Takoyaki Octopus Balls
$9 play money
Hot batter balls with a piece of octopus in each. On the ChowChow Feast menu it costs $9 in play money, which puts it in the Snack tier ($1 to $14). It is one of the small, cheap things that make an order feel real.
No payment, no address, no delivery. This is a game.
Key facts
- Cuisine
- Japanese
- Menu section
- Japanese
- Price tier
- Snack ($1 to $14)
- Play-money price
- $9
- Main ingredients
- batter, octopus, sauce, dried fish flakes
- How it is served
- Six round octopus balls in a paper boat topped with brown sauce, mayonnaise and fish flakes
History, tradition and origin
Osaka is the home of Japan's griddle snacks: batter balls with a piece of octopus, invented in the 1930s, and savoury cabbage pancakes cooked on a hot plate. Fish-shaped cakes filled with sweet red bean paste date from the early 1900s in Tokyo. All are festival food, sold from stalls at shrine fairs and summer fireworks.
Food economy and industry
Festival stalls are run by travelling vendors who follow the calendar of fairs around the country. The snacks use cheap ingredients, flour, cabbage and eggs, with a little seafood or bean paste, so margins are good. Frozen versions and home griddle sets are sold widely, and the dishes are a draw for food tourism in Osaka.
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