Apparently, I have picked up a bad habit while living in Japan and now I don't know how to correctly eat corn. I had a few friends come to visit and they were far more shocked and interested in the way I happened to be eating my corn than about my eating well on $1 a day challenge. I will let all of you be the judge:
I was eating the corn one kernel at a time in rows. There was a reason that I was eating it like this and not directly off the cob like I usually do. I knew that my friends were coming over and when I eat it directly off the cob, I always get corn stuck in between my teeth. I really didn't want them showing up and me having my teeth full of corn. I is also a better way to make sure you ear all of the corn as this way neatly takes the whole kernel off the cob.
Anyway, this was how people often snack on corn in Japan (not sure if they do it like this anyplace else, but obviously my friends had never seen anyone do it before). So not they not only think I am crazy for continuing to eat on $1 a day, they are convinced that I have know idea on how corn should be properly eaten. Am I the only one that eats corn this way outside Japan?
This is part of a month long challenge to eat well while spending an average of only $1 a day on food. You can find the beginning and the rules of this challenge here
Breakfast
I had my usually early morning cup of oatmeal and mixed in a box of raisins:
For my bigger breakfast, I decided to fry up some of the potatoes adding the rest of the cheese I had from the Deli Creations box I used last night along with salt and pepper. I also fried up a couple of eggs and placed them on whole wheat toast:
I definitely need some work on my potatoes. These were all right, but i seem to be missing something on every one I have made so far. Since I have a lot of them to use this month, I need to figure out a way to make them tastier.
Lunch
For lunch I took the flatbread that was left over Deli Creations box and added some lettuce, half a tomato, the deli style chicken and a bit of the potato salad sauce (it's a lot like salad dressing and has a Dijon mustard flavor). I also had my now infamous piece of corn which was left over from last night's dinner:
Dinner
Dinner was pretty simple. I boiled up a cup of my veggie spiral pasta and added some of the pasta sauce I still had left. I then made a salad with lettuce and half a tomato adding a spoonful of the Dijon potato salad dressing for flavor:
Tomorrow is a travel day again, but it is back to my home base, so it shouldn't cause near as many of the issues as it does the other way around. It will also give me a chance to see exactly what coupons I have available to take advantage of Safeway's current save $4 when you buy 8 participating products promotion where I hope to get at least some of the many excellent suggestions from all of you on what I need.
This is the current list of what I have purchased:
Money Spent $32.06
Money left to spend: $28.94 ($2 must be spent at CVS)
Retail Value of everything bought: $676.79
The Beginning ::: Day 35: Major Coupon Blunder
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http://longingforland.blogspot.com/2010/05/fried-taters.html
You are not alone in eating corn that way. I grew up in California and was not introduced to anything of the Japanese culture until much later in life. My reason for eating corn one kernel at a time was due to a large gap in my front teeth. If I didn’t eat one kernel at a time, it was not enjoyable to eat.
I grew up in California, and I’ve always eaten corn that way, as has my brother.
No idea why; the rest of the family doesn’t, and none of us are Japanese.
I love this series of post and am convinced it should be turned into a book! I wa at walmart last night and just seeing what people buy to eat is awful ( not to long ago I was just as bad) You are doing a great job, love it. Ps I am telling all my friends about your blog you should have a facebook so people can share your knowledge with others.
Sorry for the typos … that should say a facebook link
I wanted to mention that Safeway has a coupon out for their O organic products of $1(Q found in pharmacy). I’ve picked up free pasta and beans but I noticed their were other things available for a $1 more and less. Also with 2 printable Kraft Mac&Cheese MQ and 2 Betty Crocker MQ 5/2 SS you can get 4 Mac&Cheese and 2 cans icing and 2 cake mix for $0.44, I know as I just got back from doing this deal. It would give you a dessert/snack plus pasta and cheese. Keep up the good work, you are inspirational.
Have you ever tried roasting potatoes? You peel them (or not) and slice them and then put some olive oil or canola or whatever you have on hand and whatever spices or salt and pepper and put them in the oven on a baking sheet or shallow pan — spread out. For a small amount I wouldn’t roast them more than 25 minutes at 350.
