ravenkake

[ravenkake]

[ravenkake]

Delicious in Dungeon in The Kitchen

So... I was struck by the thought that I kinda wish some food nerd would go through the Dungeon Meshi dishes and analyze them and sort of give a "this is the real world thing they're making" run down.

And then I realized I'm a food nerd that can do research.

So.

We're gonna try this out, starting with Volume 1. I don't promise that I know everything about cooking. I don't promise I'll always be able to make the thing I'm looking at (I am broke, and I don't have my own kitchen). But I can at least look at a dish and figure out what they're doing and how to replicate it, at least sorta.

Dungeon Meshi Volume 1-- Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot

The two main components of this dish are the Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom.

Walking Mushroom

Looking at the images in the manga, Walking Mushroom seems to just... be a mushroom that can walk around. There are no organs, the interior seems pretty uniform in substance...

Like, literally, that's exactly what sliced mushrooms look like. Senshi cuts the mushroom into ~4" strips (judging by their size next to the small cabbage-like vegetable, and comparing those plants to his hand in the image of him gathering them. I am assuming dwarf hands are roughly the same size as human hands).

There's a variety of edible mushroom that is probably as close as we're going to get to the size of a Walking Mushroom, growing a cap up to 3' wide, but it seems to only grow in termite mounds in a very specific part of the African continent (please forgive my USAmerican, White education leading me to not being able to identify the specific region), so... if you can get that at all, it's probably crazy expensive (as it should be, unless you're literally getting it from the mounds or local markets yourself). Portobello or similar large culinary mushrooms are probably just fine. The Mushroom Feet are literally just mushrooms, so no worries there.

Huge Scorpion

Ok, so... there is a difference between arachnids and crustaceans. As a start, arachnids have book lungs and crustaceans have gills. Arachnid guts are different from crustacean guts, just because of environment. Hell, crustacean limbs grow differently from arachnid limbs.

That said, everything I see in Dungeon Meshi implies that, from a culinary standpoint, Huge Scorpion is a crustacean-

So, really, it's just a big lobster. Take a lobster, cut off its legs, antennae, and the tail fluke, and you're going to see something that looks pretty similar to the huge scorpion in Dungeon Meshi.

Seaweed

Next is seaweed, which... is just a thing, but also kind of an imprecise term, I think. Basically, "seaweed" just refers to any marine algae that is multicellular and macroscopic (big enough to see). Arctic Moss seems to be a real thing which refers to a couple things- the aquatic moss Calliergon giganteum and the terrestrial lichen in the genus of Cladonia, which includes Reindeer Lichen.

Reindeer lichen is edible, in a number of ways, but it's also not seaweed. So we look at Calliergon giganteum. I cannot get an answer as to whether this particular variety of moss is edible. So... fuck it, say Senshi used Reindeer Lichen, at least we know that's edible.

"Star Jelly" is... I don't know. The main result I find when googling it is that it's the sort of general term for various slimes that show up on lawns and other vegetation, etc. Which means it could be anything from amphibian spawning jelly to who the fuck knows what.

However, one thing it could be is a cyanobacteria known as Fat Choy, a commonly used "vegetable" in Chinese Cuisine:

Looks like jelly? Yep. Looks weird enough that you might imagine it comes from a star? Yep. Edible? Yes!

(I mean, maybe don't eat a ton of it, or get it from irreputable sources. At least some Fat Choy contains a toxic amino acid which may or may not have negative health effects, but I'm not a doctor, so all I'm saying is "be aware of this." It's an expensive delicacy, which means that it is a particularly lucrative target for counterfeiters, and China does not have strong, or strongly enforced, food safety laws).

The Hard Stuff

So that leaves "Invertatoes" and "Dried Slime."

Neither of which seem to have a good direct analogue to the real world. Well... sorta.

Invertatoes seems to refer to the plants. The name calls to mind potatoes, and potatoes do indeed grow in the ground and are starchy. It's probably fair to just use any kind of starchy tuber as the "invertatoes." Maybe cassava, since those are large enough that it's at least somewhat believable that "Fantasy Land Cassava" could look like that (although that doesn't fit the "these are normal plants that grow upside down" unless we're being really generous).

The problem is that it's sort of implied that the cabbage-like vegetable seen in the hot pot comes from the same plant, and everything from a potato plant other than the potato itself is toxic. They also don't look like that.

I literally don't know what those cabbage/lettuce-like leafy vegetables are. They're not seaweed, because the two varieties called out definitely don't look like that. They're not, so far as I can tell, the greens of any kind of starchy tuber--

EXCEPT.

So, I was taking one last look at tubers to see if I could find something that seemed to match, and I think Invertatoes could be likened to something similar to chicory. Particularly endives. I never knew endives were related to chicory (ie, "that thing that I'm aware is popular as a coffee substitute in the South, but I don't have much desire to try it, and I wonder if it even has caffeine..."), but, apparently, yeah. Endives are a member of the chicory genus.

