イカスミ色素

The more I learn, the more afraid I am of putting anything processed into my mouth. I was offered gum today by a coworker - a black gum called Xylish Hyper Cool. Since I know that there is caffeine and nicotine in similar gums, I asked if this particular gum had either in it. He checked the ingredients and there was indeed caffeine but no nicotine. He continued to read the ingredients which included イカスミ色素 (ikasumishikiso) which is squid ink colouring hence the wonderful black colour of the gum. Needless to say, I declined his kind offer. I wonder what other animal products I've unknowingly put into my mouth?!? This happens on the tail of a somewhat frustrating week of trying to find something in the supermarket to eat for a quick lunch. Salad. Great choice, Joanne. How about some salad dressing with that? Forget it: pork or beef extract. Instant mix for a nice comforting bowl of soup? You guessed it: pork, chicken or beef extract. I usually settle for onigiri, a rice ball that doesn't have any animal products in it but does have a disturbingly high number of conservatives in it. Again, not an ideal choice. I have to get back into the habit of making my lunch the night before because quite frankly I can't take the frustration anymore and I'm not about to change my convictions. To top it off, the meat industry here in Japan is under considerable scrutiny at the moment. A company was cutting ground beef with pork to enhance it's colour. They were also selling beef as 100% Japanese that was cut with beef imported from other countries. Another argument towards paying close attention to what you decide to buy and consume. Being vigilant might be a pain in the ass to you and the people around you but as far as I'm concerned it's a requirement in this day of cutting corners to increase profits.