Wednesday, February 10

Are Japanese lazy now?


Mikan(mandarine), citrus in English,  used to be a popular fruit to eat during the winter days with feet inside the warm Kotatsu : 炬燵.  But the sales of Mikan have decreased in Japan.  Not only due to the fact that import fruits are increasing and the number of children in one house hold have been decreasing, NHK News watch reported the young generation not eating Mikan because it makes their nails yellow!  The news showed mothers(their children watching next to them) peeling Mikan with tissue paper.  "Reluctant to peel"" Hands gets dirty" were some of the answers people gave to not buying Mikan.  The picture above is the product that has been on the market recently.  Mikan already peeled and frozen. Just like fast food, ready to be eaten.

By the way, this year's mikan are very sweet since Japan had dry weather from summer to autumn(2009) and made mikan sweeter than usual.  Also the mikan in stores now have been kept in storages since December to increase the suger content.