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Tweet of the Week #123: Ramen Shop Owner Warns Against Undercooked Chashu

Is raw pork belly worth getting sick over?

By 2 min read

Delicious melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly, or chashu in Japanese, is by far one of the all-time favorite ramen toppings ever. But some people like it a bit too on the rare side. This low-temperature cooked chashu is threatening consumers’ health and possibly the ramen business itself.

Low-temperature cooked chashu started trending about ten years ago, but once people started getting sick, the government had to step in and regulate the dish. It’s still allowed, but the meat must be cooked at exactly 63 degrees celsius and for 30 minutes minimum.

Such precise measurements take talent, which is something not every chef possesses. Patrons are still consuming uncooked pork belly, and the owner of Yamaguchi ramen, a well-known shop in Tokyo, has had enough. The ramen master drew attention after pleading with other shops to stop serving undercooked chashu if they can’t cook it properly.

Don’t eat that

いま一番いちばんいたいこと

知識ちしき低温ていおんぶたチャーシュー

ホントやめて下さい

63℃ろくじゅうさんど30分さんじゅっぷんっていたことありますか?

一回いっかいなにかあったらラーメン業界ぎょうかいのみならず豚肉ぶたにく低温調理ていおんちょうり自体じたい禁止きんしになるよ

意識いしきたかけいじゃなくて知識ちしき高い系にしましょうよ

わるいけど今後こんごヤバそうなのはぜんのこしします

我々われわれうごかないとダメ!

We suggest committing Yamaguchi Ramen’s picture to memory, less you risk a case food poisoning.

“What I want to say the most now is please stop cooking chashu at a low temperature if you don’t have the skill. Have you ever heard ‘You must cook [meat] at 63°C for 30 minutes? ‘If something [bad] happens just once, low-temperature cooked pork will be banned everywhere, not only in the ramen industry.

Don’t just pretend like you know what you’re doing. Educate yourself. I’m sorry, but I won’t eat anything that looks like it will make me sick. We must act or else!”

Following the buzz, Japan’s Ministry’s Food Surveillance and Safety Division stated that while it’s not always the case, the center of well-cooked chashu should be white, and consumers should beware of pinkish braised pork.

We suggest committing Yamaguchi Ramen’s picture to memory, less you risk a case of food poisoning.

How to use ないと

Wareware ga ugokanaito dame!

The plain negative form of the verb ない combined with the particle と can be used to express a predictable outcome whenever an action is not done. In other words, it indicates what must be done, e.g., “if you don’t,” “must do,” and “unless.”

  • 今すぐかないとわない: “If we don’t go now, we won’t make it on time” (“Unless we go now, we won’t make it on time.”)
  • 我々が動かないとダメ: “We need to do something about this!” (“We must act, or else!”)

In clear context, the end (the consequence) is often omitted in an ominous effect:

  • 勉強べんきょうしないと: “If I don’t study…”
  • はやめにないと: “If I don’t sleep early…”

Vocabulary

Japanese Romaji English
(と) ていたことありますか (to) te kiita koto ga arimasu ka Have you heard of… ?
ラーメン業界ぎょうかい raamen gyoukai Ramen shop business
低温調理ていおんちょうり teion chyouri Low-temperature cooking
禁止きんしになる kinshi ni naru Become forbidden
意識いしきたかけい ishiki takai kei Be pretentious (be overly conscious about image, following the fashion or trend…), pretender, be a go-getter (negative)
知識ちしき高い系 chishiki takai kei Be knowledgeable
ぜんのこしする zen nokoshi suru Leave everything (make it all leftover)
文字数もじすう mojisuu Word count, number of letter or character
表記ひょうき hyouki Notation
芯温しんおん shinon Core temperature
基本情報きほんじょうほう kihonjouhou Basic information, fundamental information

 

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