We try Tenka Torimasu‘s latest girl-flavored chicken and learn there really is no dignified way of ordering it.

On 1 December, popular fired chicken stand Tenka Torimasu announced a new flavor of fried chicken: Onnanoko No Kamenoke No Aji (Girl’s Hair Flavor). This is the third such attempt at the “girl” genre of flavors following sweat and soles of feet, each time in collaboration with the idol group Kamen Joshi, which we knew way back when as Alice Juban.

Both disgusted and curious, I set out to find this greasy take on the flavor of hair and headed to my local Tenka Torimasu stand. But before that, I decided to smell my daughter’s head just for comparison’s sake. It didn’t really smell like anything though, so I had no idea what to expect.

Walking to the place, I began to feel really apprehensive as it dawned on me that I would actually have to order “Girl’s hair flavored chicken.” When I arrived there was another woman waiting for her chicken, so I decided to hang back a bit and waited util she left.

When the coast was clear I went up to the counter and showed a picture of the hair chicken’s ad on my phone to the guy while asking, “Do you have this?” It was an idea I came up with while lurking.

He kindly said no because the ingredients hadn’t arrived yet at that location, all in a refreshingly non-judgmental way. But I guess if you’re selling girl’s hair chicken, it’s in your best interest not to judge. He told me it would be ready in about a week.

The next week I returned, this time I was a little early. So now not only was I the creepy guy coming week after week in search of girl-flavored chicken, I was lining up before the doors even opened.

When the same man opened shop he again told me with a warm smile that it wasn’t ready yet. I was getting a little peeved at this point but decided to give it one more shot since I had come this far.

The following week I returned. My daughter had gotten sick a few days earlier so I was rather worn out with a full neck-beard in effect and dark circles under my eyes. So now, not only was I the guy coming week after week for girl’s hair chicken, but not being able to get it appeared to be taking a toll on my health.

By this time, I didn’t even have to order. He just looked at me and said, “It’s ready!”

As the chicken cooked I looked at all the other flavors Tenka Torimasu had to offer. It was a delectable array of toppings including cheese, curry, mayo, and teriyaki to name but a few… and I was there waiting for girl hair.

I asked the guy what was in this stuff, and he just told me it was chicken and nori (Japanese seaweed). I thought that was odd, because why would I have to wait two weeks for some chicken and seaweed?

Anyway I accepted my girl’s hair-flavored fried chicken and returned to the office. It cost 400 yen (US$3.50) which was a little more than a regular cup of fried chicken, but it looked like I got a little more too, which was good. It also came with two commemorative packs of tissues, one honoring this current flavor and the other a poignant look back to when they sold girl’s foot flavor.

It didn’t smell all that unusual after opening the pack. It also had a hearty amount of seaweed to garnish the chicken and presumably resemble human hair.

The chicken was not only less disgusting than I expected, it was actually extremely good! The meat was really tender and had a slightly crispy batter similar to the kind you’d find on fish and chips.

Then, in the corner of the pack was a mysterious dark sauce that the man at the stand hadn’t mentioned. Was this the purported girl’s hair flavor?

It smelled a little like barbecue sauce, but when I tasted it, it was really bland. Then there was a deeply salty aftertaste with a slightly spicy and bitter feel as well. I guess this was meant to be the “hair” flavor.

I learned afterwards that the gloop was actually a popular Japanese spread and rice topping named Gohan Desu Yo, made from boiling seaweed in soy sauce. That would explain the subdued but very salty taste.

So it would seem the “girl’s hair flavor” is probably better described as “an artistic interpretation of girl’s hair through the medium of fried chicken toppings.” However, the mystery remains why it took so long for my local stand to begin offering this if it only used toppings that could easily be bought at any supermarket.

When all is said and done Tanka Torimaru makes a really mean fried chicken, and with all the competition in Japan, that’s saying a lot. Even if you can’t work up the nerve to order girl’s hair flavor, you’ll definitely not be disappointed by whatever else you get.

Images: SoraNews24