Vegetables

Oishinbo a la carte #5

by Tetsu Kariya, Akira Hanasaki (Artist)

R to L (Japanese Style). Weekly Time magazine sets up a series of culinary battles between the T zai News's "Ultimate Menu," represented by Yamaoka, and the Teito Times's "Supreme Menu," represented by Kaibara Y zan, Yamaoka's father and nemesis. The ingredient this time is vegetables, specifically cabbages and turnips. Who will win the Vegetable Showdown? Later, Yamaoka and Kurita help Tomii's son get over his hatred of eggplant, and patch a rift between lovers using the power of asparagus.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Food, Graphic Novels, Japan, Fiction, Cooking

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

雁屋哲
Manga writer and essayist extraordinaire Tetsu Kariya graduated from prestigious Tokyo University. Kariya was employed with a major advertising agency before making his debut as a manga writer in 1974, when he teamed up with legendary manga artist Ryoichi Ikegami to create Otoko Gumi (Male Gang). The worlds of food and manga were forever changed in 1983 when Kariya, together with artist Akira Hanasaki, created the immensely popular and critically acclaimed Oishinbo.

Reviews

[Neko · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know sometimes you don't want anything heavy and your eyes and brain just want to soak in something simple? Well, Oishinbo - Vegetables was that for me and I'm glad I've decided to get back into the series again after A LONG hiatus.

If you've ever wanted to learn about Japanese cooking and Veggies?? Well, you've come to the right manga. It's full of info on cooking various veggies and what to do with them. It also has a message about buying organic over mass produced stuff because of the toxins used on veggies sold in the supermarket..I thought that was an interesting thing to put into the manga too.

I looked at my other review for the Vol.1 and I still agree with it where some of the story is still confusing. I didn't realise I was reading Vol.5 when I pulled it off my shelf...But the confusion actually lays within the manga and not the overall storyline. See, there is one bit near the start where two characters aren't even dating and by the end of the volume they appear to be married! There was no lead into it what so ever which just made my mind boggle.

I guess read this for a light hearted bit of fun!

[fraulein · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Both the root and the leaf of the spinach are the same. You must not value one and disvalue the other. You must not dislike what is shabby but strive to turn that shabbiness into something fine. You are not to smile in glee when you have a fine ingredients. It is wrong to have a change of heart because of what you have. Every grass every root that came out of the ground has an equal value”

“And I think Minakami Tsutomu ‘s thinking on food is concentrated within these following lines. ‘A troublesome event in which we have to eat two or three times a day. In other words, the time you take to cook and eat is one huge event that our lives depend upon’”.

Kalimat dewa *sembah Minakami sensei*


Masalah dengan format a la carte yang mengelompokkan chapter dengan sub tema tertentu sehingga mengakibatkan ceritanya jadi nggak runut sepertinya akan lebih banyak menimpa pembaca yang baru pertama kali membaca seri ini. Sebetulnya sudah pernah dapet baca komentar ripiuer lain mengenai edisi a la carte yang membuat ceritanya jadi rada kepotong-potong, sementara di edisi regular setiap chapter dengan masing-masing bahan/makanannya merupakan rangkaian yang sambung menyambung menjadi satu cerita utuh di setiap volumenya (kalo nggak salah).

Tapi rejekinya dapet yang a la carte, ya rapopo aja lah, karena berpikir toh masih bisa dinikmati biarpun nggak utuh amat. Memang bener sih, masih bisa mengerti dan kalau ada kejadian di awal chapter yang rada membingungkan, masih bisa mengira-ngira apa yang terjadi pada chapter sebelumnya (di edisi regular). Untuk mengurangi kebingungan, Viz ngasih catatan tambahan di halaman belakang. Tapi ya nggak terlalu guna untuk first time reader karena cuma menjelaskan tentang bahan/makanan/istilah yang kiranya belum dikenal oleh pembaca yang awam. Lagipula, rada malas maju mundur cantik ngebolak-balik halaman depan belakang cuma untuk baca note-nya.


Karakter.
MC-nya dibilang anti hero di summary awal komiknya. Ya, iya sih kayaknya. Pertamanya sih nggak terlalu ngeh. Tapi setelah baca, semakin ke belakang emang keliatan semakin nyebelin. Pasti pernah punya temen slenge’an –bersifat buruk-suka bikin ulah-nggak peka-mulut tajem tapi sayangnya yang paling pinter di kantor, kan? Macem gitu deh. Tragis banget (nasib temen-temennya). Iya, aku lebay. Hahaha. Tapi walau begitu, Yamaoka Shiro, si MC, sebetulnya punya hati yang baik dan lurus, kok.

