What Did You Eat Yesterday? 1

What Did You Eat Yesterday? is a series about Shiro the lawyer who cooks for his hobby and Kenji the hair stylist, a middle aged male couple living their day to day lives in Japan. The story is slice of life where there are no large overarcing plots or villians, just their regular everyday lives with drama slipped in here and there that shakes it up a little. The couple themselves have been together for about three years and are already living together in a small apartment so there is no build up to them getting in a relationship. I was very intrigued by the premise of this series and got the first two volumes expecting a look into Shiro and Kenji's daily routine, little anecdotes about thier getting together, bad habits, work problems, and parental meddling with cooking and recipes sprinkled throughout. I ended up dissappointed because I feel like what I really got was something of a cook book with a bit of story folded in.I did enjoy that the charatcers being gay wasn't told in a campy 'token gay' way where everything is the butt of some kind of joke. At one point there was a character from their past who was a little like that but it was his personality, not him being some kind of punchline. I especially appreciated Shiro's mother, a character that very much loves her son and still wants him in her life but struggles to accept the whole gay concept. Her first phone call with Shiro involves her discussing how he is confused about his gender identity, which he isn't but it reads like she meant well and tried to google some information or was speaking with someone about it genuinely thinking that it was something her son might be going through. Shiro meets a female friend whom he shares recipes with and they speak openly about how she doesn't care that he is gay and treats him just like anyone else but admits that if he were her daughter whom came out as lesbian she couldn't be sure how she would react. They struggle with very real problems like Shiro being cold and closed off to his friends and coworkers who don't even know his sexuality while Kenji is very open and talkative who likes to discuss his life with his boyfriend. No matter what happens in thier day or if they are frustrated with each other they try to come together for dinner to spend that time winding down and being with each other.What dissappointed me was how little of the characters were in their story. The recipes are highly detailed and given in tandem with beautiful art that shows the process of making the dishes while Shiro, the chef of the story, gives you the steps and measurements. While I expected the recipes and even bought the book for the purpose of having them along with the story itself I did not expect the recipes to take up so much of the novel. Each little chapter of the book is somewhere around 12 to 15 pages of which 6 or more are dedicated to the recipe alone. Then after the recipe is completed there are a couple of pages with them obviously enjoying the meal and discussing the way the flavors react and balance with each other. This usually left only a couple of pages per chapter that had any real story to it. Of ccourse there are chapters with really simple recipes, such as strawberry jam, that don't take as much time and effort to explain or even heavier chapters were there is no recipe (usually a time where they are eating leftovers) but for the most part the formula is the same. By the end of two volumes I felt almost no differently about the characters that I did on the first couple pages of the first book. There was barely any character development and each chapter was given in a disjointed kind of way where characters would pop in and out, sometimes never to be seen again, leaving you little time to connect. Truth be told I ended up liking Kenji the most simply because he showed the most emotion, and while Shiro wasn't a completely cold character he only really seemed to get excited about his food/supermarket sales. It was cute at first, but again it happened every time he went to the store.I wouldn't tell you not to purchase this book because I did actually enjoy what story was there no matter how little, but for $12.95 USD retail price per volume I expected more from the characters and storyline. In the end after two volumes I will not continue to buy the series for myself but wouldn't turn down the chance to read the rest.

For a long while, this has been my most-anticipated manga release, even when it looked like we’d never see it in English, due to its specialized subject matter. What Did You Eat Yesterday? is about two men who live together, one a lawyer and accomplished home cook, the other a hairdresser. They talk over their day while we see in glorious detail what they’re eating, as prepared by Shiro.I adore Fumi Yoshinaga’s art style, how crisp and detailed it is, and how recognizable and emotional her figures are. And I love food manga, going in detail as to how people eat and prepare food in different cultures, so this was a great read for me. Particularly with how lovingly Yoshinaga draws the dishes.Surprising, though, was how deep and emotional some of the stories were. Shiro’s mother urges him to come out to his co-workers, which he hasn’t done, but she’s clearly struggling with his sexuality, parroting what a support group has told her. The two men argue over how open to be about their relationship. One chapter teaches us both how to make strawberry jam and how important it is to be true to yourself (instead of hiding behind a beard). Another shows a client of Shiro’s, a male victim of domestic violence.Shiro’s partner, more flamboyant than he is, provides a good deal of humor, as when he’s trying to flirt with Shiro and the more straight-laced lawyer responds, “Oh, sorry! I just can’t do American queer talk.” Kenji’s easy-going attitude serves him well at the salon where he works, where he’s given all the difficult customers. I also adored how Shiro made a friend, when he and Kayoko decided to split a watermelon because it was such a good deal at the supermarket.But back to the cooking! Shiro thinks through what he’s doing in such a way that his meals could be followed by a reader — if you have access to speciality ingredients like kombu, burdock, konjac, and shirodashi. And if you’re comfortable without specific measurements. You have to cook to taste, which requires more connection to the ingredients and process.My favorite aspect of the meal is how Shiro makes lots of little dishes. Part of his character is how bargain-conscious he is, and the way he cooks, with several vegetable dishes and using meat more for flavor than as a “main course”, is both healthier and less costly. Although as a co-worker points out early on, “It might sound run of the mill at first, but I’d bet he’s spending a pretty penny on ingredients and seasonings!” She’s overstating it (and she also finds his good looks past forty “creepy”, which seems distinctly uncharitable), but variety does require spending some time searching for all the details. One story discusses eating more veggies to make sure the two eat less rice, which keeps them slender and looking better than straight men, who let themselves go once they settle down. I admired Shiro’s statement, as he puts a meal on the table, “being able to bask in a sense of accomplishment equal to settling a case at work, and every day no less, is what makes cooking dinner great.” (Review originally posted at ComicsWorthReading.com.)

