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Why was the Lithuanian ambassador to Japan working in a fast food beef bowl joint in Tokyo?

Casey Baseel Oct 23, 2024
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Aurelijus Zykas joins the Matsuya crew.

As Japanese society continues to internationalize, so too does the service sector of the country’s economy. These days it’s not unusual to walk into a restaurant in Tokyo and see non-Japanese staff members, and that’s what happened when our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun stopped by the Roppongi Yonchome branch of beef bowl restaurant chain Matsuya on Tuesday.

However, this kindly Caucasian gentleman who was wiping down the counters and putting up in-restaurant advertisement posters was no ordinary part-timer.

In fact, he’s Aurelijus Zykas, the Lithuanian ambassador to Japan!

So what’s he doing working in a beef bowl joint? Well, it’s all got to do with the new Matsuya menu item those posters are promoting: the Lithuanian White Sauce Hamburger Steak. Matsuya has been experimenting with fusion flavors for a while now, and Zykas himself reached out to the chain to offer his help in creating a Lithuanian-inspired dish.

The result is a new spin on Matsuya’s popular hamburger steak with a special white sauce inspired by traditional Lithuanian cuisine, with the patty covered in a garlicky white sauce with bacon and mushrooms, as Lithuania, like Japan, has a passion for edible fungi.

▼ Zykas even participated in the Japanese service sector practice of yobikomi, calling out to passersby to let them know that the Lithuanian White Sauce Hamburger Steak is on sale as of October 22.

▼ Zykas’ wife and the Georgian ambassador to Japan, Teimuraz Lezhava, also both came by for a bite to eat during his shift.

なんとサプライズが🤣
ジョージア🇬🇪大使　レジャバ閣下にもご来店頂来ました🫨🫨🫨 pic.twitter.com/xugy8wQRZ5

— 【公式】松屋 (@matsuya_foods) October 22, 2024

The Lithuanian White Sauce Hamburger Steak is available as a set meal with white rice, miso soup, and a salad for 880 yen (US$5.90), or as an à la carte item for 680 yen. After being served by the ambassador, P.K. dug in, and says his taste buds were warmly greeted by a strong salty and garlic flavor, and plenty of umami. The mushrooms and bacon made their presence strongly felt too, yet as unique as the recipe is, there’s still a familiar Matsuya quality to the dish, so that it can both give you something new and appeal to a sense of well-known comfort.

松屋リトアニア風ホワイトソースハンバーグをご提供いただいております。 pic.twitter.com/5tgxn8D1Jx

— 【公式】松屋 (@matsuya_foods) October 22, 2024

Zykas’ Matsuya career was only a one-day affair, as it was part of the promotion for the on-sale date of the Lithuanian White Sauce Hamburger Steak. The dish itself, though, will be available for a while, and should taste just as good even if the person serving it to you isn’t a foreign dignitary.

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[ Read in Japanese ]