Over 85% of respondents do not want to patronize the first restaurant in human history to specialize in poo-flavored curry. What a shock.
The first restaurant in human history to specialize in poo-flavored curry opened on August 16, in Chitose-Funabashi, Tokyo. The owner of this restaurant, called Curry Shop Shimizu (B1-A Joy Park Chitose-Funabashi, 1-1-17 Funabashi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, http://curryshopshimizu.com), is none other than the popular porn star Shimiken.
The first question on everyone’s mind is, “How do they know what shit tastes like?” To this, Shimiken replied that, besides the fact that he has tasted human excrement several times in the past, the restaurant also gathered coprophagists (shit eaters) to do some taste testing and verify the final flavor combination.
Next question – “Is the curry actually made of shit or is it all food ingredients?” Well, in order to bring out the strong scent as well as the bitterness and texture, they used senburicha (swertia japonica tea) and goya (bitter gourd) as well as cacao powder and mixed it with a normal Japanese curry, adding extra water to achieve the stickiness they were shooting for. The restaurant reported that they use proper ingredients, grill and boil them, and make sure they are thoroughly heated to comply with the food safety laws.
In order to deal with the smell inside the restaurant, they rely of on an ample supply of deodorizers and air purifiers. They also offer a spray of perfume as customers leave.
Besides drinks, the only item on the menu is “poo-flavored curry.” They sell some novelty items and seem to aim to be something of a joke restaurant. The question is, how will this be received by the public?
From August 12 to 13th, NariNari.com polled 400 men and women in their 20s and 30s (with an equal balance of age and sex). To the question, “Would you like to go to a restaurant serving poo-flavored curry?” 75% answered “No way” and 10.5% answered “Not if I don’t have to.” Together, this shows that over 85% of respondents are resistant to the idea of eating curry that tastes like shit, which would seem to spell doom for the restaurant.
When asked, “What would you think if someone asked you to a date at this restaurant?” 57.5% responded, “I would think they are insane,” while 14.5% said they would break up.
So, why would someone open a restaurant that seems crazy and isn’t likely to turn a profit? The idea began on September 28, 2013 at the “Poo-flavored curry single live show” that took place at the Asagaya Loft. Shimiken appeared at this event in order to make curry at his Curry Shop Shimiken and met the event producer Opanpon. This curry shop ended up making only normal curry. Feeling like he wanted another chance, Shimiken was featured on the Saitama TV program Shimiken no Nomiso Tsuru Tsuru Yarou!! (“Shimiken’s Slick Brain Bastard!!”) where he was able to successfully fulfill his goal of cooking poo-flavored curry.
He wanted people on the street to taste his curry, but the event hosts said “enough already” and turned him down. A company producing instant curry would not let him do it, either, and the TV itself was canceled at the end of July. Thus, his new restaurant was born from the desire to showcase his curry to a wider audience.
Shimiken explained his motivation. “You may think I’m just doing this for a laugh, but I have been mulling over the conundrum since I was a child. Would you rather eat curry that tastes like shit or eat shit that tastes like curry? I felt it would be an important innovation to actually tackle this issue and solve the dilemma. When people come to eat my curry, they will be able to resolve this problem for themselves and eventually the gravity of the experience will come through.”
Poo-flavored curry is the only item on the menu and is served in plates shaped like Japanese squat toilets. There are three sizes: “just a bit” – about three spoonful’s for 400 yen; “average” – about seven spoonful’s for 600 yen; and “oversized” – a full toilet for 1,000 yen.
