COMFORT FOOD - PART 1The Warm Embrace of the Japanese Chubby Maid Café
INTERVIEWS BY TOMOKAZU KOSUGA
TRANSLATED BY LENA OISHI
PHOTOS BY TAKAAKI TANAKA
Dieting is, sadly, an important ritual for girls all over the world. But as with everything else they do, the girls in Japan take it just that little bit too far, right up to the point where it’s basically obsessive-compulsive disorder. “Eat and lose weight!” diet fads are big here now. There are all-banana diets and all-natto [fermented soybeans that smell like your feet took a shit on a pile of trash] diets. When these programs are shown on TV, you can bet that the product in question will miraculously disappear off the shelves of your local supermarket the next day. Eating and losing weight at the same time sounds, um, stupid to people like you and me, but for Japanese ladies who have tried every dieting fad in the book for decades, it’s just another way to avoid getting on a fucking treadmill and laying off the mochi, which is the only way to really lose weight.
But it’s also here in Japan that a bunch of not-so-thin girls run Pomeranian: The Chubby Maid Café, every month in the otaku mecca of Akihabara. The waitresses all dress up in maid costumes, and they all have a nice, cozy amount of heft on them. They call their customers “master” and they attend to their every culinary whim and need. In Japan, the land that gave us rail-thin, orange-tanned, shopaholic gyaru, these chubby charmers are like a warm, soothing breeze that smells faintly of milk chocolate.
I felt a strange sense of calm at Pomeranian. Maybe it’s because the girls are unashamedly letting it all hang out, or perhaps it’s because being surrounded by chubby girls makes me forget how fat I am myself.
Either way, proudly showing off their flab in a nation famous for its low obesity rate and pressure to conform makes these girls sort of like the foodie equivalent of a crust-punk throwing a lit Molotov cocktail into a bank. Plus they’re cute. Did we say that already? They’re really cute.
CONTINUED
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See all articles by this contributor Anonymous, on Sep 23, 2009 wrote:
Oh, they’re lovely. Anyone who opened a cafe like that in london would CLEAN UP! | |
| jesse, on Aug 25, 2009 wrote:
cool | | Anonymous, on Aug 25, 2009 wrote:
no way! | | Anonymous, on Aug 25, 2009 wrote:
wow | | Anonymous, on Aug 22, 2009 wrote:
Women with curves - you can’t go wrong with that. Beats a skinny girl any day. | | Anonymous, on Jun 5, 2009 wrote:
i came | | Anonymous, on Mar 20, 2009 wrote:
Why can’t I get a job where you get to dress up and play around like that? I wish there was a Pomeranian down my street. Also, if most of the comments here are positive, why do fat people keep up that annoying persecution complex they have? | | Anonymous, on Feb 20, 2009 wrote:
ZOMG... THEY DO NOT ACCEPT TIPS IN JAPAN, IT’S CONSIDER TACKY D:<
But they are cute! | |
| oatmeal, on Feb 9, 2009 wrote:
Here’s what I think is special: that the cafe is called Pomeranian, which, while it is one of the cuter pups in creation, is totally not chubby! However, it’s ok because all these ladies seem nice. I also like that their costumes look like they came from the seasonal Halloween store. | |
| siggelala, on Feb 3, 2009 wrote:
I like chubby, fat and huge people. They make me smile. Skinny people are always depressed. Food is a great source of happiness. Eat the day! | | Anonymous, on Jan 23, 2009 wrote:
speaking of tipping, a word to the wise, dont ever EVER use one of those stupid fucking tip calculation cards. do this- look at the total, take 10% of that (aka move the decimal over one spot to the left) and double that number. | | Anonymous, on Jan 23, 2009 wrote:
Actually tipping was invented in Britain dumbass. | | Anonymous, on Jan 23, 2009 wrote:
There’s no tipping in Japan, morons. That shits entirely American. | | Anonymous, on Jan 20, 2009 wrote:
I can’t believe there are folks who believe weight is simply a matter of calories in vs. out. And a health care "professional" yet. Sorry but that theory has been proven obsolete decades ago. There is far more to it than that! | |
| megabreath, on Jan 20, 2009 wrote:
awww, they’re cute. i bet they make pretty good tips working at a place like that. | | Anonymous, on Jan 19, 2009 wrote:
what are bishy boys exactly? i just found some kind of weird scottish scout group. | | Anonymous, on Jan 19, 2009 wrote:
that first girl is so fucking cute it kills me. japan. what a place. you can buy used girls underwear in vending machines. | | Anonymous, on Jan 19, 2009 wrote:
In a land of flat chested tiny women and bishie boys, this is magnificent. The third girl is breathtaking. Her chest is amazing! It’s like something out of a anime. Wheeze... | | Anonymous, on Jan 18, 2009 wrote:
Stop misusing the term obsessive-compulsive disorder! | | Anonymous, on Jan 18, 2009 wrote:
God, they’re all so cute. I usually have issues with the maid cafe concept, but they’re so obviously using it for themselves and their own empowerment that surpasses some of the really weird master/servant creepiness. | | Anonymous, on Jan 17, 2009 wrote:
What I want to know is, where are all the double chins, ey?! | | Anonymous, on Jan 17, 2009 wrote:
i hate when people use the excuse of "being fat is soo unhealthy and you’ll have a heart attack and diabetes, etc." as an excuse to hate on fat people. like you give a shit. why don’t you just shut the fuck up. | | Anonymous, on Jan 17, 2009 wrote:
Actually, being overweight improves your chances at NOT having a large number of health problems, including HEART DISEASE and DIABETES (type 2, even). Being chubby, overweight, or obese does not automatically mean that there is unhealthy eating or lifestyle involved, either. I’ve eaten healthy and exercised regularly all of my life, had no health problems, great numbers on cholesterol and other lipids, along with normal blood sugar and pressure. I have also been overweight my whole life. I think it’s great that these girls have confidence, and a place to be accepted for themselves, not judged for their size. More people need to realize that fat does not equal unhealthy or lazy. It just equals fat! | | Anonymous, on Jan 17, 2009 wrote:
cute! | | Anonymous, on Jan 17, 2009 wrote:
Being chubby is one thing, and then being severely overwight is another thing. There’s no health risk in having abit more meat on one’s bones, but when you fail to walk, then one should probably think about loosing weight. I like chubby people. They’re better to hug:) | | Anonymous, on Jan 17, 2009 wrote:
I think the only thing wrong with this, is that it’s a health hazard to be overweight, yet they keep saying it’s okay to be fat. It’s not okay to be fat unless you don’t care about your health. I think it’s great that they don’t feel depressed about it and they all have confidence, as they should. But they’re also sending a message that if you’re fat you shouldn’t try to lose weight or eat more healthy, but you really should because you could die of a heart attack or have many other health problems. Also if you don’t try to eat better and exercise, you could just keep getting fatter and fatter and fatter. | | Anonymous, on Jan 16, 2009 wrote:
I think that they look great. Kudos for originality and style! | | Anonymous, on Jan 16, 2009 wrote:
jesus...a little brightness/contrast adjustment on these photos will go a long way. | | Anonymous, on Jan 16, 2009 wrote:
fat karaoke sounds like a fucking blast. who wants to start a chicago chapter? | | Anonymous, on Jan 16, 2009 wrote:
Kaya needs to reconsider her color scheme. I’m not feeling the doodoo brown look. | | | Next 30 comments > |
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