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meteordustThis is a modern classic I only got to check out recently. What Did You Eat Yesterday? is a slice-of-life cooking manga by Fumi Yoshinaga, published in English by Vertical. The official summary is:
Shiro Kakei, lawyer by day and gourmand by night, lives with his boyfriend, Kenji Yabuki, an outgoing salon stylist. While the pair navigate the personal and professional minefields of modern gay life, Kenji serves as enthusiastic taste-tester for Shiro's wide and varied made-from-scratch meals.
Shiro and Kenji are likeable characters, and it's engaging and enjoyable to watch them go about their everyday lives, dealing with work, parents, friends, grocery shopping, etc. And then they cook dinner and eat it together! It's refreshing to read a manga about characters in their forties, which affects how they relate to the world. (Though more than one review describes them as "middle-aged". Really?)
Every chapter features one meal, made up of several dishes. The food is traditional Japanese: simple, healthy, and delicious. There are detailed depictions of the cooking process, with step-by-step illustrations. It's more effort than I would usually go to, but damn it looks tempting. I guess the challenges are, building up a collection of Japanese staples and seasonings in your pantry, and having access to fresh ingredients like daikon, burdock, wakame, etc.
Recipes on my list to try:
- eggplant and tomatoes with Chinese-style spicy pork
- milky agar cubes with brown sugar syrup
- mustard-and-mayo dressed asparagus
- crispy baby sardines, carrot and celery salad
- miso pork, eggplant and bell pepper stir-fry
- seasoned rice with eel, takana and eggs
The manga has had 15 volumes published so far. A TV adaptation aired earlier this year.
Shiro Kakei, lawyer by day and gourmand by night, lives with his boyfriend, Kenji Yabuki, an outgoing salon stylist. While the pair navigate the personal and professional minefields of modern gay life, Kenji serves as enthusiastic taste-tester for Shiro's wide and varied made-from-scratch meals.
Shiro and Kenji are likeable characters, and it's engaging and enjoyable to watch them go about their everyday lives, dealing with work, parents, friends, grocery shopping, etc. And then they cook dinner and eat it together! It's refreshing to read a manga about characters in their forties, which affects how they relate to the world. (Though more than one review describes them as "middle-aged". Really?)
Every chapter features one meal, made up of several dishes. The food is traditional Japanese: simple, healthy, and delicious. There are detailed depictions of the cooking process, with step-by-step illustrations. It's more effort than I would usually go to, but damn it looks tempting. I guess the challenges are, building up a collection of Japanese staples and seasonings in your pantry, and having access to fresh ingredients like daikon, burdock, wakame, etc.
Recipes on my list to try:
- eggplant and tomatoes with Chinese-style spicy pork
- milky agar cubes with brown sugar syrup
- mustard-and-mayo dressed asparagus
- crispy baby sardines, carrot and celery salad
- miso pork, eggplant and bell pepper stir-fry
- seasoned rice with eel, takana and eggs
The manga has had 15 volumes published so far. A TV adaptation aired earlier this year.
