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The fluffy wobbly Japanese cheesecake has taken the world by storm in the past couple years.
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You've never had one quite like this.
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Uncle Tetsu's has been selling the signature dessert in Japan for over 30 years.
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People have been lining the streets of Times Square to get a taste at its first east coast storefront.
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I saw it on social media, and I wondered what it's like.
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So I passed them when they first opened, I saw a huge line.
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Waited a few days and I was like, I have to try it.
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So I did, and it's really good.
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[Line Around the Block]
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Uncle Tetsu first opened up shop in 1985 in Japan selling jiggly airy fluffy Japanese cheesecakes.
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And since then has sought to take over the world, opening up shops in China, Pakistan, Canada, and they are finally available right here on the American east coast.
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And of course, the first shop that they opened up was right here in Times Square.
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So naturally I had to go check it out.
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Now, Uncle Tetsu isn't the first souffle cheesecake in the game.
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The concept has been around since the 70s in Japan. [Mmmmm... Cheesecake...]
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And in New York alone there are more than a few bakeries dishing out wobbly cheesecakes.
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But with about 75 shops across Asia, Uncle Tetsu's is a household name overseas.
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With an airy structure that melts in your mouth like cotton candy, these desserts make for Insta-gold.
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Just look at that jiggle.
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And it's all completed with a signature touch.
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This is Uncle Tetsu's face.
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Uncle Tetsu actually looks like this.
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I think Uncle Tetsu became such a global phenomenon because no matter where you go people love sweets.
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Every culture loves sweets.
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Uncle Tetsu's dream was to always open in New York, since New York is known for New York-style cheesecake.
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He's teaching people and allowing them to understand that Uncle Tetsu Japanese cheesecake is not as dense and heavy.
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It's kind of a fun whimsical type of feeling that brings out your inner childhood even as an adult.
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I've always wanted to try the Japanese cheesecake that everyone's raving about.
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So I decided to come by, and stop by before I head home.
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What about it drew you in?
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Everything.
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The videos of how they make it, the fluffiness.
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What are you most excited about?
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Trying the first bite.
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A mix of perfectly fluffy meringue, and a traditional sour cheesecake, an Uncle Tetsu's cheesecake begins with 30 eggs whipped to stiff peak in a giant mixing bowl.
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Then the chef gets to making the cheesecake base, butter, cream cheese, and milk.
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The chef puts on gloves that reach all the way up to his shoulders, in order to fold the batter by hand.
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After ladling the mixture into lined cheesecake tins, the cheesecakes are popped into the super high-tech ovens Uncle Tetsu had imported from Japan for precision baking.
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Ensuring perfection with every single batch.
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They're packed up right out of the oven.
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But not before each cake is carefully branded with the seal of approval, the jolly uncle himself smiling back at you.
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Uncle Tetsu's cheesecake is the best cheesecake because it's not too heavy, it's not too light.
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It's the perfect balance in a cheesecake.
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- It's good. - Yeah?
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It's so light.
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It's so fluffy.
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Tastes like a cloud.
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This feels crazy, like...
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It's like stable but it also feels like it's going to die in my hands.
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I'm like afraid to hold this it's so...
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It's like nothing I've ever held before.
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It's like, uh.
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I'm gonna put this down now.
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It's like dessert and a like toy all in one.
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My hands are covered in it, but I'm like also having fun.
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It's very strange.
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Is it weird if I just eat this like this?
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- No, okay. - I think that's the only way to do it.
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Okay.
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Oh my God.
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Stop it.
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Stop it, you don't have to chew that.
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It just like...
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You don't have to chew this at all.
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It just disintegrates in your mouth.
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Oh, this is good.
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It's the airiest thing that I've ever eaten.
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This is wild.
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It's so light and squishy.
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This is food.
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This isn't Play-Doh, this is food.
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That's nuts.