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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Finding Decent Produce?
Rock hard avocados at a big supermarket usually means they were shipped green and haven't hit the ethylene cycle yet. If you're going back tomorrow, pop one in a paper bag with a banana overnight, that'll soften them enough for guac by evening. The fruit stand by the station probably gets smaller, riper batches, but you'll pay maybe 400 yen for one that's ready today. Honestly, I'd check the supermarket's discount corner first, they often mark down slightly bruised ones that are perfect for mashing, just avoid anything with sunken spots.
honestly skip the train stand, it's usually tourist priced. try the basement floor of any depachika, like isetan or tokyu food show. they've got avocados that are actually ripe most days, and you can grab some decent wasabi or pickles while you're at it. if ur desperate, the 7-11 near me sometimes has single ripe ones but that's a gamble. the trick is to ask the staff, they'll usually grab you a softer one from the back if u catch em not busy.
the trick is timing, not the store. big supermarkets restock produce in the morning, so go at like 9am and grab the avocados that feel heavy for their size, they'll ripen in a day on your counter. the train stand charges double for the same thing, just with better lighting. if you're near a gyomu super, their bulk avocados are cheaper and usually a day or two off from perfect, good for guac if you wait. also, check the japanese grocery apps like toretate or iyashii, they deliver from farms and the avocados actually come in ripe more often than not
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Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.