Iron Wok Jan! 14
Reviewed by Kat Avila - Sequential Tart
Credits
Writer: Shinji Saijyo; Advisor: Keiko Oyama
Artist: Shinji Saijyo
Distributor: DrMaster Publications, Inc.
Translator: Michiko Nakayama
ISBN: 4-253-05227-4
Grade: 7
Jan Akiyama's motto: "Cooking is about winning."
Kiriko Gobancho's motto: "Cooking is about heart."
Karen Kirii's motto: "Cooking is about academics."
After all is said and done, whose dishes will taste the best? Shinji Saijyo's Iron Wok Jan! is an endless cooking competition. Karin Karii uses technology to beat human judgment to make the best steamed fish in the world; she unveils a hemathermal cooking device, which is like a smarter microwave oven. This device can enable any kitchen idiot to come through like a pro. Still, the scary Jan Akiyama with the wicked laugh is a sore loser, and you can count on him pulling something out of his wok to beat her.
The next featured competition is the Second Annual Chinese-Cuisine Culinary Competition. The four representatives from the Gobancho Restaurant include the restaurant owner's granddaughter Kiriko Gobancho and Jan Akiyama. Before that, there will be a televised promotion. Sometimes you have to jazz things up a little for TV.
This is a funny shonen manga. Try not to get too distracted by the size of the tits of the pretty girl chefs. Chickens that size could feed a family for a whole week!
Iron Wok Jan! takes you behind the scenes for Cooking Appreciation 101 into how much preparation goes into creating a five-star meal, from the training of the chef to ingredient choices. Share the manga with a culinary school student, so you can watch her get goo-goo eyed over the food panels and listen to her excited commentary on top of the manga characters' opinions. Then, if you're lucky, she'll show off her cooking skills with one of the end-of-chapter recipes and you can play food critic. There are Chinese food recipes for spiced chicken roast, seasoned steamed rice with mushrooms, banana fritters, and chili-pickled radish. Hungry yet?
Written: January 24, 2006
Published: February 1, 2006