So, yeah, lets say that Invertatoes are a sort of fantasy plant similar to the various members of the chicory genus. The trunk can be replicated with chicory root, and the leaves with endives.

That leaves Dried Slime. Dried Slime makes up the noodles in the hot pot, which implies that the noodles are gelatinous, and probably low in gluten. Senshi's explanation of the slime makes me want to think of it as a macro-unicellular lifeform, but... I'm not sure that's accurate.

While it's definitely not an accurate way to describe a jellyfish, I could definitely see a non-biologist describing jellyfish in a way similar to the way Senshi describes the slime. I could also see some fantasy terrestrial jellyfish thing hunting in a similar manner to the slime. Moreover, there are edible varieties of jellyfish, and they're processed in a manner very similar to what Senshi describes for processing slimes. And one way of preparing edible jellyfish is to thinly slice it into noodles.

Hot Pots

I... think this is using a very specifically Japanese sense of "hot pot" (which makes sense), because in Japan, hot pot can refer to a dish called nabemono, while in general, hot pot refers to a particular kind of dining in China where you get a pot full of boiling stock/broth and a bunch of raw ingredients, and you put the stuff you want into the broth at the table. Nabemono is more of "put a bunch of stuff in a pot, and cook it. Serve it boiling." Which is to say, it's soup.

Senshi puts the scorpion meat and mushroom into a pot on its own, and lets it start boiling-

Then, while it's boiling, he goes and finds other ingredients, coming back with the invertatoes and the slime. The two are prepared simply-

Seasoning isn't included in the ingredients, but I can understand this as a choice for presentation. We do see Senshi add something to the broth after tasting it, and I think it's fair to assume it's one of soy sauce, mirin, fish sauce, or similar. I think it's actually really interesting that we see Senshi add seasoning, but we're not told what it is-

Because... that's cooking. You can follow a recipe, but ultimately, you need to taste your cooking and make your own decisions. Senshi lets the soup cook, tastes the broth, decides it needs something, and gives it a bit of time to let the flavors meld before serving it up.

Dungeon Meshi Lobster and Mushroom Hot Pot

So, we're looking at something like this for the "Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot"--

Lobster- ~5 lbs or more (a 1 lb lobster yields about 4 oz of actual meat, which is a single serving), cut into large slices

Portobello- 2 mushrooms large diced, 2 left whole with the caps scored

Reindeer Lichen and Fat Choy- to taste

Chicory Roots- ~1 cup, diced

Endive greens- ~2 cups

Jellyfish, thin sliced- as much as you like

Add lobster and mushrooms to water, and allow to boil. While it comes to a boil, prepare the other ingredients, then add to the water. Let the soup come to a full boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to an hour (can simmer longer, but this will affect the texture of the ingredients. Longer simmering will result in more melding of flavors, but also degraded solid parts).

Taste the broth. It will likely need salt and acid, which could come in a variety of forms, such as kosher salt and lemon juice, soy sauce and mirin/rice vinegar, oyster/fish sauce, or something else. Go with your gut and your taste buds..

[ravenkake]

not to be that bitch ™ but i keep seeing (and getting angry tbh) over the fact that i see my moots spreading awareness about the stuff that happens in the world, which is great! but when it comes to certain countries, in example, brazil facing an extreme rise of far right in the last few years and the fact that elon musk is threatening to put us under a censorship and the fear of having another dictatorship is like no one gives a fuck. and i guess that goes to the whole website? since most people here are north americans who probably don't get access to this information

[ravenkake]

One thing that has been bothering me a lot over the past few days is seeing all these RIP YOI, RIP IceAdo, Remember YOI etc. posts. As someone who discovered YOI later, I'm watching this unfold from the sidelines and I'm seriously worrying what this is going to do to the fandom. I understand that you are sad because the movie was cancelled, everyone has the right to be sad about such a thing, and I'm not trying to invalidate your pain. But, and I'm saying this with all kindness and my best intentions, and hell, I'm not even the first one saying this, but please hear me out:

YOI IS NOT DEAD.

It did not die last Friday. And it doesn't die because there won't be a movie. No story in human history has ever died because someone decided it was over. Stories are forever. They live in the hearts of the people. And so has YOI been living in the hearts of its fans since October 6th 2016, and will continue to live there for as long as we want.

Whenever I type "Yuri On Ice" into the search field of any social network, web archive, or search engine, I see hundreds of thousands of hits, most of them fanworks. Please take a moment to think about what that means:

In the 7.5 years since YOI aired, fans have made tons of art, written fanfiction and metas, cosplayed YOI characters, created fan videos, crafted all kinds of fan-made merch, and so much more. You are the ones who brought into being an infinite multiverse centred around an anime that is already larger than life. You have already created so much more YOI than Sayo, Kubo, MAPPA etc. could ever create even if they made one hundred movies. And even if every country in the world turns fascist and bans YOI, it will survive because fans will always find ways to preserve it and the power its message holds. Only stories that nobody no longer talks and cares about fade in oblivion.

