Now Online | Air Yakiniku, Food for Thought

T:Style
The Moment: Now Online | Air Yakiniku, Food for Thought
By By Rocky Casale
Published: July 20, 2009

When the virtual restaurant Air Yakiniku appeared online last January, it became both an instant success in Japan (where else?) and one of the more curious signs of these globally lean times. The “restaurant,” a Korean barbecue, works like this: once you’re on the site, you’re given an apron to print out and wear to keep “grease” from splattering on your clothes. I’m not joking. Then you’re asked to choose from slices of pork, chicken or beef, which a hand splays out on a full-screen sizzling BBQ spit. Visitors are encouraged to have (real) bowls of rice and miso soup on hand as they watch and listen to their beef crackle and char. A bell softly dings when the meat is cooked, a hand with chopsticks appears, and it’s time to … um … eat.

In addition to virtual restaurants, there are virtual bars, like the Sapporo Beer bar, which is open online during regular Japanese bar hours, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. It’s hard to know if the trend is a smart-aleck social satire, interactive performance art, a diet gimmick or all three. Whatever the reason, Air Yakiniku is now ranked the 29th most searched site on Yahoo.

http://airyakiniku.cosaji.jp/