A $5.99 Lunch in Seattle — Am I Just Cheap?
2026-11-04
A $5.99 Lunch in Seattle — Am I Just Cheap?
Today's lunch was from Ezell's Famous Chicken, a well-known fried chicken restaurant in the Seattle area.
For $5.99, I got two chicken tenders, a bread roll, and French fries. Of course, after adding sales tax and converting the price into Japanese yen, the meal costs more than ¥1,000.
Still, I think this might be one of the cheapest lunches you can find in America these days.
What I really wanted was something simple and Japanese, like onigiri (rice balls) and miso soup.
But when I go to Uwajimaya, a Japanese supermarket in the Seattle area, one onigiri costs nearly $4. That's almost ¥700 for a single rice ball!
Come on! It's just rice wrapped in seaweed with a little filling inside.
When you know how much food costs in Japan, it's difficult not to compare prices. Suddenly, everything in America seems ridiculously expensive.
Maybe I'm just cheap. Or perhaps I have what Japanese people call "binbō-shō" (貧乏性), a habit of being overly careful with money even when you don't necessarily have to be.
By the way, Ezell's Famous Chicken has been a longtime business customer of my company, PSPINC. We've had the pleasure of working with them on their website and other projects over the years.
If you ever visit Seattle, I highly recommend giving Ezell's Famous Chicken a try.
It's a local favorite, and at $5.99, it's one of the few lunches that still makes me feel like I'm getting a bargain.
Maybe I'm not cheap after all. Maybe I just remember what things used to cost!
Disclaimer: I use AI as a tool to help create images and proofread my writing. However, the ideas, opinions, experiences, and messages in my posts are my own. AI does not generate my posts for me. It simply helps me present my own words and ideas more clearly.
Kenichi Uchikura
Founder & CEO
Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. (PSPINC)
Uchikura & Co., LLC.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
I was born and raised in Japan and have spent most of my adult life in the United States. Through this blog, I share Japanese culture, language, expressions, and wisdom. My goal is not to say one culture is better, but to explore different perspectives and what we can learn from them.
Your comments are always welcome.
..-･**･-....-･･-..__..-･･-....-･**･-..
Kenichi Uchikura
Founder & CEO
Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. (PSPINC)
Uchikura & Co., LLC.
..-･**･-....-･･-..__..-･･-....-･**･-..
ABOUT THIS BLOG
I was born and raised in Japan and have spent most of my adult life in the United States. Through this blog, I share Japanese culture, language, expressions, and wisdom. My goal is not to say one culture is better, but to explore different perspectives and what we can learn from them.
Your comments are always welcome.
..-･**･-....-･･-..__..-･･-....-･**･-..