'Tokoroten'

Dietary fiber plus acid.

Ashinano, Hitoshi. 200x. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. Chapter x. Vol.x, Page x, Panel x.
'Tokoroten arimasu'
Ashinano, Hitoshi. 1998. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. Chapter 33. Vol. 5, Page 19, Panel 2.

'Tokoroten' is a dish of thin translucent jelly strips. It is served cold and eaten with vinegar-based dressing. It is a snack rather than a meal.

Photos

Tokoroten by Takemura Tokoroten by Takemura Agar noodles

Agar, aka Kanten

Tokoroten is made from agar, also known as kanten. Agar contains a substantial amount of dietary fiber and no calories. Unlike gelatin, agar does not contain animal protein.

a stick of kanten a stick of kanten, section
(Traditional stick kanten, freeze-dried tokoroten)

powdered kanten
(Modern powdered kanten)

Tengusa

Agar is made from some species of marine plant. They are called tengusa in Japanese.

tengusa being dried tengusa, closer look

Mitsumame

Alpha mentions mitsumame in chapter 45. It is also made from agar.

Mitsumame by Takano-ya Agar cubes

'Mitsumame' is a kind of dessert made of agar cubes instead of strips and eaten with sweet syrup instead of sour vinegar.

I wonder why Alpha chooses tokoroten over mitsumame. She loves sweet things, doesn't she?

Conclusion

Agar and vinegar are essential for the health of robot people, I guess. What do you think about it, guys?

Links

Anmitsu by Wikipedia
If you add some an to mitsumame, it's called anmitsu.
How to make Tokoroten by Mieko Nagano
You can learn how to make tokoroten directly from tengusa.

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YKK - Behind the Panels > Tokoroten

2005-03-29/08-15 KIMOTO Go