Why the same food can taste differently in other places?

Yesterday there was a special lunch in Taptrip`s office. As we had a long meeting to discuss improvements, nothing better than something delicious to give us energy during it! As part of us wanted pizza and the other part wanted paella, we ended ordering both. 
This was my first time to have european cookery in Japan. Although it was very good (the paella's rice has the right portion of salt and the sea food on it was so soft as the pizza), the taste was different of Brazil, my home country, and probably might be different of the original spanish and italian cookery.

"It tastes much better in my home place." - I am pretty sure you've heard that from someone or also said that to someone in life. But, why? Why the same food can taste differently from one place to other? I wanted to answer to this question during the conclusion of this post, but I can answer right now: because people are different and their taste for meals is different too. That's why the cookery has to be adapted according to the flavor of everybody from a specific place likes. Simple, huh? 
But, some people are against it. For example: sushi - a traditional japanese meal made with rice, fish and condiments - is also prepared with strawberry, mango, kiwi and other fruits in Brazil because it's a tropical country where many people love fruits. My japanese friends always say a big "WHAT?!" every time I tell them this and complement saying "a japanese sushiman would be very upset if sees something like that!"
But, we need to accept it as something new, an opportunity to try a different flavor of something we like very much. When I went to France, was surprised to see the fritter is different of Brazil because has no chocolate cream inside. According to a friend, the japanese curry is less spicy than indian curry probably because indians are stronger for spicy food. The japanese sausage is much smaller than the argentinian one, I found it by myself when went to a latin restaurant in Tokyo...don't know if will be back someday.

New experiences are good in life, specially if they are yummy. By the way, did you already download Taptrip and has the experience of making friends in the whole world? You can also send them pictures of what you had for breakfast and lunch. Install it now and have fun!

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Hanabi: meet how a typical japanese firework festival is!

Fireworks are very common in many places in the world, but it can vary according to the celebration. In Brazil and some other Western countries everyone watches fireworks during New Year. But, in Japan normally they occur during the summer and this is not the only difference. 
Another difference is the duration. Before going to hanabi (that's how japaneses call fireworks), I was surprised when a friend said it takes about one hour while in my country it must take mere 15 minutes. 
This same friend invited me to my first hanabi when summer had just begun in Japan. I had to meet her near to the place where it would be held. I was very afraid of getting lost, but was easy to find the place because many people dressing yukata was going there. Yukata is a typical japanese clothing (similar to kimono, but a little more simple) and many people use it to attend summer festivals. And, of course, I was not an exception.

Although the fireworks were scheduled to start at 7pm, we got there much earlier, about 4 hours before to get a good spot near to the lake. We took a picnic towel to mark the spot in case we need to leave to buy food, drink or something. Everybody did the same and some people used adhesive tape to write their names on it.

By the way, it's important to buy foods and drinks in advance to avoid long lines in the tents and very long lines in the convenient stores near to the event. As we need to stay there for hours until the hanabi starts, nothing better than enjoying this time with friends having some snacks.
When you realize, the time has passed and the show has started. Yes, we could call it a show because, during the fireworks, japanese and international songs are played on the background which makes the spectacle more beautiful.

When it was done, we decided to take the way back right away and it was a big mistake because many people decided to do the same and that's when we realized how crowded the place was. Everybody had to walk slowly until the nearest station and wait a little more than usual to take the train. So, a good recommendation is staying more in your spot until everybody leaves and the streets get more empty.
This is how a typical firework event occurs in Japan. What about your country? Which kind of firework festivals happen in there? Leave a comment and tell more details. If you took pictures, upload them in Taptrip and share with the whole world!

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