Things about Japan: Mayonnaise, Corn, and Tabasco Sauce

When eating in Japan, three ingredients will often make a surprising appearance:

1. Mayonnaise
This is on everything, be it a Western dish or a Japanese one. I have had pizza with mayonnaise on top, rice balls with chicken-and-mayo centers - even sushi isn't safe from mayo's greasy grasp. In addition, Japanese mayonnaise is somewhat heavier and more ... "fragrant" ... than its American cousin. I avoid it whenever possible, which isn't nearly as often as I should like.

2. Corn
Though it is often paired with mayonnaise, corn is most commonly found as a staple topping for pizza. As my mother would say, "Why, we do not know." It is often the sweeter version than I'm used to finding in the South, to add insult to injury.

3. Tabasco Sauce
If you order a food that is somewhat Italian in nature (as in, pasta or pizza), be prepared for a small bottle of Tabasco sauce to accompany the meal. The Japanese are not as fond of spicy things as its being the home of wasabi would have one imagine, so I often find this quite amusing. Still, having suspended my belief long enough to add it to a pasta dish long ago, I do find the addition a pleasant one on both pasta and pizza.
What of the Mexican food with which one normally imagines Tabasco sauce? The cuisine is often passed over for several reasons - Mexico is too far, and most of the regular ingredients have to be imported at great expense. On top of this, as I mentioned before, the Japanese are not too fond of spicy foods. That being said, Mexican and South-Western restaurants can be found here, and even outside of Tokyo - one only has to be willing to search. Though be warned: the creamy sauce with your nachos, tacos, and burritos is neither cheese nor sour cream.

... It's mayonnaise.