McDonald’s Japan is no stranger to testing the waters with new and unusual menu items, most of which are rather exotic compared to their American counterparts. But lucky diners in Japan will also have the opportunity to whet their appetite with One Piece-themed offerings starting on April 19th.
Check out one of the promo videos (it’s in Japanese only) and let us know in the comments what your thoughts are. Clever? Cringe?
A popular seasonal item at McDonald’s Japan is the gohan burger. Not to be confused with the Dragonball character, as gohan means “rice” or “meal” in Japanese, the sandwich features a bun made of remarkably well-packed rice with your choice of protein in between. I’m not a big fast food connoisseur, but curiosity compelled me to try it. I found the rice’s soy sauce and garlicky notes mingled well with the savory fried chicken and the crispness of the lettuce.
The chicken tatsuta gohan burger (pictured on the left) features a cornstarch-breaded chicken patty with the same fixings, including a zesty mayonnaise-like sauce. The sandwich on the right has diced yuzu, sudachi, kabosu (all different varieties of Japanese citrus fruits), and a daikon radish slaw with a soy sauce-infused mayo. It’s got a lot going on, but I suppose it must be good if Sanji approves. Citrus and savory flavors are usually good swabbies, after all.
Alongside your sandwich, they’ll offer shaka-shaka fries (you shake them in a bag with seasoning). And you can wash it down with a Nami-inspired yogurt-flavored soda drink. You can upgrade it to a float if you wish, and yes, the Mcflurry machines do, in fact, work.
There’s no word on if the gohan burger will ever set sail for American shores, so for the time being, the quirky regional menu items will probably remain locked up in Japan.
If you want to understand what Gol D. Roger said in that ad or if you want to travel to Japan to sample the gohan burger for yourself, it’s never too late to pick up a new language. The J-List store offers a treasure trove of studying resources to get you started. And once you’ve eaten your fill of rice-burger goodness, why not head over to the One Piece-themed gym and work off those calories?
