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INTEREST: Super Mario Bros. Cafes to Open In Japan




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Chrno2



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 6172
Location: USA
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 4:48 pm Reply with quote
I tell you the Japanese love egg dishes. Japan must be an interesting place to visit.
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Mr. Oshawott



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 6773
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 5:24 pm Reply with quote
That Super Star Omurice dish looks super-tasty! I wish I could be at one of those Super Mario Bros. cafés to try it and the other dishes.
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Wandering Samurai



Joined: 30 Mar 2014
Posts: 875
Location: USA
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 5:24 pm Reply with quote
I would love to go see this but unfortunately I am in another part of Japan and will not be able to visit them. Hard to believe though that it has been 30 years since the original Super Mario Bros. came out. I remember playing it as a five year old kid. I'm getting "old" I can tell Wink
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Gasero



Joined: 24 Jul 2009
Posts: 939
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 7:20 pm Reply with quote
Perhaps Nintendo has realized their marketing potential is very powerful outside of video games.
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 2:07 am Reply with quote
But the Princess is at another Tower
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 3:31 am Reply with quote
That Koopa Taco Rice sounds like a challenge. If I ever visit the place, I will accept it.

I haven't been truly challenged for a looong while. Closest was splashing salsa roja all over my tacos at King Taco for the first time, but that was more "spicier than expected." It's the only chain I've ever eaten at that isn't totally spineless with its spiciness outside of WingStop. (I tried Taco Bell's Diablo sauce. It is disappointingly tame. I barely felt it at all.)
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 5:55 am Reply with quote
leafy sea dragon wrote:

That Koopa Taco Rice sounds like a challenge. If I ever visit the place, I will accept it.

I haven't been truly challenged for a looong while. Closest was splashing salsa roja all over my tacos at King Taco for the first time, but that was more "spicier than expected." It's the only chain I've ever eaten at that isn't totally spineless with its spiciness outside of WingStop. (I tried Taco Bell's Diablo sauce. It is disappointingly tame. I barely felt it at all.)


Then you'd be sorely disappointed - Japan's spicy is typically mild.

Why does traditional Japanese food tend to be less spicy than most of the neighboring Asian countries' cuisine?

  • Q: Obviously I'm generalizing, and yes there are spicy exceptions, wasabi not the least of them. However, it seems to me that by and large, traditional Japanese food is far less spicy than most of the neighboring Asian countries' cuisines. How did that come to be?

  • A: Traditional Japanese foods are not aromatic.

    Japanese are extremely sensitive to smell, especially the kind that lingers. Because of this, Japanese food does not tend to be aromatic like other Asian foods. This means less use of garlic, spices and other additives with strong smells. Even something intense like Wasabi does not have a strong smell and does not linger on the palette (or your clothing after you eat it).

    At least that's how a Japanese friend of mine explained the culinary difference to me.

    It's also worth noting that although most Asian cuisines are noted for their spiciness, chili peppers are not actually indigenous to Asia, they are a "New World Crop." This means that all Asian chili peppers were cultivated within the last 500 years to suit local tastes.

    If you compare Japanese chilis to other Asian chilis (like Thai peppers or the infamous Ghost Chili of India) they are extremely mild.

    The [Japanese] shisito is the least spicy chili pepper I have ever tasted.

    To me, this strongly indicates that Japanese have always preferred less spicy and aromatic foods.


Another example: Japanese curry vs. Indian curry

  • The first thing you'll notice is how different Japanese curry looks from Indian curry; instead of the yellow or red curry sauce at an Indian restaurant, Japanese curry is thick and brown, resembling beef stew more than anything and is made from a curry paste. The second thing you'll notice is that Japanese curry isn't hot and spicy - it's about as mild as a plate of catchup.


Spicy food in Tokyo

  • Hi there,

    I'm an European living in Tokyo area and I love such spicy food that makes my tongue burning.

    Well, often when I go to eat out, and my Japanese companions are saying "that food is so spicy".... Well, then I taste it and it is so mild what I expected.

    So, if anyone knows any restaurant in Tokyo that offers the inchiban spciest food... that makes to sweat, feeling there is fire in your mouth and nose... please tell me!

    Any spicy food is ok, but mexican and chili is preferred.
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 7163
Location: Another Kingdom
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 7:05 pm Reply with quote
Well, that explains why I can't tell the difference between "Mild" and "Hot" with House Instant Curry and why I tried looking for mapo tofu in Japanese districts and wound up disappointed. (Orochon at Little Tokyo near Downtown LA is an exception. It has its own spicy challenge, a tall feat considering it's in a city full of chiliheads.) I should try finding mapo tofu in Chinatown.

Then again, if the aim is to cast the widest net, you have to settle for pretty mild stuff. Still, if something is advertised as a challenge or as endorphin-burstingly spicy, it has to live up to its name. Or at least give different levels of spiciness to please varying levels. It's why I find it a bit frustrating that Del Taco's Del Inferno sauce, the spiciest of three levels, settles for poblanos, which are roughly 1 kiloscoville. (The jalapeño begins at 2.5 kiloscovilles. Habaneros begin at 100 kiloscovilles. The naga jolokia, AKA the ghost pepper, averages at 1 megascoville but is drastically diluted for hot sauces, as this dosage is lethal for the unprepared.)

That does make me wonder: Does this mean that Japanese tourists visiting western countries get nasty surprises when they order something spicy? Or do they know to avoid anything spicy altogether?
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