For the last 3 weeks I haven't been able to find butter at the supermarket. There is margarine (if you like liquid plastic-my personal opinion of the stuff) but no butter. This happened 3 years ago but this time, part of the problem is due to the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster that happened back in March. In March and April, 40,000 tons of raw milk was thrown out in Eastern Japan due to the disaster. And then the summer was really hot and apparently the cows didn't produce enough milk. Now, in the big scheme of things a butter shortage isn't a big thing but ....I love butter. I bake with butter. I miss butter!
As a Canadian it is painful to pay $9.5 for a pound (500 grams) of butter but I'm totally willing to do it....I just can't find it. Some of my students laughed but I told them...imagine there was a soy sauce shortage. They stopped laughing. That is what it feels like to me. And before you start thinking...crazy Canadian and her butter, Japanese consume 80,000 tons of butter per year. They love butter, too!
Oh and for more shocking dairy prices.... shredded cheese is about $5 for 8 oz (1/2 pound or 230 grams). For a 30 gram or 1 ounce piece of cheddar cheese it is $3 and no, I don't buy my cheddar cheese at the supermarket. Thankfully there is costco and companies that shop for you from costco so I can get a 2 pound block (about 1 kg) for $13.
Thank God for costco. As I'm typing this, I'm waiting for a delivery of cheese and 4 pounds of butter. I figure I better stock up in case I can't even buy it at costco!
As a Canadian it is painful to pay $9.5 for a pound (500 grams) of butter but I'm totally willing to do it....I just can't find it. Some of my students laughed but I told them...imagine there was a soy sauce shortage. They stopped laughing. That is what it feels like to me. And before you start thinking...crazy Canadian and her butter, Japanese consume 80,000 tons of butter per year. They love butter, too!
Oh and for more shocking dairy prices.... shredded cheese is about $5 for 8 oz (1/2 pound or 230 grams). For a 30 gram or 1 ounce piece of cheddar cheese it is $3 and no, I don't buy my cheddar cheese at the supermarket. Thankfully there is costco and companies that shop for you from costco so I can get a 2 pound block (about 1 kg) for $13.
Thank God for costco. As I'm typing this, I'm waiting for a delivery of cheese and 4 pounds of butter. I figure I better stock up in case I can't even buy it at costco!
4 comments:
Prices have been going up here in Australia as well on pretty much everything :(
Japan Australia
yeah...I know. But I get frustrated when my mom tells me that butter is $3.5 a pound at home.
And I'm complaining about $3.50 a pound?? Wow! That's expensive, but that doesn't surprise me in Japan... At least you can freeze butter :). I use margarine occasionally as its soft in the fridge and quick to use ;)... Though fake lol
Right?! $3.5 a pound sounds like heaven to me!!! The butter is good until next March but it won't last long as I'm baking a lot of those cheese bread rolls I blogged about a bit ago. I've made them with olive oil and they just taste better with butter! When I go to the supermarket this week I will grab more butter if I can find it. Enjoy your $3.5 butter!!
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