Nostalgic Junk Food | Hideyuki Tokuda (Dean of the Graduate School of Media and Governance)

October 10, 2009

In late September, I attended the international conference on ubiquitous computing, UbiComp 2008, with my students. UbiComp is held on a rotating basis in Europe, North America, and Asia. In 2005, we hosted the first UbiComp in Asia, which took place in Tokyo. This time, it was held in Seoul, South Korea, marking the second time it has been hosted in Asia. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the conference, and in addition to the usual town meeting, a panel session was held on the future of ubiquitous computing research and the UbiComp international conference. I was invited to participate as a panelist representing the Asian region. Regarding the research outcomes of ubiquitous computing, while there have been successful applications in mobile phone apps like location-aware services, I hope to see more applied research and field experiments on a larger societal scale, as well as the creation of new business models.

Now, for this article's theme of "gourmet," I've decided to touch upon some memorable junk food instead. There seem to be many gourmet professors, so as someone who has experienced a variety of junk foods during my time in Canada and the United States, I have many nostalgic favorites.

First, if you ever go to "Pitts" (Pittsburgh), I highly recommend trying Buffalo chicken wings. They are chicken wings coated in a very spicy, Tabasco-like sauce and are an appetizer that goes well with beer. This was a junk food that often appeared at the Computer Science Department's TGIF parties on Friday evenings during my time at CMU. The spiciness can vary quite a bit depending on the restaurant, and I was once disappointed when I ordered them in Seattle because they weren't spicy enough. The balance of sourness and spiciness is crucial.

The second is the baby back ribs from a rib joint in Pittsburgh's Station Square. While the large ribs are also delicious, the unique "junk food" quality of these baby back ribs is what I find so nostalgic. Even during my time in the US, I wasn't much of a meat-eater, but I often treated visitors from Japan to either these baby back ribs or prime rib, presenting them as the true taste of Pittsburgh. There were times when a large group of Japanese visitors ordered so much that the kitchen had to stop taking orders. The tenderness of the rib meat and the sauce are key.

The third is the hot and sour soup sold at Chinese restaurants in various shopping mall food courts. The taste of this also varies considerably depending on the place. Some places try to fake the "hot" flavor with black pepper, while others use something resembling tofu that looks like chopped-up rags. Of course, the hot and sour soup served in Chinese restaurants in Tokyo is overwhelmingly more delicious, but considering the questionable ingredients, I believe the "junk food level" of the original American version is unbeatable.

In any case, as Professor Kaneko once said, "You are what you eat," so please be careful not to eat too much junk food. But still, I miss that taste...

(Published: October 10, 2009)