Otaku Champloo

Tag: oishinbo

  • Oishnbo MMF: The Final Dish & Oishinbo Legacy

    I feel like this week came and went and as I wrote my last few articles, I really hadn’t realized that the week was almost over.

    I actually thought that I had written so much (many of them have been written prior to MMF), but the week caught up with me well and somewhere along the way I had to give up on some ideas for articles. To be fair, it’s something that is difficult to catch up on because it’s really just a summary on the cute development of Yamaoka and Kurita’s relationship.  And to be honest, I can’t remember much since I crammed 104 volumes in my head.

    The last day is sweet and it’s not because I made dessert with French Pancake. And it’s not because I finally remembered to mention this awesome Japanese site that actually inspired me to hold the culinary aspect of this feast: Manga Shokudo which also has its own book now!

    In writing the list of unlicensed manga that mangavores and foodies could appreciate, it dawned on me that a lot of these titles wouldn’t have been present if Oishinbo hadn’t been written. After the success of Oishinbo, the manga industry found value in discussing and experimenting with food in its pages. Thus, I’m really happy that food manga was born as it gave us more manga to read.

    Food, while integral to our living, hardly finds its presence in other forms of culture other than its kitchens and diners. To see it as an effective tool in educating people about food makes me appreciate its legacy not only in Japanese culture, but in the world as well. While Ed Sizemore might be missing out on experiencing these featured flavors, I’m happy that he sees value in this genre. When we all have forgotten flavors, these comics contribute in reminding us the various tastes and textures that we experience in food.

    In my podcast, I asked about the future of food manga and Erin was talking about astronaut meals and such. Seeing other developments in cuisine also made me wonder if smaller or microscopic dishes will be enough to feed us someday. Perhaps our dining preferences may change and evolve but I think I can feel assured that if the world does end in 2012 and aliens would have to figure out what we ate, they might just chance upon these comics that tried to capture the flavors that changed our life.

    I’d love to give my sincerest thanks to all the awesome folks who contributed for this Oishinbo and Food Manga MMF. Of course, I’d also like to thank the readers for supporting us! I’ll be updating the links in the viking a few hours from now so stay abreast and follow me over at twitter for any other announcements. If you enjoyed this feast and would like to participate to similar (sans the food) Manga Moveable Feasts, join our Google Groups page!

    Next month is honestly just as exciting as mine! Michelle Smith and Anne are hosting the Inoue Takehiko Manga Moveable Feast from June 24 – June 30 at Manga Report and Soliloquy in Blue. With all these food I ate for this feast, I’m going to get my Shohoku trainers back and get myself ready. L-O-V-E RU-KA-WA! \o/

  • Oishinbo MMF: Orientalizing Oishinbo

    Oishinbo MMF: Orientalizing Oishinbo

    In a dinner where Japan’s most elite gathered to discuss Tozai News’ plan for the Ultimate Menu, most men proclaimed that the most luxurious cuisine, there the most ultimate menu in the world is French. Each man was not short of giving their compliment on French ingredients and cuisine however one man couldn’t handle this pretext for the Ultimate Menu.

    Yamaoka Shiro, Tozai News’ Ultimate Menu journalist called them and said Japanese Cuisine and this pretentiousness was all a . He asked the man to give him a week to find the ingredient that was just as luxurious as a French foie gras. Many in the room were not having any of it, but a week later, Yamaoka gives them a plate that almost fooled everyone. What they had thought was French foie gras was in fact the liver of a monkfish, ankimo.

    Stories of East vs. West often line up in the pages of Oishinbo. If you consider the time that Japan has been open to the West, this whole East-West foodie tension should have been done and over with by the time Oishinbo was written. But does the fact that the comic continues to question the superiority of Western cuisine make Oishinbo a post-colonial text? Is the comic a tale of Japan’s own battles in preserving their own food culture?

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  • Oishinbo MMF: The Fifth course of curry and more

    I was a little worried that there wasn’t going to be any post today because I decided to take a break due to bad eyestrain last night.

    Fortunately, the community didn’t disappoint and still gave me a slew of posts to share with you! Thank you guys! \o/

    The slew of food manga that we have been sharing has brought people down memory lane in recounting their own food manga favorites. Kate Dacey noted down her list of 7 Mouth-watering Food Manga in Manga Critic. I am not going to contest to her list and it’a quite a great mix of both established and new titles. Although I would probably add some other titles like Moyashimon. Justin from Organizational of Anti-social Geniuses also looked into his own food manga journey that goes way back to Iron Work Jan!

