it's the cheese

[arethinn]

I really don't know why I'm having this thought, but...

Why is it that one never sees Japanese cheese, even in the most worldly cheese-counter? Even if there's some kind of dairy importation law, that wouldn't stop it - lots of cheeses of a particular ethnic style (e.g. feta, mozzarella...) are made right here in CA. Do the Japanese just not have much dairy in their culinary history?

Comments

[soundwave106.livejournal.com]

My brother's wife is Asian (Chinese)... and she had to really be weened onto the taste of cheese. *Now* she likes it...

Some Asians apparantly are lactose intolerant which doesn't help things, but I think it is more of a cultural thing. Cheese is relatively new in the Japanese culture. It's like sushi. Some people will never get used to that.

[starlightforest.livejournal.com]

Ahh, I see...

[queenofstripes.livejournal.com]

Actually, they don't. I've heard that it was a cultural taboo in Chinese culture, and perhaps one the Japanese picked up, that drinking the milk of an animal gave you its traits -- and who wants to be like a cow!? Regardless, for whatever reason, Japan and China just never got into the dairy thing, not until recently. A common complaint about the earliest Western visitors to Japan, in fact, was that they stank of animal fats because of all the butter and cheese they ate.

[starlightforest.livejournal.com]

*drinks dragon's milk*

;)

[eldriwolf.livejournal.com]

*** Do the Japanese just not have much dairy in their culinary history?**_

___not much dairy to begin with and add to that the 'idea' of 'Eating Rotted/Spoiled Milk' it dosen't Sound that appealing, does it?

[starlightforest.livejournal.com]

It's not spoiled, it's Transformed by Bacteria!

hmm, that doesn't sound much better, does it...

[soundwave106.livejournal.com]

No worse than drinking sake, which is a byproduct of *two* fungus types (yeast and aspergillus oryzae ("koji")).

Or using soy sauce, which is soybeans and wheat incubated for a few days with, once again, koji.

Those tasty moldy products. :)

[bluegodjanus.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'd never thought about that, but you're right. I would probably have some inane thing to say if I hadn't already been enlightened by your other commenters.

[twopiearr.livejournal.com]

Cultural taboos aside, Japan in particular just doesn't have enough spare airable land to support grazing cattle. As a result, anything bovine related doesn't feature heavily in their diets.

We hosted a pair of japanese exchange students when I was in junior high. For their welcome dinner we had an eight ounce steak on every plate. They insisted the need to photograph this spectacle since their friends at home would never believe it - most beef in Japan is imported, so a steak that size is fed to an entire family.

Many Asians, as noted above, are also lactose intolerant. That's why many of their desserts are based around bean paste rather than cream. (Or perhaps it's the other way round...there's a bit of a chicken/egg problem there)

[pixyled.livejournal.com]

I think the fact that 95% of Japanese nationals are lactose-intolerant might put a damper on the "Japanese cheese industry"