Food and Drink

With numerous outbreaks in other parts of Asia, the government has taken great pains in trying to reassure the nation that Japan is avian flu free. But all that’s gone out of the window, due to a recent outbreak in Kyoto prefecture. And just to add insult to injury, the farm in question has already sold some of the potentially infected meat to local restaurants.

In a desperate attempt at damage limitation, the powers that be have said that the meat isn’t dangerous, but just to be on the safe side, consumers should cook the meat thoroughly before eating it. Hmm, sounds a bit suspicious to me.

But some customers remain undeterred, if a little cautious. As the picture below shows, these two restaurant goers aren’t about to take any unnecessary risks.

Recently over 500 people took part in an event hosted by The society to Preserve the Tradition of Whale Eating. Presumably in a bid to maintain the traditional way of eating whale. Whatever that may be. In a curry? Or perhaps with pasta?

Yet despite the ban on whale hunting, the government affiliated Japanese research institute catches hundreds of whales every year as part of its research program.

To research the best sized steaks for take-away plastic containers perchance?

Gyudon (basically rice topped with beef) is a popular cheap meal in Japan, and there are a few restaurant chains that center their business almost solely around it. But the recent ban on imported U.S. beef has meant that many outlets have had to stop selling it.

Unfortunately some customers aren’t taking it very well. Two days ago, 35 year-old Masaaki Mori entered his local gyudon restaurant at 9 am. After swiftly drinking two bottles of beer (obviously an early starter), he ordered a bowl of gyudon. This is when the trouble started, as after being told that the shop had run out of beef, our disgruntled customer kicked up a bit of fuss. Banging his fists on the counter and shouting his displeasure to all and sundry. The man seated next to him told him to be quiet, so our beef loving brawler slapped him on the face, and for good measure grabbed the hair of another customer who tried to intervene.

After his arrest, Mr. Mori told police officers that he “thought the restaurant was still serving gyudon. I felt angry as they said it had stopped serving the dish.”

Since the incident, it’s rumoured that the nation’s gyudon restaurants have upped their security to code orange until further notice.