Jul. 13th, 2017 10:04 pm
KodoGuru S6 Ep12 Finale: Drama Notes
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earth_colorsEp. 12 Finale: "Deep Fried Corn and Beef Rice of Gotanda, Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo"
Episode Synopsis. Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutake) arrived at Gotanda Station, to meet with his last client for the day, Watanabe Masayoshi (Hasegawa Tomoharu), the president of a certain packing company. However, as soon as Watanabe saw him, he pulled Goro behind some crates to hide him from his mother. Goro was confused and bewildered... After the meeting, Goro stopped for a moment to watch the flow of Meguro River. He suddenly felt hungry and looked for a shop. He saw a signboard that said, "Fureai Eat and Drink Shop Area". It was located inside a building full of snack bars and pubs. Being a non-drinker, Goro at first, hesitated but when he saw the sign, "Shokudou Todaka", he decided to give it a shot. Inside, the master of the shop (Tsuyoshi Muro) asked him to choose a drink which comes with a side nibble. Disappointed, Goro felt uneasy since it seemed it was mainly a pub. But he looked at the menu, and realized that there were Beef Rice and miso soup available, too. Besides, many of the side items like Octopus and Cucumber with Salted Kelp, Deep-Fried Corn, Rockfish-Eggplant Roll, Deep-Fried Sesame Tofu-Tomato Dashi, and Uni On The Nitamago etc. sound curiously tantalizing and promising...
Drama Notes:
Featured Eatery:
Shokudou TODAKA
[食堂とだか]
Address: Tokyo, Shinagawa Ward, Nishi-Gotanda 1-9-3 B1F
How To Get There:
2-minute walk from JR Gotanda Station (map)
More info/pix:
Gotanda [五反田]. Located along Meguro River in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its name means "5 rice paddies" since the valley of Meguro River flows almost east to west, and apparently these paddy fields around the valley was named "Gotanda" because these were 5 tan (a "tan" was the standard measurement of one rice field which was around 1000 sq. meters so 5 tan equals around 5000 sq.meters). Gotanda is divided into Higashi-Gotanda (East) and Nishi-Gotanda (West). Higashi-Gotanda is mainly an office town and a downtown area where there are plenty of embassies, business, and eating and drinking establishments. Nishi-Gotanda (West) is mainly a residential area, some of which are high-end, particularly mansions of former samurai families, and diplomat and expatriates' families. Places of note: Nemu no Ki no Niwa (birthplace/parent's home of Empress Michiko), Ikedayama Park, and Seisen University.
KodoGuru S6 Ep12 Food-Related Glossary (Theme: Drinking Pub):
♥ Names of Japanese drinking pubs.
Izakaya [居酒屋]. Informal pub which also serves some food.
Nomiya [飲み屋]. Bar/tavern.
Ippainomiya [一杯飲み屋]. Cheap drinking pub.
Tachinomi [立呑み]. Standing bar.
Sakaba [酒場]. Bar. In this episode, Goro read a sign that says "Rock Sakaba" [ﾛｯｸ酒場] or "rock-themed bar".
Sunakku [スナック]. Snack bar, usually has a hostess who serves and entertains.
Sunakku [スナック]. Snack bar, usually has a hostess who serves and entertains.
Inshokuten [飲食店]. It literally means "drink and food shop". In this episode, the sign said "Fureai Inshokuten Gai" (Fureai Eat and Drink Shop Area) which made Goro assume it had restaurants, only to find it full of pubs.
♥ Different names for appetizers, and side nibbles with your drinks:
♥ Different names for appetizers, and side nibbles with your drinks:
Sakana [肴]. Appetizer or snack served with drinks. It could also mean conversation or performance to liven up a bar.
Sakidzuke [先付け]. Appetizer.
Otoshi [お通し]. Appetizer. This was the word used in this episode.
Kuchitori [口取り]. Appetizer, nibbles, or side dish.
Tsukidashi [突出し]. Appetizer, hors d'oeuvre
Zensai [前菜]. Appetizer, starter.
