Iron Wok Jan Volume 5 (Iron Wok Jan (Graphic Novels))
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 5/4/2015
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 5/4/2015 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I came across this good-condition softcover at the Used Book Superstore in Burlington MA. I'd enjoyed Volume One, and this will let me see how far the characters have gotten since then.
This volume picks up in the final round of a major cooking competition, with Jan, Kiriko, and new-to-me character Celine (a nouvelle-cuisine devotee) vying for the victory. This round is devoted to desserts, and when Kiriko chooses watermelon and Celine chooses papaya nobody is surprised - but Jan chooses... pigeons!
Yeah, this isn't going to go well for the pigeons. And perhaps not for the judges and the audience, who'll have to taste the food; but do they seem put off by the sight of dozens of pigeons with their throats cut, bleeding into bowls? Nah! And Jan himself seems delighted to be stealing the spotlight, as the judges are paying more attention to him than to the other two contestants.
The resulting dishes by all three contestants are quite interesting, though Jan's is clearly over the top regarding exotic ingredients, techniques, and, it seems, flavor; the judges wax rhapsodic even though they can't actually *describe* the taste, just that it's wonderful. (Celine's dish includes dried frog ovaries, in case you were wondering whether Jan was the only one using odd-to-Western-ears ingredients.)
The competition isn't based solely on skill, of course. Judge Otani, who brags of having "the tongue of God" for his ability to detect subtle flavors, hates Jan with a passion and is dedicated to seeing him fail, apparently without consideration as to the actual quality of his dishes. His wrath at Jan's amazing and unusual dessert makes him lose control and commit an act that gets him thrown out of the arena - but will this affect the final scores?
I admit I was torn between finding some of the cooking pretty squicky and being curious as to what the dishes would actually taste like, so in that sense the book succeeded wildly. But Jan's so very, very unlikable that I wanted someone else to win... whether this happens or not, and how, I won't say, but I was a bit disappointed at how things turned out.
[There's a TV Tropes page for the series.]
This volume picks up in the final round of a major cooking competition, with Jan, Kiriko, and new-to-me character Celine (a nouvelle-cuisine devotee) vying for the victory. This round is devoted to desserts, and when Kiriko chooses watermelon and Celine chooses papaya nobody is surprised - but Jan chooses... pigeons!
Yeah, this isn't going to go well for the pigeons. And perhaps not for the judges and the audience, who'll have to taste the food; but do they seem put off by the sight of dozens of pigeons with their throats cut, bleeding into bowls? Nah! And Jan himself seems delighted to be stealing the spotlight, as the judges are paying more attention to him than to the other two contestants.
The resulting dishes by all three contestants are quite interesting, though Jan's is clearly over the top regarding exotic ingredients, techniques, and, it seems, flavor; the judges wax rhapsodic even though they can't actually *describe* the taste, just that it's wonderful. (Celine's dish includes dried frog ovaries, in case you were wondering whether Jan was the only one using odd-to-Western-ears ingredients.)
The competition isn't based solely on skill, of course. Judge Otani, who brags of having "the tongue of God" for his ability to detect subtle flavors, hates Jan with a passion and is dedicated to seeing him fail, apparently without consideration as to the actual quality of his dishes. His wrath at Jan's amazing and unusual dessert makes him lose control and commit an act that gets him thrown out of the arena - but will this affect the final scores?
I admit I was torn between finding some of the cooking pretty squicky and being curious as to what the dishes would actually taste like, so in that sense the book succeeded wildly. But Jan's so very, very unlikable that I wanted someone else to win... whether this happens or not, and how, I won't say, but I was a bit disappointed at how things turned out.
[There's a TV Tropes page for the series.]
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Christopher's Subs And Pizza, 264 Main Dunstable in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, December 8, 2015
GoryDetails at Christopher's Subs And Pizza, 264 Main Dunstable in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Released 8 yrs ago (12/8/2015 UTC) at Christopher's Subs And Pizza, 264 Main Dunstable in Nashua, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I plan to leave this book in the wall-rack of magazines-for-customers inside Christopher's at around 1:45 or so; hope the finder enjoys it!
*** Released as part of the 2015 What's In A Name release challenge. ***
*** Released as part of the 2015 What's In A Name release challenge. ***
