Foiled again, I said to myself as I read Product of Japan on the back of the box of Pocky I had purchased. Manga, like most books, is generally printed domestically, allowing one to feel good about their buy as they peruse foreign literature. However, after seeing the Rozen Maidens crunch down some Pocky in the eponymous manga, I needed a pack of my own. At the time, though, it never occurred to me that I might needlessly be buying a foreign product when an equivalent American snack would be cheaper. It was, though, delicious, but made me wonder how the Japanese are so healthy. The stuff is sold by the vending machine, and has to be the most unhealthy snack I have ever seen. There are two servings per little box, each under two ounces, and each has about a quarter of the daily value of saturated fat. Ironically, the logo of Glico, the manufacturer, says "A WHOLESOME LIFE IN THE BEST OF TASTE". How innocent; the packaging design looks like something from the 1950s or early 1960s.















After that, I was determined not to bungle the next opportunity at supporting this Nation's pallid manufacturing body. It was a sad parting, but for the first time since elementary school I selected a new pair of shoes that aren't Chuck Taylors. Though Converse All Stars have the classic style I have come to expect from Chinese sweat shops, I opted for a pair of New Balance 993s. Hailing from one of their five New England factories, I decided upon black since it tends to negate their flashiness.