#chapter 007

[africa-fic]

And just for laughs, this is the platform they want to build at God's Window. I wish they'd gone for something more in style with the place but what can you do.

[thetodorokifamilyannotated]

The TodoFam and food: Gyūdon (牛丼) & miso-shiru (味噌汁)

In Chapter 7 we see that at U.A. High cafeteria they serve ‘karē rice’ (カレーライス “curry rice”) and ‘gyūdon’ (牛丼 “beef donburi”).

But what is Gyūdon? With which ingredients is it done? How do you prepare it? And how Miso-shiru is involved?

Gyūdon (牛丼 “beef donburi”): a popular ‘donburi’ (丼, lit. “bowl “rice-bowl dish”), a bowl of ‘gohan’ (ご飯 “cooked rice”) topped with ‘gyūniku’ (牛肉 “cow meat”) or ‘beef’ (ビーフ) and ‘negi’ (ネギ “green onion”), simmered in a mildly sweet sauce flavored with ‘dashi’ (出汁 or だし  “stock”), ‘shōyu’ (醤油 or 醬油 “soy sauce”) and ‘mirin’ (味醂 or みりん “sweet sake”). A popular food in Japan, it is commonly eaten with ‘beni shōga’ (紅生姜 “pickled ginger”), ‘shichimi tōgarashi’ (七味唐辛子 “seven-flavor chili pepper”), and a side dish of ‘miso-shiru’ (味噌汁 “miso soup”). To eat it use the ‘hashi’ (箸 “chopsticks”). You can either mix all the ingredients together, take bites that include both topping and rice, or alternate between topping and rice. Alternate with sips of ‘miso-shiru’ (味噌汁 “miso soup”).

Donburi-mono (丼物 lit. “bowl thing”) or Donburi (丼, lit. “bowl”): a type of Japanese dish in which side dishes like fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients are served on top of ‘gohan’ (ご飯 “cooked rice”) in a single bowl. It is usually served in oversized rice bowls, called ‘donburi-bachi’ (丼鉢) or, also ‘donburi’ (丼).

Miso-shiru (味噌汁 “miso soup”): a traditional Japanese soup consisting of miso in a dashi with Konbu. It is commonly served as part of an ‘ichijū-sansai’ (一汁三菜) meal ‘one soup, three dishes’ consisting of rice, soup, and side dishes. Optional ingredients based on region and season may be added, such as wakame, tofu, negi, abura-age, and mushrooms. It is one of the two basic soup types of Japanese cuisine and a representative of soup dishes served with rice. To eat it, lift the ‘shiru-wan’ (汁椀 “soup bowl”) and drink the soup directly from it, using the ‘hashi’ (箸 “chopsticks”) to pick out the solid ingredients, either alternating sipping and biting or doing them together. As it is typically served as part of a meal, not as an appetizer, you should eat it along with other dishes.

INGREDIENTS

Gohan (ご飯 “cooked rice”): a food made by adding water to grains of the grass family, especially ‘kome’ (米 “rice”), usually of the ‘Japonica’ (ジャポニカ “japonica”) type, and boiling or steaming it. When one wants to make sure to point out it’s specifically made with ‘kome’ (米 “rice”) they can call it ‘beihan’ (米飯 “rice meal”).

Japonica (ジャポニカ): one of the two major domestic types of Asian rice varieties. Japonica rice is extensively cultivated and consumed in East Asia and Italy. Generally when  you’re talking about ‘kome’ (米 “rice”) in Japan you’re thinking at this variety. In Japan, people liked the taste of cooked rice, and it became customary to eat it as a staple food, separate from side dishes. Furthermore, because the flavor doesn't deteriorate easily even when it cools, it promoted the development of rice-eating culture in Japan.

Gyūniku (牛肉 “cow meat”) or beef (ビーフ): meat from cattle (Bos taurus) that has been processed for consumption.

Negi (ネギ “green onion”): allium fistulosum, the Welsh onion, also commonly called bunching onion, long green onion, Japanese bunching onion, and spring onion, it is a species of perennial plant, often considered to be a kind of scallion. It’s used as condiment sliced in tiny bits.

Dashi (出汁 “stock”) or nidashijiru (煮出汁 “boiled stock”): a savory cooking liquid made by dissolving the savory components of animal and plant foods into water.

