"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> Sqwertz wrote:
>> Why is it that two of the biggest Asian grocers in town carry Cheez
>> Whiz? 2 types (regular and light), 2 sizes (large and larger), and
>> one cheaper knock-off brand.
>>
>> This has always baffled me. One store has a good 8 sqft of shelf
>> space devoted to Cheez Whiz, and the display always looks recently
>> picked over - as if several dozen people have already bought some
>> that day. It sits there right in between packages of pickled
>> diakon, miso paste, fried tofu, kimchi, and fake meat products.
>>
>> My only explanation that it's the only White food in the store. They
>> put it there just for the gringos who are baffled by all the other
>> weird shit on the shelves.
>>
>> Is there really any use or explanation for Cheez Whiz in Asian
>> cooking?
>>
>> -sw
>
> Cheese is not really used much in Asian cooking. They sometimes use in in
> cheesecake which is typically a very light cake. The Japanese will most
> typically use cheese in curry and rice which is a very popular dish in
> Japan. My guess is that they'll use the Whiz on curry and rice dishes.
>

Incorrect. Using cheese in Rice Curry is an oddity far from typical and you
won't see it too often. And yes, Rice Curry, having been brought to Japan by
the British in the 1800s
is found literally everywhere in Japan.

Cheese Whiz is mostly unknown in Japan. I suspect that Kraft attempted to
market it
in Japan a couple decades ago but it failed and you won't see it in any
Japanese
supermarket today.

Cheese (not the whiz) is very common in Japan, and has been domestically
produced
along with other dairy products since about 1900. However, as one would
imagine,
most of the applications are in Youshoku (western dishes) which are very
popular.
There are some unusual applications such as Cheese insterted into the
middle of Tonkatsu,
or used in Okonomiyaki which have become generally accepted.

> Probably the most popular white folk food used by the Japanese is mayo.
> They dig that stuff!

Again introduced into Japan by the British, the major domestic brand Kewpie
has
been around since 1925. Personally I prefer Hellman's as I find it slightly
less salty
than Kewpie, but it's a matter of taste.

Sincerely
Musashi