Grocery shopping in Tokyo when you can't read any labels is a special kind of panic.

I ended up with what I think is fermented squid paste instead of soy sauce. Now my hostel room smells like a fishing boat.

3 comments

3 Comments

jade_carter12d ago

Fermented squid paste instead of soy sauce is a culinary adventure gone terribly wrong. Your hostel room must be absolutely pungent by now, like a maritime museum after hours. I can only imagine the looks from other travelers when that aroma wafts down the hall. Language barriers turn grocery shopping into a high-stakes guessing game where the penalties are oddly specific food regrets. Have you considered just embracing the fishy vibe and telling people you're conducting a marine biology experiment? What's your plan for deodorizing the room, or are you just going to live with the scent of the sea?

mary96512d ago

Oh god, that reminds me of accidentally buying fermented fish sauce instead of vinegar in a Bangkok market. My entire backpack reeked for days, and I had to explain the smell to every perplexed tuk-tuk driver. Those pungent memories really do become part of your travel story, for better or worse.

rowan27612d ago

That marine experiment notion could actually break the ice with other travelers, provided they have a sense of humor about maritime aromas. Sometimes these mishaps forge the best travel memories, despite the temporary stench.