Donkatsu

In Kyoto, I tried for the first time don-katsu, which essentially is the Japanese version of deep-fried pork cutlet. Panko bread crumbs are used and once the pork is all smothered in them, it’s then deep-fried until golden-brown. Don-katsu is very common in Japan and widely available, found at supermarkets, street vendors, and both low and high-end restaurants. The only difference is the quality of the pork used - from what I’ve read, the more upscale places use black pig, a rare and coveted species raised in Kagoshima Prefecture. If you're interested in making this and other dishes at home, check out my new blog, Modernist Foodie.

I ordered the standard lunch set, which came with a simple soup broth, the deep-fried pork, and some shredded cabbage. My dining companion ordered the same set, except she requested shrimp instead of pork. I tried some of each, and both were pretty good. I enjoyed the contrasts of textures - the exterior, crispy and crunchy and the interior, surprisingly moist and tender. Don-katsu isn’t anything fancy but it is rather tasty. After all, anything battered and deep-fried tastes pretty good, don't you think?


So the photos shown above are really of just plastic food samples. Ok, I'm just kidding - but they do look pretty damn close. What you'll notice in Japan is that outside the majority of casual restaurants are huge display cases showcasing the menu items you can order inside. They’re like the fake fruit you’ll find in a basket at kitchen appliance or furniture stores.
Aside from their tackiness, the plastic samples do provide some use. Most of the time they present a fairly accurate visual of the actual food you’ll eat. There are no tricks or surprises here - what you see is what you get. It saves you the rather irritating and disappointing experience of ordering a dish that sounded great on paper but in reality, looked closer to dog poo than don perignon.

American restaurants don’t share the same love affair with plastic food displays - I’m thankful they don’t. I’m not in any way suggesting that they should adopt this practice. However, it does illustrate quite well what any successful business must do - and that is, manage expectations. Dissatisfaction occurs because customers enter expecting a certain level of quality and end up getting served something less. It’s as simple as that. When you remove the uncertainty with say, a plastic food sample, it’s much easier to have your customers leave happy and “satisfied.”