Hey, do you know how monjayaki got its name?

I think I've read about it before, but I can't recall it...

Because you need to rub it and rub it... Monja (揉んじゃ) is an infinitive for "to rub". Ai is speaking that with something of a Western accent.

...to spread it out so thin!! Monjayaki is also thinner than its closest related dish, okonomiyaki, because while both use similar ingredients, monjayaki batter has extra dashi stock or water in it. (Source: Wikipedia) As a result, it behaves similarly to cheese that melts and then begins to harden again as it cools.

That "~ja" explanation has a bit of a problem...didn't monjayaki originate in Kanto and not the West? This is true – specifically, monjayaki is said to have originated in Tokyo's Tsukishima district. The dish is popular in the Kanto region to this day.

Ah~! Sorry, that was a joke!!

But "Ai" guess you got me!

Rubbing...it's about rubbing, huh~

I can't pass up any chance for a pun~