Let's face it. We could all use a curse-dodging burger for 2021.
Burger King Japan launched a new burger called the Spicy Yakuyoke Whopper that can allegedly ward off the bad spirits of the new year. In Japanese, yakuyoke translates to "dodging curses" or "protection against misfortune." Therefore, as the new year begins, this appetizing burger will help customers ring in a prosperous and curse-free year.
In Japan, it's a tradition to visit a shrine or temple at the start of a new year to pick up a yakuyoke charm that protects its holder from evil spirits. However, the coronavirus pandemic has made it harder for some people to go out and get their new yakuyoke, so Burger King is bringing the charm straight to the home.
The fast-food chain released a video that features some Burger King employees at Tokyo's Jindaiji Temple. In the video, the employees bring the Spicy Yakuyoke Whoppers with them so each burger can be blessed by monks. The fires that cleanse the burger simulate the fire used to grill Burger King's infamous patties, hence the chain's ability to create a burger that wards off evil spirits. The red and white paper the Yakuyoke whopper is wrapped in is reminiscent of the Japanese Daruma, which is another talisman of perseverance and good luck.
The Spicy Yakuyoke Whopper is topped with cheddar cheese, pickles, tomatoes, and onions all within a toasted sesame bun. However, the real curse-warding magic comes in the burger's sauce. The whopper is slathered with a sauce that contains garlic chips and chili powder from Kyoto called "Nihon ichi karai ougon ichimi" or "the spiciest golden flavoring in Japan." The sauce is the spiciest sauce Burger King has ever used; customers will receive a free Yakuyoke mint to help cleanse their palate after eating the evil-fighting burger.
The Yakuyoke Whopper will be sold at participating Burger King restaurants in Japan until January 28. It will cost customers 780 yen for the Whopper or 1,080 yen to make it a meal (About $7 for Whopper or $10 for the meal). Either way, it's a good deal for a burger that keeps you free of curses and evil spirits for the year.
To increase your prosperity in 2021, Burger King Japan is also selling the "2021 Yin Metal Ox Good Luck Set." This lucky meal is a family feast that includes one Yakuyoke Whopper, one regular Whopper, one five-piece coconut shrimp, two five-piece chicken nuggets, one order of onion rings, three orders of apple pie, and three hash browns. This box set will add good luck to each customer's health, finances, relationships, and love life.
This isn't the first sandwich that Burger King created to commemorate an entire year. Burger King Brazil also developed a 2020 burger that encompassed everything we hated about the year, rendering it inedible.
So, would you take a trip to Japan to try the evil-warding Yakuyoke Whopper? Let us know in the comments! We wish you all a prosperous and lucky 2021!
