Oishinbo - Vol. 33 Ch. 301 - The Right Balance (Part 2)

[MangaDex]

 

[BippidiBoppetyBoob]

The machine I use had an update and I wasn't super happy with the result. I'll see if I can mess with a different setting on it.

Also, I got to throw a little history into the TL note that I figured everyone would appreciate as being germane to the topic and as a historian, I'm always pleased to do that.

 

[d_a_renoir]

Okaaaayyy... but that makes me confused. If the good "pure" salt can't be sold because of the monopoly, then where do the good restaurants get their "pure and not industrialised salt" from this whole time?

Also, Kinjo, you should've at least offered to treat Yamaoka to good food for his troubles.

 

[SonnyShizuku]

The machine I use had an update and I wasn't super happy with the result. I'll see if I can mess with a different setting on it.

Also, I got to throw a little history into the TL note that I figured everyone would appreciate as being germane to the topic and as a historian, I'm always pleased to do that.

Thank you for your insight

 

[tlst9999]

Okaaaayyy... but that makes me confused. If the good "pure" salt can't be sold because of the monopoly, then where do the good restaurants get their "pure and not industrialised salt" from this whole time?

Also, Kinjo, you should've at least offered to treat Yamaoka to good food for his troubles.

Imports. The monopoly is just within Japan.

Industrial salt is the best way to transmit minerals to the people. Iodine is added to industrial salt because most people don't consume enough iodine. Goiters was a 19th century disease which was pretty much wiped out from adding artificial iodine to industrial salt. And it's looking to return because "influencers" are discouraging iodised salt for whatever reason.

"You can consume iodine from supplements" Yea. I'm gonna totally spend money on what I already get for free.

Japan doesn't appreciate this because Japan is one of the few nations with no iodine deficiency. They consume their iodine through seaweed.

 

[maddery]

The machine I use had an update and I wasn't super happy with the result. I'll see if I can mess with a different setting on it.

Also, I got to throw a little history into the TL note that I figured everyone would appreciate as being germane to the topic and as a historian, I'm always pleased to do that.

What machine?

 

[BippidiBoppetyBoob]

What machine?

I use ichigoreader.

 

[Diabeetiz]

Oh so basically the sushi chef use kosher salt? Thats seems really dumb

 

[d_a_renoir]

Imports. The monopoly is just within Japan.

Industrial salt is the best way to transmit minerals to the people. Iodine is added to industrial salt because most people don't consume enough iodine. Goiters was a 19th century disease which was pretty much wiped out from adding artificial iodine to industrial salt. And it's looking to return because "influencers" are discouraging iodised salt for whatever reason.

"You can consume iodine from supplements" Yea. I'm gonna totally spend money on what I already get for free.

Japan doesn't appreciate this because Japan is one of the few nations with no iodine deficiency. They consume their iodine through seaweed.

What are you on about? Literally the problem being discussed here was that the factory salt doesn't have minerals that would've been there in natural saltmaking process.

Also, in a previous chapter Yamaoka and Okaboshi had made salted dried fish with domestic-made natural salt. Either the monopoly doesn't ban sales if it's just in small quantities (dude in the chapter did say that it's just super expensive), or the author originally didn't know there's complicated rules about it and just assumed it was more easily available.

 

[maddery]

I use ichigoreader.

Thank you~

 

[BippidiBoppetyBoob]

What are you on about? Literally the problem being discussed here was that the factory salt doesn't have minerals that would've been there in natural saltmaking process.

Also, in a previous chapter Yamaoka and Okaboshi had made salted dried fish with domestic-made natural salt. Either the monopoly doesn't ban sales if it's just in small quantities (dude in the chapter did say that it's just super expensive), or the author originally didn't know there's complicated rules about it and just assumed it was more easily available.

I can answer this question.

The traditional method of harvesting salt was strictly banned in 1971. If Yamaoka and Okaboshi had used the traditional method, they would’ve been breaking the law, and in fact, the group in the comic would’ve been breaking the law.

There was a lot of resentment of the law, though, so it could have gone unreported.

 

[d_a_renoir]

I can answer this question.

The traditional method of harvesting salt was strictly banned in 1971. If Yamaoka and Okaboshi had used the traditional method, they would’ve been breaking the law, and in fact, the group in the comic would’ve been breaking the law.

There was a lot of resentment of the law, though, so it could have gone unreported.

Considering how handwavey it was in the sea bream chapter (there was just some "group" somewhere still making salt traditionally somehow), I am mostly convinced the author probably didn't realise how strict the ban was back then. Maybe he just assumed natural salt production still exist out there and only found out how strict the regulations are much later, while making this chapter.

 

[BippidiBoppetyBoob]

Considering how handwavey it was in the sea bream chapter (there was just some "group" somewhere still making salt traditionally somehow), I am mostly convinced the author probably didn't realise how strict the ban was back then. Maybe he just assumed natural salt production still exist out there and only found out how strict the regulations are much later, while making this chapter.

Entirely possible. Kariya has said that he doesn't actually know a great deal about food. He's just a vibes guy. Since the ban didn't go into effect until 1971 when Kariya was 30 years old, it's entirely possible that he never even knew about the total ban on the old fashioned method of manufacturing salt. Someone might've simply told him about the old method and he could've been like, "We should do that again!"