The Foodie angle is the biggest appeal of the manga. The recipes are everyday and having made many homestyle Japanese recipes these all work well (if not a little dependent on shop bought bases and stocks - but hey, he is a busy man, I doubt he has time to make his dashi from scratch and then his soup bases...) . If you find yourself roaming through the English version of Cookpad and smiling at the little comments the recipe authors have written - well here is a whole manga dedicated to one home-cooks notes! Even as an experienced cook I have picked up a hint or two, and who does not like eating and reading?It is also nice to see a gay couple portrayed in manga as just another married couple would be. However I doubt Yoshinaga actually knows any gay couples, either that or there has been some very clunky translating going on because sometimes you have to blink at what is said or done (but this is manga, so what is new?). This said they are not a pretty gay couple being portrayed in a heterosexual style relationship just for the "edification" of the reader, there is a good attempt here to show the relationship and the life in a realistic light.The fact that the characters are all older is a big draw to. They are well realised adults, and look like they will shape into well rounded characters rather than the cutouts that litter the genre. It is a very charming slice-of-life, nuanced and vastly more realistic than most shonen-ai (though apparently it was shonen-ai written for a seinen audience which explains the toned down romance) and to be honest to me it feels like a very good josei - or just maybe a grown up story for adults? This will appeal to older readers, anyone who likes a good slice of life story and to be honest home-makers, because at the heart of it a character cooking as an expression of love, as a way to build a home and family between him and his partner and as a way to cope with his circumstances, money-wise, in terms of work and in a way emotionally.

Wonderful!I am now up to Volume 10, and I've pre-ordered Volume 11.It's really difficult to explain the appeal of these lovely books because they are so unique. They are part gentle mm romance, part cookery book, and I don't even cook! Shiro and Kenji are partners who live together, sharing their lives and their dramas, and their meals. These stories are astonishingly real. They just draw you gently in until you feel that you know them personally. I absolutely adore them.If you like to cook Japanese food, or are interested in Japanese culture, you'll enjoy them even more.

A really good slice of life manga for foodies!

Very good seller. A+++

Shiro Kakei est avocat. Il a choisi de travailler dans un cabinet de taille modeste pour ne pas que sa carrière empiète sur le reste de sa vie. Agé de 43 ans, il conserve une beauté presque dérangeante. Il adore faire la cuisine et, comme il est très radin, il recherche constamment les bonnes affaires au supermarché - allant jusqu'à proposer à une inconnue de partager avec elle une pastèque en promotion. Ses collègues de travail ne sont pas au courant, mais Shiro est homosexuel et vit depuis quelques années déjà avec Kenji Yabuki, un coiffeur ouvertement gay au tempérament beaucoup cool et extraverti que le sien...Ce manga de Fumi Yoshinaga, à qui l'on devait déjà "Le pavillon des hommes", offre un mariage très réussi entre bédé culinaire et chronique du quotidien d'un couple gay ordinaire. Chaque soir, Shiro prépare quantité de petits plats dont il récite la recette dans sa tête, et lorsque Kenji rentre à la maison, les deux hommes dînent en se chamaillant pour des questions de budget ou de jalousie. Leur relation est globalement bien acceptée; pourtant, Shiro est agacé par les réactions excessives ou maladroites de ses parents auxquels il n'a toujours pas présenté Kenji, et il répugne à dévoiler cette partie de sa vie privée à son entourage professionnel. C'est un héros assez froid et rigide, peu attachant au premier abord, mais on sent que l'auteur va révéler petit à petit les nuances de son caractère et les raisons de son amour pour Kenji - qui est a priori son contraire exact. Un manga plein de sensibilité, d'humour et de gourmandise, dont les tomes suivants vont paraître (en anglais) au rythme d'un tous les 2 mois.