All-you-can-eat Famichiki campaign teaches us a very important lesson. 

Over the years, humanity has made far-fetched dreams like flying in the sky, going to space, and creating robots a reality, and now, a new dream is about to come true: all-you-can-eat Famichiki.

For those new to the wonders of Famichiki, it’s a deliciously juicy boneless fried chicken cutlet sold by Japanese convenience store chain Family Mart. Fried in store and sold from the display case next to the register, the Famichiki is so good it’s developed a loyal following, and fans were recently given the chance to enjoy as much Famichiki as their stomachs could handle, thanks to the chain’s new “All-You-Can-Eat Famichiki of Your Dreams” campaign.

Limited to roughly 10 participants at 10 select stores on 27-28 September, reservations opened at 6 p.m. on September 19, with tickets costing 1,000 yen (US$6.72) and granted on a first-come, first-served basis. However, tickets were snatched up as soon as they were released, which meant many fans, including our own reporter Ahiruneko, were left sadly disappointed.

Not one to let a food hurdle keep him down, Ahiruneko decided to host his own all-you-can-eat event at home, so he went out and purchased all the Famichiki in the display case at his local Family Mart, returning with seven of them.

For the actual event, customers are given all-you-can-drink bottled water and a maximum of two packs of Famichiki buns, so he made sure to grab a pack of buns, as there was only one left on the shelf.

▼ The buns, which contain tartare sauce, are designed to be eaten with the Famichiki.

With each Famichiki costing 240 yen, Ahiruneko realised that participants would have to eat at least five of them to make their money back, a feat he felt was well within his capabilities.

▼ Tearing into the first pack, Ahiruneko’s challenge begins.

It’d been a while since Ahiruneko had tasted a Famichiki, and as soon as he tried the first one he remembered how sinfully good they were. The crispy coating crunched satisfyingly under the teeth as he bit into it, and the inside burst open like a broken dam, flooding his palate with the rich, fatty flavour of chicken, instantly sending his taste buds into a state of ecstasy.

▼ Ahiruneko, living out his student dreams of eating unbridled quantities of Famichiki.

As he was halfway through the second piece, though, Ahiruneko began to feel a sense of fullness that surprised him. With other types of fried chicken, he can easily make his way through two pieces, but the fattiness of the Famichiki seemed to fill his stomach before he was ready.

▼ Ahiruneko, re-evaluating his dreams.

By the time it came to eating the third piece, Ahiruneko decided to switch tactics, hoping that the Famichiki buns would provide a sense of variety to help keep his taste buds interested.

However, this turned out to be a terrible move. The addition of tartar sauce from the buns dealt another blow of richness to his taste buds, leading his stomach to feel weighed down in a way that made him feel very full.

In the end, he had to leave half the bun behind in order to finish the chicken, taking his Famichiki count to a measly three. Looking at the clock, there were still over 10 minutes left in his self-imposed 30-minute time limit, the same time limit as the official campaign, so he decided to push through and manage one more piece.

Feeling weak and queasy from overeating, Ahiruneko brushed the crumbs off his hands and hung his head in defeat.

It was a crushing blow for our reporter, who usually has no problem devouring loads of fried chicken from chains like KFC and Mos Burger. The Famichiki was too juicy and flavourful to devour in the same way, which meant he wouldn’t have made his money back if he’d actually taken part in the official campaign.

▼ The four chicken Ahiruneko ate represented a value of 960 yen.

With defeat crushing his spirit as much as the chicken was crushing his stomach, Ahiruneko pondered on what went wrong.

He figured his age was probably a contributing factor to his defeat, but he actually felt that the characteristics of the Famichiki that make it so great are also what makes it so hard to eat in large quantities.

Unlike KFC chicken, which gives you varying textures as it’s served on the bone, the Famichiki has no difference in texture or flavour throughout.

▼ Nothing but soft, juicy, fried cutlet.

▼ It’s like a climax in flavour, no matter which way you cut it.

So in the end, our all-you-can-eat experiment taught us a valuable lesson: You really can have too much of a good thing. The best way to eat a Famichiki, according to a now very full Ahiruneko, is to enjoy just one of them at a time, perhaps with a glass of whiskey, and that’s what he’ll be doing from now on…until there’s another all-you-can-eat campaign to tempt him.

Photos©SoraNews24
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