Aku rada berbunga-bunga waktu mendapatkan ada sedikit romance yang diselipkan. Tapi……. takdir berkata lain. Harapan langsung hancur karena ternyata chapter selanjutnya meloncat ke rangkaian cerita yang lain. Terus di chapter terakhir tau-taunya mereka udah nikah aja. Aku yang menggemari permainan kejarlah daku kingkong kutangkap dalam cerita pun menjadi sedih dan akhirnya mengaktifkan mode pasrah terima nasib.

Cerita.

Rupanya Martha dan Oishinbo mengambil jalannya sendiri-sendiri dan masing-masing lalu membuat perbedaan dengan pilihannya. Kalau Martha lighthearted dan damai, Oishinbo mengambil isu yang lebih serius mengenai masalah-masalah industri pertanian Jepang seperti masalah pestisida dan herbisida, pertanian organic, sikap distributor hasil pertanian serta sikap konsumen terhadap hal tersebut.


Yah, kalau mau dibandingkan dengan di Indonesia sih nggak bisa juga karena kondisi dan karakter masyarakat juga beda. Sebagian besar, termasuk aku, bisa makan aja udah bersyukur dan bisa beli buku (walau bekas) adalah bonus manis kehidupan. Produk yang ‘sehat’ masih jauh dari jangkauan. Jadi , mungkin, hal yang paling dekat yang bisa dilakukan hanya mengurangi residu segala sida-sidaan itu, entah sayurnya mau direndam pakai air garam atau mau disikat sekalian pake sanlait yang katanya bisa meluruhkan sida-sidaan.

Tapi nggak semua chapter ngebahas yang serius gitu, sih. Selebihnya ya tetep, masalah kantor, keluarga atau kekasih yang bisa didamaikan oleh dewa penolong : makanan. Penjelasan teknisnya juga oke dan gampang dicerna karena make bahasa yang sederhana dan nggak njelimet. Yang pasti, menambah pengetahuan banget.

Btw, ada rekomendasi buku bagus di chapter tujuh, yang kukutip di atas entu. Bukunya tentang makanan, tapi lha kok ya dalem dan njleb njleb. Buku Minakami Tsutomu, Days of Eating Earth. Sayangnya ngga nemu yang enggres. Yang dijual CD Japan cuma bahasa jepun punya. Padahal kan jadi ngiler. Empat bintang karena cerita dan rekomendasi bukunya.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good volume. There's a lot to do with pesticides and fertilizers on produce. The argument that's made over and over is that organic produce tastes better, though I personally think that's more to do with the produce actually being allowed to ripen before harvest. If you've only had tomatoes from the grocery store, for example, you've probably never had a ripe tomato.

[S D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely drawn food is so satisfying to look at. Appreciated the environmentalist slant to this volume too

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

En la quinta entrega, se convoca a los redactores de los menús ‘definitivo’ y ‘supremo’ para compararlos y ser rectificados y / o probados antes de publicarlos.
Curiosamente, y a diferencia de en los anteriores, aquí destaca más a nivel argumental que de desarrollo culinario.
Por un lado, dentro de lo que es el tema que se nos presenta, las verduras, se tocan unas escasas: champiñones, patatas, nabo, espinacas, berenjenas y la inevitable soja. Su nivel elaborativo es bastante simple y con pocas variaciones (seguramente debido a la tierra). Toda esta insuficiencia de contenido, lo suplen con un repetitivo mensaje acerca de la importancia de la materia prima, y consecuentemente, la agricultura ecológica y la conservación y no alteración del medio ambiente, ni lo que lo rodea. Su mensaje es muy válido, sin duda, pero aquí está insertado para llenar páginas y así disimular su déficit culinario.
Por el otro, cosa bien diferente es el apartado dramático que enlazas las recetas y explicaciones; con mayor intensidad y dimensión de lo que suele encontrarse en esta serie. Dentro del arco argumental hay otro enfrentamiento entre Yuzan y Shiro; tomando un cáliz más dramático y profundo (sacando a relucir trapos sucios y conflictos familiares). También se dan otros episodios del mismo corte, como el de una familia que ha perdido su prestigio y recursos, el de las manías alimentarias de un infantiles o el acoso infantil.
Pese a sus virtudes (más historia y trasfondo, intento de emotividad y mensaje), resulta un tomo endeble en su aspecto culinario; y encima sin dejar de lado la pedantería Nacional de la que suele hacer gala (en esta ocasión, diferenciando a las verduras occidentales de las orientales; las primeras casi las tachan de sinsabores o con un sabor fuertes, debido a sus pesticidas. Un comentario, creo, bastante extremo).
Buen intento de aportación, pero algo fallido. Nunca acaba de ser redondo o resaltable algún número de la serie. Una pena.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title is slang for gourmet in Japanese, and this is a collection of short episodes involving the pursuit of good (delicious), healthy (natural ingredients, no pesticide) cooking, concentrating, in this volume on a few key vegetables (a Japanese turnip, a Japanese radish, onions, eggplant, potatoes, spinach, carrots… nothing too exotic), in the background of some human drama or other.

