Whenever I come to the U.S., my mind becomes a flurry of activity as I notice things that are different between my home country and Japan and make mental notes for future J-List updates. It can get quite annoying for my family when I suddenly pull out my iPhone and start pecking away with no warning, wanting to capture some new observation. One thought that recently occurred to me was, Americans really know how to do breakfast well. From Denny’s with their late-night Grand Slam menu to chains like the International House of Pancakes to The Pantry, the delightful Los Angeles diner we ate at during Anime Expo, which apparently hasn’t closed since 1923, I’ve eaten a year’s worth of satisfying breakfasts since I got here. Japan’s idea of the first meal of the day usually consists of white rice, nori seaweed, fried salmon, miso soup and perhaps some natto to top it all off with. It’s certainly certainly healthy, just not always as satisfying as what I’ve been sampling here in the U.S. (For the record, they do have Denny’s in Japan, but there’s nary a breakfast item on the menu.)
