So now we will talk about what surely is on everyone’s minds: food during American homestays.
Just what kind of food can you expect to eat during your homestay in America?
For this post, we asked a variety of guests currently doing homestays about what kind of food they’re eating as well as for a few pictures of said food.
If you’re curious about the kind of food you can expect during a homestay, by all means please take a look! The style of breakfast and dinner differs from that of Japan, and those differences will also be discussed here as well.
Information Regarding the Differences Between Japanese Food and American Food
First, let’s talk about some important points you should know about American food.
During an American homestay, the food is mainly brought out in a “one plate” style.
The “one plate” style refers to how vegetables, meat, and whatever other foods you have for dinner are all eaten together on one plate.
In Japan, one can expect vegetables, rice, miso soup, as well as a wide variety of side dishes to be brought out, all on different plates.
Meals are usually more on the simple side in terms of plates used, so it’s important to know and understand this difference before coming to America.
Breakfast in America
During our homestays, two meals are included (breakfast and dinner.)
Breakfast is usually a continental style breakfast, with bread, cereal, and other such breakfast foods that you can eat as much as you’d like.
As for what dinner usually entails, it will depend on your host family.
Homestay Meals
Now, we will take a look at a picture of a meal from a host family. Go on and see what you think!
This is a meal from a host family where one of the hosts is a former hotel chef. They are a family that often eats rice, along with a good balance of meat and vegetables.
This is a host family that prefers healthy meals with a lot of vegetables. The members of this host family are not vegetarian, but vegetables are often the main dish here.
Here is an example of a typical meal you can expect to have during an American homestay. It’s a single plate of vegetables and meat. Generally, you can also add salt, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, and the like for further flavor enrichment.
This one is also another typical meal you can expect to see in America.
This is from a host family that loves cooking. Here they will cook quinoa and other superfoods for you.
This is a host family with a focus on being healthy, so organic ingredients are often used here.
The host son of this family cooks a classic favorite among American children: macaroni and cheese.
How to Avoid Any Meal Troubles
If you have any allergies, tell your host right away.
It is also perfectly fine to let your host family know if you have any foods you don’t like.
There are even some host families that will ask you what you’d like to eat, and should you tell them exactly that then you’re surely in for a treat!
Different countries have different food cultures.
Avoiding comparisons to Japan and keeping an open mind to new things are the keys to having a successful homestay.
Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
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