A Fukuokan's Notes from Sapporo

Recently I have started shopping at a butcher which I have held back from entering by its stately facade. In fact, once I plucked up my courage to cross the threshold (politely saying “Ojama shimaaaasu,”) the store turned out to be very accessible.  Although the price range is a bit higher than supermarkets’ meats, the variety is much wider than other butchers’ (by Japanese standard, not yours—don’t expect racks of lamb or rabbit), and most of meats are locally produced (I don’t know where the feeds come from, though). The shop assistant (or shop mistress) is an extremely polite and knowledgeable lady. Actually, this may be my first time in my 40++ year-life that I have ever met such a courteous butcher (apart from one in Melbourne who complimented my English).  

The only drawback of this butcher is, they don’t stock “lean” parts of porks. They stock fillet or breast of chickens, but when it comes to pork, there are only bellies in a variety of styles; thinly sliced, thickly sliced, and joints (with no skin and hair)…  I know the basics of food: the fatter the tastier.  However, fat is the last thing I want to take into my body before taking a yearly medical check-up scheduled in a week of time. So I asked her whether she stocked any “healthier” alternatives, like loins or shoulders. She said; “Madam, may I say our pork bellies are not as fatty as they look.”  I couldn’t believe her sales talk. She read my face and added: “We have trimmed all unnecessary fat from them for you, so our pork bellies carry only deliciousness and richness, but not so much fat you might imagine.” I was still doubtful. She continued to press her point:  “Let me suggest one more thing, if you are afraid of getting fatter, though I don’t think you have to. A little amount of pork belly gives more richness and flavour to your dishes than bigger amount of leaner parts. You wouldn’t have to use meat like  Westerners do (sorry for our prejudice that Westerners eat kilos of meat at every meal)”. She told me that school dinners used about 30grams of pork bellies per pupil, so 50 grams should be plenty for everyday dishes, or Okazu by our definition.

100 grams of locally produced pork belly: about JPY220 (I am not 100% sure about the price, though)

According to Standard Table of Food Composition in Japan (Fifth Revised and Enlarged Edition) on my desk, the calories that different parts of pork have are:

Shoulder 253kcal/100gram;

Loin 263 kcal/100 gram;

Fillet 115kcal/100gram; and

Belly 386kcal/100 gram.

So 50 grams of pork belly carry 193kcal while 80grams of shoulder have 202kcal….

Flavour or quantity… That’s quite a problem.