Move over, Iron Chef: Makiko (Maki) Itoh reigns supreme in the food blog world. A native of Tokyo, erstwhile resident of New York and England, she ultimately became an expat in Switzerland, crossroads of Europe. Her blog, i was just really very hungry, is one of the most revered food blogs in the world (and #1 in Switzerland!). Maki graciously took some time out of her busy schedule to tell us a little about gender politics, finding a taste of Japanese amidst the Alps and finding the best shopping in the world.

When you’re not musing on the more delicious things in life, what  do you do?
In my working life I work at a web and forms/application design and development company. In my spare time I like to make things, travel whenever and wherever I can, and browse flea markets and vintage/antique shops.

You’re truly a citizen of the world, born in Tokyo and now in Switzerland via New York and England. How does that global view influence your tastes when it comes to food and products?
It makes me very nostalgic for things from where I used to live  (Japanese stationery! New York bagels!), but also makes me appreciate  the good and unique aspects of where I am. For instance, Switzerland  has some terrific modern design and architecture, and of course the natural beauty is out of this world.

What’s the best shopping city in the world?
That’s very hard to say, there are so many. The bigger cities have more variety, but smaller cities and towns can be easier to handle.  It sort of depends on what you are looking for - for instance, I love  flea markets, but  the ones in the big cities are often overpriced  and overcrowded, while the ones in the smaller towns are better for  deep browsing. But if I have to name cities, I’d put these on a  favorites list: New York, Milan, Tokyo, London, Glasgow, Basel, Yokohama, Aix-en-Provence, Munich, Paris, Strasbourg, Stockholm, San  Francisco, Florence — all for different reasons. (For which I’d need  several pages to explain…) Zürich, where I live, is not a bad place  either. One of the best things about living in Switzerland is that  it’s so easy to reach many of Europe’s great centers of shopping… I  mean, culture.

What do the Swiss do better than anyone else?
Run things that seem like such a big deal to keep straight in other  places with astonishing efficiency, and keep things (streets, public places, their houses, the air) impeccably clean.

I love your list of Japanese snacks. (I personally have an obsession with sake ika.) Is it difficult to get these things in Switzerland?
It used to be rather difficult but it’s getting a lot easier, since Japanese food is getting more popular with the Swiss. Even the department stores carry Japanese food items now. But the expat population is probably under 10,000, so the Japanese grocery stores that cater to it are correspondingly tiny.

In your list, you highlight  “men’s” Pocky, which has dark chocolate instead of sweeter, creamier coatings for women. How else do you think men’s and women’s tastes differ, and how does that affect the way they shop?
I actually don’t think they differ. I guess the reason why in Japan women are supposed to like sweeter things than men is because men in general there smoke and drink a lot more, which seems to make them prefer non-sweet, bitter, salty things (supposedly). Maybe if your tastebuds get ruined by hard liquor and smoke you can’t taste sweet anymore? I’m skeptical. I don’t drink or smoke but I generally prefer the non-dessert parts of dinner, while most of the males in my circle seem to have advanced sweet teeth. So who knows.

Have you discovered anything via ThisNext that you absolutely must have?
I really enjoy seeing the modern design items people have picked out . I love discovering beautifully designed things. this for example.

What sates Maki’s very real hunger?
Whenever I’m feeling real enthusiasm and passion for whatever I’m doing, I’m happy and satisfied.