1.
eating oneself into ruin; spending all one's money on food
Spending so much on food and dining that one goes broke. Describes a lifestyle of prioritizing eating to an extreme degree.
毎晩外食ばかりしていたら、食い倒れになってしまう。
If you keep eating out every night, you'll eat yourself into ruin.
京の着倒れ、大阪の食い倒れ。
Kyoto spends itself on clothing; Osaka on food.
食い倒れの精神で、一つの街で朝から晩まで食べ歩きをした。
In the spirit of eat-till-you-drop, I spent from morning to night eating my way through one neighborhood.
2.
Osaka's reputation as a food capital
A cultural nickname for Osaka, famous for the saying 大阪の食い倒れ (Osaka's eat-till-you-drop culture). Refers to the city's reputation for abundant, affordable, and delicious food.
食い倒れの街、大阪へ行こう。
Let's go to Osaka, the city of eat-till-you-drop.
大阪は食い倒れの街として知られている。
Osaka is known as the food-lovers' city.
旅行で大阪に行き、たこ焼きやお好み焼きなど食い倒れを満喫してきた。
I went to Osaka on a trip and fully enjoyed the eat-till-you-drop food culture, with takoyaki and okonomiyaki.
京の着倒れ、大阪の食い倒れ。
Kyoto spends itself on clothing; Osaka on food.
食い倒れの精神で、一つの街で朝から晩まで食べ歩きをした。
In the spirit of eat-till-you-drop, I spent from morning to night eating my way through one neighborhood.
Compound of 食い (eating) + 倒れ (falling down/going bankrupt). Part of a famous set of sayings about Japanese cities.
FAMOUS SAYING:
京の着倒れ、大阪の食い倒れ — Kyoto bankrupts you with clothing, Osaka with food. This saying captures the cultural priorities of each city.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 食い倒れの街 (the food city, i.e., Osaka)
- 食い倒れを満喫する (fully enjoy the food culture)
- 大阪の食い倒れ (Osaka's eat-till-you-drop reputation)
USAGE NOTES:
The famous くいだおれ太郎 (Kuidaore Tarō) is a mechanical clown figure on Osaka's Dōtonbori street, one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. While the original restaurant closed in 2008, the figure remains a popular tourist photo spot.