In one area my respect for Japanese society has been in freefall recently. Until rather recently, Japanese have always had rather healthy diets. They tend to drink unsweetened drinks, have a national aversion to GM foods, and eat a lot of raw or lightly processed foods.

Things are changing. I made fun of the US consumers for actually putting McGriddles in their bodies, but they are here in Japan as well now. Worse still, McDonalds Japan recently introduced the MegaMac. A 900-calorie four-beef-like patty burger guaranteed to provide the USDA daily allowance of grease for a family of twelve. McDonalds, literally, can’t keep them in stock.

Pizza Hut, however, has now caused me to abandon all hope. The other night I ordered a pizza. (Hey, I take care of myself, but it’s not like I’m a granola-munching hippie!) They now offer a new crust that improves on their thick-and-greasy cheese-filled crust. The outside of the crust is actually made of dozens of little pig-in-a-blanket like rolls. Each gingerly containing a slice of bacon wrapping a piece of sausage suspended in grease. The pizza also comes with a honey-maple syrup which you are supposed to pour over the crust before eating it.

I’m not even sure you could get Americans to eat that slop, but it’s so popular here in Japan you have to reserve it in advance.