The Food Pursuit
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Summers in Tokyo are characterized by extreme humidity to the point where one would be sweating from lifting an arm. There was never a sweat-free day. Showers take place throughout the day. The Japanese government launched an energy saving campaign following its nuclear troubles which led to many stores and trains cutting down on air conditioning, a halt in escalator operation, and a dimmer city. This meant occasional visits to the ice cream store were a must.
Located in the busy Ikebukuro of Tokyo, this little sushi restaurant is a quiet gem in a rowdy area. In front of the door are a couple of signs with photographs of various sushi rice bowls. Because I can never resist mouth-watering images, I decided to hop in for lunch.
There’s a saying in Seattle that if one wants to locate a Tully’s coffee shop, all that’s needed is to find a Starbucks and turn around. That’s because where there’s a Starbucks, there’s a Tully’s. In Japan, while both American chains aim to dominate this market and feed the demand for various American offerings – be it food, clothing, music – it’s not always true. But what’s true is that where there’s a train station, there’s for sure a Starbucks, Tully’s, or both within a minute walk.
This little shop called 麺屋帝旺, which for sake of simplicity and lack of an English name I will call Emperor Noodle Shop, is located in the heart of Tokyo. With banners on the storefront that says 辛油そば (or spicy soba), it actually serves ramen and tsukemen as well. Many of us may be familiar with ramen and not tsukemen, which is similar to ramen but the noodles for tsukemen come separated from the soup and are eaten by dipping them in the soup. As with many individual shops in Japan, Emperor serves only a handful of selections. I guess it makes deciding what to eat easier and allows the chef to focus on making each item perfectly.
With a name like Freshness Burger, it really doesn’t have to make sense to appeal to the Japanese. If there’s one word they know in English with regards to food, it would be fresh. Supermarkets must discount foods every day otherwise no one would buy it. It is highly possible to walk into the supermarket before dinner and pick up heavily discounted items to make a feast. The price tag of items includes not only the expiry date and the date they were made, but also the time at which they were made. ‘Fresh’ is the benchmark of food in Japan. One evening, I visited Freshness Burger to see whether or not the burgers are truly that fresh.
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