Japan is out of butter

[ensho]

http://business.theage.com.au/japans-hunger-becomes-a-dire-warning-for-other-nations/20080420-27ey.html


Japan's hunger becomes a dire warning for other nations


-snip-

"I went to another supermarket, and then another, and there was no butter at those either. Everywhere I went there were notices saying Japan has run out of butter. I couldn't believe it — this is the first time in my life I've wanted to try baking cakes and I can't get any butter," said the frustrated cook.

Japan's acute butter shortage, which has confounded bakeries, restaurants and now families across the country, is the latest unforeseen result of the global agricultural commodities crisis.

-snip-

While soaring food prices have triggered rioting among the starving millions of the third world, in wealthy Japan they have forced a pampered population to contemplate the shocking possibility of a long-term — perhaps permanent — reduction in the quality and quantity of its food.

-snip-

According to one government poll, 80% of Japanese are frightened about what the future holds for their food supply.

-snip-

"This was the first time the Government has had to take such drastic action since the war," said Akio Shibata, an expert on food imports, who warned the Agriculture Ministry two years ago that Japan would have to cut back drastically on its sophisticated diet if it did not become more self-sufficient.
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self-sufficient.

[NNN0LHI]

1. Well that would be enough to get me the barricades pronto

Fuck with my bread and butter and there would be big problems.

Don

[Parche]

2. Emergency Shipment Needed

:woohoo::woohoo::hi:

[underpants]

3. If only someone had seen this coming

oh that's right they did a loooooong time ago

That is still rather remarkable.

[ensho]

7. yes and the sea life around them is less and less a source of food

the vegetable garden business will be booming.

next thing you know the price of veg. seeds will go way up and some will become scarce.

[Bonobo]

4. One thing that you must understand is that few people buy butter in Japan.

An ENORMOUS number of Japanese people eat toast EVERY MORNING. More, in fact, than Americans I bet. You wouldn't believe it.

HOWEVER, almost no one puts real butter on it. Always margarine. Never butter as we know it.

Butter is like a cooking ingredient in Japan, rather than a staple.

It comes in inconvenient, hard to re-use blocks. It is not and has never been marketed for daily consumption.

[ensho]

9. interesting, didn't know that and I even watch the Iron Chef :)

thanks

[Bonobo]

14. You're welcome.

I love the Iron Chef too.

[Squatch]

5. Thankfully, Japanese cuisine is not known for its use of butter

:thumbsup:

[mikelgb]

6. churn it yourself?

I get the point that there is a food shortage, but if you really need butter, it can be done

[coriolis]

10. The butter shortage isn't even as bad as the

churn shortage!

[ensho]

12. lol

true

[mikelgb]

13. you can shake up cream in a mason jar and make some light tasty butter

[daleo]

8. There used to be mountains of butter

And lakes of wine.

[ensho]

11. and flocks of birds

sigh

[n2doc]

16. And a Big Rock Candy Mountain

One evening as the sun went down
And the jungle fires were burning,
Down the track came a hobo hiking,
And he said, "Boys, I'm not turning
I'm headed for a land that's far away
Besides the crystal fountains
So come with me, we'll go and see
The Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
There's a land that's fair and bright,
Where the handouts grow on bushes
And you sleep out every night.
Where the boxcars all are empty
And the sun shines every day
And the birds and the bees
And the cigarette trees
The lemonade springs
Where the bluebird sings
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
All the cops have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth
And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
The farmers' trees are full of fruit
And the barns are full of hay
Oh I'm bound to go
Where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall
The winds don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
You never change your socks
And the little streams of alcohol
Come trickling down the rocks
The brakemen have to tip their hats
And the railway bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew
And of whiskey too
You can paddle all around it
In a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
The jails are made of tin.
And you can walk right out again,
As soon as you are in.
There ain't no short-handled shovels,
No axes, saws nor picks,
I'm bound to stay
Where you sleep all day,
Where they hung the jerk
That invented work
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

The punk rolled up his big blue eyes
And said to the jocker, "Sandy,
I've hiked and hiked and wandered too,
But I ain't seen any candy.
I've hiked and hiked till my feet are sore
And I'll be damned if I hike any more
To be buggered sore like a hobo's whore
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

[daleo]

19. Just in case people don't know the expression

It refers to the EEC's Common Agricultural Policy, which produced huge food surpluses.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4407792.stm

[sagetea]

15. sorry I don't have time to read all of the replies...

so if this is a repeat so sorry...
I work in the milking industry here in Idaho, yesterday, we saw a delegation of Japanese over at the Darigold plant...maybe that was the reason??? However, due to lost contracts, both my hubby and I are out of a job come May 1.
Also sorry about the little bitterness there!!!

[ensho]

17. very interesting - is Darigold a big plant? and curds?

what is this business of putting extra fresh milk into curds and then back into milk when demanded?

can you curd cream?

just wondering, you don't have to answer.

[raccoon]

18. self delete nt