    Over at Manga Theraphy, Tony Yao shares his love for Addicted to Curry, a personal favorite of mine as well and it tackles one of my favorite cuisines. He thinks the time is right in bringing this curry series into the US however, I’m not sure how far Tony has read but Addicted to Curry doesn’t tackle so much of Japanese curry style but is more involved in varieties of Indian curry as well as experiments with the spices. Nonetheless, this is a must for curry lovers and Tony’s right, there’s some great health benefits to curry.

    Kitchen Princess gets a spotlight from Izandra and while this is a shoujo title, it’s also a wicked cooking manga that’s great for introducing girls to cooking! And over at Cucina Giaponese, an Italian fan of Japanese cooking shares Oishinbo’s legacy in Japanese culture. The entry is in Italian but isn’t it fascinating how there’s also a curiosity for Oishinbo elsewhere in the world? Then again, I myself am a litany of that given I’m all the way here in the Philippines.

    Erica Friedman shared to me this last minute addition which I got quite excited about because it does fit with how manga serves as a mean of instruction when it comes to food. Chef Taro.com is a website that teaches people the “foodamentals” of Japanese cuisine. Their blog is quite insightful when it comes to some recent Japanese food trends but I treasure their manga a little more because it’s so adorable!

    Hopefully this serving can whet your appetite! Again, if you have your own food manga or Oishinbo journeys, do share with me over at twitter with the hashtag #oishinbommf or send it to my gmail: punkednoodle.

  • Oishinbo MMF: Manga Foodie Podcast

    Oishinbo MMF: Manga Foodie Podcast

    Put four mangavores (Ed Chavez, Erin Finnegan, Noah Fulmor, and myself) in a show talking about food manga, Japan’s foodie culture, and the future of food manga and you’ll definitely have another batshit crazy edition of Mangacast and Ninjaconsultant shenanigans.

    I greatly apologize for some recording trippings. ;3; podcast n00b much!

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download

    File Download: Manga Foodie Podcast

    Opening theme: Sora from Chuuka Ichiban
    Ending theme: To all you dreamers from Yakitate!! Japan!

    The Manga Foodie Podcast Index

    00:00 – 1:00 – Introduction
    01:00 – Popularity of Food Manga in Japan   
    04:00 – Anpanman as Food manga?  Manga before for Oishinbo 
    06:00 – “U” & The “Chi” Food Manga Crossover
    11:17  – Hatsukoi Lunch Box
    12:00 – Naruto Kyaraben
    14:00 – Elements of food manga
    15:03 – Melon Spaghetti from Kishoku Hunter
    17:58 – Ramen Manga
    22:22 – The need to say something is delicious in Japan
    27:03 – Favorite Food Manga (Erin: Kitchen Princess, Ed Chavez: Addicted to Curry)
    30:00 – Chew & Bambino Corps. Police
    32:48 – Are American readers ready for food manga? 
    36:00 – The issue of terroir in following food manga recipe
    38:00 – Experiencing food manga through cooking or visiting the restaurants
    44:00 – Manga-themed cafe in Japan
    46:13 – Future of Food Manga
    51:13 – Possible food manga licenses (not by Vertical, okay!): Shinya Shokudo, Kodoku no Gourmet, What did you Eat Yesterday (Kinou Nani Tabeta)
    56:50 – Drops of God, support from the wine community
    1:00:00 – Mario Batali supporting Bambino?
    1:05:00 – Hulk smashing food, Thor tenderizing hammers?
    1:07:00 – Coffee, milk tea, cafe boom (Hyougemono)
    1:08:00 – End

    You can listen to more of Erin & Noah’s podcasts in Ninja Consultant. Erin’s a regular contributor in ANN with Shelf Life too! Ed Chavez is all over the internet under Vertical but you can catch his fangirling in his tumblr, or go through archives of his old podcasts in mangacast. You can all follow us at @khursten, @mangacast, and @erinf on twitter.

  • MMF: Oishinbo Cooking: Bacon Nabe

    Guys, what’s not good without bacon?

    We all know how everything tastes better with bacon and even Oishinbo recognized this fact!

    When Kurita’s grandmother was getting suspicious of her friend’s disappearances, she asks Kurita to investigate what her friend was up to. They ended up looking in a shack with nothing but an empty nabe in the middle. Unable to solve this mystery, Kurita turns to Yamaoka for help.

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  • MMF: Becoming Oishinbo

    MMF: Becoming Oishinbo

    The first chapter of Oishinbo shows Tozai News’ attempt in finding the journalist for their upcoming ‘Ultimate Menu’ feature in their magazine. They’ve lined up their employees in a dining hall and presented them with a tray containing 3 glasses of water and 3 bowls of tofu with their respective labels. With a smug smile, the editor of the Arts & Culture division, Mr. Hideo Tanimura, asked his employees to identify which glasses of water were tap water, water from the restaurant’s well, and mineral water from the Tanzawa mountains. For the bowls of tofu, they must precisely point out which tofu came from the supermarket, from the famous tofu shop in Ueno, and tofu from a famous Kyoto tofu-maker.

