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In Japanese cuisine, one of the easiest dishes to prepare is ochazuke, or a bowl of rice mixed with tea. While you can spruce it up with things such as plum, salmon, or spicy cod roe, the rice and tea are really all you need.

But while almost all Japanese people enjoy an occasional ochazuke session, some foreigners find it a little unnatural to pour what’s generally a beverage over their food. The whole thing becomes even less attractive if you’re not a particularly big fan of the Japanese green tea that’s normally used.

So if you’re interested in gradually easing yourself into ochazuke, maybe you’d prefer to start with a less astringent beverage, like cola.

▼ Ordinary ochazuke

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This idea was first floated to us by Cho Shinjuku comedy troupe member, and friend of the site, Ike.

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Ike, who originally hails from New York but now lives in Japan, tells us cola ochazuke (or cola-zuke, as we’re dubbing it), is absolutely the best. “All of my American friends love it!” he assured us.

On the one hand, Ike is a friendly and sociable guy, so when he says “all” of his American friends, we’re assuming that’s not a particularly small number. On the other hand, he’s also a professional comedian, meaning it’s his job to tell crazy jokes, and we weren’t entirely convinced cola-zuke wasn’t one.

▼ After all, this was the same guy who showed up for lunch wearing a leather jacket in the middle of a brutal Tokyo heat wave.

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We decided to call his bluff, saying that we’d try the suspicious combination only after he ate some himself.

He was happy to oblige.

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It seemed Ike was serious. As he happily chewed away, he expounded on how the cola adds to the natural sweetness of the rice, and also the way the carbonation stimulates the appetite. Next, it was our turn.

We hesitantly took a bite, bracing ourselves for a cloying onslaught of sweetness…which never came. While we wouldn’t personally label cola-zuke delicious, we’d at least call it edible. We’re still not sure the unusual pairing is poised to take American palates by storm, but considering that even some Japanese people are crazy about cola, we could imagine it actually making some sweet-toothed individuals happy right here.

Honestly, we’re not exactly in a huge rush to eat another bowl of cola-zuke, but if the idea of eating a bowl of plain white rice strikes you as just too sad, this could be an offbeat yet trailblazing way of brightening up your meal.

▼ Not entirely unlike Ike himself

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Top image: RocketNews24
Insert images: Livedoor, RocketNews2
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