How much for an artichoke?

I didn't anticipate one of the biggest challenges to adapting U.S. family life to Tokyo.

In Seattle, we could find a broad selection of the best vegetables and fruits at prices we could handle, even at Whole Foods. But some produce that we loved to eat in Seattle, like grapes and blueberries, corn and artichokes, are a costly minefield here.

Today at one grocery store that had generally reasonable prices, even for imported goods, I saw a 1/2 pint box of blueberries for $6, a half-pint of raspberries for $10, and corn for $2/ear. And these artichokes.



That's right: one artichoke costs 1575 yen - about $14! And it wasn't even a great-looking artichoke.

We are adjusting our cooking and eating accordingly.