New Year's Party with "Kawachi Duck" in the Rekijo Circle

The winter meal, which served as the 2024 "New Year's Party" for the Rekijo Circle, was organized by Loco-san and held at "Nagomi" in Matsubara City.

I had visited this restaurant several times before, but previously it served standard Japanese kaiseki cuisine.
Looking at it this time, the menu had been completely revamped, with "Kawachi Duck" being pushed to the forefront.

It seems they have significantly changed their strategy during the time I hadn't visited.

Last time, I boasted about Matsubara City, but this time I will introduce one of Matsubara City's culinary prides, 'Duck'.

"Kawachi Duck" is Matsubara City's brand of duck

"Kawachi Duck Tsumura Honten" is one of the food brands that Matsubara City is proud of.

🦆 A long-established company founded in 1870

Throughout its 150-year history, there were many duck breeders and distributors in the city, but this is the only one that has managed to keep its business alive while being pressured by low-priced imported duck meat.

In the first place, "Aigamo" refers to
"a cross between a wild duck and a domesticated duck", and the name "Aigamo" was coined by the representative two generations before the current one. Because it quickly became a common "household name" nationwide, they decided to use the new name "Kawachi Duck".

It is a duck meat brand with such a solid reputation that it was even adopted as an official food ingredient at the G20 Osaka Summit held in 2019.

(Summarized from Kawachi Duck Tsumura Honten)

🦆 Tsumura's commitment

The reason why mail order and shipping are not available is because they are committed to "additive-free and freshness". (However, processed products are okay)

The reason for this is that they aim to provide safe and secure duck meat that can even be eaten raw, and if they do not have an integrated system for the entire process, they would not know where antibiotics or other drugs might be used.

Because they want people to eat the freshly slaughtered duck meat on the same day, they have limited their shipping area to Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe.

This thorough commitment has earned them great trust from top chefs in the Kansai region, and they continue to produce duck meat that is "so good that it will overturn your concept of duck meat once you eat it".

(Summary from Yanmar Marche)

This is just a small sample, but there are other "Kawachi Duck specialty shops" throughout the Kansai region.

🦆Where my second son did his work experience

Actually, public junior high schools in Matsubara City conduct "work experience" programs at local companies.
There are seven public junior high schools in the city, and with the cooperation of local residents, various work experiences are being undertaken.

As it happened, my second son experienced a one-week work placement at this "Tsumura Main Store" in a group of three.
Since the students cannot choose which company or what kind of work they will be assigned to, my second son was initially disappointed and started going there reluctantly.

The scene of killing the cute ducks was too shocking for them, and it seems they were quite traumatized.
It is a cruel story, but he told me that seeing the ducks still running around even after their necks were cut made him feel their strong will to live, and he almost cried because he felt so sorry for them.

私だって見たことないわ😭

However, it is we humans who eat them.

We must truly understand that not only ducks, but also chickens, cows, pigs, and all other animals are raised as food for humans and are sacrificed every day.

～Receiving precious "life"～

I think it was a valuable experience for my second son to learn that weight from Mr. Tsumura, the representative here.

My second son and his friends, who were reluctant for the first two days, understood the weight of this work and began to work sincerely and proactively. On the final day, Mr. Tsumura praised them, saying, "I've never had kids work as hard as you did," and gave each of them several types of duck meat to take home.

"If you don't study hard, you'll end up having to do this kind of killing work."

He apparently said this, which could be taken as self-deprecating.
However, behind these words, one could glimpse his firm confidence and pride, and it seems my son and his friends were moved by Mr. Tsumura's dignified demeanor.

As a parent, I have nothing but gratitude for Mr. Tsumura, who taught us about "the importance of life" along with "human rights" in relation to his profession, through his own actions. It was a valuable experience that allowed us parents to learn again through our second son's experience.

An unexpected New Year's party

The introduction has become long, but yesterday, the 26th, the History Girls' Circle held its New Year's party at "Nagomi," one of the restaurants that serves Mr. Tsumura's "Kawachi Duck."

I arrived about 10 minutes before the appointed time, but when I opened the door, the restaurant was overflowing with people. As I stood there bewildered, the landlady came out and said, "We will have things ready for you shortly, so please wait a moment," and I was unable to enter and had to wait outside.

今から思えばこれが予兆だったなぁ

The food is superb!

I have visited here several times in the past, and each time I have been completely satisfied and stuffed with the food, so I had full confidence in them this time as well.

To begin with, the "appetizer" course features six elaborate dishes, allowing you to enjoy the changing flavors of each one.
The duck hot pot is incredibly delicious, not just the meat, but the broth as well!

Actually, I was debating whether to go for a higher-tier course with more items, but this was plenty.
Even with this course, I was so full by the end that I felt uncomfortable. If I had upgraded, I might not have been able to finish it all and would have had to give up.

These last two items were surprisingly skillful.
The grilled rice ball had duck meat tucked inside, and the duck fat seeped into the rice, creating an exquisite flavor that spread in every bite.

The yuzu sherbet for dessert was also of a very high standard; since the yuzu peel was mixed right in, I could enjoy the texture on my tongue while the fragrance of the yuzu spread through my nasal cavity, making me feel truly happy.

In any case, I was so full that I couldn't even fit a drop of water in!

The atmosphere is the worst!

Having visited several times, my image of "Nagomi" was that of a refined kappo-kaiseki restaurant, something rare in Matsubara and certainly not a cheap izakaya.
I perceived it as a quiet, relaxing place where you could enjoy a touch of luxury even when it was full.

However.

On this day, the senior gentlemen at the next table, separated only by a single partition, were talking at such a terrifyingly high volume that I was at a loss, wanting to cover my ears.

For the History Girls' Club, we had planned to have a precious time to discuss our plans for the year but thanks to that bizarre volume, we couldn't even have a proper conversation.

まるでボウリング場にいるようで頭が痛くなった💦

I will say it again: this is the first time something like this has happened at this restaurant.

When I asked the landlady if she could please ask them to be a little quieter, I received a surprising answer.

—They aren't being rowdy, so I cannot do that.—

That is strange.
If those gentlemen are customers, then so are we.
I believe it is necessary to provide a comfortable space for all customers.

The older gentlemen might be very regular customers, butshouldn't they provide an equally comfortable space for every customer?

ガッカリです💦

The taste was perfect and deserves full marks, but I cannot believe they are so indifferent to an atmosphere that makes it painful just to be there.

Having experienced restaurants in the past that properly addressed such issues, my impression of "Nagomi" has plummeted because of this.
If it were just a cheap izakaya, I might have been able to overlook it, but after this, I can never go back.

We were barely able to talk, so we moved to a nearby McDonald's afterward to start over.
(Since cafes close at 10 o'clock, McDonald's was about the only thing open...)

How much quieter and more relaxing McDonald's was compared to a kappo-kaiseki restaurant!
By the way, at McDonald's, we were able to spend a comfortable time with just a 120-yen coffee.

[Reference Sites]
・Yanmar Marche
・Tabechoku
・Kawachi Duck Tsumura Main Store