Yoshinoya with Jensen Karp

"Yoshinoya with Jensen Karp" is Episode 53 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Yoshinoya with Jensen Karp" was released on May 19, 2016.

## Synopsis

Writer, gallery owner, and *Get Up On This* host Jensen Karp joins the ‘boys to talk about his relationship with Japanese fast food chain Yoshinoya, and discuss his new memoir *Kanye West Owes Me $300*. Plus, a listener submitted Snack or Wack from across the Pacific.

## Nick's intro

Many Japanese corporations have names that to Westerners sound like mere foreign assemblages of syllables, but actually have translatable meanings. Nintendo becomes "leave luck to heaven." Mitsubishi means "three diamonds."

And way back in 1899, an Osakan named Eikichi Matsuda opened a restaurant in a Tokyo fish market whose name loosely translates to "house of good fortune." Matsuda designed its logo - a Y-shaped bullhorn ringed with grains - evoking the chain's signature dish: a beef and rice bowl.

Post-World War II, the chain became a budget-friendly sensation in the Land of the Rising Sun, with some locations open for twenty-four hours and hitting a million dollars in sales in the 1960s. In 1975, the first North American branch opened in Colorado, and as the chain grew in the U.S., its Japanese locations became reliant on the importation of cheap and fatty American beef.

Now with over 1400 worldwide locations, mostly centered in Asia, the chain is thriving internationally, but flagging in North America, having gone from locations across the West and New York City, to now just existing in two states: Nevada and California.

Perhaps hoping to reverse its domestic struggles and walk back its reputation for cheap and grimy cuisine, it recently began retrofitting some stores as an upscale Chipotle-inspired Japanese kitchen concept.

So is this "house of good fortune" also a house of good food?

This week on *Doughboys*: Yoshinoya.

## Fork rating

	+ Honey Walnut Shrimp
	+ Original Beef
	+ Veggies
* Clam Chowder
 Mike Mitchell
* Combo Plate
	+ Original Beef
	+ Orange Chicken
	+ Veggies
* Eggrolls
 Jensen Karp
* White Rice
* Chicken Wings
 Jensen Karp\*
	+ Original Beef
	+ Orange Chicken
	+ White Rice
	+ Coleslaw

Jensen Karp ate at two different locations and gave different ratings for them. The second listing above is his visit to the 'fancier' Yoshinoya Japanese Kitchen, which Nick and Mitch did not visit.

*A few years later, the Doughboys come up with the Broken Plate Club for low-rated chains. Yoshinoya's scores retroactively qualify it for that Club.*

## Snack or Wack

   In Snack or Wack, the Doughboys have a snack and decide if it is 'good' or 'bad'.

For this episode, they try a Nihonbashi Cheese Bar: Cheese Tara, which is cheese with a dried-cod coating. It had been sent in by a listener (Leslie in Japan).

They were put off by the description and the smell, but Nick and Jensen in the end were fascinated enough by its weirdness to recommend it.

 Mike Mitchell
 Jensen Karp

## Mt. Asianmore 🍜

Mitch asks for their rankings of different Asian Cuisines (#AtoZAsian).

 Mike Mitchell
 Jensen Karp

## #hashtags

* #QuickestTattoo
* #AtoZAsian
* #MyFavoriteYoshi
* #MyFavoriteFranchise
* #PunchUpMyFavoriteFranchise

## The Feedbag

 Mike Mitchell
 Jensen Karp

## References

 Yoshinoya
 Yoshinoya Japanese Kitchen

## Drops and Plugs

* *The Chappelle Show*
* *South Park*
* *Good Will Hunting*
* *300*
* Dropkick Murphys "I'm Shipping Up To Boston"
* Neil Diamond "Sweet Caroline"
 *Kanye West Owes Me $300* | Jensen's book

## Related Episodes

* DD. BOWL: Rumblies Region