Breakfast: An ordinary Japanese breakfast usually consists of an egg (50g), a bowl of rice (100g), 1 sliced grilled fish (50g) or ham sausage (50g), a plate of vegetables and fruits (150-200g), a small dish of kimchi and a bowl of miso. Of course, some people, especially young people, are used to western-style breakfast, which is often a piece of bread coated with butter or jam, a glass of milk (300~400ml) or juice with coffee.
Second, lunch: mostly fast food, such as Lamian Noodles (noodles 100g, ham 40g or eggs 50g, a little bean sprouts, soup 500-800ml); Curry rice (rice 80g, beef or chicken 40-50g, onion, potato and carrot 50g, curry juice150ml); Box lunch (rice 80g, a small piece of fish or meat 50g, lettuce and fruit 50g, a little pickles, a few green beans, a slice of lemon, some condiments); Milk bread/coffee.
Dinner: a bowl of rice (100g), tofu (50g), tempura (50g), sea shrimp (1-2), raw vegetables (20-30g), beer (500ml) or sake (200ml), and fruits after meals.
Japanese people's daily diet has several advantages for our reference: ① The high intake of milk ensures the nutritional demand of human body for calcium, and the height of middle and high school students in Japan is obviously increased today, which is not unrelated; Whether you eat in a restaurant or at home, you always keep the habit of eating separately. Everyone's meal includes all kinds of food to make the nutrition balanced. At the same time, you can clearly know how much you have eaten at each meal, which is convenient for controlling excessive calorie intake and avoiding obesity from damaging your health. (3) Due to the development of food processing industry and catering industry, families and individuals spend less time cooking, which is conducive to putting more energy into work and study; Although Japan has a developed economy and a high standard of living, it is very frugal in diet and rarely sees leftovers.
As a close neighbor, Japan has many similarities with us in eating habits. It likes to eat tofu and bean products. The staple food is mainly rice, supplemented by pasta and miscellaneous grains, and the vegetables and fruits are diverse. However, it also has its own characteristics. The diet structure has been partially westernized, especially among the younger generation, the intake of animal food is higher than that of China. As an island country, Japan is rich in marine resources. Therefore, there are many marine fish, shrimp and shellfish in the Japanese diet, which are very fresh and clean, and the Japanese often eat them raw. In meat food, considering the fat content and flavor of animals, beef is the first choice when buying, and the price is more expensive; Pork is second, and the price is in the middle; Chicken is the cheapest, and mutton is not common in supermarkets.
Everyone who has lived in Japan feels the same way. Cooking is a relatively simple thing. Supermarkets, large and small, are located in residential areas and commercial areas, and there are scattered "24-hour shops", so it is very convenient to buy food. In supermarkets, vegetables are mostly sold individually or in small packages. For example, Chinese cabbage is half or a quarter, small vegetables are packed in a bag of three or four, carrots and cucumbers are also packed in a bag of two or three, and all kinds of vegetables are picked very cleanly. After buying home, it can be cooked by simple cleaning. The same is true of meat and fish food. There are different forms and sizes of packaging, such as slices, blocks and fillings to choose from. There are all kinds of semi-finished and cooked food products, which can be eaten by microwave heating. Besides, there are all kinds of lunch boxes and rice balls. Although there are meat, fish and vegetables because of different tastes, they all pay attention to nutritional collocation.
Because of the busy work at ordinary times, not many people can shop easily. Most families choose to buy food on weekends and buy enough food for a week, so do our international students. Every Saturday and Sunday, shops, especially large supermarkets, are often crowded with customers, and customers pushing shopping carts full of various foods can be seen everywhere. When you see this scene, you won't be surprised by the huge size of household refrigerators in the Japanese market. Two-door refrigerators are very common in electrical stores and are a necessity in Japan.
Japanese also eat three meals a day, but the ratio is different from ours. According to heat energy, breakfast accounts for about 40%, lunch 20% and dinner 40%. This ratio is caused by work pressure and schedule. In order to have enough energy for a day's work, Japanese people eat more and more breakfast. However, during my years in Japan, I still kept my habits. Breakfast is simple and quick, with a glass of milk and a piece of bread, which is mainly the result of staying up late.
At noon, almost all departments only rest for an hour, some even shorter, and the time really spent on lunch is often only ten minutes to half an hour, so most people only eat a simple lunch. In the teaching and research section, most of the time we bring our own lunch, and the Japanese make their own lunch. Both men and women eat very little. There is a small box of rice and a small box of vegetables, but there are many kinds of vegetables. When we sit together at noon, we international students are often surprised by their habit of eating cold meals, even though each teaching and research room has a microwave oven and a gas stove. Some people, we call them "workaholics", are often busy with work and have no time for lunch, or they have to deal with what they are doing while eating, or they just talk about work.
My Japanese professor's home is close to the school. Most of the time, he will go back for lunch. Once, I went to the professor's house to help. At noon, the professor stayed for dinner. Everyone has a bowl of rice, a small dish and a bowl of miso soup. It's simple. Another time, there was something wrong with the computer at the professor's house. After I went there, I saw him eating a loaf of bread while reading the document. There are some buns and a banana on the table, saying that these are his lunches. After several experiences, I wouldn't be surprised if the professor said he forgot to eat lunch, because the professor always puts his work first.
Have the habit of drinking afternoon tea at school or work. At three o'clock in the afternoon, everyone in the office sat together, drinking tea or coffee and talking about the news of the day. The secretary also prepared some snacks for everyone.
Japanese people attach great importance to dinner and cook all kinds of meals for their families. After a day's work, people like to have a glass of sake or beer to relax themselves.