Just speculation on my part. The fact of the matter though is, the total ban on that method existed from 1971 until 1997.

Anyway, chapter upload coming today.

 

[LavTheBurger]

Entirely possible. Kariya has said that he doesn't actually know a great deal about food. He's just a vibes guy. Since the ban didn't go into effect until 1971 when Kariya was 30 years old, it's entirely possible that he never even knew about the total ban on the old fashioned method of manufacturing salt. Someone might've simply told him about the old method and he could've been like, "We should do that again!"

Just speculation on my part. The fact of the matter though is, the total ban on that method existed from 1971 until 1997.

Anyway, chapter upload coming today.

Which is so fascinating given he writes like he IS a expert. Like he is SO opinionated and stubborn, that I do feel at times he probably..shouldnt write on some subjects with how confrontational he can be through his "author avatars". I mean, I may be wrong, but isnt that a large reason why he is still in indefinite hiatus?

Does that make sense?

 

[BippidiBoppetyBoob]

Which is so fascinating given he writes like he IS a expert. Like he is SO opinionated and stubborn, that I do feel at times he probably..shouldnt write on some subjects with how confrontational he can be through his "author avatars". I mean, I may be wrong, but isnt that a large reason why he is still in indefinite hiatus?

Does that make sense?

No, you're right. He refuses to apologize over the Fukushima chapter where they get nosebleeds due to the radiation exposure. Of course, what he said in that chapter might have had some truth to it. Here in my home state of Pennsylvania, we experienced the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979 and cleanup took years, and the Fukushima disaster was even worse.

 

[cokelemon]

They keep talking about the plan in front of Kurita lol

 

[d_a_renoir]

Which is so fascinating given he writes like he IS a expert. Like he is SO opinionated and stubborn, that I do feel at times he probably..shouldnt write on some subjects with how confrontational he can be through his "author avatars". I mean, I may be wrong, but isnt that a large reason why he is still in indefinite hiatus?

Does that make sense?

Oh, he sure is acting obnoxiously like a know-it-all very often. And he actually is super inconsistent about it too.

There was one chapter where one of the characters says something along the lines of "We are all humans, what is delicious would be delicious no matter the culture" or whatever. However this series actually had multiple chapters showcasing how culture affects what people finds to be delicious or not.

 

[LavTheBurger]

Oh, he sure is acting obnoxiously like a know-it-all very often. And he actually is super inconsistent about it too.

There was one chapter where one of the characters says something along the lines of "We are all humans, what is delicious would be delicious no matter the culture" or whatever. However this series actually had multiple chapters showcasing how culture affects what people finds to be delicious or not.

Something something Whaling arc something something

The arc where Kariya kind of forgets hes a conservationist and really shouldve just said ' I wanna eat whale ". Because thats what that arc is. Its his exception to his rule and he doesnt wanna just say it, so he throws in some really clumsy arguments instead.

 

[BippidiBoppetyBoob]

Something something Whaling arc something something

The arc where Kariya kind of forgets hes a conservationist and really shouldve just said ' I wanna eat whale ". Because thats what that arc is. Its his exception to his rule and he doesnt wanna just say it, so he throws in some really clumsy arguments instead.

I totally don't want to relitigate that because that whole arc drove me nuts because he just outright lied about things. The biggest one for me is comparing it to indigenous populations in Canada and Alaska. The number of whales caught by indigenous populations both here in the US and Canada are strictly regulated. Kariya simply wanted Japan to reserve full scale commercial whaling, which is not what those indigenous populations are doing.

Anyway, sorry. Like I said, I really don't want to have to go through that again since I went through it at the time. That's the one arc I've never re-read after doing the TL.

 

[d_a_renoir]

I totally don't want to relitigate that because that whole arc drove me nuts because he just outright lied about things. The biggest one for me is comparing it to indigenous populations in Canada and Alaska. The number of whales caught by indigenous populations both here in the US and Canada are strictly regulated. Kariya simply wanted Japan to reserve full scale commercial whaling, which is not what those indigenous populations are doing.

Anyway, sorry. Like I said, I really don't want to have to go through that again since I went through it at the time. That's the one arc I've never re-read after doing the TL.

I can give him the benefit of the doubt that he's not lying on purpose, and dude's just a big idiot who doesn't always do good research. Like, we just established that this guy didn't used to know about the salt laws, and he's messed up descriptions about Japanese food in other chapters as well. If he screwed up even domestic Japanese subjects, I fully expect that he's going to be even more stupid about international stuff. It's just of course super annoying he often writes like he's the omniscient source of knowledge and his words are the truth.

Remember how in another chapter he has a bunch of Americans being confused about rock-paper-scissors? When it should have been something that Americans know and wouldn't really sit around and quibble/nitpick about it. Is it so hard to find a random American expat in that day and ask? I do get that manga are often vibes over facts (still sometimes is like that even to this day, even though facts are more scrutinised). We all wouldn't be here otherwise, but yeah, that's why I dunk on this author plenty.