Prototype Issue
Japan's Fix for the Munchies
By Kamren Curiel
(page 1 of 1)In an attempt to relive the joy of shopping at Woolworth's while in Johannesburg for my best friend's wedding, I followed up on a Famima!! pitch that was waiting impatiently for me in my inbox after I reacquainted myself with swivel chairs and six cups of coffee before noon.
Having grown awkwardly accustomed to my aisle seat on the 23-hour plane ride from South Africa to LAX, and feeling the width of my thighs increase after every meal served in between neck-breaking naps, I was hesitant on stuffing my face for the 4th week in a row. But it was for a good cause; a sampling of Famima!!’s fine foods, something I’ve been curiously craving.
These cute Japanese convenience stores sprung up faster than Get Ready to Get Real billboards, but only until recently did I give into the urge to venture inside one, thinking they’d probably be ridiculously overpriced. Having developed a slight obsession with Woolworth’s, South Africa’s stylishly packaged combo of food and apparel with an ecologically friendly focus, I had a change of heart. The two kind of resemble each other.
With 12 locations inconspicuously planted throughout the greater LA area, FamilyMart (Famima Corporation’s parent company) President/CEO Shiro Inoue has high hopes of opening 200 more stores in the US.
Famima!!’s sleek, stainless steal-heavy stores stock a perfect balance of organic, healthy and expensive goods (think Voss water and Godiva chocolates) and more traditional brands (Coca-Cola, King’s Hawaiian sweet bread and Oreo cookies).
Considering the presence of Papyrus greeting cards, Italian stationary and exotic sweets, prices are pretty affordable. Yummy Japanese treats are translated in English for shoppers on small tags with prices starting at a mere $1.65.
“Our prices can’t be higher than Whole Foods,” Geoff Moss, Famima!!’s LA spokesperson, says.
And speaking of the over-priced devil, Famima!!’s not-so-tree-hugging vibe is home to just as tasty—if not tastier—lunch grabs. Sushi nigiri ($7), dim sum combos ($5.25-$5.55), Indian curries ($5.70-$5.90), and smoked turkey and Havarti cheese panini ($5.75) sit neatly in what’s cleverly called a gondola, an oval refrigerated island that ensures the freshness of these items.
Chinese chicken salads ($6.95), sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, and sinful desserts like their signature “Whole Lotta Banana” ($2.59), a whole chocolate covered banana, smothered in whipped cream, drizzled with chocolate shavings and hugged by a moist pancake, make it almost impossible for an indecisive nut like myself to decipher my taste buds. Just don’t do like I did and decide on the cobb salad. Although the hard-boiled eggs were the freshest I’ve ever tasted, there are far too many other options to conquer hunger with.
Their soups, for example, are kept in a high-technology soup server (you know the Japanese are always ahead of us on these kind of things), delivering a fresh bowl with every pour.
Staying true to their promise of convenience, streamed pork, chicken and sweet red bean paste buns and Nathan’s hot dogs provide a fulfilling option for an on-the-go lunch or dinner.
Oh and even if you don’t have to pee, make sure to pay a visit to the bathroom. Their toilet seats are equipped with a luxury lavage system that heats your booty while you take care of business; and with the push of a button can wash and dry it if you so choose to.
So why waste your gas at a drive-thru or punish yourself at a stank office building cafeteria when you can get a meal with the same quickness and practically the same low price? Plus, you’ll feel a whole lot cooler eating at Famima!! than you will at say, Walgreen’s.
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