Our Japanese reporter Ahiruneko is an admitted gari (pickled ginger) maniac. Whenever he goes into a sushi restaurant he’s sure to polish off as much of the pink sweet and sour flakes as he does actual sushi. Yes, for Ahiruneko, sushi just wouldn’t be sushi without gari.

But one day he heard some troubling news. Word had it that Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Russia were selling a chicken sandwich topped with gari. “What are the Russians thinking?!” thought our reporter as he set out in search of these mythical creations…

After a brief search online, Ahiruneko found a Russian commercial for the KFC gari chicken sandwiches.

▼ And with this ad, globalization has officially won.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=KJmw2ikCWmg

Immediately after viewing, Ahiruneko went straight to the RocketNews24 management to request a round trip ticket to Moscow plus accommodation so that he might taste this amazing sandwich for himself. They flatly denied his request, but did allow him to go to the KFC around the corner and then to the supermarket so that he could, to quote his editor, “make the damn sandwich” himself.

So he did.

Not only did Ahiruneko buy a chicken sandwich like in the commercial, but he thought it might be fun to pick up one of those new KFC fried salmon things too and try it with some gari.

When he returned to the office and unwrapped his treasures he was shocked that the smell of the gari actually overpowered the potent aroma of seven herbs and spices that can easily be smelt several yards away from a KFC shop on a winter’s day.

Ahirunekno lifted the bun and slipped some slices of gari onto the chicken sandwich. He remained skeptical as, in his mind, gari was intended to be used with sushi and nothing more. However, when he went in for the first bite his mind was blown.

It was great! The sweet and sour taste of the gari blended perfectly with the fried chicken sandwich without even the slightest bit of unusual aftertaste. Even the undertone of ginger was an excellent complement to the rest of the sandwich.

KFC Japan’s special fried salmon sandwich also went superbly with the ginger. The gari melded with the tartar sauce in such a way that the sour taste of the pickled ginger was neutralized leaving a mellow sweetness throughout the condiment layer.

Also in both cases, the gari provided an extra texture with the crispy fried meat and lettuce and fit right in. If that weren’t enough, it even seemed to offset the general greasiness of the fast food sandwiches as well!

Ahiruneko felt like he had just opened the door to a new world. Sure, the Russians technically invented putting gari on a sandwich, but he could really have a hit on his hands if he unleashed this secret combination in Japan. “Who would ever think to put preserved vegetables on a sandwich?” he thought. “People will line up around the block when the find out, and all that money would be mine! Finally, I could get out of his hell hole…”

Drawn in by the scent of fast-food, Mr. Sato suddenly appeared at his desk. Looking at Ahiruneko’s creation he casually said, “Oh, so that’s kind of like pickles, eh?” and walked away.

Ahiruneko stared silently at the remaining bites of his sandwich and realized that indeed he had essentially just put some pickles on it. He finished his sandwich in silence and went back to work.

Source: YouTube/KFC Russia, KFC Russia (Russian), KFC Japan (Japanese)
Original article by Ahiruneko
Photos: RocketNews24

▼ The assembly of the Gari Chicken Burger

▼ The assembly of the Gari Fried Salmon Burger

[ Read in Japanese ]