札幌 アメリカ人 英会話講師 Allen アレン

Government Shutdown

2019年3月20日 (水)

You may have heard that the US government was shut down for 35 days in December and January. This happened because President Trump decided not to approve a new budget. He did this because he wanted to get money to build a large wall along the border between the US and Mexico. As a result of the shutdown, about 800,000 government workers were not paid for about one month. Many of these workers still had to do their jobs without pay. This led to high numbers of people calling in sick and missing work. There were delays at airports, international mail couldn’t get through customs, and many government offices were shut down.

Finally, on January 25th, Trump agreed to reopen the government for three weeks. Negotiations are continuing, and it is possible that Trump will try to shut the government down again if he doesn’t get funding for the border wall.

YBC

2019年2月5日 (火)

Have you ever heard of the Yamazaki Biscuit Company? It’s known as YBC, and it’s a maker of cookies and snacks here in Japan since 1970. In addition to a wide variety of its in-house confections, YBC used to make Oreos – under the brand name Nabisco – which are the most popular cookie in the world. YBC actually produced all of the Nabisco products made in Japan for over 45 years, including RITZ crackers, OREO cookies, and PREMIUM saltine crackers.

However, in 2016, Nabisco’s parent company, Mondelez International, decided to stop producing food in Japan. As a result, YBC lost its contract, and the production of the Nabisco brands above was moved to China and Indonesia. The recipes were also changed, and I think the new snacks don’t taste as good as the old ones.

For two years, YBC was legally prohibited from making its own similar products, but that restriction ended earlier this year. YBC has over 45 years of know-how related to making Nabisco products, and they now make very similar products right here in Japan, using the classic Nabisco recipes. I think these cookies and biscuits taste great, and I am happy to pay just a little bit more for domestically produced foods. You might not have noticed YBC’s products before, but they are actually a Japanese brand with a long history of making high-quality snacks.

Fresh-Ground Coffee

2019年1月15日 (火)

I received a coffee grinder as a gift in 2018. I like to drink coffee at home on the weekends, but I had always bought pre-ground coffee because it’s more convenient. When I tried making coffee using freshly ground beans, I was surprised at how much better it tasted. I think there are probably many factors that contribute to making a great cup of coffee, including the quality of the water, the quality of the beans, and the method used to brew the coffee. All of these things are important, but I now think that having a grinder at home might have the biggest impact on the final outcome. I’m really happy that I got such a thoughtful and delicious gift.