海空自がコラボ料理　カレー、空揚げ対決終結へ

　海上、航空両自衛隊は、それぞれが推すカレーと鶏の空揚げをコラボレーションさせた「空海（くうかい）」を発表した。防衛省の食堂で７日から期間限定で提供する。旧日本海軍時代の伝統を受け継ぐ海自カレーに対抗して、空揚げを「空自空上げ」として宣伝していた両自衛隊のアピール合戦は、コラボ料理の誕生で「手打ち」となった。
　両自衛隊は親近感向上のため、各基地オリジナルのカレーや空揚げを紹介。１０月には公式ツイッター上で、海上、航空両幕僚長も加わって対決構図を演出していた。
　空海は、海自岩国航空基地（山口県岩国市）のレンコンとひき肉を使ったカレーライスの上に、空自知念分屯基地（沖縄県南城市）で出しているニンニクしょうゆ味の空揚げをトッピング。名前には空と海の合体に加え、「食うかい？」と呼び掛ける意味も込めた。
　試食した山村浩海幕長は「（隊員の）募集広報に少しでも役立てたら非常に光栄だ」と強調。井筒俊司空幕長も「引き続き協力しながらやっていきたい」と述べた。（2020/12/05-13:35）

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and Air SDF have announced a dish they made in collaboration--curry and rice served with "karaage" fried chicken--bringing their closely watched "food battle" to an end.
   The new dish, named "Kukai," will be served at the Defense Ministry's cafeteria for a limited period from Monday.
   The ASDF has promoted its original karaage, competing with the MSDF's traditional curry dish, inherited from the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Navy. Specifically, the MSDF and the ASDF are respectively promoting curry and karaage developed by members of their bases, as part of efforts to make citizens feel close to them. In October, the chiefs of staff of the MSDF and the ASDF joined the battle on Twitter.
   For Kukai, curry using lotus roots and minced meat is topped with pieces of karaage flavored with garlic and soy sauce. The curry was originally made by the MSDF's Iwakuni base in the western prefecture of Yamaguchi, and the karaage by the ASDF's Chinen sub base in the city of Nanjo in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
   The term Kukai comprises two kanji characters--one meaning air or sky and the other meaning sea--which respectively form part of the Japanese names for the ASDF and the MSDF. Kukai also means "do you want to eat?" in Japanese.