Chairman Mao Zedong -- who back in 1935 wrote that his nation's basic task was "to oppose the attempt of Japanese imperialism to annex China" -- obviously had some, shall we say, issues with the Middle Kingdom's diminutive neighbor to the east.

So the Chairman would probably have been surprised to learn that long after he'd done his bit to rout "our enemy, Japan," a popular little restaurant there would name a dish in honor of him.

Surprised indeed. At 400 yen, Mo-Takuto-Mo-Bikkuri-No Gyoza (Even-Mao-Zedong-Would-be-Surprised Fried Dumplings) is one of several curiously titled offerings at Sanyo Ramen in Yokohama City that combines one part pseudo-history with two parts whimsy, a splash of garlic and a dash of salt to deliver a culinary experience no diner is likely ever to forget.