I love Costco. I am a big fan.
I love their salmon, especially the ones with skin still on, my kids love the skin more than the fish itself. When it's done well, the skin is crispy like crackers. I love their red snapper, you have to scale the fish at home, but if you stuff them with lemon and herbs and pan fry them, it's most divine!!
I also love Costco's mushrooms, English cucumbers, organic spring mix, and their fingerling potatoes.


When Costco first announced it's intention to open in Japan, I was sure it will gain loyal customers, because it's Costco and who doesn't like Costco. Yet I admit I can't help but feeling somewhat skeptical. After all, we are talking about a nation with the healthiest eating habits that produces the healthiest people on earth. And this is what I know about Japanese: Everything they do is small. They have very small homes (to store bulk), they have very few children (to be buying bulk), they drive small cars, they buy food in small quantities and they buy them fresh.

Of course, I suspected Costco did their research too, and somehow was able to educate the Japanese public on the goodness of the American way: Biggie size everything.
I am not making fun, I am merely stating a fact. I am a proud carrier of a Costco card, I am an executive member to be exact. (That means I spent enough money to pay extra for the upgrade)

Costco became a huge hit in Japan, right on the opening day!

Years ago, I visited Taiwan after long years of absence, and was shocked to learn that many of the elementary school kids there are joining after-school "weight losing" classes. The media pointed their finger at McDonald's, saying childhood obesity and diabetes only occurred  in Asia after the invasion of McDonald's. But only just a few years before that, McDonald's restaurants were shutting down one after another in Taiwan for lack of business. How did they resurrect from the dead ? To fix the problem, McDonald's started serving hot Chinese lunch boxes and authethic Chinese tea for parents or grandparents who are not accustomed to eating Western food. This was clever marketing, because when adults are given "edible" food at McDonalds, there is no more reason to not bring their youngsters in for a "happy meal."

Parents in Taiwan weren't given options to buy school lunches, because they didn't exist back then. When I was in school, we brought home lunches very day, we got rice, some meat, or fish and vegetables and they were laid in tin lunch containers with tin lids. And every morning before 1st period started, kids put their lunch boxes into a big stainless steel box and two students from each classrooms would carry the big box into the school kitchen, the lunch was then steamed and ready by lunch time. Everyone brought home lunches, no one ever thought of eating anything else.There were no brownies or cookies with our lunches either, water was the beverage. I heard kids in Taiwan all eat school lunches now, but they consist of real fresh foods and vegetables, and all served hot. No one has heard of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I found this little clip online on school lunches in other countries, I find it fascinating. I wish our kids in this country get to sample such delicious food for their lunches.


"In Finland, in the 80's, food at our school was served family style w/ a big bowl of grub set on tables that held about 12 students and 1 teacher. My favorite was salmon and potato casserole; my least, blood pancakes and pea soup on Thursdays. The breads were excellent. With the bowl of fresh apples was also a bowl of peelers to take off the insecticide laden skin.
"In a private school in Bolivia a major 3 course lunch was served. As there were few canned and no frozen food in such a poor country, everything was fresh and made from scratch.Soup was prepared daily, the fried chicken and rice w/ strawberry pie for dessert was my favorite and I can't remember anything I didn't like. I wish I had some photos. At morning break, I loved the chicken saltenas and strawberry baltidos.
In the 90's back in Maine, the price of lobsters was so low, both my wife's and my elementary schools both served lobster stew! And the kids threw it out!" - Passadumkeg, commenting on Chowhound at http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/624197#4740585

I remember my father took us to the first ever McDonald's when it opened in Taiwan. I don't remember what meal I ate, but I remember eating a hot fudge sundae afterwards, and I remember how the hot fudge was gooey and it stuck to my mouth. And I remembered it being too sweet, none of us finished it. But now, my taste has become Americanized, a hot fudge sundae - I can finish it all by myself.

I was appalled when I learned that Starbucks crept its way into the famous Forbidden City in China. Thankfully, someone started a crusade against the store, saying "it marred the solemnity of the Forbidden City and undermined Chinese culture." I couldn't have said it better or agreed with it more. Starbucks closed its lease in the Forbidden City in 2007, after 7 long years of operation there. I am not mad at Starbucks, I am mad at the dim-witted Chinese person/people who ever allowed such notion.

I love America, and as you can plainly see, so does the rest of the world. I think the world has this romantic notion that everything from America must be wonderful so everyone wants a little bit of that wonderfulness in some way. A little bit of America in your country means you are now more modernized and upperclass.
Eventually, the entire world will all end up eating a Costco diet, enjoying an assortment of burgers from McDonald's and drinking Starbucks and speaking English.
Actually, isn't that already happening?

(The Costco in Taiwan also has beef bake, and it's a more popular choice than chicken)