver chose alcoholic beverages to top off a great day and to make the hour-long, cramped drive home a little more enjoyable.
I was in the mood for something hot — and sake sounded just right. I found the sake shelf and grabbed a self-heating can. Peel a plastic lid off the bottom of the can and press the bottom inwards until it pops. Three minutes later, the can and the sake have magically heated to an acceptably warm temperature.
I was happy, but not for long. After we were back on the road, I opened the top of the sake can to enjoy my beverage. The first problem was that, unlike most soda cans, the entire top was to be opened. I could see right away this was going to be a challenge in the cramped quarters and on a bumpy, windy road. Then the smell hit me. Dead fish was my first instinct — and, unhappily, it was accurate. I tried a sip and the taste was just as bad as the smell. As my stinky sake sloshed out of the can, I noticed the special added ingredient that was the source of the foul smell and taste. A small piece of dried fish floating in the can.
A comedy of sorts ensued as we tried to pass the can to the front so the contents could be tossed out the window as soon as possible.
I love sake, but make mine without fish.
(UPDATE: I’ve subsequently found that the odiferous item was squid.)
2 thoughts on “Something Fishy”
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Actually, 7-11 IS a Japanese company. Back in the heady days of the Japanese economic expansion (and real estate bubble), a Japanese conglomerate purchased 7-11. In Japan and Canada, 7-11 is a great place to shop. Unfortunately that is not the case in the States.
Rest assured, my young research assistant will be severely flogged for this fact-checking oversight…