Japan Crisis
Because the wheels are constantly turning from what recipe I want to try next, to how many snapshots of key lime pie I should post… I don’t think I can fathom a food shortage. Fortunate to have never experienced large-scale disasters first hand (unless my closet counts), my immediate family members certainly have experienced hurricanes, tornadoes and ‘quakes. Learning from their experiences and my own concerns each time they were affected, my early reactions to Japan’s situation was definitely: it won’t be long before they run out of food and clean water.
Struggling to rebuild from a devastating earthquake, tsunamis and nuclear plant explosions, the people of Japan must now face little to no supplies and groceries. I briefly watched the extensive coverage of the gasoline lines this morning but there must also be ridiculously long lines at supermarkets across their country.
What’s the longest line you have waited in to purchase groceries?
I’m sure I’ve impatiently waited much longer in the past, but last night I stopped for sage, coffee, and toothpaste and waited for approximately 10 minutes. Even that felt like forever. I cannot imagine waiting for over 4 hours as I heard reported today. This definitely “opens my eyes”.
It feels strange typing up my tuna noodle casserole recipe when something like this is going on in the world. Quite honestly, I feel as though the rest of the world hasn’t really known what to do. In fact, everything that is going on just seems to be so grim. The “latest headlines” on CNN for International News:
The food and supply crisis could very well last for a long time. In addition to dwindling supplies and resources, if the nuclear power plants become further jeopardized- the people may be unable to consume what little food and supplies are left due to contamination.
And I worry about not having a dishwasher.
More information that I’d like to share is in regards to economy and exports, which is not what this blog is about but still of interest. Japan’s largest exports are (were ?…) Transport Equipment, Motor Vehicles ( I own a Toyota), Electrical Machinery and Chemicals, with its largest partner being good ol’ USA. Indo-Japan Trade relations have seemingly been good for awhile, with India being a larger importer of Japanese goods like the ones that I just mentioned and the Japanese being a large importer of Indian goods like gems, marine products, etc etc. (This is going to effect much more than Japan is what I’m getting at…)
The epicenter of the earthquake and tsunami was Sendai (seen below).
Sendai was full of shellfish factories and had direct links with Indian exporters. Black tiger shrimps are (were ? …) a high-value delicacy in Japanese markets, , attracting high returns to both the farmer and exporter. India has halted all exports but revival of this industry could take several months according to some reports. I would think it would be more like year(s).
As a food blogger and just a regular human, my heart goes out to this country. Japan has tons of talented food and drink bloggers, one of which I really enjoy has posted this week here at Shizuoka Gourmet. There is so much that their culture has to share,
I hope that everyone recovers from this horrible situation as soon as possible.
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