Japanese anime tends to insist on the inclusion of seemingly random yet very memorable scenes of eating food so we attempted an investigation to clear up some of the foggy mystique surrounding why particular delicious items keep showing up in the mouths of our favorite characters... you know, obviously besides... the food being so fun to eat and appetite-satisfying. So, for our lovely kitchenware shoppers and good friends out there who also happen to be anime fans, check out a couple of popular Japanese foods we found that show up in major anime shows!
Melon Bread
Officially titled “melonpan” in Japanese, this convenient store delight has captured the curiosity of anime fan tastebuds from all around the globe through a popular anime series called Shakugan no Shana. Melon bread is rendered to resemble a cantaloupe but typically does not taste anything like a melon as the traditional recipe never includes it. However, there are instances of it having added flavoring to likely satisfy those who insist on it tasting more like the name sounds. Actually many visitors of Japan have already gone online to express their disappointment and trauma associated with the melon-less flavor of melonpan which greatly differed from their expectations so we strongly advise you to be emotionally prepared before taking your first bite. And while you're at it, you may want to follow Shana of Shakugan no Shana's advice on how to eat it to avoid any conflict with dangerous beings trying to rid the earth of humanity. Below are the instructions of this anime's heroine-protagonist when she strictly corrects the "technique" for eating melon bread of her love interest/boyfriend, Yuki:
“First you bite off the crispy bun then you savor the spongy soft filling. Another bite of the crispy part, followed by more spongy filling. This allows you to balance both textures equally. YOU GOT IT?!”
Note that these rules are introduced within a story about a typical high school boy (Yuki) who one day finds out he’s actually dead and now tasked with the role of protecting humanity from beings belonging to a parallel universe along with a powerful yet only 4'7" tall katana-wielding female character (Shana)… who happens to love melon bread… and was also once a human but now has made a complicated contract with a god-like existence called Crimson Lord… So, yeah, until you learn the system of this deeply anime universe, for now let's just play it safe with Shana's melonpan eating advice...that is, unless you don't mind being consumed by a Denizen! And trust us, that's definitely a less than desirable fate so just keep balancing those melon-less flavored... "melon bread" textured bites every time, ok!?
(ﾟωﾟ；)
Ebi Fry
In Japan, you’ll easily find “ebi fry” in restaurants and bento boxes as it is super common and very understandably agreed by most to be a delicious and satisfying menu item. "Ebi" is shrimp and "fry" here just means “fried” in this case. Yeah ok, shrimp, fried so … fried shrimp? Yes, basically it is fried shrimp except to be precisely ebi fry, the shrimp must be dipped in panko, flour, and egg then deep fried until it becomes a goldish color and crispy. It is often eaten with Japanese rice but it goes great with a side of tonkatsu sauce or tartar sauce as well.
But what does this special fried shrimp have to do with anime you ask? Well, in episode 10, “Moving Forward a Little Bit, With Everyone” of the hit anime series, THE iDOLM@STER, idol girl groups from various production companies compete in a high-stakes athletic competition and in the middle of the inevitable tension of a story full of sabotage, down in the mud name-calling and tear-inducing lessons on good sportsmanship, the creators of the anime also made sure to include a scene during lunch break with lots of ebi fry. The team of the main characters from the fictional company called 765 Production are suddenly gifted a box packed full of sparkling golden ebi fry from a friendly team belonging to 876 Production (so many numbers to remember!) that seems to have it together a bit more than them at this point. This was an important gesture and quite a telling scene overall because ebi fry was lacking in quantity and size in the bento lunch boxes of the team of the main characters compared to other teams around them due to a recent budget cut, which the manager regretfully admits right before their present came. We get the sense here that “ebi fry” is not only a symbol of the team's status but a source to provide energy, stamina and overall chances needed for winning the races ahead. If these look delicious to you, maybe try some ebi fry for yourself and see if it helps you also move forward a little bit... (with everyone perhaps?).
