【A new type of Japanese gourmet for you】”Kodoku no Gourmet”【Beautiful stories from far away From Japan】
2024-04-23 ｜ TOSHI
┃A new type of Japanese gourmet for you
Do you know the Japanese manga work “Kodoku no Gourmet”(『孤独のグルメ』)?
A Japanese manga written, story by Masayuki Kusumi(久住昌之), art by Jiro Taniguchi (谷口ジロー) .
The protagonist is a middle-aged man who works as an antique art dealer but doesn’t have a shop. For this reason, he often visits his clients and has consultations with them, and buys and sells antiques with them. He’s his own boss.
In Japanese, we sometimes use the adjective “gourmet” to describe things or events centered around eating or going out to eat. For this reason, we describe this kind of manga as “gourmet manga.” Kodoku no Gourmet is a “gourmet manga” about eating something alone on the go, all wrapped up in a feeling of adventure and wanderlust as he explores the different towns for the first time.
This is a fascinating work; I would even say it is very Japanese.
Moreover, in Japan’s neighboring country of South Korea, eating alone is not common as it is in Japan.
In Japan, it is not unheard of to see people eating at tables set for only one person. It is also not stigmatized and can be a relatively common sight among men and women. This even includes drinking alone as well.
Recently, a Korean man studying in Japan talked about this unique aspect of Japanese culture. He did so in his school’s Japanese speech contest. He explained that he tried drinking alone, just like many Japanese do, despite it being taboo in his culture. He later won a prize for his speech.
I love this Manga too.
Eating alone is a different experience than eating with two or more people.
It’s like going to an art museum alone or with two or more, either of which can be fun.
If you go to a museum in a group of two or more, you can talk about your opinions and create memories about the work right before you. After finishing, you could even talk more about it and hang out at a cafe.
However, you have to go along with the person or the group, which could mean that you don’t get to see the artwork as long as you might have wanted.
An acquaintance of mine once explained to me:
When she went to lunch with her husband at a nice restaurant (with a coveted Michelin star), she happened to meet her old classmate.
They ended up talking for a while, which was fine, but she said that she couldn’t concentrate on the taste of her food because she was so focused on the conversation rather than the food itself.
However, when I eat alone, it’s just like when I’m reading a book; It’s almost like I can talk with the author, the artist, even if they might be far away from me or have passed away. It’s like having a dialogue with them. Because you can so concentrate on the artwork itselves.
This work has also been made into a TV drama with many seasons. It has even been translated into several languages as well after several countries, so why don’t you read it too? And I would like to challenge you to watch, read, eat in a way like “Kodoku no Gourmet” in any way that you please.
It doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of dining with your friends or loved ones.
Your life will be richer if you have more choices concerning how you can live your life. Integrating eating alone, as it is common in Japan, can bring forth a new relationship with eating out and enjoying food that you might have never experienced before. After all, there’s nothing to lose from trying new things.
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※TOSHI, I had been a writer who mainly focuses on food for around 5 years. I am looking for media that will publish my essays about Japan, gourmet Mystery novel (※), etc. Feel free to contact me via ClubRosy’s X (Twitter) DM. https://twitter.com/ClubRosy
or Email toshijprose●gmail.com (change ● to @ please)
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amazon page of TOSHI’s book（竹井夙 Toshi TAKEI’s book）⇩⇩ [美しい人々 Beautiful people] etc.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%9C%AC-%E7%AB%B9%E4%BA%95-%E5%A4%99/s?rh=n%3A465392%2Cp_27%3A%E7%AB%B9%E4%BA%95+%E5%A4%99
Helpful feedback is always welcome!
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As for our daily life, I, or “Rosie-chan,” tweet on Twitter at Club Rosie, almost everyday. so please take a look if you like. It seems that it may be possible to translate with Google.
A follow would be appreciated, so thank you in advance!
Club Rosy Twitter
https://twitter.com/ClubRosy
The articles I wrote
TABIZINE ⇩⇩
http://tabizine.jp/author/toshi/
Novels
(※)The casebook of Tokyo gourmet writer
[The case of Beautiful Girl Cooking Expert] ⇩⇩
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330650906127298
The casebook of gourmet writer
[Mystery around Chinese tea]⇩⇩
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054894423195
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“Obon” season/Return of ancestors【Beautiful stories from far away From Japan】