Buy me some peanuts and... ramen?

Baseball may be America's favorite pastime, but we got nothing on the Japanese.

I was just in Hiroshima the other day, where I was able to catch a baseball game between the Hiroshima Carp and the Blue Buffalo from some undetermined city in Japan. The Japanese really love themselves some baseball. Not speaking any Japanese, I found myself sitting in the section of the opposing team (which crushed the hometeam by like 7 - 2). It was awesome! The Japanese take baseball very seriously. I don't think I even watched much of the game. I was too busy looking at all of the crazy fans in the bleachers.

Baseball in America is a very subdued spectator sport. There may be a few profanities thrown at the umpire for making a bad call every once in a while, but that's pretty much the extent of it. It's a very different story in Japan. Not only are the crowds yelling and chanting practically the entire game, but there are also huge banners and flags being waved, drums being beat upon, and bands of trumpeteers making the rounds. With a few opening lines, the band leader gets up, signals the drums and trumpets to start playing and the entire crowd joins in on the fight song chosen from their seemingly infinite repetoire. It's pretty cool. And pretty insane. While I had absolutely no idea what the people were chanting, I joined in as much as I could and I made a couple friends in the process. Although neither of us could speak the other's language, the fact that I was clearly cheering on their team garnered me a couple of hi-fives at key points during the game. It was fun. And for only 15 bucks, it was one of the few things in Japan that's actually reasonably priced.

I'm Lovin' It!

I'm a bit of a traveller. I can't seem to stay in one place for very long. Over the years, I've developed a list of a few things that I like to do whenever I travel to a foreign country for the first time. Despite the look of disgust I get from my friends when I tell them this, whenever I go to a new country, I always make it a point to go to McDonald's at least once. While most people try to stay as far away from Micky D's as possible, especially when abroad, the Golden Arches are like a siren in the distance beckoning me to come closer. This is true for a couple of reasons. First, I love how McDonald's manages to adapt to whatever environment it's in. It's like some kind of mutating bacteria slowly encompassing the entire globe. There's always the basic stuff in every McDonald's anywhere in the world - Big Mac, Filet 'o Fish, Quarter Pounder w/ cheese - but there are also a few other things specific only to that country. For example, McDo in France serves yogurt and a croissant with breakfast. In addition to the traditional apple, MaiDengLao in China offers Pineapple and Taro Root pies - neither of which I actually recommend. I love seeing how McDonald's tries to adapt to the local tastes while keeping it real for the visiting Americans who are just out for a taste of home.

Secondly, and most importantly, I love visiting McDonald's abroad for the apple pie. Unlike in the US, which has somehow successfully blamed the fast food industry for it's chronic obesity, it's been my experience that you can still get the fried apple pie in every McDonald's abroad, as opposed to the baked version available in the US. Apple pie isn't supposed to be healthy. It's just supposed to taste good. By choosing to only bake their pies, the US stores have successfully put a desert on the market that is neither good for you, nor tastes good. I don't see the point.

So this entry is coming at you all from my friend's apartment in Tokyo, where I had the pleasure today to experience one of those beautifully crispy and greasy and fatty deep-fried apple pies. Mmmmmm.... just like Mom used to make.