Shō-yu (醤油 or 醬油 “Soy sauce”): a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of ‘daizu’ (大豆 “soybeans”), roasted grain, brine, and ‘kōjikabi’ (コウジカビ “Aspergillus oryzae”) or ‘Shōyukōjikabi’ (ショウユコウジカビ “Aspergillus sojae”) molds. It is recognized for its saltiness and pronounced umami taste.

Mirin (味醂 or みりん “sweet sake”): a type of rice wine and a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. It is similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content.

Beni shōga (紅生姜 “pickled ginger”): a type of tsukemono (漬物; “pickled thing”) made from thin strips of Shōga (ショウガ ginger) pickled in umezu (梅酢), a vinegary pickling solution. The red color is traditionally derived from red perilla (Perilla frutescens var. crispa).

Tsukemono (漬物 “pickled thing”): Japanese preserved vegetables (usually pickled in salt, brine, or a bed of rice bran). They can be served with rice as an okazu (side dish), with drinks as an otsumami (snack), as an accompaniment to or garnish for meals, and as a course in the kaiseki portion of a Japanese tea ceremony.

Shōga (ショウガ “ginger”): a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine.

Umezu (梅酢): a by-product of the umeboshi (梅干し pickled plum) manufacturing process. It is the juice that comes out when the plums are salted.

Umeboshi (梅干し “pickled plum”): pickled (brined) ume fruits common in Japan.

Ume (梅 or ウメ “plum”): the fruit of the Prunus mume, a species of fruit-bearing tree in the genus Prunus, which is often called a plum, but is actually more closely related to the apricot.

Shichimi tōgarashi (七味唐辛子 “seven-flavor chili pepper”) or shichimi (七味 “seven-flavor”): it is a common Japanese spice mixture containing seven ingredients. ‘Tōgarashi’ (唐辛子) is the Japanese name for Capsicum annuum, also known as Chili peppers, and it is this ingredient that makes it spicy.

Miso (みそ or 味噌): a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting ‘daizu’ (大豆 “soybeans”) with salt and ‘kōjikabi’ (コウジカビ “Aspergillus oryzae”) fungi, and, sometimes, other ingredients.

Daizu (大豆 “soybean”): the world's most grown legume, which is native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean.

Konbu (昆布 “kelp”): edible kelp mostly from the family Laminariaceae and is widely eaten in East Asia.

Wakame (ワカメ): Undaria pinnatifida, an edible kelp native to cold, temperate coasts of the northwest Pacific Ocean with a subtly sweet, but distinctive and strong flavour and satiny texture. It is most often served in soups and salads.

Tofu (豆腐 “bean curd”): a food prepared by coagulating ‘tōnyū’ (豆乳 “soy milk”) and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness.

Tōnyū (豆乳 “soy milk”): a plant-based milk produced by soaking and grinding ‘daizu’ (大豆 “soybean”), boiling the mixture, and filtering out remaining particulates.

Abura-age (油揚げ “oil-fried”): a Japanese food product made deep-frying thin slices of tofu first at 110−120 °C and then again at 180−200 °C. Before being fried a second time it can be split open and stuffed, for example with natto.

Kinoko (キノコ “mushroom”): the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source.

Nattō (納豆): a traditional Japanese food made from whole soybeans that have been fermented with Bacillus subtilis var. natto. It is often served as a breakfast food with rice.

TABLEWARE

Hashi (箸 “chopsticks”): The Japanese version is slightly shorter than the Chinese one, and it’s also typically rounded and taper to a point. This may be attributed to the fact that the Japanese diet consists of large amounts of whole bony fish and the pointed ends make it easier to remove small bones from the fish. In Japan it is common for them to be shorter for women and children. Also usually, in Japan they have circumferential grooves at the eating end that makes food stop slipping.

Hashi-oki (はしおき “chopstick rest”): Tableware, similar to a knife rest or a spoon rest, used to keep chopstick tips off the table and to prevent used ‘hashi’ (箸 “chopsticks”) from contaminating or rolling off tables. They are found more commonly in restaurants than in homes where they are usually used only at formal dinners. They are placed on the front-left side of the dishes, with the ‘hashi’ parallel to the table edge and the points toward the left, or to the right side of the dishes, with the ‘hashi’ points towards to the front.

