I don’t know what the soil composition of Japan is, but shouldn’t it be high in sulfur considering it’s a volcanic archipelago?
That’s a very good point. Maybe their onions are just naturally not as oniony as others or I could just have had some imported onions from a non sulfury country.
Or it’s just a different onion variety or cook it a certain way. The generalization of Japanese cuisine is subtlety. Their sweets aren’t very sweet. Their sours aren’t very sour. Their hots aren’t very hot. Yeah, you can find exceptions, but a lot of westerners living in Japan eventually get homesick for some Mexcian food or a good, hard deli bread.
Yup, people say they love Japanese food, but if they had Japanese food every day, I’m pretty sure they’d grow to hate it. It’s honestly pretty bland.
Now, Korean food on the other hand is awesome. They have something similar to sushi (kimbap), but alongside the mild flavors of Japanese sushi, you also get awesome things like fried kimchi and spicy pork. They have similar curry to Japan, but generally add a bit more flavor. For soups, they have everything from the mild miso to spicy kimchi jjiggae. Their fried chicken is way better than kara-age, try yang nyam chicken and tell me that isn’t the best fried chicken you’ve ever tasted. They have a massive variety from sweet and savory meat (galbi) to spicy veggie dishes, and everything in between. Even the term “kimchi,” which most people associate w/ spicy fermented cabbage, applies to a wide range of fermented foods, from sweet to sour.
So yeah, while I like Japanese food sometimes, Korean is the goat of asian food IMO. Chinese is way too oily, Korean has an insane variety and has something for everyone. Change my mind.