Slathering Food in Tons of Butter Is Japan's Latest Twitter Trend

Is everything better with butter? Hell yeah, many would argue. So creamy, so fatty, so rich.

But putting aside the fact that deep-fried butter is now a thing, we've also worried until very recently that the stuff might be truly abhorrent for our arteries. And by "we," I mean Americans. Only in the past year or so have we come around and embraced the idea that butter's bodily impact might not be as murderous as we have previously surmised. Sorry, olive oil. Don't call us, we'll call you.

And here—in the land of the drive-thru, home of the Beam-n-Bacon Boozy Shake—Japanese food is typically thought of as a little ascetic: no-frills nigiri, miso soup, maybe a more decadent bowl of udon or ramen here and there.

But like us, it turns out they're a little turned on by butter, too. (And not in the Last Tango in Paris sense.) According to RocketNews24 and Naver.jp, butter is the centerfold, so to speak, in the latest Japanese trend to hit Twitter: "Butter Ping Cuisine." The gist of the "movement," if you can call it that—which RocketNews24 notes "seems to have come out of nowhere"—is drenching your food in shitloads of butter. Melted or otherwise.

It's not pretty, and it's certainly not for the kale-loving crowd. But if you have something edible, a stick of butter, and a microwave, you too can be a master of this exciting new cuisine. Move over, New Nordic!

Avocados are already delicious and fatty, sure, but couldn't they be improved by drenching their gaping pit-hole drenched in melted Land O'Lakes?

目が覚めてしまった(^^;; お腹もすいてる。アボカドにバターをのせてレンジでチンして食べました❤︎ pic.twitter.com/D8GfY6G0Ow

— ローカーボ女子部 (@rika93975083) May 15, 2014

There is a joyful naiveté in the cuisine, likely because it was invented by teenage boys who spend a lot of time on the internet. Twitter users have been sharing "recipes"that translate thusly: "I totally recommend eating a whole onion this way! Just cover it in butter, then microwave it!"

新玉ねぎまるごと食べるのまじめに美味しいからオススメ！！！！ バターのせて、切れ目いれて、 レンチン5ふん！完了！ バジルやチーズをちらすと最高！ pic.twitter.com/HDp0LLXsPG — あかり (@mofumb824) April 21, 2015

Onions, in particular, seem to be a popular centerpiece in BPC:

新玉ねぎ丸ごとにバターのせてレンチンして醤油かけてパセリかけたやつうますぎわろた pic.twitter.com/RtBJ1zR57Z

— なの。 (@c_nasa) June 1, 2014

Sweet potatoes and tofu are also frequent victims of the butter treatment. Take that, superfoods!

ジャガイモに 塩バターチーズのせて チンしたやつ(再び) pic.twitter.com/Iq0NAy4HQN — 注:お砂糖ちゃん (@pi_tanu) November 10, 2014

【美味しかった豆腐メモ】もやしゆでる→お皿に盛る、明太子のっける、バターのっける、レンチン1分半、まぜまぜして食う。おいちい♪ pic.twitter.com/qkDdS42odh

— こちこち (@koooootoon) June 23, 2014

So what's all of this butter hysteria about, anyway? You'd think these Twitter users just made their first visit to the Iowa State Fair.

Well, late last year, Japan was in the trenches of a particularly heinous butter shortage, leading to widespread concerns about the availability of domestic sponge cake—a popular dish at Christmastime. Experts blamed stressed cows (due to warmer temperatures from climate change) and septuagenarian farmers for the shortage, as Japanese dairy production continued its decline and the number of domestic dairy farms shrank from 82,000 in 1985 to just 19,000 in the present day.

Butter prices rose, changing its status from a given to something of a luxury item.

わぁ〜い☆差し入れでもらったどら焼きにバターをのせてレンチンしたものを食してるよ〜☆コレステロールうまぁ〜☆ pic.twitter.com/JnQmwj5jEb — ADなぎさ@6/28新宿BLAZEライブ (@ADnagisa) January 4, 2015

Maybe Butter Ping Cuisine devotees feel like they're topping their fruits, vegetables, and pancakes with the equivalent of entire ice cream scoops of Osetra caviar. But others might argue that the whole thing looks a little bit, well, greasy. Topping onions with butter, oil, and mozzarella cheese makes you wonder if the onion is even necessary at all.

おもちにバターと醤油とピザ用チーズとオニオンとかはいってるクリームチーズちょっとのせてチンするのにはまってる( ˘ω˘ )♥️デブ食！！！！！！！！ pic.twitter.com/GW0c9eap7W

— hjm (@gnmaxxx) January 9, 2015

At least we can breathe a sigh of relief that it might not entice us, but it ain't gonna kill us.