Manga Review #2: "Kitchen Princess Omnibus 1"

T'was a beautiful day of the weekend!! Ended up at a park and wanted to climb a tree. Here she is:

It was so fun, nostalgic, painful, and scary at the same time! That probably was my last shot though, unless you wanna see, like a 30 year old me, climbing a tree. (That rhymed! awkward...) I was trying to read "Kitchen Princess"....

The Omnibus Comics come at a cheaper price ($14.99 USD) 

Deep breath! Here I go! You know those manga series where you are all like "This seems like one of those too-mainstream girly comics! It's not going to be any good! It's going to appeal to the 5 year old girl population!" Way wrong.

The art makes me feel happy! Because the original release in Japanese was in 2005, its style leaned toward that era's "big kawaii eye" look! The story does begin with something adorable. Another worthy note of this manga is you can easily see the antagonist's strong passion and hate within this 2-volume omnibus edition. The storyline is even just simple and fun! Food is always being mentioned of course and it is always so kawaii! :) 

Art (Did the author seem to care about the art?; does its style have appeal?): A 
Plot (With the exception of Slice-of-life manga, does the story keep you engaged?): B+
Characters?: C+
Is the Dialogue Up-to-par?: B-
Will I continue the series?: Yes. 
Rated: T for Teen (A few intense situations, like fighting eating disorders; bullying) 
Authors: Natsumi Ando & Miyuki Kobayashi 

Plot Synthesis: 
"Najika is a great cook and likes to make meals for the people she loves. But something is missing from her life. When she was a child, she met a boy who touched her heart--and now Najika is determined to find him. The only clue she has is a silver spoon that leads her to the prestigious Seika Academy. Attending Seika will be a challenge. Every kid at the school has a special talent, and the girls in Najika's class think she doesn't deserve to be there. But Sora and Daichi, two popular brothers who barely speak to each other, recognize Najika's cooking for what it is--magical. Is either boy Najika's mysterious prince?" (Amazon.com). 

*Spoiler: At the end of each volume, THERE IS A COLLECTION of all the recipes Najika made in the manga!!! They share Najika's Flan in a cup, Taramasalata, Rainbow Jelly, Christmas Cookies, and Onion Gratin Soup recipes in the back of volume one! You will have to look at the others yourself ;) 

Yup! This is the one I would love to try!

So once I finish reading the manga series, (5 omnibus volumes) I will be happy to share my final review! 

Flan in a Cup,


------Temo

Chapter 3: 'Vermont......Curry?!'

Ringo is a character from the anime "Penguin Drum" I happened to be watching today. She's in love with her professor and wants to confess to him. How? By making him curry! She goes on and on about how the 20th of every month is curry day & that curry is best when eaten with people you love. It's her own tradition since she was little. Anyway, the episode was cute.

Then my thoughts headed toward the remnants of my pantry.
"I still have some Vermont Curry Roux!"
(And some vegetables, and milk...and a chicken breast, perfect!)

These days I do not like to cook. I usually believe that food always tastes better at places other than my own home. (My cooking sucks!) BUT tonight was an exception!

You can find several sites that will give you instructions on how to make curry, but as for me I did not have any tonight. So I had to wing it! In my cooking pot, I put butter, curry roux, milk, sliced zucchini, sliced carrot, sliced onion, cubed & peeled potatoes, a few drops of honey, and a few chunks of chicken breast.

People always question "It's strange that Japanese people love curry in the first place, but why do they also have a curry that's named after a State?!"
Answer: Vermont region is known for their apples. There are hints of apple and honey in the roux. Don't question its power!

I'm beginning to learn as a cook that cooking is not just an Art and Science, but is HEART!
When you 'get a feel' for what you are doing, have an intention, and are excited to eat, you get something awesome in return! 

And here's mine: 

And I'm going for seconds!!!!!!

Curry Connoisseur!


------Temo