Oishinbo - Vol. 3 Ch. 21 - The Rules of Cuisine

[MangaDex]

 

[throwawaygod]

How do you do your cuisine research?

 

[Mugiwara325]

How do you do your cuisine research?

I do a lot of Google deep dives.
What's critical for this series is that I don't limit myself to English results. I'll often search in Japanese (sometimes Chinese when their cuisine is brought up), since a lot of discussion on Oishinbo is done in Japanese, and the series also frequently touches on Japanese cultures, traditions, and even modern stereotypes.

I'll mix and match keywords and go through several websites until I've developed a good idea of the subject matter. These websites sometimes have conflicting information so it's important to take that into account to see what's 'generally' accepted, and which sources are more reliable.

I'll use English search results if the chapter touches on European/American food, or the science behind food, since English research on those topics would be more robust and readily available.

 

[d_a_renoir]

This chapter had surprised me. I didn't expect Yuzan to be like this with French food. In one of the Ala carte chapters it was mentioned that he is considered an authoritative consultant of Chinese cooking, so I had thought he'd be respectful of foreign cuisine traditions even if he might not like them. Well, maybe that's a chapter from a much later volume and he's already changed a bit by then.

 

[Mugiwara325]

This chapter had surprised me. I didn't expect Yuzan to be like this with French food. In one of the Ala carte chapters it was mentioned that he is considered an authoritative consultant of Chinese cooking, so I had thought he'd be respectful of foreign cuisine traditions even if he might not like them. Well, maybe that's a chapter from a much later volume and he's already changed a bit by then.

Chinese cuisine shares many similarities with Japanese cuisine. Especially in Oishinbo, where many of the Chinese dishes depicted are more high-end and artistically elaborate.

Kaibara respects art and refinement, so Chinese cuisine is right up his alley. In his eyes, French cuisine is excessive and indulgent, which he finds grotesque.
Of course, this chapter has demonstrated that he is in the wrong. French cuisine can be every bit as refined as the most refined Japanese dishes.

 

[d_a_renoir]

In his eyes, French cuisine is excessive and indulgent, which he finds grotesque.
Of course, this chapter has demonstrated that he is in the wrong. French cuisine can be every bit as refined as the most refined Japanese dishes.

Yeah, that's the thing, in any country there's always going to be different types of cooking. There's the more refined high class cooking, home type cooking, the fast food/street food sorts, etc.

What I was surprised of is that Yuzan seems that have prejudice against French food entirely before proven wrong. I kind of assumed Yuzan would've already understood that French food can be elegant. Just that he might dislike certain methods of cooking for being tacky or otherwise distasteful. But here initially it looks like he either doesn't know or care, and was just calling all French cooking bad.

Like, I brought up Chinese food because not all Chinese food are going to be classy. There's the greasy street joint foods that's all lard and heavy in flavour, and I doubt that Yuzan would like that. But he knows well enough about the cuisine to certainly be able to appreciate the cooking styles that did involve artistry/respectable techniques.

 

[Mugiwara325]

Ah, I see.
Yes, Kaibara can be a very prejudiced person. Whenever he talks down on something, it is sometimes based on actual fact, but can often be based on personal prejudice. Kariya often uses him as a mouthpiece for gourmet opinions that he disagrees with.

I think what's happened is that Kaibara built his opinion of French cuisine on what he finds in restaurants, that being fancy foods doused in lots of creamy sauce. If he built his opinion on Chinese cuisine similarly, he'd have visited Chinese restaurants which serve elegantly prepared and beautifully crafted dishes. That much is just my assumption though, based on what I know of Kaibara's character and how the manga presents different cuisine.

 

[sarusa]

This manga really is 'who's the asshole who's going to get their comeuppance  this week? Thanks for the SLs for this classic!

Also, no idea about the Just So Story about the bonito fisherman, but can verify Japanese love mayo on almost anything now. Of course there's the popular Kewpie mayo, but more to this chapter soy and mayo is a popular flavoring for snacks like chips. Or mayo fries, euro style. For fish (cooked or raw) mayo mixed with tarako (the spicy tiny orange fish eggs) goes fantastic as a sauce, or similarly mentaiko. Also amazing with fries!