"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[]
Yoshinoya
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[]
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
1 fork |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
2 forks |
| Jensen Karp |
|
2 forks |
| Jensen Karp* |
|
3 forks |
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[]
Nihonbashi Cheese Bar
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.
| guest / host | rating |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Snack |
| Mike Mitchell | Wack |
| Jensen Karp | Snack |
Mt. Asianmore 🍜[]
Mitch asks for their rankings of different Asian Cuisines (#AtoZAsian).
| guest / host | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Japanese | Vietnamese | Thai | Chinese |
| Mike Mitchell | Chinese | Japanese | Thai | Vietnamese |
| Jensen Karp | Chinese | Japanese | Korean BBQ | Thai |
Roast Spoonman[]
Young Santa
| “ | Young Santa | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
Quotes[]
| “ | Why do I ever talk on this podcast? | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | I do a lot of long drives with no audio, but that's my thinkin' time. I spend a little alone time with the ol' noodle. Get some thinkin' done. | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
| “ | Jensen: Every time you explain your friends on the podcast I just imagine you were in the Goonies. Nick: Mitch's clique would not allow an Asian guy. |
” |
–Jensen Carp and Nick Wiger | ||
| “ | I feel like Bryant Gumbel should take over this podcast. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
#hashtags[]
- #QuickestTattoo
- #AtoZAsian
- #MyFavoriteYoshi
- #MyFavoriteFranchise
- #PunchUpMyFavoriteFranchise
The Feedbag[]
| “ | I love the Panda Express Innovation Kitchen in Pasadena which has special menu items such as scallion pancake wraps, a tea bar and relatively upscale decor. As a child I was fascinated by the self-proclaimed "World's Largest McDonald's" over the highway in Oklahoma. Are there any specific locations of chain restaurants that you particularly enjoy? | ” |
–Ben Castle | ||
| guest / host | specific chains they enjoy |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | McDonald's (Barstow, CA) - old train station |
| Mike Mitchell | Dunkin' Donuts (Quincy, MA) - the original |
| Jensen Karp | Taco Bell (Pacifica, CA) - it's on the beach |
References[]
| official visits | location | notes |
|---|---|---|
| Yoshinoya | Santa Monica, CA | Nick went to the location on Pico Blvd. |
| Yoshinoya | Hollywood, CA | Jensen went to the location on Santa Monica & Vine |
| Yoshinoya Japanese Kitchen | Los Angeles, CA | Jensen went to the location on La Cienega |
| restaurants referenced | location | notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mel's Drive-In | ||
| The Cheescake Factory / Baja Fresh | Jensen's food choices in the music studio | |
| Souplantation | ||
| P.F. Chang's / Benihana / SanSai | some Japanese chains mentioned | |
| Shunji Japanese Cuisine | Santa Monica, CA | Nick mentions this as one of his favorite Japanese places ("best meal of my life") |
| Boo's Philly Cheesesteaks | Silverlake, CA | |
| Gengis Cohen | Los Angeles, CA |
Drops and Plugs[]
| movies / tv | notes |
|---|---|
|
in Mitch's drop (by Millicent Younger) |
| Kanye West Owes Me $300 | Jensen's book |
Related Episodes[]
| Yoshinoya episodes |
|---|
|
Photos[]
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