figs

Was showing my students a catalog with foods from the US. I pointed out some Fig Newtons and said "Oh I love these cookies! But I haven't had any for a long time."

One student, about 45 years old said "You have figs in America? I thought only Japan"

Then she looked at the picture of Fig Newton cookies again (which she's obviously never eaten, having only learned of their existence a minute before) and declared "Too sweet!"

Japanese are utterly convinced that any kind of snack from the states is sickeningly sweet and that there are no sweet foods in Japan. (Not the case by the way.) When I point out Japanese snacks that are sweet most people either say

1. "It's a different kind of sweet"
2. "But chocolate chip cookies are a foreign food!" (If it's not a traditional dessert, even if it's made here by a local company.)

So there you have it: an "only in Japan" and an American stereotype in the same short comment.