*** Quoting Cindy Haglund from a message to George Pope ***

 GP> The grocery store next door sells the mini French loaves, then the
 GP> next day, they take the day-old and smear it with a chemically/salty
 GP> garlic
 GP> spread and wrap it in tinfoil and put it out to sell again, for a
 GP> higher price!


CH> That is so dispicably gross isn't it and to think people DO buy that
CH> stuff.. the ones looking for convenience. :(


Hehe it's here too in odd forms til you get used to it.  Get this,
pre-peeled ¨potatoes.  yup.  Baby ones!  As you walk along you see an older
lady sitting on ¨the ground with a pillow under her, peeling spuds (and
other less normal to you ¨vegetables) into a pan of su water (water with a
tiny bit of vinigar to keep ¨them fresh looking).  The cast off peels go
away to feed the chickens or into a ¨pot of vegetable soup (what I do with
them at least and the japanese are just ¨as apt to do the same but not
serve that for 'public').

The cost factor added I might add is minimal as the same person doing this,
is ¨tending the store or is too elderly to do that butstill there making a
little ¨addition to the family in what ways still are possible.  The cost
factor ¨difference is about 100 yen unpeeled to 110 yen peeled.  Since
folks here tend ¨to shop *much* more often, they buy in small amounts for
just that day and the ¨next or so, hence this is a little timesaver in a
dual working family and ¨doesnt add up to that much difference financially.

I like my fish 'whole' but I pay an extra 50yen coin to have it 'cleaned'
¨because i do not want to mess with that and want it fresher longer if i
dont ¨cook it that day.  Squid, I get as is as we want to do that ourselves
(stays ¨fresher longer if you leave it and not hard to do yourself at all).
 Eels, I ¨have them behead for me now after having had one that was just
stunned, wake up ¨and escape my shopping cart .  (I still remember
that lady screaming and ¨running away, silly gaijin!).

Be a bit more accepting!  Some of these things make sense depending on how
they ¨are used.  In my case, I'd take that day old french bread and make my
own ¨garlic seasoning (with no chemicals needed, just garlic and butter
crushed ¨together).  In fact, I have garlic butter on hand or easy to make
always.  I ¨take out one of the sticks and add about 3 cloves crushed fresh
garlic and set ¨that ina covered container and add more as needed.  It's a
staple in my house!

                                       xxcarol

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