Toki Soba (Timing the Noodle Bill)

時そば・ときそば

The story

A clever man eats a bowl of soba at a street stall and, while counting out his coins one by one, slips in a question about the time to throw off the count and cheat the vendor of a coin. Another man watches the whole trick and decides to copy it the very next day. But timing is everything, and his attempt does not go the way he planned.

What to listen for

Listen for the vivid slurping mime, done with no props at all, that makes you feel and hear the hot noodles.

Background

Soba is buckwheat noodles, long a cheap fast food in Japan; loudly slurping them is normal and even appreciated. Old Japan counted coins in mon and told time by naming the 'hour' (koku), which is the loophole the trick exploits.

Notable performers

古今亭志ん朝柳家喬太郎

#冬 #食べ物 #定番