Today Japanese food is very popular in Canada and many people enjoy eating it. So, many people know something about Japanese food but there are many differences between original Japanese food and the Japanese food which is developed in Canada. There are three main reasons that make Canadian Japanese food different from original Japanese food and they are the nationalities of owners, adjustment for Canadian people, and the environment of restaurants.

The first reason is that there are a lot of Japanese restaurants that are not operated by Japanese people. Compared with Japanese owners, they are not familiar with original Japanese food. They create new Japanese food which is different from original Japanese food and it is usually mixed with their own countries' food. Especially some of Japanese foods which are developed in Canada are mixed with Korean food and Chinese food because there are so many Chinese people and Korean people who operate Japanese restaurants in Canada. For example, there is a spicy teriyaki chicken in some Japanese restaurants that are operated by Korean people and there is not a spicy teriyaki chicken in Japan.

Next reason is that some of Japanese foods are changed to be more suitable for Canadian people because the restaurants' owners have to do it to make their business successful. Different countries' people have different taste, so owners need different Japanese food. For example, a salmon roll is the most popular sushi in Canada but it is not common in Japan because there are a lot of good salmons in Canada and Canadian people like them. It is required to care about not only the tastes of Canadians but also their customs. For example, Canadian people like the vegetable sushi because some of them are vegetarians but different from Canada the vegetable sushi is not common in Japan because there are very few vegetarians.

Third reason is the environment of the Japanese food in Canada. Different from Japan, there are a lot of food courts which usually have Japanese restaurants, which requires to make Japanese food reasonable, easy to be cooked and easy to be taken out. This situation makes the teriyaki which is different from original Japanese style teriyaki be famous. Furthermore, the price of fish in Canada is cheaper than that of Japan, which makes it possible for restaurants to provide Japanese food, especially a sushi, for cheap price. Although a lot of foreigners think a sushi as expensive food, Japanese food can be familiar food for Canadians.

As I wrote that the Japanese food which is developed in Canada has some differences from original Japanese food and there are three main reasons that are nationalities of owners which add some new taste to Japanese food, the taste of Canadian people which makes new types of Japanese food and the environment of Japanese restaurants in Canada which provides new point of view for people about Japanese food. As a conclusion, I think that these new Japanese food gives original Japanese food a good impression because it can make it possible for Japanese food to become more popular in the world. Also, thanks for Japanese food; many people might be interested in Japan.

November 19, 2001