Grocery Shopping

So grocery shopping in Japan can be an interesting experience. Fresh fruits and vegetables are easily recognizable, if not a little different in size, shape, or color. The tomatoes are darker... the fruits a little smaller. Shopping outside the deli section is hazardous. Even with a grocery list we still don't get everything we need. ("Honey, I'm looking for phylo dough. What does that look like in Japanese?")

From a cost perspective shopping in town hurts. Although the veggies are fresher and my conscience feels better about the carbon footprint, the cost is often too much. Our budget for groceries doesn't need to be more than our mortgage payment.

With that being said we often shop for groceries at the base commissary. Unfortunately this can be hit and miss when it comes to brands, spices, and dairy. Got a coupon for Cheerios? Too bad, no Cheerios on the last boat. Often the yogurt section is empty and I've been waiting to buy cinnamon for months.

So it was no surprise when the base newspaper decided to do a story on it. Below is a striking image that appeared with the article.

"A food container falls off of a ship inbound to Commissaries at overseas military installations. Commissary patrons may experience shortages of certain foods or packaged goods due to shipping. Supply ships experience the most delays during winter months due to ice storms in Dutch Harbor, Alaska." Source.

Talk about an amazing shot.

Man overboard! Cap'n Crunch went over the deck!