Pigs, Chickens and Snakes, Oh My

[steepholm]

Yesterday I made oyakodon for the first time - a dish involving chicken and egg on rice. Which came first? The chicken, of course, with the egg being added just for a minute or so at the end.

The name "oyakodon" (親子丼) hides a slightly macabre joke, since oya (親) (parent) and ko (子) (child) refer to the relationship of the two main ingredients. But I like its straight talking, compared to, say, "pigs in blankets", which really ought to be called "One pig wrapped in another pig like something out of Silence of the Lambs but without any lamb in it".

The recipe book came from Haruka and her mother, who also sent me yuzu-themed bath supplies and some rather cute cat-shaped chopstick rests. Pullman figured large elsewhere in my haul, with both The Book of Dust and his essay collection. The latest Frances Hardinge was there too, and (at my request) the DVD of the 1970s series The Water Margin, a Japanese adaptation of the classic Chinese novel, the lengthy introduction to which (it begins, "The ancient sages said, 'Do not despise the snake for having no horns, for who is to say it will not become a dragon?'") I found I could still recite some 40 years on from its first broadcast. But honestly, has anyone ever despised a snake for having no horns? It would be like despising a lion for having no wings. Only winged lions are in a position to do that.

On Boxing Day I took Haawa to Winchester, ancient capital of England but in this case also the location of nearest KFC, her favourite food, which she is sadly denied in Romsey. KFC is also, by coincidence, the "traditional" Christmas fare in Japan, and sure enough there was a young man of oriental appearance sitting in it when we went, but since he didn't speak I can say no more than that.

Comments

[calimac]

I've read that KFC became the traditional Christmas food in Japan because turkeys, a traditional Christmas food in the US, being in short supply there, chicken was the closest available substitute and KFC was the closest available place to get some chicken.

In the US, "pigs in blankets" are usually hot dogs, which are more likely to be beef than pork, usually wrapped in dough, not bacon. Hamburgers, of course, have no ham in them either, despite every single derived name having in it whatever comes before -burger in the name (cheeseburger, chiliburger, tofu burger, even umami burger). [As Ulrika O'Brien doesn't read your blog, I trust I won't have to explain that I do understand the etymology here.]

[steepholm]

I'd heard that American pigs in blankets are wrapped in dough/pastry, and to be honest that makes more sense to me, since pastry could at a squint look something like a blanket.

Yes, I believe that's true about the origins of KFC in Japan (where they still by the way tend to call it Kentucky Fried Chicken, and have mannequins of the Colonel Sanders, etc.).

[cmcmck]

Wellington's small enough to avoid KFC, McAwfuls and such for which I am duly grateful!

[steepholm]

I think that was only the second time I'd ever been. The first was a couple of months ago, also for Haawa.