Living in Japan has broadened our horizons and we have grown to like new things... BUT we won’t forget where we came from! These are the top twelve things we miss about Texas (besides Bella, our family, and friends... of course) and why! I am going to go ahead and say "don't judge me" because... yeah, they are mostly all food. And if they aren't... they probably connect to food in some way, even number 8. *Welcome back! I’m going to assume you just scrolled down to check out what number 8 is. Don't panic... we didn‘t move to Japan and pick up any weird habits, I will explain when you get there!* So, here we go! Beside the top four, they are in no particular order:
1. Cowboy Church- The picture above shows how our Easter went. Comfy clothes (we are really good at accidental matching and Tyler has on a Demon for Easter Sunday... but hey, we are only human), our MacBook, and a recording of Pastor Marty. We miss our Cowboy Church of Brenham family, a place to gather where it doesn't matter if we have on dirty work boots and a cowboy hat or our Sunday’s finest... because we are truly welcome no matter what, and if you are wondering where the food comes in to play with this one... they always serve breakfast. There is a church here that has English services but the timing and when Tyler has to be at the field just hasn't worked out for us to go, yet. The holiday/ religious days here are mostly on Mondays, so Tyler doesn't get Sundays off... SO we are happy that our favorite church is recorded and that we can access it from across the pond! *For those of you that were at Easter service and know that this is an old sermon, that is because our Easter was a day before yours with the 14 hour time difference... and the Easter service didn't exist yet, so we watched one we had missed and will watch the Easter service next week!*
2. Whataburger- obviously... if you didn't see that coming, you probably don't know us that well. It was the first place we went after our wedding. So this list is pretty accurate... Church first and Whataburger second! I'll take a number 7 with cheese and a red Fanta (I know, it is strawberry Fanta but I order it like I order a gatorade, by the color... they always know what I mean), please! Let’s go ahead and mention Wings N' More and Chic-fil-a here as well, because if I name every restaurant that we miss, we would be here for days.
3. HEB/ Buc-ees- I say HEB because they are amazing... food, quality, and service are all 100%. Never take those pre-made meals for granted! Buc-ees, also a given. I paired them together because they are both stores. One grocery and the other convenient, but both exceed expectation... although honestly, at this point I would even take a Walmart. I would stand in line in the one open lane for 20 minutes or have the self check machine yell at me to "place item in the bagging area" even though I already placed it in the bagging area. Now you know how desperate we can be. The grocery stores here aren't bad for food/ produce and we have Costco... but let me just tell you. It took us a few days to find a fan here. And no one needs 42 bananas... they will all go bad before we eat them all. Also, what I would give for a bbq sandwich. No, I wont even be that greedy... just give me some sliced turkey. I am pretty sure I have never craved a lunch meat sandwich... look at me now.
4. Blue bell- The ice cream here isn't awful... but the Brenhamite in me just wants some Texas Two- Step or even a simple fudge bar, for that matter.
5. Sonic- I know this qualifies as another fast food place... and Wings N' More is way better than Sonic... so technically Wings N’ More deserves its own number... but y'all, I have NEVER wanted cheese tots and a vanilla DP so bad, in my life. So... right at this moment, Sonic is winning the battle.
6. Fire pits- Really we would just like a bbq pit. They have some downstairs in what they call the "bbq garden". But I’m pretty sure you have to reserve them and someone is giving me way too much credit if they think I know what I am making for dinner more than 30 minutes in advance. Basically, it’s just not as easily accessible as our front porch at home... but I labeled this as fire pit because, S'MORES YALL!
7. Baking/ Home Cooking (Fried Foods)- Earlier I mentioned the profuse amount of bananas available for purchase at Costco. You're thinking “girl, buy them and freeze them! Make banana bread.” Negative ghost rider... I don’t know what package of white powder is flour. An entire isle dedicated to white bagged substances. Is it flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, where do I find the yeast? Who knows. Not to mention baking pans aren't part of our kitchen supplies and the gas oven with 14 different Japanese buttons... Every package is labeled in Japanese and the measurements are all in the metric system so I can’t even use my own banana bread recipe without a converter. The struggle. And Chicken Fried Steak wouldn't be near as good if it was covered in baking powder instead of flour. To be honest... I don't know what kind of milk we are drinking either... it may not even hold the flour in place!
8. Public restrooms- I know. Weirdest thing to miss, but at home you can find a restroom anywhere. Park, yep. Library, yep. Grocery store, yep. I can't think of a restaurant at home that doesn't have one... but here, sometimes you have to leave a restaurant to go to the restroom. Like, if you have to pee... don't wait until the last minute. Give yourself some time to find one, and when you get there... prepare for the toilet to be a hole in the ground... or for the noise maker next to the bidet to sing to you... there is no in between.
9. Sweet tea & Ranch (Hidden Valley if we are being specific)- An explanation seems unnecessary but I will say that they are paired together because they are kind of random objects but both equally missed.
10. English- And all the slang that comes with it, y’all! But honestly, it isn't that we miss the language because we can't communicate with people here... it's the uncertainties of how we should communicate with others. If any of you saw my facebook/ instagram last week, you know that we came in contact with a lady and asked in our best Japanese if she would take our picture. In perfect English she said, "Yeah, sure". It isn't our first encounter like this, and we laugh every single time. But that is the hardest part. Do we try in English first? It is way more natural but it seems more respectful to try Japanese. I know it doesn't really matter. Most people here are very nice and are happy to chat with us in whichever language we can. But it is still an awkward feeling deciding what to try in, in the midst of the moment.
11. Texas Size Everything- I know I have mentioned this before... but it really is crazy. Left overs are not a thing. Most of the time, Tyler eats dinner and then has to stop at McDonalds on the way home for a snack.
12. An Excessive Amount of Pride- The culture here is unreal. Everyone in Japan knows who they are and where they came from. The historic landmarks here are BEAUTIFUL! But I don't see anyone walking around with Japan t-shirts on, shorts that look like their flag, or a key chain that has the emblem of their favorite fast-food restaurant. I didn't realize it until I started writing this... but I happen to have brought 14 Texas t-shirts/ sweatshirts WITH ME... that's not even close to the ones I have at home. (Granted my dad does own a cabinet business and with the name being "Texas Style Cabinets", pretty much half of the things I own have the word Texas on them... ) I will admit, I have no shame in sporting Bearkat t-shirts or lounging in sweatshirts that say something about “Texas being home base”. No-one in Japan is questioning where I came from!
For those wondering why Mexican food isn't on the list. We have recently found a cool little Mexican food place, Krispy Kreme, and places that make ribs! Of course it is a little different here. Such as the chips/ salsa come in a 2 inch ramekin instead of a large basket, the donuts aren't hot, and the ribs are more teriyaki than bbq... but they will do for now!
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