Breakfast for dinner

There are so many things that I miss from America.  Some things are completely expected, like my family and friends, and other things raise eyebrows, like soft toilet paper.  I find lots of substitutions and work arounds for most things.  I bring things from the US when I travel there.  I order things on Amazon (like white vinegar, because you just can't find it in stores here and I make my own cleaning products with it).  But there are some things that there just isn't a substitute and I have to go without. 

I am a huge fan of breakfast.  My husband and I sought out the best breakfast places in Seattle and had a talent for finding wonderful places for brunch wherever we traveled to.  In Japan, breakfast isn't a huge deal.  Pancakes are a dessert.  Biscuits can pretty much only be found at Kentucky Fried Chicken (and are rocks).  Eggs are popular, but typically soft boiled and marinated or whipped into tamagoyaki.  Sausage is unheard of, unless you mean tiny wieners like little smokies.  (I do see Johnsonville links quite a bit, but I'm talking regular sausage.) 

Bacon is another item lost in translation.  If you see bacon on a menu or in the store, it is more like pre-cooked ham cut into a bacon shape than the smoked slices of pork belly.  Whether you like it crispy or chewy, it doesn't matter at all in Japan.  All you are going to get is thin strips warm, limp pork. 

When I went to Costco a few weeks ago, I saw they had bacon in their refrigerated section.  I quickly grabbled a package and tossed it into my basket.  REAL American-style bacon!!! 

I didn't say anything to my husband.  It was in the fridge, but he didn't look close or examine the contents in the last 2 weeks. 

When my son asked to have pancakes for dinner, I knew we had the perfect compliment to dinner.  My son and I cooked dinner together.  He was in charge of slicing strawberries and flipping pancakes.  I was tasked with putting the batter in the skillet and frying up the bacon. 

When my husband got home from work, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.  "Where did you get American bacon?" he enquired.  "Costco!" I replied and he started to laugh. 

Now that I've been able to satiate this craving, I will add sausage spice mix to my US shopping list so I can make biscuits and gravy in the future (I can whip up a mean biscuit with the right ingredients).  I salivate at the thought!