" > wrote in message
...
> Hi -
>
> I have picked up and examined the Japanese curry packs in my local Asian
> supermarkets many times, puzzling over the ingredients and wondering how
> the stuff came about. It looks kind of like an Indian curry base, but
> it seems to be a bit sweet and quite mild, or at least so I surmised.
> What it did not look like was anything that I think of as 'typically
> Japanese', whatever that might be.
>
> Happily, I don't have to wonder any more. An article in the
> NYT/International Tribune devotes itself to describing a certain
> Japanese food subculture - 'Yoshoku' - i.e. Japanese-style 'Western
> Food'. It turns out that Japanese Curry is their take on the British
> Navy's take on Indian curry!
>
> Its a fun article, and you can read it here, if you are so inclined:
> http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/...japan-food.php
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ian

Yes that's true. During the Meiji era about
100-130 years ago there was a huge influx of all things western including
foods. This is where the practice of having replicas of the dishes out in
front of the restaurant
started so the local people would have an idea of what the dish looked like.
Kare- Raisu, or Curry Rice
did take root in Japan at that time and the origin is the British Royal Navy
which served as a model for the
then fledgling Japanese Imperial Navy. The relationship continued right
ythrough the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of
1902 and throughout the Russo-Japanes War of 1904-05. Admiral Heihachiro
Togo, who defeated the
Russian Far East Fleet at the battle of Tsushima is also credited with
having originated the Niku-Jaga, an interpretation of the Beef Stew served
in the Royal Navy. Both dishes are common authentic Japanese dishes now.
Musashi