Expanding my horizons

Today I took advantage of my first class here on Okinawa. It was a class that basically took you through 2 grocery stores and pointed out the native Okinawan and Japanese ingredients while explaining how they are most often used. We started out our morning at the Commissary at Camp Foster, which is where I do most of my shopping. Mikama was our host and guide on our adventure. We started in the produce section in both grocery stores and learned all about the local produce and which time of year the food is at it's peak. I'm looking forward to summer for some Japanese pears. We went on to my favorite aisle in the commissary, the "exotic" food aisle. There our guide explained all the different sauces, dips and mixes that are available.  Our next stop was Sam A. It's a local store that is similar to a super k mart, only more upscale. The store is 3 stories tall with two additional floors above for parking. There is a 100 yen store, which is their equivalent to our dollar store, toy store, crafting section, makeup section, stationary section, etc. On the ground floor is their grocery store, meat market, sushi, and bakery.  Our guide took us through the entire grocery store and explained most of the more well used products. I learned the differences between seasoned seaweed and plain and how different cultures judge what kind of rice is best to buy. Example, Japanese like young rice, because it's softer whereas in the Thai culture aged rice is considered better. It was a really fascinating trip. I've included a picture of just a few of the things that we picked up during our trip. I can't wait to start cooking!!