HanaMichi: Tonkatsu Dreams

Comfort foods offer solace for the soul and a reprieve from the harried rhythm of life.

Tonkatsu, or pork cutlet, served with rice and curry. Diners can grind sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle to add to the tonkatsu sauce. Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times

Comfort foods offer solace for the soul and a reprieve from the harried rhythm of life. 

For Sophia Lee, the owner of the restaurant HanaMichi, the ultimate comfort food is tonkatsu. As a young exchange teacher in Japan in her late 20s, she had a taste of the breaded and deep-fried pork dish and was forever smitten. 

Owner Sophia Lee. Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times