Like I was saying

Justin Currie Norrie files a report on how the food crisis is impacting Japan.

He managed to find a Mrs. Watanabe for the intro.

Classic.

The Land of Little Milk and Honey

I have to admit, it is damn disorienting to go to the refrigerated section of the supermarket and see, instead of a shelf of boxed rectangles of butter, a humble and miniscule sign explaining that butter is unavailable at this time.

And to have imported cheddar lined up right next to the empty butter shelf which is twice as expensive as it was just a few months ago.

After 15 years of deflation and a surfeit of damn near everything, twice over, it is stunning to see scarcity again.

I know that in the broader scope of price changes sweeping this planet, such as those for rice that are threatening hundreds of millions with a tumble back into abject poverty or even starvation, the loss of access to butter and cheese are trivial events.

But it is still troubling to see the devolution take place over just a matter of weeks.

Upon such thin threads have we woven our world...

Dairy Farm atop Onoyama
Ashigarakami County, Kanagawa Prefecture
April 29, 2007