I like food and I’m always looking for new Japanese TV programs to watch, so Shokusai no Oukoku (食彩の王国) sounded like a good fit. Each episode takes one food, or a few foods from a certain region. First they show the various ways the locals prepare it, then they show a professional chef who uses the item in various high-class dishes.
It’s not really what I was looking for because most of the ingredients are things like eel and fresh wasabi and abalone, etc, stuff I can’t get in my country no matter how much money I pay. Most of the cooking done by the chefs can’t be replicated by an amateur cook by me – besides the dishes always look so fussy and artsy. That only leaves the home-cooked version of each item, which only makes up about 1% of each show.
But if that was the only problem I might have kept watching it. It’s interesting to learn about new foods and the narration is very soothing. The problem with Shokusai no Oukoku is the sheer barbarity of their food preparation methods. The cruelty with which they prepare the animals while they’re still alive is just too much for me to take.
I’m not a vegan or a vegetarian. I’m more of a People Eating Tasty Animals kind of person. I believe God gave us both plants and animals for food. What I don’t believe in is causing untold suffering to creatures in the course of preparing that food.
In one episode of Shokusai no Oukoku, I watched a woman prepare crab miso soup by crushing live crabs and mixing them with hot water and miso. Why crush them while alive? WHYYY? It’s too horrible. But that woman was a home cook. Maybe she doesn’t know any better. Let’s turn to our professional chef… He’s doing that same thing! Crushing them with a brick!!!!
Okay, that was just one episode. It won’t happen any more, right? Right… as far as crabs go… But then I watched the episode about octopus. Oh, the octopuses. It was horrible. Really horrible. Especially when you know what I do about how sensitive and intelligent octopuses are. Just pure Japanese sadism at its finest.
First they chopped up an octopus while alive, and that was presented as a good thing. “See how fresh it is, it’s wriggling!” OF COURSE IT’S WRIGGLING WHILE YOU’RE BUTCHERING IT TO DEATH! Rgggh. And it got worse with a cooking method known as jigoku yaki (地獄焼) which is grilling seafood alive. Yes, alive. I will spare you the gory details. I just wish someone had spared me. I must have lived a very blessed life so far because it is easily the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen anyone do to an animal.
I don’t want to watch Shokusai no Oukoku any more. I don’t want to watch any Japanese cooking show any more. I’ve just… I’m done. This post was a warning to stay far far away from this horrible, inhumane program. You were warned.