「はもはも、みちちっ。」 (Hamohamo, Michichii.)
“Chewy, Melty.”

Pizza is such a guilty pleasure of mine. I love fast food and pizza is amongst those one of those things that just smells so good every time that I can’t resist. Even when I’m full, if I smell it, I must have a bite. This shows just how little self-control I have, so it goes without saying that I rather not be around it to avoid the temptation. That being said, I went out and bought four new pizzas after this episode because 1) it was on sale and 2) I crave pizza now. And not just the simple pepperoni and cheese, but different toppings like spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and chicken. I haven’t been able to find any pizzas with the typical toppings I’d get in Asia, but this is good enough. The times I have tried pizza in Asia though, I love how the pizzas are “personal”-sized (not the large and extra-large ones here). The sauces that they use are also unique… not just tomato and BBQ, but a cream sauce or spicy sauce. Obviously the toppings will vary too but that’s what makes the experience so unique. I try to experience the different “fast foods” from different countries every time I travel because they always tend to vary a bit even if the company is the same. Burgers are a great example of something that’s the same yet different everywhere. And fries ~ My god, I love fries.

There wasn’t much food as there was story and development this week and that’s okay by me. Ryou’s neighbor one floor below finally gets a name – Uchiki Yuki (Iguchi Yuka) – so for all those curious, she actually plays a role in the story. She turns out to be quite the introvert who wants to make friends and step out of her comfort circle but can’t find the strength within herself to do so. That definitely reminds me a lot of myself because I also find it hard to make new friends. Not necessary difficult to interact and talk to people, but to truly make an effort to get to know someone and find common interests can be a daunting task. I used to get a lot of anxiety talking to people and I was an incredibly shy child; to the point that I would fake an illness to avoid doing presentations or going to events. So trust me when I say that people like Yuki, feel a lot of pressure when it comes to making new friends and meeting strangers. When I finally broke out of that shell though, it felt good because I was able to leap over this hurdle that felt like a burden for so many years. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being like Yuki either, but if you ever feel like you want to change, there’s always an opportunity to.

The reoccurring theme in Koufuku Graffiti has always been the enhancement of food with good company and I think this episode nailed it. Yuki was pretty surprised at the euphoric experiences that Ryou and Kirin had while eating (which I’m sure, to strangers looks weird and awkward) but once she had her own slice of pizza, she got to experience it herself. I wouldn’t say that eating with people makes the food THAT much better by any means; but it’s more about the conversations you have or the company that you enjoy. Of course, having someone around to try different foods with you helps if you like eating different things. Yuki will sure benefit by being friends with Ryou now… If I had a neighbor that could cook well; had no family around; and I was a terrible chef, you can sure bet we’d be best friends.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: Nothing like good ol’ pizza that makes the world go round. Purchased 4 pizzas after this o_o #Iamnotcrazy #koufukug

 

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17 Comments

    1. If you have a foolproof pizza recipe, PLEASE SHARE =D I’d love to try it out!!
      I’ve never made pizza from scratch before… it doesn’t look difficult but it does look time consuming =(
      I want to try it anyway though so please send me any recipes you have!

    2. I’m not sure of how American pizzas are usually styled, but in my teenage years in Penang (Malaysia), there’s this particular brand that distinguished itself from others like Dominoes and Pizza Hut (in my opinion) by pre-baking their dough to a crispy, biscuit-like texture. This is before the pizza toppings get added and going into the oven to melt the cheese / unify the flavors / warm everything up.

      The result? The part of the crispy dough buried by the toppings predictable becomes a little soft, but the outer circumference untouched by them remains crispy and crunchy. That just makes the overall taste much nicer for me. They go by the name of Mook’s Pizza….as far as I know, they don’t have any physical pizza place in a building, but they are doing well enough to have several pizza vans (http://tinyurl.com/kb9y463)

      Techim
  1. self control is overrated! about to order a thin crust “fresh” mozzarella pie with peperoni ,mushrooms and spinach……..pizza delivery= one of humanity’s greatest accomplishments!!!

