Please prevent potential starvation

[ginlane]

So just to be annoying, sorry, I have one more item I'd like people to cast their the eye over.
I think it's tofu, though not sure how to prepare it or what with? it looks a bit like relatively solid yoghurt!
I have a feeling that I won't have to do this for much longer, I've got a small but growing list of things under my belt now which I know what they are and what to do with them, which is a huge relief after spending the first three weeks largely on a diet of rice and furikake.
thank you everyone for your help

 

[madphysicist]

@ginlane

Yes, it's tofu. The only instructions on the packet are "keep it in the fridge".

In some ways I feel your pain. For the past couple of years I've moved country regularly and even if I already speak the language, sometimes I just don't know how to prepare the things I find in the supermarket.

I do think if you're trying to save money, in the short term it's actually cheaper to buy things you know how to cook (even if they cost more) rather than buying random stuff and then having to throw it away when you have a culinary disaster or simply discover you don't like it. Especially if you absolutely don't want to learn to read.

You say it's not worth learning a couple of new alphabets just to feed yourself... if that's not a good reason to learn, I don't know what is! You know, you can learn the basics of both alphabets in a week or two and it will help you in other situations, not just the supermarket.

Good luck anyway with your culinary ventures.

 

[Toritoribe]

Hi Toritoribe,
thanks for that, so does that mean it's ready to eat? please say yes, please say yes!

Yes, you can eat it, but it's just boiled in water, so it has no taste. 煮物に "Nimono ni" means "pre-cooked for being simmered/stewed".

 

[Glenski]

I dunno mate, I'm here for three months, I understand what you're saying but starting to learn a new language seems like a lot of work just to feed myself!

This is just plain stupid. Hiragana and katakana are merely phonetic representations of words, helping you to sound things out. Most people learn them in less than a week. If you're trying to stave off STARVATION (as you said), well, I don't have to say more.

Don't know how to cook the food? This is 2016. Look recipes up on the Internet. No offense, but didn't you plan anything before coming here?

 

[mdchachi]

Since you are in Kyoto I think you should contact Good Samaritan Club or one of the other (free) volunteer guide organizations and ask them to take you around a grocery store.
Or try to find some local clubs (hiking, toastmasters, etc.) and make a friend or two who can help you.

You can eat tofu as is. Just put a little soy sauce on top of it. Note there are various kinds, different textures, creaminess, etc. That, with maybe a little rice and some sliced takuwan (the yellow daikon pickle) on the side, you have a true Japanese meal.

 

[ginlane]

This is just plain stupid. Hiragana and katakana are merely phonetic representations of words, helping you to sound things out. Most people learn them in less than a week. If you're trying to stave off STARVATION (as you said), well, I don't have to say more.

Don't know how to cook the food? This is 2016. Look recipes up on the Internet. No offense, but didn't you plan anything before coming here?

okay, so I didn't know about these phonetic representations, if they take a week as you say to learn I might try and give it a shot (in between playing pit pony for my for my friend)
I'm not too academic so I don't know how this is gonna play out.
Coming here was all rushed, actually I had no intention to come, it was just the insistence of my friend, then my girlfriend and I had a falling out, so I thought f*** it, not staying here to mope. my friend book ticket next day, I didn't even have time to buy a power adapter for my laptop so the first week was pretty difficult as I couldn't switch it on to check what stuff was.

 

[ginlane]

@ginlane
Good luck anyway with your culinary ventures.

thanks

 

[ginlane]

Since you are in Kyoto I think you should contact Good Samaritan Club or one of the other (free) volunteer guide organizations and ask them to take you around a grocery store.
Or try to find some local clubs (hiking, toastmasters, etc.) and make a friend or two who can help you.

You can eat tofu as is. Just put a little soy sauce on top of it. Note there are various kinds, different textures, creaminess, etc. That, with maybe a little rice and some sliced takuwan (the yellow daikon pickle) on the side, you have a true Japanese meal.

Great! The Good Samaritans Club sounds really useful thank you very much for the heads up!
I will definitely check out the takuwan (the yellow daikon pickle) it sounds yummy and I bought some of that tofu stuff, thank you for your help

 

[mdchachi]

Coming here was all rushed, actually I had no intention to come, it was just the insistence of my friend, then my girlfriend and I had a falling out, so I thought f*** it, not staying here to mope. my friend book ticket next day, I didn't even have time to buy a power adapter for my laptop so the first week was pretty difficult as I couldn't switch it on to check what stuff was.

In the end I think it will be a great experience for you. You made the right choice.
BTW if you haven't seen it, you should try to get your hands on Lost in Translation. I think it would be fun to watch that movie while in your present situation.

I will definitely check out the takuwan (the yellow daikon pickle) it sounds yummy and I bought some of that tofu stuff, thank you for your help

That reminds me, there are a lot of pickled vegetables in Japan that you might like to check out. This category of food is called tsukemono. You should see a bunch of varieties in the grocery store in clear, vacuum-packed packages. Something like this: ｜千葉県漬物工業協同組合｜
Some of them might look gross at first but usually it's all vegetables. Typically they're eaten on the side (with rice). You can substitute the furikake with this pickled stuff.

 

[ginlane]

thank you everyone for all your replies, you're all lifesavers