Cook 15

Finally, it's here!

I'm not very good at typesetting, so it was really dragging me down. Luckily, DesuCake offered to do the typesetting for me, and here we are, with a new chapter for all of you guys who have been waiting very politely. ChooChoo also did the cleaning. This has almost turned into a group, rather than just me alone.

The recipe says to cook the chicken at 300°C, which sounds pretty ridiculous to me. Most high-temperature chicken recipes go up only to about 250 degrees, and most ovens in Japan get only as high as 260 degrees.

Cooking Papa Volume 2 Chapter 15: Roast Chicken to Your Heart's Content

Not dead

Just posting a note to let you guys know that I haven't given up on this, but I'm just feeling somewhat painfully unmotivated and will get around to it eventually. Hopefully in the next week or two.

I've determined that I kind of hate typesetting, so if anyone who has experience with typesetting (and possibly also cleaning) is interested in helping out, feel free to email me with a link to some chapters that you've worked on in the past. I really am only looking for people who have done typesetting before, though, so if you offer without showing me some of your past work I'll probably ignore it.

Cook 14

Here's the wikipedia article about Yamamomo. I have no idea what it tastes like.

Choochoo helped out with the cleaning again this time.

Cooking Papa Volume 2 Chapter 14: Snow Watching Hot Pot for Cold Winters

Cook 13

It's the first chapter of volume two!

I have a new cleaner helping me out for this volume, Choochoo. Thanks Choochoo!

Cooking Papa Volume 2 Chapter 13: Coffee Liqueur for Coffee Lovers

Clayton's Rice Soup

Clayton sent me another delicious-looking picture, this time of the rice soup recipe from Volume 1 Chapter 10: Simple Hangover Rice Soup.

Please keep sending me recipes at bartley.tanaka@gmail.com!

Cook 12

I finished the first volume! As a reward, this chapter was short and easy.

I went to the local Japanese book store the other day, and I saw that they had the 123rd volume of Cooking Papa for sale. I really have no hope of catching up, you guys. If someone suddenly offered me a crack team of editors to do all of the cleaning and typesetting for me I could probably make some headway, but 123 volumes is just too much to hope for I think. So I hope you guys enjoy reading it anyway, even at my slowish release pace.

As always, email me photos of food!

Cooking Papa Volume 1 Chapter 12: Potluck Party

Cook 11

I'm nearly done with the first volume!

I can't imagine many American parents nowadays letting their sick child (or any child) of 8 be at home alone, but it's definitely more common in Japan, although it is probably getting less so. There still is a show on NHK called "My first errand" where they send little kids (3- or 4-year-olds even) alone (or with their young siblings) on a little errand, and maybe have them do something like cook dinner on their own! With cameramen trying to hide to watch, of course.

Cooking Papa Volume 1 Chapter 11: Your Kids Will Love these Sweet Apples

Cook 10

Finally I've completed another chapter!

I don't think there's anybody out there rooting for Miss Kimura, and after this chapter...

I also updated the first chapter a tiny bit (I changed the original name of this chapter), so I updated the table of contents and reuploaded it, for anybody who is particularly completist. The recipe isn't exactly porridge, as I had originally translated it, so I changed it to something that felt a little more appropriate.

As always, big thanks to Ashenta for doing the hard work of cleaning this chapter.

Cooking Papa Volume 1 Chapter 10: Simple Hangover Rice Soup

Clayton's Italian Casserole

Reader Clayton tried out the recipe from the very first chapter Volume 1 Chapter 1, "An Easy and Filling Italian Casserole", and it looks great! This recipe is definitely one I want to try myself.

I plan to get the next chapter out this weekend, so keep a look out for it!

Slight break

I was planning to get out a chapter this weekend, but then I came down with something unpleasant and have been primarily being pathetic this week, and will probably not get the next chapter done this week.

Soon, though!

Send me more pictures!

Araiwa Ramen Photo!

