A masterclass in culinary whimsy, the octodog represents a delightful intersection of Japanese bento tradition and childhood nostalgia (if, of course, you grew up japanese). However, even if you didn’t grow up with them, octodogs are a simply beautiful dish that go with practically anything.

         The cooking process is very simple for an octodog, and actually holds a lot of variety. You can boil the hot dog, cut the whole hot dog into one big octodog, and even deep fry it. However, I chose to simply fry it. All you need to do is cut the head of one hot dog and cut the bottom of it into 8 legs. As it fries, the legs will start to open and curl up to make the hot dog look more like an octopus. These things go with practically any side like fires and rice and topped with a bit of soy sauce. The eggs are even more simple as I don’t have to do anything besides boil them and crack the shells. The rice balls are the most complicated part but it’s not so bad. I bought a rice ball shaper on amazon for 6 dollars, cooked some rice, and spooned some into the mold along with some seaweed bits and sesame seeds.

         As for the rating, I give it an 8/10. While I loved the rice and octodogs, the eggs I had a bit of an aversion to since I’m not the type to eat eggs. However, when I gave it to my sister, she gave it a 10/10. She had been with me through my cooking experience and ate all of the food that I gave her.