Posted March 29, 2013 by Jonelle Patrick2 Comments Food

Breakfast Dogs

Would you like your perky breakfast ballpark frank dressed with mustard or covered with meat sauce? — Would you like your perky breakfast frank dressed with mustard or smothered in chili?

Recently Tokyoites craving a change from the traditional piece of grilled fish, seaweed, and rice mixed with sticky fermented soybeans have been flocking to cafes offering special “morning set” breakfasts. These exotic “Western” style combos feature the kind of food it’s believed that foreigners pound down to start their day right: green salad and hot dogs.

Green salad and hot dogs?! Okay, I have to admit, I haven’t been able to find any excuse for the salad thing, but my theory about the hot dogs is that authentic “American breakfast” sometimes does feature sausage, and a hot dog could be considered a kind of sausage, so it belongs in the elf-dwarf confusion category. The nuance that dictates one kind of sausage be eaten with a cup of joe while doing one’s morning Facebook un-tagging, and the other be enjoyed only when surrounded by a ballpark, gets lost in the cultural translation somehow.

That said, check out the variety of dogs on offer!

The Cafe de Crie offers a choice between two dogs and a "baloney" sandwich on a hot dog bun. — The Cafe de Crie offers a choice between two dogs and a “baloney” sandwich on a hot dog bun.

At KFC you'd think they'd know better, but their breakfast set merely combines the salad and dog into one easy-to-wolf-down sandwich. — KFC’s breakfast combines the salad and dog into one easy-to-wolf-down sandwich.

DogNYcafe — I wonder what “foreign” taste delight is in store for those who order the “sesame dog” with catsup and mustard?

For the biggest bargain of all, ¥360 gets you a hot dog baked in a bun, a cup o' coffee, a banana and an egg! — For the biggest bargain of all, ¥360 gets you a hot dog baked in a bun, a cup o’ coffee, a banana and an egg at the Vie en France!

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Jonelle Patrick View All

Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!

2 thoughts on “Breakfast Dogs” ›

I like how they botched the photo of the D dog in the first photo! There is such a huge amount of chili on the sausage that it actually bends under the sheer weight of it all…! (^-^;)

Jonelle Patrick says:

April 2, 2013 at 11:57 am

Ahaha, you’re right! Although it might be the “C” selection that was botched – have you ever noticed the food styling on Japanese hog dog product shots? The end of the dog sticking out from whatever stuff they’ve piled on top always looks kind of obscenely perky…

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