Donburi-bachi (丼鉢) or Donburi (丼, lit. “bowl”): a thick, deep bowl used to serve rice, soup, noodle dishes , etc.

Shiru-wan (汁椀 “soup bowl”): a bowl for serving soup with a larger opening than a normal bowl. It can have a futa (蓋 lid).

[thetodorokifamilyannotated]

The TodoFam and food: Karē rice (also known as Curry rice)

In Chapter 7 we see that at U.A. High cafeteria they serve ‘karē rice’ (カレーライス “curry rice”) and ‘gyūdon’ (牛丼 “beef donburi”).

It’s worth to mention that Shōto will eats it in the hospital cafeteria with Rei in “School Briefs 5” as the cafeteria is out of soba, and is reminded of how it’s Midoriya’s fave food.

But what is Karē rice? With which ingredients is it done? And how do you prepare it?

Karē rice (カレーライス “curry rice”) or just karē (カレー “curry”): it’s a dish in which curry is served over or next to ‘gohan’ (ご飯 “cooked rice”) and it’s so popular in Japan it’s considered a national dish and simply called ‘karē’ (カレー “curry”). In Japan the rice is served on a plate with the curry often poured on top or on the side of the rice. It’s usually eaten with a ‘chirirenge’ (散蓮華), the Japanese spoon.

INGREDIENTS

Karē (カレー “curry”): a dish originating from India in which ingredients are simmered with ‘karē-ko’ (カレー粉 “curry powder”), a spice mix. There are various versions of it, Indian curry, Thai curry, European-style curry… because even though it is generally considered to be a spicy dish, in fact it has a wide variety of flavors because the combination of ingredients and spices varies depending on the region, religion, and household. In Japan it’s made with ‘komugi-ko’ (小麦粉 “wheat flour”) to thicken it and whose the balance of sweetness and spiciness is adjusted, resulting in a flavor that is different from curry in other countries while the meat used is usually either ‘gyūniku’ (牛肉 “cow meat”) (in west Japan) or ‘butaniku’ (豚肉 “pig meat”) (in east Japan) while the basic vegetables are ‘jagaimo’ (じゃがいも/ジャガイモ “potatoes”), ‘ninjin’ (にんじん/ニンジン “carrots”), and ‘tamanegi’ (たまねぎ/タマネギ “onions”).

Gyūniku (牛肉 “cow meat”) or beef (ビーフ): meat from cattle (Bos taurus) that has been processed for consumption.

Butaniku (豚肉 “pig meat”) or pork (ポーク): the meat of pig (Sus domesticus) used for consumption.

Jagaimo (じゃがいも/ジャガイモ “potato”): a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant Solanum tuberosum, a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.

Ninjin (にんじん/ニンジン “carrot”): a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, Daucus carota, native to Europe and Southwestern Asia. The plant probably originated in Iran and was originally cultivated for its leaves and seeds.

Tamanegi (たまねぎ/タマネギ “onion”): a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.

Komugi-ko (小麦粉 “wheat flour”): flour made by milling ‘komugi’ (コムギ “wheat”) and is used as an ingredient in various foods. In Japan is also called ‘udon-ko’ (うどん粉 “udon flour”), as it’s the flour used to make udon or ‘MERIKEN-ko’ (メリケン粉 “American flour”).

Karē-ko (カレー粉 “curry powder”): a mix of spices used to make curry dishes, made combining dozens of ingredients, including ‘ukon’ (ウコン “turmeric”) and ‘tōgarashi’ (トウガラシ“chili peppers”. In Japan people usually don’t make it but buy it in bottles or cans.

Salad yu (サラダ油 “salad oil”): a type of refined vegetable oil. Since it is refined it does not crystallize even at low temperatures for long periods of time and it is also generally characterized by its mild taste and odor.

Gohan (ご飯 “cooked rice”): a food made by adding water to grains of the grass family, especially ‘kome’ (米 “rice”), usually of the ‘Japonica’ (ジャポニカ “japonica”) type, and boiling or steaming it. When one wants to make sure to point out it’s specifically made with ‘kome’ (米 “rice”) they can call it ‘beihan’ (米飯 “rice meal”).

