Meals on wheels

Would it be possible for these street vendors to sell ANYTHING except takoyaki?

Would it be possible for these street vendors to sell ANYTHING except takoyaki?

Why would you want to see a takoyaki vendor selling something other than Takoyaki?

That's like going to an icecream truck and asking for a hamburger...

Nice photo. Except for the price, it looks like it could have been taken 40 years ago.

Can anyone spot Snoopy from Peanuts? (you have to click for the full size to see it)

@REMzzz: reminds me of my childhood Snoopy pink plastic bucket :)

I had to take a closer look. I thought that pot handle was a cigarette hanging out of the vendor's mouth. At least, I hope it's a pot handle.

Would it be possible for these street vendors to sell ANYTHING except takoyaki?

I know this one Takoyaki shop in Kitakyushu, they sold Takoyaki with a twist. Marinara sauce, Curry sauce, Dill Sauce. cheese toppings, really different and really delicious.

Now with the approaching hot humid summer if only Japan had ice cream trucks selling that Gelato and other tasty treats, we would be heading in the right direction.

I hope he removed the high pressure gas containers from the truck.

The thing I like about takoyaki is that the very first piece you put in your mouths gives you scar tissue for a week or so.

JapanGal

Have you tried, maybe, just waiting a few minutes for it to cool down before you put it in your mouth?

Would it be possible for these street vendors to sell ANYTHING except takoyaki?

Yatai like this quite often sell foods other than Takoyaki. Its more common to see trucks selling baked sweet potato, and i have seen Oden, Ramen, Yakitori and Castella cakes to name but a few

The Oden yatai are fun to hang out at, have a few drinks, meet drunk oyaji. Great times...

"fried octopus balls"

Something about the English name of this food is funny!

They're not fried, they're grilled.

meet drunk oyaji. Great times...

Yes, that really does sound so enjoyable.

Pot handle? Nope.

There is no shadow, and the guy doesn't seem to be a mouth breather... hmm...

fried octopus balls realy conveys a wrong image :p

@gaijinfo

uh yeah sweet potato, apples, hotdogs even ramen!

They're not fried, they're grilled

Griddle-cooked, actually.

Would it be possible for these street vendors to sell ANYTHING except takoyaki?

If they are a street vendor why would they sell anything else other than takoyaki? Be like going to your local ramen bar and wondering why they don't serve steak and chips.

Yepp, looks like at least one of them is having a cigarette break.

JapanGal, those gas containers fire their griddle, they are right behind the guy with the cigarette...but actually I worry more about those not-yet-griddled octopus balls, err legs in the full sunshine! And somehow I find it suspicious that they use the price tag to cover their car's license plate...

Ah, this takes me back to the very first time i ever came to Japan to visit my then-boyfriend for 10 days in Osaka 8I was living in London). He said "Come and try Takoyaki!" I said "Whats that?" He said "Octopus balls". I was like "No way! You guys eat those!" and then when I saw the "balls": "Jesus - how big is an octopus??!"

He still hasnt let me forget that!

It is most definitely a cigarette hanging out of that guy's mouth.

A little ash with your takoyaki? Yuck. No thanks. Also, takoyaki outside of Osaka tends not to be very good considering the price.

I've been here 36 years and LOVE Japanese food.

But takoyaki just doesn't do it for me, I'm sorry.

Takoshabu - that is amazing.

And, of course, sashimi.

But takoyaki. No.

I love street meat. Nothing like the queue of vendors outside Ebina station in the summer. Much easier than cooking.

as far as takoyaki goes, gotta hand it to osaka here--best takoyaki!

the octopus has to be cut into large enough chunks not to be burried in the dough, the dough has to be not overly sweetened, and the dumpling has to be cooked just right so that the octopus is soft and juicy, not hard and dry. and before i forget, the dried bonito flakes topping rounds off the high quality fast food experience that can be found at certain takoyaki establishments in osaka--at jr osaka station, for example.

Now I get it. Not like rocky mountain oysters from Colorado. Would love to read a traditional japanese recipe for the dough. I always get tako when I go to sushi. I just love it! Sounds great!

I avoid these places. You don't know what king of health regulations they're violating.

Octopus cart?.... no thanks... i prefer a hot dog cart from NY city

"fried octopus balls"

Something about the English name of this food is funny!

They're not fried, they're grilled.

Takoyaki (たこ焼き or 蛸焼?, literally fried or grilled octopus, the title of the article is a literal translation and not practical in reality, I mean really, who ever would have thought that an octopus had "balls"

I would think a more practical definition for takoyaki would be an octopus filled fried dumpling, and they are fried really, they are not grilled because they are made from a batter and it's next to impossible to literally grill a batter.