If we compare Japan and the world, we cannot avoid mentioning the food.

In old times, scenery with the whole family surrounding the table and eating together was common. But looking at the world, eating habits are different in Japan. For this reason, with the breakfast, national characters of each country are coming out.

“If you look at the food, you will catch a glimpse of this country’s culture and way of thinking”. By keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at the food from different countries.

Eating out and take out in Taiwan is culturally normal.

Long ago in Japan, meals were eaten mostly at home. But going out to eat was common on special occasions. Nowadays, not only are husband and wife both working getting normal, but Japan also became wealthy, so eating out is even more common than before.

For instance, Taiwan is well known even in Japan for its growing dining-out culture. Instead of cooking for oneself, it is more common to buy meals or bento at food stalls, supermarkets or convenience stores or to simply eat out. It is especially true for single young people who mostly live in property where there is no kitchen. In addition, eating out is also much cheaper than cooking for oneself which is one of the reasons why the dining-out culture is so preeminent. Indeed, in Taiwan everyday meals cost only 50 Taiwan dollars if you eat out (which is around 200¥). However, in Starbucks, one cup of coffee costs around 105 Taiwan dollars (which is around 420¥), which is not imaginable in Japan. However, some people consider that it is now necessary to review this dining-out culture. Indeed, obesity is getting a society problem across Taiwan.

According to Mr. Hishinuma, in Singapore at the 1^st floor of public housing there is usually a food court (called Hawker Center) where people can eat or take out.

Discover different countries’ national characters through breakfast.

Even in Japan, people eating rice with miso soup or fried eggs for breakfast are probably a minority. There are probably also a lot of people eating mainly bread for breakfast. Therefore, we have looked up the different breakfast in other countries.

For some reasons, we thought that American were mainly eating milk and cereals, but they are also eating oatmeal, omelets, or pancakes. In addition, breakfast is served at school for more than 50 years. And in most schools, breakfast is provided for free, which is encouraging children in needs to come and eat at school, but also encouraging children to come to school. 

In England, the well-known English breakfast is the most common breakfast. Toast with egg dishes such as scramble eggs, etc. with bacon or sausages, potatoes, etc. Even in Japan it is served in lodging.

In France, breakfast is simple: baguette with jam, called tartine, with coffee or café au lait.

In Russia, the standard meal is the oatmeal called Kasha, wheat boiled in sweat milk, to which is added jam or dry fruits to make it even more delicious. Blini, a Russian pancake, is also another standard meal.

In the Korean culture, breakfast is really important, even more than for Japanese people. Staple food is white rice, and it is served with several side dishes such as japchae, etc. Of course, kimchi is also eaten at breakfast.

Finally, at the beginning, we had mentioned that the dining-out culture was really important in Taiwan, but it is also true for breakfast. And it is also the case in Thailand, Vietnam or even Hong Kong, etc.

Japanese cooking classes are popular overseas!

We have introduced to you dishes from Japan and overseas, but with the COVID-19, it seems that the food culture is changing.

According to Mr. Hishinuma, cooking classes did not exist in Singapore and China until now, but they are now a great success. Among those classes created in Japan, “ABC Cooking Studio” is very popular in those countries. Indeed, if we take a look at their website, they have opened almost 20 studios in China, and are expanding in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, etc. In Japan, it is really common to increase our own repertoire by searching the Internet rather than learning in cooking classes. On the other hand, Japanese cooking classes style is becoming a trend even in countries where they do not have this culture of learning in classes.

Taking a glimpse at the world’s eating habits confirms that what is common in Japan is not common overseas. Japanese people think that “Not eating breakfast, is unhealthy”. In that sense, because French people eat only lightly at breakfast, it would mean they are unhealthy. But of course, that is not the case. If meals are different, the way of thinking and perception will also naturally be different. In countries other than Japan, it takes a lot of efforts, perseverance and changes in the way of thinking to make your products be recognized and grow into popular products. If you are seriously aiming at expanding overseas, you will probably need professional support.