In an ill-timed move, Seattle Mariners’ management fired Don Wakamatsu, Major League Baseball’s first Asian-American manager, just prior to yesterday’s Japanese Heritage Night at Safeco Field.
Yuji (pictured), visiting from Tokyo, circled the stadium in search of something special to eat. (With 62 food stands and 26 kiosks on site, this process took time.) In a “No Ichiroll for you” moment, he settled upon Grounders World Famous Garlic Fries (which came to Safeco in 2001, the same year as Ichiro); in a “Freedom Fries” moment, we used the Japanese word to rename them “Ninniku Fries” as a form of protest for Wakamatsu’s firing.
Not really. Yuji says he just got tired of smelling the fries all around the stadium without getting a chance to eat them. The fries are seasoned with parsley, Kosher salt, and lots of garlic, with the resulting odor creating chaos as fans abandon seats in the area. The section in the photo was full moments before the shot.
Again, not really. But the two apple slices included with the fries are just a joke as an attempt to get rid of garlic breath. Still, two thumbs up from our Japanese friend, who said “oishikatta.”