Japonica (ジャポニカ): one of the two major domestic types of Asian rice varieties. Japonica rice is extensively cultivated and consumed in East Asia and Italy. Generally when  you’re talking about ‘kome’ (米 “rice”) in Japan you’re thinking at this variety. In Japan, people liked the taste of cooked rice, and it became customary to eat it as a staple food, separate from side dishes. Furthermore, because the flavor doesn't deteriorate easily even when it cools, it promoted the development of rice-eating culture in Japan.

TABLEWARE

Chirirenge (散蓮華 “petal of a lotus flower that has fallen off”) or renge (蓮華 “petal of a lotus flower”): Asian spoon usually made of ceramic whose shape is similar to a petal of lotus flower. It has almost the same usage of a regular western spoon but a quite different shape as its bottom is deep and flat and the handle has a little nook, and it is curved and thick. The one specially designed for ramen has a small dent so it can be hooked onto the rim of the ramen bowl without it slipping into the depths of your soup, while the one for miso ramen has with some holes in the bottom so as to make easier to pick up corn pieces. When holding it, one must fit their index finger on the ditch or the inner handle and hold it with their thumb and middle finger.

Chirirengeoki (散蓮華おき “spoon rest”): A spoon rest for Asian spoons.

Karē sara (カレー皿 “Curry plate”): they are usually ‘daen sara’ (楕円皿 “oval plate”) but can also be ‘maru sara’ (丸皿 “round plates”) and are of three types, ‘shikiri sara’ (仕切り皿 “divided plates”), plates with partitions to prevent the curry sauce and rice from mixing, ‘fukazara’ (深皿 “deep plate”) and hirazara (平皿 “flat plate”), shallow plate with a flat bottom.

Karē sauce boat (ソースボート): a low jug or pitcher with a handle in which the sauce is served. The typical shape is considered boat-like, hence the name. In Japan occasionally they use it to serve Karē, so they can pour as much as they want straight on the rice.

[thetodorokifamilyannotated]

The TodoFam in BNHA Vol. 1 Chap. 007 - Costume Change? (服着よう？ Fuku Kiyō?)

Release date: August 25, 2014 (WSJ Issue 39, 2014)

Let’s look at what the manga shows us first:

Observation notes:

We only see a glimpse of Shōto, however we learn that in the Quirk apprehension test. He got second place in the test, ahead of Bakugō Katsuki but behind Yaoyorozu Momo. This tells us he’s strong.

Cultural notes:

Juken jigoku (受験地獄 “Exam Hell”): it is how the highly competitive, exam-focused system in work in Japanese schools, one famous for putting a lot of pressure on their students, where performance on high-stakes entrance exams can determine their entire future. This pressure leads to long study hours, participation in cram schools, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and burnout. This system stifle creativity and negatively impact students’ mental and emotional well-being creating more and more ‘Hikikomori’ (引きこもり or ひきこもり “pulling inward, being confined”). Aizawa’s Quirk test and way to put pressure on his students can be compared to this.

Hoken-shitsu riyōshō (保健室利用証 “nurse's office use pass”): In order to go to the infirmary students need to get a permit signed from the teacher. This is what the slip of paper Aizawa gives to Midoriya is.

Kango kyōyu (看護教諭 “Nurse teacher”): normally, in Japan, nurses in charge of the infirmary are called ‘Yōgo kyōyu’ (養護教諭 “Health Teacher”) or ‘Hoken-shitsu no sensei’ (保健室の先生 “Infirmary Teacher”). They need to have a standard school nurse license and are teachers who are responsible for all aspects of school health, including health management, emergency treatment, health education, and health consultations for students. In short they provide first-aid treatment for injuries, illnesses, etc. of students and monitor their physical and mental health through medical examinations, health observations and so on. A ‘Kango kyōyu’ instead is required to have a certain amount of practical experience and completion of educational courses at a university or other institution and can teach nursing techniques and knowledge to nursing students. In short Recovery Girl is much more than your ordinary health teacher, she also has a nursing licence and provides much more serious nursing care to the students than just first aid help in fact during the sport festival, when Midoriya is injuried she says she did surgery on him.

Food notes:

We see the names of some food served at the cafeteria, plus Lunch Rush talks about white rice.

Karē rice (カレーライス “curry rice”) or just karē (カレー “curry”): it’s a dish in which curry is served over or next to ‘gohan’ (ご飯 “cooked rice”) and it’s so popular in Japan it’s considered a national dish and simply called ‘karē’ (カレーライス “curry”). It’s usually eaten with a ‘chirirenge’ (散蓮華), the Japanese spoon. Likely this is what U.A. high is serving, and not just ‘karē’ (カレーライス “curry”).

