Circular Thinking: Feeling Mode ② (Accepting Without Judgment)

The first step in the fundamental principle of idea generation, "Circular Thinking," is the "Feeling Mode." Its purpose is to gather the raw materials for ideas (general knowledge and specialized knowledge). And there is a significant characteristic in how these materials are incorporated.

Circular Thinking

Over ten years ago, when I was working as an account manager for a food manufacturer, a problem arose: "Why aren't authentic Chinese seasonings selling in the Kyushu region?" At that time, the client told me, "You probably won't understand just by staying in Tokyo, so go to Kyushu and investigate for yourself."

That was the start of my 2-night, 3-day Fukuoka tour. Sesame mackerel, squid, sea urchin. Amidst the temptations of Genkai Sea seafood, I immersed myself in Chinese cuisine day after day, from morning till night. Sometimes with local women introduced to me, sometimes with my university friend's family, sometimes alone, I visited a total of 11 Chinese restaurants, soaking up their stories.

Contrary to my expectation that "if authentic Chinese seasonings aren't selling, Fukuoka's Chinese restaurants must be mediocre," I encountered delicious dishes at various establishments. Among them, the Fujian-style fried noodles at Fuku Shin Rō, a long-established restaurant in Hakata founded in 1904, stood out. The brown noodles were chewy and packed with umami. It was a unique, addictive flavor you won't find elsewhere.

Fukushinro Fujian Chao Mian

It was also striking when I asked locals, "You don't eat much Chinese food, do you?" and they all replied, looking surprised, "We eat it all the time!" When I asked for specific dishes, they mentioned "Hakata ramen," "champon," and "sara udon." Hmm, well, they are Chinese dishes, but...

Researching further, I learned that Fukuoka's local dish "Gameni" (Chikuzen-ni) actually originated from a Chinese dish where catfish or carp were deep-fried and then stir-fried with vegetables. Similarly, the famous "Suidoki" hot pot is said to have been brought back from Hong Kong by a Nagasaki-born chef. Take Kumamoto's Taihei-en (Taiwanese-style soup noodles), or champon and sara udon, or iron pot gyoza. It became clear that people in Kyushu are masters at skillfully adapting Chinese cuisine and transforming it into their own local dishes.

Mizutaki

So at the supermarket, I proposed an arrangement: "Use authentic Chinese seasonings for dishes like Eight Treasures Vegetables to make delicious Sara Udon!" This helped boost sales.

Guided by the client, I found myself unconsciously operating in the "feeling mode" of circular thinking. Its defining feature is accepting various pieces of information—potential building blocks for ideas—without first judging their validity. It's about receiving information with an open mind, thinking, "Hmm, that's an interesting perspective," rather than taking it at face value. For now, hmm hmm." It's like accepting things with a bit of distance. Normally in business, a Cartesian purity is often valued – "I will include nothing in my judgment except what appears to my mind so clearly and distinctly that there can be no doubt about it." This is the exact opposite. Whether it's rigorous survey data, a random auntie's mutter overheard, local historical materials, or every dish I taste. I keep accepting all data equally with a "Hmm, for now" until the various realities of Kyushu's Chinese cuisine coalesce into a single image within my own body.

Once I've prepared both general knowledge—encompassing not just objective data but sensory impressions—and specialized knowledge, it's time to switch to "scatter mode." That said, next time I'll take a slight detour and talk about Nagoya's food culture and ethnography.

Enjoy!