Hungry for a Meme? Try Japan’s ‘English French Toast’ · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

The original English Toast. Photo by Flickr user Hajime NAKANO. CC BY 2.0
A local Japanese delicacy is causing consternation on the Internet. “English French Toast,” a version the “English Toast” snack popular in Aomori, Honshu's northernmost prefecture, has left some people scratching their heads over the mash-up of nationalities.
Japanese prefectures typically produce their own local treats that are hard to get if you live anywhere else. In this case, the concept of English French Toast seems to be hard to understand for people living outside of Aomori.
青森には定番おやつとして「イギリストースト」という物があるのだが、近年ＴＶで取り上げられてからいい気になって期間限定のバリエーションを増やしている。それがとうとう「イギリスフレンチトースト」なるわけのわからない食べ物に進化した。 pic.twitter.com/XDZKzfgpW6
— 須藤ミツアキ＠五月雨改lv.145 (@tokiwayu1991) November 8, 2014
“English Toast,” a standard Aomori snack, has been popularized in recent years all over Japan as a must-have treat with a slight twist. The Aomori original has been transformed into something unrecognizable: “English French Toast.”
The original English Toast popular with Aomori residents consists of two slices of plain thickly sliced white bread covered in a thin layer of margarine. Sugar is sprinkled on the margarine and two slices are then folded together to make a sort of sandwich.
Aomori's English Toast serves as the basis for several different varieties of convenience store snack:
私が今まで見つけたイギリスフレンチトーストの数々。 pic.twitter.com/rH5wtYYf5O
— Rika Ebina (@ebi_twit) November 18, 2014
Here are all the different kinds of English Toast I have been able to find so far.
What makes English French Toast different is that it includes custard, but not granulated sugar. It doesn't always appear to be savoury.
イギリスフレンチトースト プリン風味 が発売されたので明日の朝ごはん用に買ってみた。 pic.twitter.com/U9L6o2pmpA
— 桜 (@cherry_aozora) November 5, 2014
They're selling pudding-flavored English French Toast. I'm having it for breakfast tomorrow!
Even in monolingual Japan, English French Toast doesn't seem to have translated well outside of Aomori:
若干ネットで話題になった、青森限定？のパン。 イギリストースト 色々種類がありますが、イギリスフレンチトーストとか思わずどっちだよとかツッコミたくなりますね(＾ω＾) pic.twitter.com/BKb2lpGgMN — てんじょー (@_tenjo) November 15, 2014
This Aomori-only (?) bread is becoming a bit of an Internet meme. There are a bunch of different legitimate varieties of Aomori's English Toast, but English French Toast just seems comical.(＾ω＾)
The somewhat contradictory nature of the treat's name seems to have become a minor Internet meme.
工藤パンの代表的製品イギリストーストを実は生まれて初めて食べる。私が青森県民だった頃はなかったよな。「イギリスフレンチトースト」というイギリスなのかフランスなのかの分からないネーミングのを選んでみたw。ちなみにトーストはされていない模様。
A photo posted by Tsutomu Notani (@smart_boy) on
This is the first time I have ever eaten Kudopan's English Toast. Even though I'm from Aomori I've never eaten it. With English French Toast,  it's like they decided to name it without being able to decide if it's from England or it's from France. BTW, it's not actually toast, either.