@Elisabeth — How did you get all that for $0.44? I keep running the numbers and can’t figure it out. Did you have ecoupons loaded to make it work?
I am wondering what you fried the potatoes with. Butter or oil, and a little bit of salty and pepper can be mighty tasty!
I just roasted some the other day with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme. So delish – but I think would have been fine without the thyme. I didn’t peel them – you don’t need to.
Every weekend I fry up potatoes in a wee bit of butter, and mostly salt and pepper. Yum yum yum.
oops, just remember I had garlic on my roasted potatoes. Probably a majority of the flavor. Garlic may be good to have. I put garlic on everything.
Hey this is America eat any way you want except with your mouth open while chewing.
Mac&Cheese .49ea had MQ for 55/2 that doubled, overage .06 per box and BC cake mix .75ea and BC icing 1.09ea used a .75 MQ that doubled for ea set of cake/icing. I pay no food tax in MD so .44 total. We double here to .99 (1.98).
@Elisabeth Ah, I see. Makes sense now. No doubling of coupons in my area so won’t be able to work out that wonderful deal 🙁 I was so looking forward to cake and frosting…)
@Monkey Mama,
Not having oil may be the main issue (which I hope to resolve soon). I love garlic too, so that is something I would like to add.
To make super yummy fried potatoes I use a grater to grate them up, then I wrap them in a towel to squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible, then put a little oil or butter in a pan, spread out the grated potatoes, sprinkle a little salt and pepper then cook them on medium heat until they start to turn brown and crispy.
Simple. 🙂
I never knew that the japanese ate corn that way.
I avoided eating corn for years due to the the kernels that get stuck in between my teeth. I figure if it takes longer to clean the food out after eating it, it’s not worth it.
I have tried eating corn in rows like that, but wind up getting anal about bursting kernels before detaching them from the cob, so I started eating the kernels one by one in a spiral, starting from where I break the cob in half.
I have to break the cob into small pieces, or by time I get down halfway, it looks really dirty(phallic) and I wind up gagging myself.
Have to say that I love your blog and that I’m going to start coupon clipping and major bargain hunting. You are a true inspiration!
Adding a bit of diced oinion to the potatoes makes them really good.
Another good things is dice up the potatos, add just enough dressing to coat, then bake in the oven.(bottled or the dry packets)
LOL Too funny! I eat corn on the cob the same way Spunkydan does! I hate corn in my teeth!
I love to eat corn this way! It’s less messy too and no corn kernels are wasted. Have you ever compared your finished cob with someone who doesn’t eat this way…?
I’m not Japanese but my whole family eats corn that way. We eat corn “as a treat”, not so much with the meal. We sit on the couch, watch TV and snack on fresh boiled corn as you would popcorn.
My “technique” for eating corn on the cob neatly… I carefully eat two rows of kernels from the base to the the pointy tip of the cob. Then I take my thumb & side of palm and “bend/peel” off the off the next row of kernels. They usually come off easily and usually in a connected row…it looks kinda like a caterpillar of corn kernels.
It’s been fun reading your site!
Not sure if you’ve tried this, but I’ve found it to be oh so yummy! It’s from Rachel Ray’s and it’s called Almost Instant Hash Browns.
You take a potato or two and put it in the microwave for 8 minutes. Let it cool off after it’s done as it will be HOT! After a few minutes (5-10) cut them up into bite sized pieces. Then throw them in the skillet with olive oil and butter. Grate in some onions and other seasonings if you like and cook for a few minutes. It’s yummy!
I’ve have been totally eating corn that way since I was a little girl. On a cartoon, two blackbirds were eating corn in that fashion just faster “type-writer” style. And your right, you get no corn stuck on your teeth.
I always have to cut my corn off the cob to eat it. Even in restaurants, I sometimes have to ask for a sharp knife (if they just have plastic) so I can cut my corn off the cob. It is so good like this. 🙂
Coming way late to the game…
That’s how I eat corn also; I did not learn it in Japan.
A family friend of ours eats his corn one kernel at a time. He was born in Cambodia though.