    Clearly, not everyone can easily distinguish these flavors. How could anyone figure out different tofu let alone distinguish the subtleties in water?! In the comic, Yamaoka simply shove them down his mouth and guessed it perfectly. Kurita was more modest in tasting but guessed it just as perfectly. Some of us would think that it would take natural talent or a golden tongue to figure these things out but if Oishinbo (or food manga) can ever attest to anything, knowledge and a curious tongue is your key to developing an exquisite taste.

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  • MMF: Oishinbo Cooking: Beef Garlic Rice Bowl

    With the countless amount of recipes in Oishinbo, it was a difficult task to sort what food to cook. All of them looked appetizing. Most of them read like they’re the greatest dish we could ever taste! And there are some that have flavors we could only dream of.

    However, I realized that after my post on a recipe taken from Yoshinaga Fumi’s Kinou Nani Tabeta, not a lot of people have access to Japanese goods and it’s rather sad that the pleasure of eating food from a manga was mine alone.

    Thus, I took the task to choose dishes that we can all eat! Not all of us might be able to find some shiso leaves and freshly cut bamboo but I think, at the very least, some rice would be available to all.

    For this MMF, I will be cooking a couple of dishes from Oishinbo. I think some folks are trying other dishes from other manga, but at least here, we’re gunning for a homebrew of the Ultimate Menu.

    For tonight’s dinner, we’re serving Beef Garlic Rice Bowl.

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  • MMF: Spotlight: Oishinbo

    The first time I entered an izakaya (Japanese pub) in Manila, I was quite surprised that they had a small bookshelf filled with manga. Back then, I was appalled that they didn’t have Prince of Tennis or Naruto but they did have a treasure trove of classic manga which, back then, I honestly didn’t care for. While I ignored many of the titles, I did notice volumes of comics that had food on the cover. What was strange was that when I went to another izakaya, there they were again. And again. And again. Even when I went to Japan, I saw that shops that kept this manga within reach and for a good while I thought that it must be some food manga bible.

    And you know what, it probably is.

    This title had tackled more than just cooking. It spoke of the best preparation, the finest ingredient, the humblest of meals, and the power of food. Oishinbo was more than just a passing read while waiting for your food in an izakaya. It was a food epic.

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  • MMF: Oishinbo & Food Manga, an appetizer

    Japanese food is a mystery for many. We are perplexed by the vulgarity of eating raw fish but at the same time we wonder how croquettes (korokke) and curries (kare-) are part of their cuisine. Japan is where hamburgers are best as hamburgs and fast food fare involves a triangle-shaped rice.  Their food will always be strange to the point that we consider it exotic. What is stranger is that this oddest of cuisines has a comic genre of their own.

    I’m not talking about the occasional mention of a hot packed lunch on a roof top. Nor am I talking about those nervous Valentines where girls line up to buy chocolates for their loved ones. What I am talking about are the hundreds of titles with thousands of volumes dedicated in exploring new flavors, experimenting cooking techniques, and sharing delicious food with everyone.

    Food manga is the love child of Japan’s rich gastronomy and exciting comic culture. Personally, I think it is one of the best comic genres in Japan. It only becomes the worst when I read a food manga when I’m hungry.

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  • Calling all foodies, gourmands, and mangavores for Oishinbo & Food Manga MMF!

    Calling all foodies, gourmands, and mangavores for Oishinbo & Food Manga MMF!

    Out of all the Manga Moveable Feasts out there, this is probably the only one that’s literally a feast. By that I mean we’ll be talking about food, and if we’re lucky, eat some food!

    From May 22 – 27, I will be your host to the diverse flavors and cuisines found in Oishinbo and Food Manga!

    This isn’t an MMF feast for the hungry. I’m planning to put up some serious meals and discuss nothing but food with everyone! I’m hoping that at least we can entice readers to discover new food, maybe make readers understand and appreciate what’s on their plate, or make the world more aware how amazing Oishinbo and this genre is!

    Oishinbo and Food Manga? That’s a lot, Khursten!

    I know it’s a lot, but it’s all right. We can manage, yeah? As it is, there’s not a lot of English-licensed food manga out there. Thus, at the least, I’d like people to start from Oishinbo and head on from there. Those who have other titles and other food manga experiences in mind will be welcomed as well!

    But what makes food manga? Simply put, it’s a manga that’s centered around food. It may have a running story line but at the end of the day the people are either talking mostly about how food is made or how a particular restaurant dish tastes like. It’s still a small genre in English but we’re hoping, after this MMF, we can inspire more people to appreciate food manga.

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