Told from the point of view of a food writer for the culture section of a major daily newspaper. Funny, entertaining and informative, with recipes.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

a heart-warming graphic novel about japanese preparation of vegetables! can u think of anything better????

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great volume of this really fun and informative series. It may be nit-picky, but I was disappointed at which of the dishes featured in the story was chosen to have an actual recipe. Grilled asparagus I could have figured out pretty much from the description in the text. I was hoping for one of the turnip dishes, or spinach, or cabbage from the first story, or even eggplant. I found myself wishing I knew what year each story was from, especially those that deal with the pesticides and other environmental issues.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A while back, I heard a podcast feature about food manga. Oishinbo was one of the series they discussed. Apparently it is a VERY long running series, and many of the chapters (? is that the right term? i'm a manga novice) have been thematically organized into these "A la carte" volumes. My library has exactly one of them: vegetables. (IIRC, they talked about the Rice volume on the podcast.)

It is a little disjointed to read, because the 'chapters' in this volume may have appeared months or years apart in the actual series, yet they are presented together here because they're about vegetables. (For example, early on two of the main characters are just co-workers, by the end they are married - yet you never see them date or marry.) It is rather fascinating just how passionate the author can be about minute details. Some of the descriptions of dishes are overwhelming, not because of complexity but because of simplicity. I'm tempted to go to Japan just to experience some of these hyper-focused culinary choices.

One other drawback: in contrast to the A Bride's Story, Vol. 1 series that I'm also reading, the art in these comes across as flat and drab.

[Romà Giménez Jori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este tomo dedicado a las verduras es quizá el más interesante de todos para mí, pues es un tema que desconocía totalmente y sobre el que tenía muchas ganas de aprender, pero este volumen adolece de un problema del que hasta ahora no he hablado y que afecta en realidad a varios de los tomos de esta por otro lado magnífica serie de libros: el chauvinismo. Constantemente comparan la cocina japonesa con la francesa, que era lo más a nivel internacional por allá por los 80, y, claro, la japonesa no solo es mejor por su saber hacer si no también, según ellos, por el tipo de producto utilizado, por la calidad de su tierra, que da ese sabor dulce a todo lo que se cultiva en ella. Pero si nos olvidamos de este no tan pequeño problema que también encontramos en Francia y que a mi modo de ver trunca cualquier posibilidad de goce, podemos aprender mucho sobre un producto que a mí, des de luego, me fascina.

[Sarah AK · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third Oishinbo I've read, the one I expected to like the most, and the one I ended up liking the least. A few of the stories go into depth about preparing vegetables, but more often than not, it just goes on and on about the difference in taste between organic and non-organic. And after the fifth or sixth time, that really gets old...

In the non-food storyline, this one also confused me so much when Yamaoka and Kurita were strictly coworkers (with someone else trying to hook up with her), and two stories later, I guess they're married? I understand that these books are compilations of various food themes (like vegetables) and therefore hop around the overall storyline, but that jump was too much for me. Especially when I hardly considered half of these stories to even be about vegetables in the first place...

