Meredith,

I'm curious about your love affair with fuyu persimmons.  Do you
remember what they're called in Japanese?  I'm planning to move (back)
to Japan next year (probably in March) and I'm a little apprehensive about
the high price of fruits and veggies (along with everything else).  How
did you manage to eat 20 of those persimmons every day?  Did you have
a friendly supplier?  Or did you spend half of your income on fruit?

I also have half a butternut squash in my fridge, 'cause I had a hankering
for squash a few weeks back.  It seemed too hard to eat raw, so I
steamed it for 5 minutes.  Boy was that a mistake.  It didn't taste that
good, and I ended up passing gas all that evening.  Now I'm wondering if
there's any way to make it more appealing in its raw state.  I do love
eating fresh raw sweet potatoes, though.  I ate raw white potatoes only
once, and they didn't appeal to me much.

I usually exercise in the early AM, except on the occasional Sat. or Sun.
when I sleep late.  Right after I get up, I have a glass of water, work out,
get showered and dressed, and then go to work.  The water ties me
over until breakfast, which I have at work (always fresh fruit).  I rarely
eat anything before my breakfast.  I've known people who get stomach
cramps from eating right before exercising, but I avoid it by exercising
first thing in the morning.  Though I've heard that drinking fruit juice or
eating fruit before exercising won't interfere because it stays in your
stomach for just a short time.

BTW, which Bread and Circus do you go to?  I occasionally go to the one
in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC.  It's a nice store, but
Fresh Fields seems to offer more organic produce, which I prefer when
available.  OTOH, B&C has a great salad bar, which FF lacks.

Hope to hear about your fruit and veggie experiences in Japan.

Shawn