Donburi - Bowl
In fact nothing special, but loved by common people. Rice in a bowl with topping, just like a (Japanese) cats meal.
Plain Rice
ごはん
Is it a dish? Yes, it is. You can easily see the level of the restaurant. Plain white rice is the most important part which the chef check at the every meal.
Katsu-Don
カツ丼
Katsu - Pork cutlet
Deep fried pork with sauce stirred with eggs on the rice. You know that the pronounciation of "t" is difficult for many Japanese. Many pronounce "tsu" for "t". Got it? Hire-Katsu is tender fillet and more expensive. Same Janglish "hire" for "fillet". When you want pork and rice separately, you have to order Ton-katsu. It is same, but more expensive. That is a clue. All the dishes with a suffix "-don", donburi (bow), are cheaper.
Gyu-Don
牛丼
Gyu - Beef
Rice on the thin sliced beef. Sliced beef is like sukiyaki, which has sweet soy sauce taste. Right after that the famous discount gyudon family restaurant chain "yoshino-ya" landed in the USA, many people on the world got to know the name and taste of the gyudon.
Ten-Don 天丼
Ten - Tempura
Tempura on the rice. Big schrimp is a king and usually expensive.
Oyako-Don 親子丼
Oya - Parent
Ko - Child
Did you got it? Parent and child. Chicken and eggs. So, chicken and eggs on the rice.
Una-Don うな丼
Unagi - Eel
Una is a short form of Unagi. Eel is also dlicacy and expensive. Knowbody knows where eels ovulate. Somehow many Japanese eat gegrilled eel "kabayaki" especially in the summer, is the season that many people have no appetit, yet needs energy. Gegrilled eel on the rice bowl is Una-Don, same combination but if it is filled on the expensively lacked box, the name will be changed to Una-Ju.
Maguro-Don
まぐろ丼
Maguro - Tuna fish
It is well known that the Japanese love raw tuna. And tuna gets more and more expensive. If Japanese should be blamed or not, it is an another question. Raw tuna, also tuna "sashimi", on the rice, is Maguro-Don, another name is Tekka-Don.
Ikura-Don
いくら丼
Ikura - salmon roe
Salmon roe is a pure delicacy. After that the Russian discovered that the Japanese love salmon roe, the price got higher. Usually just a little amount of salmon roe is used for sushi or some other dishes. That's why the Ikura-Don is an exception as a Donburi which are not cheap at all.
Chuhka-Don
中華丼
Chuhka - China
I asked one day a Chinese what is chop suey. Then she asked me what is chop suey. There is no chop suey in China. But, there should be no Chinese in the USA or England, who does not know chop suey, isn't it right? Anyway, Chinese mixed vegetable and meat on the rice is Chuhka-Don.
