牛丼飯簡單吃 / A beef rice bowl for a quick meal

之前我開箱過便利商店賣的牛丼飯，測試的結果，非常失望，我不僅懷疑，市面上真正的丼飯餐廳，賣的商品會那麼掉漆嗎？市面上賣丼飯的餐廳很多，最有名的是日本的那幾家，如吉野家、すき家（SUKIYA）和松屋，吉野家是最早進入這個市場的，主打的是便宜平價的丼飯，後來幾家競爭對手也陸續進來這片藍海市場，多年過去了，本土的丼飯餐廳也紛紛投入，現在丼飯市場已經殺到血流成河。

某天中午，和朋友去商場逛逛，一逛就幾個小時，其實也沒甚麼東西特別吸引我的，但是時間，咻一下就過去了，朋友提議去美食街用餐，剛好看到一家丼飯專賣店，於是就點了碗牛丼飯，哇！價錢已經漲到一百多台幣了啊！我記得之前的牛丼飯是在一百元台幣之內，是我太久沒吃丼飯了，還是物價漲得太快了，就這問題，和朋友討論了一番，得到幾個結論，首先是開在美食街的餐廳，需要付給商場管理費，所以，會把成本加在商品的售價上，此外，真的是物價上漲了，所以，我們感覺變貴了。

雖然不是點套餐，但是拿到餐點時，還附有一小碗味噌湯，真是誠意十足，牛肉片也是滿滿地蓋住飯，這才是我印象中的牛丼飯，對於吃得較多的男性而言，這樣的份量是剛好吃得飽的，難怪，在日本，牛丼飯是客單價最低的日本餐點類型，主要客戶定位在勞動階層的男性
，這家餐廳，除了牛丼飯之外，還有其它類的丼飯，符合各式消費者的需求。

事後，我想想，我覺得便利商店賣的牛丼飯較差，也是必然的，因為一分錢、一分貨，丼飯專賣店賣的丼飯貴了很多，但是，假如讓我選擇的話，我應該還是會選擇丼飯專賣店，便利商店賣的各式微波餐盒，只是嘗鮮看看，我開箱了不少微波餐盒，有些品項令人驚豔，當然也有讓人失望的商品，真是沒有比較，沒有傷害啊！

I once tried a convenience store’s beef rice bowl, and honestly, it was super disappointing. It made me wonder—would any proper beef bowl restaurant serve something so subpar? There are so many places that specialize in beef bowls, especially the famous Japanese chains like Yoshinoya, SUKIYA, and Matsuya. Yoshinoya was the first to tap into this market, focusing on affordable and budget-friendly meals. Later, competitors jumped in too, making this once “blue ocean” market a full-on battlefield. Over time, even local beef bowl restaurants joined in, and now it’s a cutthroat competition.

One afternoon, I went shopping with a friend. We didn’t find anything particularly interesting, but somehow, hours flew by. When lunchtime rolled around, we decided to eat at the food court, and I noticed a beef bowl specialty shop. I ordered a bowl, but wow—the price had gone up to over 100 NTD! I remember when beef bowls used to cost under 100 NTD. Was it just me not eating them for too long, or had prices gone up that much? My friend and I discussed it and came to a few conclusions. First, restaurants in food courts have to pay a management fee to the mall, so they pass that cost onto their prices. Second, inflation is real, and things are just more expensive now.

Even though I didn’t order a set meal, the bowl came with a small side of miso soup, which felt like a nice touch. The beef slices were piled generously over the rice—exactly what I remembered a proper beef bowl should be. For someone with a bigger appetite, like many guys, the portion was just right. No wonder in Japan, beef bowls are one of the cheapest types of meals, often targeting working-class men. This shop also offered other types of rice bowls to cater to a wider range of customers.

Looking back, I think it’s only natural for the convenience store version to fall short. You get what you pay for, after all. Beef bowl specialty shops charge more, but if I had to choose, I’d definitely go for the real deal. Convenience store microwave meals are fun to try once in a while—I’ve opened and tested plenty of them. Some are surprisingly good, but others are total letdowns. It’s like they say: you don’t know how bad something is until you compare it to something better!

For the best experience view this post on Liketu