"Kata-pan"

Last Sunday, I bought a "Kata-pan"（堅パン） for my daughter's "Oyatsu"（おやつ）.

There was a national ironworks named "Kan-ei Yahata Seitetsu-syo"（官営八幡製鐵所） in the nothern part of Kysuhu. It was taken over a private company, and its name is "Shin-Nihon-Seitetu"（新日本製鉄）.

"Kata-pan"(堅パン )was invented as a light food that was given to its workers by the national company. And it has become a familiar snack to people who live in this area.

When I was a child, I used to eat it. But, in those days, it had only one taste, plane(milk taste). But, now, it has three tastes, strawberry, spinach and sesame besides plane.

"Kata-pan" is well-known for its hardness. But when I ate it last Sunday, I felt that it was not so hard in comparison with what I used to eat in my childhood, and I felt it was a little bit unfortunate thing.

P.S. "Oyatsu " or "O-yatsu" is a general name of light meal that people eat between lunch and dinner. It comes from a traditional time's name "Yatsu-doki"（八つ時）means time between about 2pm and 4pm. Generally, people call a light snack taken at about 3pm "Oyatsu", but you can use it in anytime to call a light snack.