discarded

Walking in the neighborhood, I saw these red peppers in a pile at the edge of a garden, apparently discarded. Not pretty enough to sell? Maybe the uneven coloring stamped them for rejection. I wanted to take them home for dinner.

Japanese supermarket vegetables are pretty expensive compared to what I’m used to back home. A pair of red peppers like this would be almost a dollar. The higher price does bring higher quality, perfect surfaces, stronger flavor — but I do miss American-style bulk. Ahh, to be able to buy a bag full of apples, a pillowcase worth of baby organic spinach, a flat of blueberries, without emptying my wallet. In the States, though, it seemed that even after making an effort not to buy more than we could finish, we would always end up throwing away an old plum or something that had gotten lost under all the bounty. Being poorer here in Japan, nothing goes to waste.

At the Fresco market on Kitayama-dori, I often find slightly bruised but perfectly usable fruits and vegetables in the bargain bins. I put them in my basket, a little proud to accept the rejects.