    BROOKLYN otaku
  2. Personally I try to avoid western fast food chains when travelling overseas, mainly because there are so much local delicacies to try that it seems like a wasted opportunity if I do so. However, if I do end up going to these places due to lack of other options, I would usually pick the one which is the most different (e.g. the Teriyaki Chicken burger at McDs in Japan). Still not a big fan of fries though as I find there isn’t much flavour to this apart from oil and salt. Wedges however…love wedges 😀 More spice the better!

    I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I love those cute scenes in the preview. I love how they scrolled up this time round to simulate the different floors of the apartment, and Ryou and Kirin hopping down to keep Yuki company.

    Taiakun
    1. The preview was definitely adorable. I was like “Why are they scrolling up?” and then I got it… >_> *Cherrie is slow* T_T

      I’ve never been to Japan so I can’t speak for that country =X But in China/HK, they have a shrimp/ebi burger at McD’s which is really good =) AND CHEAP! I live in Canada and McD’s here is actually quite expensive for fast food which makes me sad T_T (For a combo, I’m paying like almost $10 USD depending what I get). I do try and go out for local food as much as I can, but sometimes I just crave fried chicken… or burgers… or fries =S so when I’m walking in a mall, I hit it up. Btw, KFC in HK, is also SO good! But I wouldn’t try ordering chicken from Asia anytime soon after that scare =X

      1. Japanese McD’s lemon salt chicken burger was heavenly, just saying.
        It’s like it had all the right seasonings that were lost somewhere in the process over here.

        I agree with Taiakun though, I prefer local food over international fast food.

        Erimaki
      2. Yeah…those cravings >_> I suffer them a lot when at home, but somehow manage to resist it. Also helps that fast food around here (New Zealand) is REALLY crap. The burgers from fast food chains don’t look appetizing and generally doesn’t really taste good, and the KFC original chicken is literally soggy and soaking with oil. Gourmet burgers are all the rage now because of this, and the only thing I take from KFC now are the wraps or the Hot Wings. With Fish and Chips and Meat Pies rounding up the food scene around here, probably explains why I’m more or less turned off these types of food…

        I suppose when travelling around Japan I never had the urge for this type of food because Japan also have a lot of similar types of comfort food like Katsu and Karaage. I also found that it is not that much cheaper than walking into a shop and ordering curry udon. You can probably pick up more food from convenience stores for that price too.

        Taiakun
      3. Forgot to mention, but I think McD in Japan also has that Ebi burger. I know Mos Burger definitely has it. Was so good, especially with melon soda 😀

        Also, family restaurants in Japan are amazing (Gusto, Dennys, etc). They are really good at comfort food <3

        Taiakun
  3. Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that multiple topping pizzas actually exist. They don’t over here. The toppings aren’t that good either, and I would gladly pay for cheese-filled crust…

    = Living in Northern Europe is suffering when it comes to pizza =X
    That, or I’m too demanding of my food.

    Erimaki
    1. I think most pizza chains have “half and half”, where you can have two different types of toppings. But the types of toppings are generally the same so it doesn’t really make much difference. The four toppings pizza is a beast though…

      Taiakun
      1. Dominos pizza here did a promotion a few months ago: Up-to-10 topping large pizza for $13.99 CAD.

        You could even pick the “premium” toppings. My ten were:

        feta cheese*
        provolone cheese*
        chilly steak*
        chicken*
        mushrooms
        tomatoes
        onions
        pineapple
        green peppers
        sausage

        You think four topping pizza is a beast… wait til you try this one!

        flCer
      2. Sorry, I meant having four distinct types of toppings on each quarter of a pizza. E.g. yakiniku on one, seafood on other etc. I would be impressed through if there is a pizza where there is 10 distinct segments of different toppings on them. Would sure as heck make it easier for ordering pizza for my family >_>

        Taiakun

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