Peanut Butter and Jam

Peanut Butter and Jam

Hi, it’s Derek from Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi. OK so what do peanut butter and jam have to do with teaching English in Japan? Nothing really, but they do sometimes come up as a topic with my Tsukaguchi English school students. So l thought it would be fun to write about that here. Let’s get started!

Crazy About Peanut Butter

I love peanut butter. I love it so much that I usually eat it twice a day on weekdays, both for breakfast on toast and then for lunch in a sandwich! Really! I never get tired of it. Besides being delicious, it’s filling, keeps me full for a long time, is high in protein and is a great source of energy. It is also inexpensive compared to many other protein sources, as a jar of peanut butter lasts a while and can be used for many meals.

Main Types of Peanut Butter

There are 2 main types of peanut butter. One is the creamy type which is, well, creamy! The other type is chunky (or super chunky). It contains chunks of peanut, making it chunky. Both types are good, but I prefer the chunky type because I love the chunks of peanut. Being a nut lover too, I like the nuts and it gives the peanut butter a stronger peanut taste. In Canada, there are many famous peanut butter brands, but in Japan, Skippy peanut butter is usually sold. That suits me fine because I love Skippy peanut butter which I ate when I was growing up in Canada.

How Peanut Butter Is Eaten

Eating peanut butter on bread is nothing special for my Tsukaguchi English school students. Some already do. But when I tell them that I eat it with jam, they are always surprised. With jam?! They don’t do that in Japan. They eat it by itself. I explain that some people eat peanut butter with jam in Canada. While peanut butter is good by itself, adding jam on it makes it feel less sticky to the palate. Also, the combination of peanut butter and jam gives it a sweeter taste which is good if you like sweet things like me! I ask them to try it and they enthusiastically say they will.

Learning About New Things While Studying or Teaching English in Japan Is Fun

I enjoy teaching my students of English new things about my Canadian culture in addition to teaching them English, like eating peanut butter with jam! I also enjoy learning new things from them in student-driven English lessons. This makes English lessons at Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi fun and a great learning experience for everyone! (^.^)

Derek

Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi