This post is an oldie, but I’m submitting it to Rocking in Hakata’s February 2009 Japan Blog Matsuri about Foreign Food. Enjoy!
With food prices soaring, and butter disappearing altogether, there is no doubt that Japan is suffering an unprecedented food crisis.
Learning from the British
At university, balancing the budget to accommodate both food and beer is a skill most Brits have mastered, but it wouldn’t be possible without that staple of the British food industry, baked beans.
Supermarket chain, Tesco, is where I used to buy baked beans for as little as 8p (16 yen) a can. I believe you can still find tins of the little beans in tomato sauce for 10p (20 yen). Even a can of the brand name, Heinz Baked Beans, will only set you back 41p (84 yen).
Therefore, I think it’s fair to say that no matter how bad the food crisis gets, the British will prevail due to their willingness to dine on something that would most likely make the Japanese barf.
Poll shows Japanese hate British food
9,872 former Japanese exchange students recently took part in a nationwide poll by the Japanese Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Of the respondents who had lived in the UK, a whopping 93.8% rated British food as “bland”, and as “edible as poisoned Chinese gyouza”. The source of this poll has yet to be verified, but I won’t let that get in the way of a good story.
Could baked beans be the answer to Japan’s food crisis?
If Heinz were to sponsor a few Japanese celebrities to try their flagship product on TV, we are guaranteed an orgasmic reaction as the guests scream oishii! and umai! in delight at the orange bean treat. This could lead the way to mass production of the food, and huge eatership numbers among Japan’s soon-to-be-poor population.
If you’ve got the money, why wait?
You don’t have to wait for Japan to accept baked beans as the natural alternative to every other food, you can order a tin of the original, 84 yen Heinz Baked Beans via The Meat Guy for as little as 650 yen with FREE postage and packing! 
Failing that, until Heinz brings to Japan its British operation of 1.5 million cans of baked beans a day, you’ll just have to survive on natto…
Thanks to Haikugirl’s search for baked beans for inspiring this post.
