Part 07 of my “to make” series
I am the kind of person that is always dreaming of new ideas, projects to work on, places to travel and things I want to accomplish. The downside to ALWAYS dreaming is that I never actually stick to finishing something I start because before you know it…a new idea pops in my head and the old one fizzles out.
So the fact that I am on PART 07 of this project feels like a big personal accomplishment. I guess there are really good things that come out of being stuck at home all day due to a global pandemic. Here’s one of them.
When I moved to Japan at the ripe ol’ age of 23 I had taken maybe THREE sips of alcohol in my whole life. Call me straightedge, conservative, or crazy but I simply did not like the taste nor the after effects of consuming alcohol. I would have easily lived my entire life in this manner had I not moved to Japan - where sake is just as embedded in the culture as Kimonos and knowing how to pour beer for your boss is just as important as knowing how to bow to them.
I was thrown head first into the world of '“Nomikais” (aka drinking parties) with coworkers and soon established personal opinions on Japanese beers (so easy to drink), umeshu (plum wine - MY FAVORITE!!), nohonshu (rice wine), cocktails, regular wine and all the other jazzy drinks offered. Although my education in alcohol consumption expanded, I still felt like that 23 year old girl who would much rather have a glass of apple juice or sparkling cider over red wine.
In walks…HOROYOI.
”ほろよい” Horoyoi is a brand of popular fruity flavored alcohol drinks that come in cute and colorful cans that you can find at any convenience store. The best part of all is that “Horoyoi” means “tipsy” in Japanese- properly named for the fact that these drinks contain just enough alcohol to give you a tiny little buzz. They taste like juice and there always seems to be a new seasonal flavor to try - green apple, fruit punch, peach, melon - you name it they have tried creating it!
A nice cold can of Horoyoi always tasted the best on hot summer nights, when the humidity would be pounding down, my whole being would feel sticky and the only thing I wanted was something refreshing to break through the heat. I have yet to find a place that sells Horoyoi in the states, which I was initially sad about but then I realized that I can appreciate them more for their speciality and the fact that i’ll have to wait until the next time I am in Japan to enjoy one :)
as you can tell, I had a habit of taking photos of me holding a can of Horoyoi in my left hand HAHA!