♥ Food that was mentioned in this episode:
Shiokobu [塩昆布]. Thin strips of kombu cooked in soy sauce, etc. then dried. This was mentioned in the "Octopus and Cucumber with Salted Kelp" [たことｷｭｳﾘの塩昆布] dish.
Kinki [ｷﾝｷ]. The genus of rockfish that Goro ate with his "Deep-Fried Rockfish Eggplant Roll [ｷﾝｷと茄子の包み焼き]. The real name is "broadbanded thornyhead".
Nitamago [煮玉子]. Boiled egg, marinated in seasoning, like soy sauce. Recipe HERE. (above pic left: tabelog)
Sakyu-Rakkyo [砂丘ﾗｯｷｮｳ]. Sakyuu means "sand dunes", particularly the sand dunes of Fukube, Tottori Prefecture whose specialty are these rakkyo (or scallions or bulb of leeks). (info: japan-brand) (pic above middle: torican)
Shirae [白和え]. Salad dressing made of with tofu, white sesame, and white miso. Recipe HERE.
Gyu-toro [牛ﾄﾛ]. Raw beef. The Master of the shop showed a dish of uni rolled in strips of gyu-toro. "Gyu" means "beef" while "toro" comes from "torotoro" which means "oily" or "brimming with fat". In Hokkaido, there is a local dish called "Gyutoro-don" which is minced raw beef served on rice with some sauce.
Age-toumorokoshi [揚げﾄｳﾓﾛｺｼ]. Deep-fried corn or corn tempura or corn fritters. Recipe HERE. (pic above right: erecipe)
What was Actually Said.
"When in Rome..". The actual saying is "Gō ni ireba, gō ni shitagae" [郷に入れば郷に従え] or "When you enter a town, abide by the town's ways". But Goro added, "If you do that, you will get to enjoy (your stay or the town) [郷に入れば郷に従い郷を楽しめ].
"Goro no Shiranai Sekai". Or "Goro's Unknown World". He took it from a title of a TBS variety show "Matsuko no Shiranai Sekai" [マツコの知らない世界], which is hosted by Matsuko Deluxe.
Cameo Appearances. As usual, Qusumi made his finale episode appearance as himself. Also, making a brief appearance was Ani of hip-hop group Scha Dara Parr as himself, that's why he was saying to his companion, "When our new song comes out, please handle the events, etc."
"I shouldn't have said Sayonara". When Qusumi was saying his farewell to the audience, he was worried that "sayonara" might have sounded too permanent, like there won't be any more seasons in the future. He probably preferred to say "until we meet again".
Cameo Appearances. As usual, Qusumi made his finale episode appearance as himself. Also, making a brief appearance was Ani of hip-hop group Scha Dara Parr as himself, that's why he was saying to his companion, "When our new song comes out, please handle the events, etc."
"I shouldn't have said Sayonara". When Qusumi was saying his farewell to the audience, he was worried that "sayonara" might have sounded too permanent, like there won't be any more seasons in the future. He probably preferred to say "until we meet again".
Taniguchi Jiro
(1947 - 2017)
Goodbye, Taniguchi-Sensei. As you know, "Kodoku no Gurume"'s manga artist and my personal favorite, Taniguchi Jiro, has died early this year (February 7, 2017). So I'm a bit disappointed that the show did not even mention about it, or at least dedicated an episode or moment of respect for him and his works.
(pic: wiki)
My other peeves. Some JP viewers (including me) were expecting Goro's late father will be shown somehow (maybe in a flashback or a dream) since in the title back, or opening credits, Taniguchi's illustration of Goro's dream about his father (with his back turned) was shown. Another thing that irks me is the issue of Goro not having a tablet or even a smartphone, considering he's the type of guy who uses Rolex, BMW and other luxury items. He still uses a goddamn flip phone! But my guess is, sticking with a flip phone gives him a reason not to have access to apps that can find restaurants in the area since it will ruin some of the show's signature TV tropes. Oh well.
Episode Index (link)