GREEN TEA

Imma warn you all right now, this post may have a slight over-usage of caps lock. Sometimes, my left pinky just spazzes out, ok?? Don't you judge me!

Anyway. Happy 4th of July, Americans! Happy July 4th to everyone else in the world too! To celebrate, let me give you this post on a totally Asian thing, okay? (O_O)-b. Okay!

Did you know, there was a time when I didn't like green tea all that much.
In fact, it was my *least* favorite herbal/Asian type of tea.

...
TRULY, HOW FOOLISH I WAS.

Since coming here, I've been trying ALL THE GREEN TEA THINGS. Everything is just... wonderful. *sniff* It brings tears to my eyes, how delicious it all is. And for the sole reason of making this post entirely dedicated to green tea things, I've been holding back on some pics from you all. I know, I know, it sounds cruel and unjust. But it was all for a greater good! So here, look at all the amazing green tea options you have in Japan.

Green tea taiyaki! I got this from a department store near the university. It's a traditional Japanese... snack? The pastry is shaped like a fish and usually filled with red bean (which I also love, btdubs, just not as much as green tea). The shop where I got this from, though, offered a few different fillings, including red bean, green tea, custard, and mystery paste that I don't know how to read nor recognize.

I bit off its head first so that you could see the GUTS better.


Green tea (and vanilla) soft serve ice cream! I got this in Ueno in a pedestrian mall-like street where there are tons of shops and little restaurants or food stands on either side. This was I think my first weekend here, so I knew pretty much no Japanese at that time. But the vendor for this little ice cream stand noted that I didn't understand and tried his hardest to speak English for me, haha. So nice!

SO TASTY AND REFRESHING.

Green tea purin (pudding)! This was from just a regular ol' 7-11. 7-11's are big here, in a way that they no longer are in the U.S., I think. And they're so super convenient here! There are printers, ATMS, and water boilers typically. Like in the U.S., you can find food, snacks, drinks, magazines, and some essentials too. In Japan, though, they will offer to heat up any meal-food you get. But anyway, I digress, BACK TO GREEN TEA THINGS. I happened to see this wondrous product while looking for a quick meal one day so I snatched it up and bought it, and IT WAS THE BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE. Well, ok, maybe not best of all best decisions, but definitely one of my better ones (aaaand, I suddenly realize that this makes me sound like a very, very sad or very, very bad individual...). ANYWAY MOVING ON. Look at how wonderful it is. On top of the green tea layer is regular whipped cream (very light, mmmm), and that reddish-brownish spot is... red bean? Caramel? I actually can't remember now D: . I was too busy being enamoured with green tea.

SO LIGHT AND PERFECT.

This is just a regular, good ol' green tea. It was at a kaiten-zushi place I went to! [kaiten-zushi is 'revolving sushi', where you pay per plate and can pick up any and as many plates of sushi you want from a conveyor belt in front of you]. That spout is for the hot water, the little cup with a lid is the matcha powder, and the cup is what you put it allll in.

SO CONVENIENT.

Green tea donut! With one-third of it or so dipped in chocolate. I bought this from a chain store called 'Mister Donut'. What could it possibly sell, I wonder?! Haha, to be honest, I was a bit hesitant on getting this donut at first because I thought, "Green tea? In a donut? Hmmm, I dunno, man... I dunnooooo." Not to mention that it looked as if it was a little bit burnt so might be a bit crunchy/hard, and that's just not something I want from my donut, y'know what I mean? A crusty donut, the blasphemy! But I ended up getting it because I figured "What the hey, man. I'm in Japan! I'm here to try NEW things, new!!" How did it turn out?
THIS WAS JUST AS MUCH A BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE AS THE GREEN TEA PURIN WAS. GOOD GOD, HOW WAS THIS SO DELICIOUS. It wasn't crusty or hard as I thought it might be, but was instead soft and fluffy on the inside with just a little bit of resistance from the outside, like lightly toasted bread. Just writing about it right now, I'm starting to salivate. Oh man, why isn't Mister Donut closer to where I am... ;-;. I am crying tears of hunger and despair now, do you hear? Tears of hunger and despair!

HOW WILL I BE ABLE TO RETURN TO AMERICAN DONUTS AFTER TASTING THIS PERFECTION. T___________T

Well, that's all for now. I will most certainly be trying more green tea yummies. I will probably most definitely be getting another green tea donut from Mister Donut, for sure. He is my hero and most admired 'person' now. I wish he would move to America. In fact, I wish he would move to Charlottesville. Somewhere within walking distance from UVa, more specifically.

Anyway, I hope you all appreciate the pain and despair and hunger I had to endure just to write this post for you. Remembering all these wonderful sights and tastes yet not presently having them with me to devour... to not be able to satiate the growing ravenousness in my stomach and taste buds... to taunt me with all these memories and images... oh the cruelty of it all! Oh the self-imposed cruelty of it all!