OSAKA - The one thing stereotypes have in common is that they usually contain at least a few grains of truth. Sometimes, as with the city of Osaka, they exceed reality. Osakans, you might say, have a certain reputation.
The women are frank in their gaze and assertive in dress and speech, while the men are gregarious to a fault. A stranger in this city is treated in a way that is not always the case in other parts of Japan. Eye contact is made, your presence acknowledged. Crowded, unbearably hot in summer, unapologetically loud and in your face, its people are a sassy, friendly breed, with a legendary, often ribald, sense of humor, who carry a swagger you don't see elsewhere.
Osakans, with their appetite for life, are also gastronomes. Grub and booze pour out of every pore and crevice of the city, a stream of endless preparation and consumption. Osakans have never denied their food obsession. A local expression holds, "Kyoto kidaore, Osaka kuidore," meaning, "Kyotoites bankrupt themselves buying kimonos, Osakans eat themselves into debt." I doubt the good people of Kyoto spend a great deal on kimonos these days, but the bond between Osakans and food endures.
A voluble, spirited people, their highly developed sense of hospitality transforms the food service sector. Home to the world's biggest cooking school, the city is gaining international attention and praise. The renowned French food critic, Francois Simon, for example, has declared that Osaka is his favorite gastronomic city in the world.
For many fans, part of the appeal comes from the fact that eating in Osaka is a fun, relaxed experience, one of the few places in Japan where it is acceptable to walk in the street and eat. At a certain level, food here is a serious business, demanding the highest standards. Osaka, in fact, can boast an inordinate number of the nation's celebrity chefs. ...continue reading
