Travelling teaches us to eschew the obvious options. Skip the main street and escape to a side street or two.
Our bellies benefit from a smidgen of investigation, more often than not. And so it is here in Asakusa, where the grand temple of Senso-ji draws the faithful throngs.
Away from the main temple, we discover two shops nestled side-by-side in an alley close to Nakamise-dori. Which do we choose?
The shop on the left, Asakusa Menchi, sells menchi-katsu or minced pork cutlet buns. We bite into the buns with great care as the shop owner mimes the danger of hot, porky juices gushing out.
Stuffed generously with flavourful Kanagawa Kouza pork, the natural taste of the meat is good enough on its own, honestly. We can’t resist squirting some Japanese mustard on it though – in Tokyo, do as the Tokyoites do, after all.
Its neighbour, Toyofuku, is famed for its karē-pan or Japanese curry bun. Here the fun is in navigating the ever-changing variety of high quality beef from around Japan. Consider this single-origin beef, a roulette according to the whims of season and supply.
The meat is stewed in a sweet-rather-than-spicy (naturally) roux-based curry before being encased in bread dough. Then deep-fried. What’s not to like?
The menchi-katsu is delicious, but the karē-pan divine. Still, why do we have to decide on one over the other? Why not enjoy them both? Let us have an abundance of buns today.
We eat these standing. I remember our friend Satomi warning us that the Japanese may frown upon eating and drinking while walking. However, eating while standing, what is known as tachigui, is perfectly acceptable. Go figure.
All we know is that the minced pork is tender and flavourful, the curried beef barely spicy but tasting of an autumnal sweetness we all could do more with right now.
We are thankful we needn’t choose between the two; we can have both and partake in the abundance of life.