A reader who goes by DrKunze sent me this delicious-looking photo of a bowl of ramen he made using the recipe from Volume 1 Chapter 9, "Let's Try to Make Hakata-Style Tonkotsu Ramen!"



Please send me more photos at bartley.tanaka@gmail.com! I'd love to see these recipes come to life.

Food pictures!

I just wanted to say, if any of you guys ever make one of these recipes, please send me pictures at bartley.tanaka@gmail.com and I'll post them here for all to see!

I'd love to see how these turn out if anyone ever tries them. I know there are at least a few that I need to try out myself (particularly the casserole from the very first chapter).

Cook 9

It's a little later today than I had planned but I've finally finished it.

Just so you know, the shinkansen from Hakata to Tokyo only takes about five and a half hours nowadays. Also, I don't think it's planes that Araiwa has troubles with...

Only three chapters left until I complete the first volume! Thank Ashenta for her cleaning work!

Cooking Papa Volume 1 Chapter 9: Let's Try to Make Hakata-style Tonkotsu Ramen!

Cook 8

I'm happy that my company never had a traditional athletics event. I just had to play dodgebee (dodgeball with a soft frisbee) and do street cleaning. But since this happened during July, I wish I had been part of one of the groups that got to do indoor bowling (and also street cleaning).

Ashenta did the cleaning again, and there is no way I could have gotten it out this quickly without her help.

Cooking Papa Volume 1 Chapter 8: Mentai Norimaki to Give You the Warrior Spirit

Cook 7

Another chapter cleaned by Ashenta. So I worked my hardest to get it out to you today.

You guys should all go visit Fukuoka some day. It has the best food in all of Japan. Well, Osaka's good too, but if you like pork, then Fukuoka is definitely the place to be.

Some of the recipes in this series look good, but this one really doesn't do it for me. I considered trying to make each recipe and post pictures etc., but when they involve finding freshly caught fish to gut and/or tokoroten, I'm not as interested.

Anyway, here you go, guys.
Cooking Papa Volume 1 Chapter 7: No Matter How Much You Eat You Won't Get Fat Healthy Cooking

Also, if you ever find any problems with a chapter (grammar/spelling mistakes, etc), let me know in the comments and I'll fix them.

Cook 6

Here's another release for you guys!

I want to give a big thanks to Ashenta, who has started doing cleaning for me on this project. Her cleans are miles better than my own, and it makes the work quite a bit easier for me. And hopefully it'll get me doing releases a little bit more quickly...

I spent a lot of time in Fukuoka, so this series is pretty nostalgic for me. I was surprised when I learned that other parts of Japan don't have gyoza specialty restaurants. Gyoza is delicious!

Cooking Papa Volume 1 Chapter 6: Special Gyoza to Build Your Stamina during the Summer Doldrums

Cook 5

It took a little while, but it's here at last.

This one had a few too many complicated SFX for my taste, so I was a little lazy about cleaning them out. If there's one thing that I'm not, a redrawer is definitely it.

At least it's still February!
Cooking Papa Volume 1 Chapter 5: Hearty Striped Beakfish Sashimi

Still Alive

Just letting you know that I haven't quit already.

Things are settling down so I'm planning to get another chapter out next week.

It has fish in!

Cook 4

I'm not sure how long I can keep up the rate of one a week, guys, but this one was a relatively easy one. Also I'm making an international move in a week and a half, so I wouldn't get your hopes up for a new chapter before February.

Here you go:
Cooking Papa Volume 1 Chapter 4: Energy for a Special Morning!

Chapter 3

I managed to get the next chapter done this week. The recipe is perhaps a little hard to follow, but it's really no better in the original.

Also sometimes it feels really obvious that this series was started in the Eighties.

Here it is:
Cooking Papa Volume 1 Chapter 3: Bachelor's Chunky "The Curry"

Jet Lag

I am still dealing with jet lag so I haven't gotten around to anything this week. Look for a new chapter next weekend.