The other day, I was planning to eat croquettes for dinner, so I stopped by a local supermarket to pick up some cabbage to go with it.
But a single head of cabbage was going for nearly 400 yen ($2.55). According to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, these exorbitant prices are said to be at their peak now, and are being blamed on unseasonably cold temperatures in late February and recent rainfall.
In any case, the side dish is more expensive than the main dish, so I considered other vegetables that could be substituted. However, I couldn't find anything at a reasonable price.
In his book “Danryu Cooking,” the writer Dan Kazuo (1912-1976) reminisces about a version of “That's Croquette,” also known as “Taisho Croquette,” that he ate as a child.
It's a mixture of okara and surimi that is fried, and I bought it at a food stall.
“(The croquettes) had coarsely chopped cabbage in them, and they were covered in mustard and Worcestershire sauce,” Dan recalls.
The book was published in 1970, and he said, “At today's prices, you might be able to buy two or three of those croquettes for 10 yen.''
It's equivalent to about 70 yen today, so it's certainly cheap.
What is “Reiwa croquette”? However, considering the recent rise in prices of ingredients and seasonings, I couldn't even imagine making low-budget recipes.
And preparing budget-friendly school meals has become equally difficult.
A photo of “Heisei and Reiwa school lunches'' that the government's public relations office recently posted on social media platforms drew criticism.
Lunch consists of a total of 5 items: a main dish, 1 side dish, and a dessert.
But another photo posted to reveal a more sobering reality shows a typical lunch consisting of just a bowl of rice (or its carbohydrate equivalent) and one or two side dishes.
A survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology three years ago found that the average cost for school lunches at public elementary schools was approximately 256 yen.
However, prices for oil and other commodities have skyrocketed since then, not to mention that the Japanese yen is at historic lows today.
It is no longer realistic to assemble school lunches at the same prices as three years ago.
Even with increased budgets, we must provide school children with the quantity and quality of school meals they need. And isn't it inevitable that the government will bear this burden?
After all, children's health is at risk.
—Asahi Shimbun, May 20th
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that covers a wide range of topics, including trends and developments in culture, art and society. Written by a veteran Asahi Shimbun reporter, this column provides useful perspective and insight into modern Japan and its culture.