What's in a Takoyaki Ball?

Takoyaki with pizzaz.

You could call them octopus balls. You could call them a Japanese take on Surf n' turf, with the surf being octopus and the turf being bleached wheat flower, shallots and pickled ginger.

Okay, on second thought we won’t call it anything but takoyaki. It's a slice of octopus in a round dumpling, simply put. See the ocotpus at right for reference.

Anyhow we stumbled across a nice venue for takoyaki in Motomachi (one of Kobe's coolest neighborhoods) last night. The scarcity of mayonnaise allowed the main ingredient, octopus to be tasted and enjoyed. Mayo is the condiment of choice. It’s put on everything in lieu of America’s favorite plumpifier, butter.

You can see the mayo industry’s spokesdoll, Kewpie, all over, with an especially heavy predominance in curio shops.

Just how takoyaki came to be round, I don't know. Ease of cooking is my guess. I would have preferred triangular bits, as the corner could be nipped off, allowing stored heat to dissipate and avoiding lots of scorched roves of mouths. But it just wasn’t meant to be.

To wash down the takoyaki was Suntory The Premium 100% All Malt Beer

This ‘limited edition’ beer was only 250 Yen, which in a restaurant is a steal. The aged cook was polite, unitrusive and kind looking. Just what you want. I prefer not to have sadistic, humanity-hating sociopaths preparing my meals.

Next time you're hungry, try takoyaki. Or just eat a cup of sugar. Either way.