On Sunday, August 4, Harajuku was crowded with tourists from all over Japan as usual.

Among them, there must have been a ladder from a pancake shop in Harajuku. However, eating pancakes wasn't enough, and it seems that there were even more tsuwamono who enjoyed talking about culture with pancakes as a story.

Harajuku "VACANT" was where the tsuwamono gathered. What was being held there was a talk event "Harajuku Summer Pancake Festival-Eating, Reading and Talking-" by Yukiko Tomiyama, the author of "Pancake Note", and Rika Fukuda of "Food Theory". did.


Ms. Yukiko Tomiyama and Ms. Rika Fukuda, who have both family and two family words, regarding food, shojo manga, and boys with glasses. There is no reason why the conversation between these two people is not interesting.

The eating editorial department should not miss anything that seems to be interesting. That's why I went to Harajuku where the conversation was held. What kind of story can you hear?

■ What is the purpose of this dialogue?

Yukiko Tomiyama who appeared at the pancake event held at "ROCKET" in Harajuku from August 2nd to 6th. In the conversation on this day

"I want to talk about pancakes in a multifaceted and cultural way, not just to introduce delicious pancake shops."

It seems that Rika Fukuda, who is perfect for that purpose, was nominated as a conversation partner.


The dialogue consists of three parts. In the first part, Mr. Tomiyama went to the listener and Mr. Rika Fukuda talked about the current situation and future of the pancake boom.

■ Rika Fukuda talks about the pancake boom

◆ Is pancake a "fashion food"?

Rika Fukuda "This year, a book called" Fashion Food is Available "was published. Although it is not a global scale, food trends have been seen for a long time. For example, if you go to visit Ise, there is a specialty at the post station. And everyone was enjoying it. "

"There is fashion food. Is a book by Ms. Mitsuko Hatanaka. This is a book that analyzes that the "food" that was originally needed to live began to become "fashionable" as Japan became richer. Rika Fukuda points out that pancakes are the latest "fashion food."

Rika Fukuda "But I can't say that it's fashionable. There is no doubt that eating strange things has evolved the food. Eating strange mushrooms and eating strange creatures in the sea. I think that there are many people who have died. Bread is a good bet. If it is left unattended, it will be swollen, and it seems that it is okay to smell it? However, if the bacteria were a little different, they might have died. Perhaps by repeating that, the food has evolved. Now that I can analyze it scientifically, I've come to understand that this bacteria is useless even if I don't eat it. But I think food is still in the process of a grand experiment. "

◆ Has the pancake boom come as a reaction to the "high-end" food culture?

Rika Fukuda analyzes that the "high-end" food culture, which has complex tastes and beautiful decorations, reached its peak once in the zero years. He says that the current simple and rustic "pancake" boom is a reaction to that.

Rika Fukuda "After all, the appearance of" Pierre Hermé "is big. In terms of chocolate, there is something like" Jean-Paul Evan ", which is like the end of evolution in a sense ..."


Yukiko Tomiyama "It's a sweet that has the ultimate" accumulation of information ", such as having calculations, ideas, and concepts. Is the pancake a simple type that came after that? "

Rika Fukuda "Yeah. Just because I've mastered it, do I eat it for the rest of my life? I'm tired of it. Because it's a sweet. Then, I eat the second and third decoctions of the masterpiece. It's understandable to swing in the opposite direction and head towards the naive system. "

Yukiko Tomiyama "Then, Japan is a time when it has a high affinity with simple people, so is it a pancake boom?"

Rika Fukuda "Yes, so it's natural that one day we'll be at the other end of the spectrum."

Rika Fukuda predicts that the simple and rustic "pancake" boom will soon end, and that the era of complex and luxurious tastes that cannot be reproduced at home and can only be eaten at restaurants and cafes will come again. ..

Yukiko Tomiyama "I want a feeling of luxury, isn't it? I'm happy to spend a lot of money on things that can only be eaten outside."

Rika Fukuda "That's right, I'm eating" high-end specs "" (Venue Doyomeki)

Yukiko Tomiyama "Have you heard? Please make a note here. We are eating" high-end specs "rather than sweets, we are" (laughs at the venue)

Rika Fukuda "I can't eat a computer with high-end specs, but I can eat sweets. That's the pleasure."

Yukiko Tomiyama "Where is Marie Antoinette? " If you can't eat a computer, you should eat sweets " (laughs at the venue) I see, I think I understand why the pancake boom came."


◆ The end of the pancake boom and beyond

The story of the two continues to the end of the pancake boom and beyond.

Rika Fukuda "This pancake boom that seems to last forever will definitely go away. There is no boom that never ended."

Yukiko Tomiyama "I hope you can make a soft landing. I'm scared when the boom suddenly ends."

Rika Fukuda "Is it like Nata de coco?"

Yukiko Tomiyama "Yes! It seems that many factories in Southeast Asia will collapse. Instead, when I wanted everyone to take root in the habit of eating pancakes even after the big boom had passed, I went to a queue shop. I would like to propose ways of getting involved other than lining up. "

Rika Fukuda "Just, after all, when you say what everyone is eating in the boom, they are already eating information."

Yukiko Tomiyama "" I'm eating information "!! I got a killer phrase again. Please take notes!" (Laughs at the venue)

Rika Fukuda "If that happens, it doesn't matter if it's delicious or not. So you shouldn't think it's stupid when you see the people in line. It's lined up for information. "

Yukiko Tomiyama " Yes, that's right."

Rika Fukuda "It's beneficial for that person. For example, buying a regular donut for 3,000 yen or buying a crispy cream donut for 1,000 yen in a row for an hour is worth it for that person. Is that so?

What happens when you take it to a business location with many girls? Ordinary donuts end with "Thank you, I'll eat later", right? But with Krispy Kreme, everyone will be happy, right? Isn't it a topic of the workplace? That's why there is such a business. "

Yukiko Tomiyama "I call pancakes" communication food. "It's like" an excursion until I get home. "Pancakes are lined up, taken in a photo, and posted on SNS. Until you do, it's a pancake. You can't be satisfied just by eating it. Well, this may eventually be replaced by another food. "

Rika Fukuda "It will definitely change."

Yukiko Tomiyama " That's why I want to enjoy now"

Rika Fukuda "Conversely, the number of pancake shops has increased due to the boom, so it's time to eat for those who like it. So, if you don't appreciate the trend."

Yukiko Tomiyama "Thanks to the fashion, small flour mills all over the country are starting to make pancake flour. Some of them are really delicious."

Rika Fukuda "The powder that remains even after the boom is gone is really delicious, isn't it?"

Yukiko Tomiyama "A delicious white powder that you can eat now. It's a white powder that doesn't touch the law (laughs)."

■ Rika Fukuda introduces pancake shops in the United States, Yukiko Tomiyama introduces pancake shops in Japan

After this, the dialogue continued to the second part, where Rika Fukuda found pancake shops in San Francisco, LA, and Seattle, and Yukiko Tomiyama found an interesting pancake in Japan after the publication of "Pancake Note". Each store was introduced.

Regarding the contents of the second part, the secret (?) Only for those who visited the venue. But let me introduce you a little bit specially. Yukiko Tomiyama recommends Shinjuku's bistro cafe "Ladies & Gentlemen". According to Tomiyama, the souffle pancakes here are so fluffy that you feel like you're eating haze.


The story of the two continues to the third part. (Continued to Part II scheduled to be released on August 20)