We are going to pull out all the stops over the next few weeks and take a close look at the ostrich—the bird, its meat, its wine-pairing possibilities, its contribution to the world of cosmetics, historical uses, and even a dance fashioned after this flightless bird, the biggest in the world. As we will end the series on a musical note, it is only proper that we begin with one, as well. The derivation of the English expression “to pull out all the stops” comes to us from the world of music, pipe-organ playing to be precise. Wiktionary puts it thus, “An allusion to organ stops, which are pulled out to turn on each set of sounds in a pipe organ. When all stops are pulled out, the organ will play all variations of its sounds at once, therefore being as loud as possible.”
Our readers might be asking themselves about the impetus behind this series. Well, there are three, two from the distant past and one contemporary. A few decades ago one of us here at drinkingjapan.org published an English-language textbook which included a chapter on Chandler, Arizona’s dynamic ostrich race. About twenty years later, the two of us here at drinkingjapan.org had the good fortune of dining at Tokyo’s Hilton Hotel during a South African food fair, at which ostrich meat was served at the buffet table. We consumed A LOT, and, as a result, realized what an excellent meat ostrich is. The proximate reason for our interest is Yoshinoya’s marketing of ostrich meat online.
Yoshinoya is a company that needs no introduction. It is best known for its chain of gyudon (beef bowl) restaurants. It has a presence in a number of countries, including the United States, China, and Singapore, to name a few, and it also has a subsidiary named Speedia, which produces a fine “Hand & Body Care Milk.”
Drinking Japan 