Conversation

Twenty years ago, almost to the day (probably Tuesday January 13th, 2004, because I remember it was the day after Coming of Age day) I was walking to work in Osaka from where I was staying at the Westin hotel. (Which is where I learned that conspicuous opulence in Japan is expressed by incorporating large holes into buildings, thereby wasting space in a space-hungry land... but that's another story.)

I remember buying something to eat at a convenience store. I bought a kind of pale doughy roll with meat inside. It was rather good, and something I’ve not had before or since, though I’ve thought about it off and on.

Tonight, while reading Doughnuts under a Crescent Moon (a romantic yuri manga) I was reminded of these things and decided to track them down. It turns out they were 肉まん, nikuman, a popular Japanese take on Chinese steamed pork buns. And now I have recipes, so I may just have to make my own, for nostalgia serious cultural study reasons of course. 🤭