At the request of a certain hominid (and I suspect a fellow chowhound), I present borrowed gyudon pics.
Here we have the gyudon (center), miso soup (right), pickled cabbage (left), and a cup of hot green tea in the blue cup. This is a set meal that was available at Yoshinoya stores in Japan for about 600 yen until the American cows went apeshit or whatever. Basically the only thing missing from this photo is the raw egg. Not very photogenic, I guess.
First of all, whoever took this photo has to work on their color management because the red ginger looks like shredded carrots. Shame, shame. Please take better photos for me to borrow next time! Ah, well, at least your heart is in the right place… I never even thought of taking pictures at Yoshinoya because I was too busy stuffing my face. This photo was taken at a Yoshinoya in the US. Even without the telltale English text on the placemat and napkin, you can tell by the styrofoam bowl which is used even for “for here” orders in the states. Not as elegant as the Japanese bowls, but somewhat comforting in its assumed sterility. American portions are larger than their Japanese counterparts of course. Also, from the beginning, the American stores have featured a Chicken Teriyaki Bowl and Combo Bowls with oth chicken and beef, items that the Japanese stores still do not feature to this day.
It’s past midnight, and my stomach is rumbling from remembering this stuff.
Raising a family in Thailand // Documenting Issan food, culture, music, and people
Domo arigato gozaimasu.
Sorry if I write with an accent; I don’t speak any Japanese, which makes every trip to Fukuoka a great way to practice pantomime.
Sincerely,
Kevin
owner of the Anger Poultry House
Kevin, let me know when you come next time. My little bro lives down in Kyushu and it would be cool to hook up. Since you liked the capsule hotel experience so much, I figure the next logical step is a kenkoland (literally: healthland). I’ll write about them soon because I may be staying at one this weekend.
My brother’s blog might interest you, too:
Higo Blog
Dammit, I just looked at your pictures, and there’s still an hour and a half until kyushoku- and its not gonna be gyudon! Although I have only eaten at Yoshinoya once since I’ve come to Japan, I am greatly saddened by the recent developments. Butadon just ain’t the same thing.
I wonder if the American branch of Yoshinoya ever came up with a better slogan than “Nice to know you, Yoshinoya!”. That was pretty lame…
Hey, I stopped by Ebisu market today and was telling dad about the sad demise of your fave snack food. Both cashiers perked up and nodded, telling us it was true, that there’s no more gyudon at Yoshinoya’s in Nihon. But fortunately for them, the one on Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa, still serves it up. And yes, they have that lousy slogan…only second in corniness to the City of Fountain Valley’s “A Nice Place to Live!”
I’ll be hopping over to Fukuoka sometime in early March for my visa run (cough), so a kenkoland might be interesting.
But… what is it? Not one of those places that demands a slice of your dong on entry, I hope.
Will be curious to see the pics.
Kevin