Bear Curry does exist!

Tama-chan fans flipping out over spicy seal curry

Japan has been smitten for weeks over Tama-chan, a seal that mysteriously appeared in the murky waters of Tokyo's Tama River before bafflingly disappearing and puzzlingly reappearing. Thousands have thronged to riverbanks around the capital to catch a glimpse of the seal idling away in the grimy waterways flowing through or near Tokyo.

Countless inches of newspaper space and infinite amounts of airtime have been devoted to Tama-chan. Keyholders and mobile phone straps made in Tama-chan's likeness have been hot sellers. But if Japanese thought the sight of a seal in the filthy rivers around Tokyo was a feast for their eyes, Asahi Geino (10/10) has discovered a seal that is simply a feast.

Hokuto Products is a Hokkaido-based company that sells items available only in Japan's northernmost island prefecture. Though its retail outlets are only in Hokkaido, it does sell by catalog to other areas.

Among the products it flogs off is Azarashi Kare, or Seal Curry if translated into English. Seal Curry comes in a 350 milliliter can costing 1,000 yen each, with a cutie pie picture of a seal on the front of the can together with the warning that the meat is spicy. A list of the contents written on the back of the can confirms the meat inside is actually seal.

"We started making Seal Curry about two or three years ago. We mainly sell it as a souvenir, but are aiming more to provide a product with gimmick value, or to laugh at, rather than something that should be tasty. We made it with the idea of it being a product that would get people talking about us," a spokesman for Hokuto tells Asahi Geino. "To be frankly honest, it tastes bloody awful."

A hack for the men's weekly decides to taste the meat. He notes that it has a strange fragrance and a somewhat fishy taste that differentiates it from beef, pork or lamb.

"We can only catch seals during winter and only get about 100 kilograms of meat at best. We can only make 1,000 cans of Seal Curry per day, but don't make it every day, either," the company spokesman tells Asahi Geino. "We didn't start selling it simply because of all the fuss about Tama-chan."

Hokuto doesn't limit its rare curries to seal. Also in its list of products are Bear Curry, Stellar Sea Lion Curry and Yezo Deer Curry. Those interested in getting a taste had better hurry, though, as Hokuto is ending its line of Seal Curry shortly because revisions to the Hunting Wild Animals Law that come into effect next April outlaw the hunting of seals.

Delicious or not, it's hard to see Tama-chan giving his seal of approval to Seal Curry. Our lips are sealed.

October 1, 2003