"Japanese cuisine introduces us to the fundamental ingredients--rice, sashimi, green tea, and dashi (cooking stock)--that constitute the soul of the Japanese kitchen. In each story we learn about the proper preparation and presentation of different dishes, as well as their history and cultural significance. The result is a moveable feast of a book, as informative as it is engaging."--Cover flap.

" ... In this volume, Weekly Time magazine sets up a series of culinary battles between the Tōzai News's 'Ultimate Menu, ' represented by Yamaoka, and the Teito Times's 'Supreme Menu, ' represented by Kaibara Yūzan, 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...

"Few foods inspire as much passion and partisanship as the dish of noodles in broth known as 'ramen.' Hot or cold, plain or miso, from fancy fusion creations to humble roadside takeout, ramen is truly a beloved food, one that can give rise to fierce loyalty or fiercer criticism (not to mention the occasional fistfight). In this volume of Oishinbo, Yamaoka and company inquire into the 'soul of ramen, ' from the flour used in the noodles to the chickens...