If you missed the B1 Gold Grand Prix of so-called B-class cuisines in Hyogo this month, The 9th Saitama B-class Local Gourmet King Championship should satisfy your appetite.
The event will showcase high-quality twists on common dishes on the cheap, featuring 36 entries from local cities and towns.
Sponsored by local governments, the food contest, just like the B1 event, is aimed at revitalizing local communities through promotion of their indigenous and newly-invented dishes. When visitors buy a dish, be it noodles, burgers or curry, priced either at ¥100 or ¥300, they get one kohaze (a brass hook used for tabi socks) they can use to vote for the exhibitor of their choice. The winner gets a trophy, but it's the accompanying media attention that's the real prize.
The 9th Saitama B-class Local Gourmet King Championship will be held Nov. 26 from 10 a.m. till 3:30 p.m., at Kitamoto Sogo Koen, a 25-minutes-walk from JR Kitamoto Station. Admission is free. For details, visit www.sainokuni-kanko.jp/?page_id=63.