Gyūdon (牛丼 “beef donburi”): a popular ‘donburi’ (丼, lit. “bowl “rice-bowl dish”), a bowl of ‘gohan’ (ご飯 “cooked rice”) topped with Gyū (牛 “beef”) and ‘negi’ (ネギ “green onion”), simmered in a mildly sweet sauce flavored with ‘dashi’ (出汁 or だし  “stock”), ‘shōyu’ (醤油 or 醬油 “soy sauce”) and ‘mirin’ (味醂 or みりん “sweet sake”). A popular food in Japan, it is commonly eaten with ‘beni shōga’ (紅生姜 “pickled ginger”), ‘shichimi tōgarashi’ (七味唐辛子 “seven-flavor chili pepper”), and a side dish of ‘miso-shiru’ (味噌汁 “miso soup”).

Hakumai (白米 “white rice”): it is milled rice that has had the husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavor, texture, and appearance of the seed; helps prevent spoilage (extends its storage life); and makes it easier to digest. After ‘genmai’ (玄米  “brown rice”) is milled (hulled), it is polished, resulting in rice with a bright, white, shiny appearance. The milling and polishing processes both remove nutrients. Most rice in Japan is processed and consumed as ‘hakumai’ (白米 “white rice”), the staple food of Japan. ‘Genmai’ (玄米  “brown rice”) is also consumed in its unpolished state, often for its health benefits, but it is considered a specialty. A middle way is ‘haigamai’ (胚芽米 “semi-milled rice” Lit. “germ rice”), which is rice that has been partially milled to remove most of the bran but leave the germ intact. It takes less time to cook than ‘genmai’ (玄米  “brown rice”) but retains more of the vitamins than ‘hakumai’ (白米 “white rice”). Basically Lunch Rush isn’t talking of a food but of a type of ingredient he uses.

Teaching notes:

Aizawa reveals he lied about expelling people and that he did it only to pressure the students into give their best. He is unaware that deceiving and excessively pressuring students only cause them confusion and stress that actually, in the long run, lower their performance.

On the other side, Aizawa, differently from the teachers at Midoriya’s previous school, doesn’t let Bakugō beat Midoriya. He is strongly against students fighting when it is not a school exercise and that is what is great about him and while we see him scold both Midoriya and Bakugō, he doesn’t mock them nor wants to encourage the class to do so. Quite a difference from the teachers at Midoriya and Bakugō’s previous school.

Timeline notes:

The table that follows is made to give you an idea of the characters’ age when the facts are taking place. On top of each character there is the date of his birthday, below there is the age they has. April is the month in which school starts, so in it you find in which class each character is.

Generally the fandom has the battle trial arc start in the next chapter, but since part of it is in this chapter I placed the timeline that includes it here.

Translation notes:

So, at first, what Heroes wear is called ‘sentō-fuku (read: COSTUME)’ (戦闘服（ヒーローコスチューム）“combat uniform (read: costume)”), in short we are given kanji (戦闘服) which would have a certain reading (sentō-fuku) and meaning (combat uniform) but then we are told to read it in a different way, ‘costume’. This reading will quickly replace ‘sentō-fuku’, in fact Midoriya will immediately switch to just ‘COSTUME’. Likely the first use of ‘sentō-fuku’ was merely there to give the Japanese readers a translation for the word ‘COSTUME’ just in case they didn’t know it.

English version notes:

The English title “Costume change?” seems to already refers to the Hero costumes, but the Japanese one is a lot more vague and a more litteral translation could be “shall we change clothes?” as instead than “costume” the title use a much more generic ‘fuku’ (服着 “clothing”) and the ‘-yō’ (よう) at the end of the verb is a verb suffix that adds a meaning of volition or invitation to a verb.

Now, regarding the anime version...

Episode 6 - Rage, You Damn Nerd (猛れクソナード Takere KUSO NERD)

Changed parts notes:

It’s not really that relevant but in the anime we are shown the results of the test PRIOR to Aizawa saying he actually won’t expell anyone. Shōto is still second but now, as now he’s close by, we can see his reaction when Aizawa reveals he won’t expell anyone. And yes, we also have some more glimpses of him here and there but it’s nothing noteworthy.