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many ways, this volume encapsulates so much of what I love about this series. The first series on the vegetable showdown between father and son (I mean, that's really what it was about, ultimately) was so well-written and revealed so much about Japanese culture subtly but powerfully. Then the story about the executive losing his job and learning that his kid would rather eat potatoes with him than have an extravagant birthday party also made quite an impact on me. There's more than usual about how pesticides destroy the flavor of food, which makes sense, given the topic. It sad to me that this was written so many years ago and we still don't get that putting chemicals on our food isn't good for our health.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good! The review I'd give it is honestly very similar to the review I gave the other volumes. It's a smaller, themed collection of stories (this one about vegetables), edited for English, taken out of the context of a much longer-running manga. So far I've found this one the least interesting, as the main purpose was about uplifting the vegetable ingredients without straying away from their "true" essence. Maybe I just don't like vegetables that much. The notes in the back of the manga are incredibly helpful to provide context for English readers. I personally really love this series so far, but it can be a little dry in parts.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume focuses on the cooking of vegetables, but also on how organic farming affects the taste of the food. There is a young child who refuses to eat vegetables and chicken because she is sensitive to the poor taste of conventionally grown and raised food. Having a child with similar reactions, I was surprised to see that the Japanese recognize the problem children with sensitive taste buds would have.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the early 80s Japanese artists were already bringing attention to organic farming and the harm to health and the environment that pesticides and non organic fertilizers produced. It’s still 2024 and Round Up is widely available in the USA. We’ll be forever doomed.
This manga series is a joy to read for those that enjoy learning about Japanese cuisine and ingredients. The drama part and humor, it adds a bit of “condiments” to the story.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this installment. It seems to contain more heartfelt stories about food, eating, and personal connection to others and the land. I also like reading about the simple preparations that brought out the best flavors of vegetables. This is a little heavy on anti-pesticide and pro-organic messaging, which may annoy some readers.

[Matthew Lachkovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read quite a few in the series, and I didn't like this volume as much others. It was kind of boring and overall it didn't leave a huge impression on me. Perhaps it's because of the focus on external relationships and I prefer to focus on (pardon the pun) the meat of a story.

I read it a few years ago and again recently. Re-read value was okay, but not great.

[Eugenia Andino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un serio problema de este libro es que es una defensa de la agricultura ecológica, hasta el punto de mentir sobre que afecta al sabor de los alimentos y que la agricultura convencional provoca enfermedades. Entra más en este tema que en cuestiones culturales o en explicar recetas.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book in the manga series....but a topic I enjoyed. VEGETABLES.

Yamaoka always swoops in to save the day...convinces a child he loves vegetables bc he uses ones that are in season...He is a magician! /s

Read: sure-- they don't need to be read in order.

[Alex Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never get tired of reading these, even though the plots and messages tend to run together. The love of food and cooking is a love for people - feeling invested in what people eat, how it's grown, packaged, and prepared - that's feeling invested in people.

[Finlay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was quite fragmented and dull.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read. Love vegetables and the zen bit about making the not-so-shiny bits taste better. Imagination and gratitude go a long way!

[Loz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one. Very interesting takes on vegetables and some delicious sounding food. It did drive home the pesticides are evil plot point a little hard.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with some good moral and culinary lessons.

[Pedro Marroquín · Rating 3 out of 5]

No está mal, pero las verduras no es lo que más me interesa de la comida nipona. C

[Leonardo Etcheto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great again! Focus on how good vegetables are when picked and eaten properly. Tough o balance the need for volume and efficiency with health and taste.
Traveling chopsticks? Need to get some.

[Rumagoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing detail on recipes and... Vegetables. Quite Japanese in the way it shows respect for traditional ways.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The chapter about Minakami Tsutomu's book Days of Eating Earth really resonated with me! Too bad this book still hasn't been translated to English...

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main event of Oishinbo Volume 5 - vegetables - is a giant battle between Yamaoka and Kaibara (but hey, what's new). The father and son battle over creating dishes that focus on the purity and simplicity of the ingredients and not zhuzhing it up too much with overly fancy techniques and presentations. Their contest takes them to the source, where we learn about farming methods in Japan, and Kariya comes down hard on pesticides and promotes organic farming. I try to eat organic vegetables too, but I’m skeptical of the “cabbage without pesticides tastes sweeter” claim. But I did learn something new: I’ll try taking the leaves and roots off of bean sprouts next time I make them, and see if this makes a difference in the flavor of the dish.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I now know more about vegetables then I ever expected to. As much fun as these books have been, I think this one was my least favorite. There was much, and I mean MUCH preaching in the stories about pesticides and herbicides and the stories were... a little over the top with the exaggeration aspect.

Still, there was a moment in the book that had me cracking up. Yamaoka has been called into the office by his boss to look at a huge pile of books that have been spread over the table. The assignment is to go through the pile of books and find the best books about food. Yamaoka takes one look at the pile and, as usual, his mouth gets him into trouble. He says:

Food is meant to be eaten - not read. Your stomach doesn't get full from just reading books about food. It's only annoying to read about how other people are eating good stuff. And it's not like it'll enrich your spirit if you deny the fact you get annoyed by reading it either."

I laughed, and laughed some more reading that part. It's not often you find a portion of a book you are reading criticizing its very subject matter. But it's true! As much as I love reading about the culture and food of Japan, I have the desire to taste and sample even more.