Filthy Casual for Life

Let’s talk about food. More specifically, foods featured in anime. I am not an adventurous eater which is so, so sad. I wish I were. My lack of culinary exploration started when I was diagnosed with diabetes. You become accustomed to tailoring your diet to stay within your limits and then somewhere along the line, you become a very picky eater. At least, that is what happened to me.

But, back on topic. Anime foods.

Takoyaki.

Takoyaki is the quintessential anime food. If there is a festival, you can bet your bottom dollar takoyaki will be present. So, what exactly is takoyaki? It’s a grilled piece of octopus encased in a batter, rolled into a ball, and topped with takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and bonito flakes. They always make it look SO appetizing, and I bet to some…it is.

My first (and last) experience eating takoyaki was at a local Japanese ramen shop. We were regulars, and we often had the same waitress. As a treat, she brought out a courtesy order of takoyaki. I took a bite and almost spit it out. Now, to be fair, it could have just been poorly made/poor ingredients takoyaki. I wouldn’t have had a way to gauge. Either way, I did not enjoy it. Kudos to those of you who do. I MIGHT have to try an authentic version when we travel to Japan in a couple of years.

Katsudon.

This dish shows up in many shows, but I was introduced to it through Yuri on Ice. It was Yuri’s favorite dish. So, what is katsudon? It’s a breaded and fried pork cutlet served over onions, egg, and rice and usually has some kind of katsu sauce on top or beneath.

My first experience with katsudon was at the same Japanese restaurant where I had the takoyaki. In fact, the whole reason we started going to the restaurant was because they were one of the few that offered pork katsudon. Pork katsudon is delicious. It is so indulgent. It is most definitely NOT a diet dish. You get the crispy cutlet with the soft egg and rice. If you haven’t tried katsudon, I would recommend it.

Ramen.

How can you watch anime and not notice the copious amounts of ramen they eat? What exactly is ramen? It’s a hearty broth with ramen noodles typically adorned with a piece(s) of chashu, a marinated egg, bamboo, mushrooms, green onion, and nori.

The first time I had ramen was at the same Japanese shop that I had the takoyaki and katsudon. My first thought is how in the heck do people eat a whole bowl?! I remember being full about 1/3 of the way through. I ate so little, they thought I didn’t like it, but that was far from the truth. Ramen can be delicious. I say “can” because I have also had the displeasure of having some pretty terrible ramen.

What anime foods have you noticed making appearances in your favorite shows? Have you gone out of your way to try them? Leave your thoughts below!