You hold all the power to keep YOI alive, but, and this is probably the hardest pill to swallow, that also makes you the only ones who are able to kill YOI - be it by stopping to create or talk about it, or by shouting its death from the rooftops because you fancy yourself dramatic, or by turning the fandom into a hate-infested toxic hellscape, whichever will occur first.

And I honestly don't know which of these I fear most.

If you truly love YOI, please do your share and continue to keep it alive.

[ravenkake]

[ravenkake]

[ravenkake]

this shit about watcher is honestly fucking hilarious. i have never seen a group of ppl ruin their company and reputation so fast it's. genuinely laughable. nobody is going to subscribe to a subscription service that's $6 a month when u upload 8 videos a month. u already have a patreon that ik u guys aren't taking down. u guys haven't even reached 3 million subscribers. ur producer just bought a tesla. the majority of ur subscribers have youtube premium, They're Already Paying To Watch Your Videos. it's fucking insane to me. like if markiplier or mr beast did this nobody would subscribe for the exact same reasons. how special could u possibly think u are? and ik they think they're real special after reading their instagram posts, acting like the fans demanded this? acting like it's all the fans fault? "it's a shame for those that won't be joining us" fuck u. wild bro. y'all have earned every amount of anger towards u since announcing this bullshit. the disappointment is, again, hilarious. the fastest crash and burn ive witnessed on the internet in a while, at least it's entertaining.

[ravenkake]

Here are my thoughts about the watcher situation:

1) my PERSONAL issue is not the fact that the content is being paywalled. I understand and believe that an artist should be able to charge what they think their work is worth. I have paid for patreons and memberships before when I had a bit of extra money so I fully support creators getting adequate compensation. HOWEVER, the way this was rolled out was almost comically bad. The video felt tone deaf at times and it felt like this decision was only halfway thought through. There were many steps they could have taken to try to mitigate production costs before jumping ship.

2) Why did people suddenly decide that everything had to have been Steven’s fault? I’m not even a Steven fan, but this is ridiculous. Even if it was Steven’s idea, Ryan and Shane still sat and filmed the video. They are still the co-founders and have repeatedly supported Steven’s choices as CEO. Where did this narrative that Steven is an evil, corrupt, greedy, leader and poor Ryan and Shane are forced against their will to do these things come from? I’ve followed Ryan and Shane since Buzzfeed Unsolved like many of us here, but we can’t let them escape criticism because the idea of them doing something bad hurts.

3) As someone currently going to school for stuff like this, I would LOVE to see the research they used to come to this decision. That’s not even me trying to be shady. I genuinely want to know. The community response has been so overwhelmingly negative that I have to assume that they either 1) did not have enough data, or 2) did not collect any data themselves and relied on outside sources that didn’t fully understand the landscape of watcher’s viewership. Either way I want to know.

[ravenkake]

When this crashes and burns I don't wanna hear the defenders blaming the critics 💀 they could've improved the patron, sold better merch, sold dvd copies of their shows, downsized, literally anything besides alienate a majority of their fanbase

[ravenkake]

Full offense but a lot of you are parasocial idiots. If anything this proves how dumb and immature this fandom is. Sending vile hatred to Steven while making excuses for Ryan and Shane is beyond parasocial LMAO.

They all made this horrendous business decision together.

[ravenkake]

Okay….

As a long term watcher and ghoul boy fan…

Yes this sucks…

Yes this is a *very* bad business move..

And yes it is tone deaf and out of touch with their audience and their watcher demographic.

But to dogpile into Steven and insist that he’s ‘evil and capitalistic’ is genuinely insane.

*watcher* made a business decision

Not Steven lim

Ryan and Shane were part of that decision too. So don’t only blame Steven for this.

[ravenkake]

This is a good time for me to say that ghost files and mystery files were not as good as buzzfeed unsolved to me

[ravenkake]

Please take the time to read and share this🙏

Together we will make a difference

For every ‘Free Congo’ item purchased, we donate directly to a globalgiving.org project dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating these children, offering them a path towards a brighter, hope-filled future.

[ravenkake]

I haven’t seen one of these yet

[ravenkake]

In honor of Watcher Entertainment pissing off what appears to be almost their entire fanbase-

Please reblog for a larger sample size.

[ravenkake]

You know what we're not gonna do? Put shane and ryan on a pedestal and using this issue as an excuse to hate on steven

this is a company thing. i hate it too but once again steven is being blamed for this because some fans refuse to see that ryan and shane also gets a say in business matters, theyre co-founders, they work WITH steven

[ravenkake]

The Hazbin Hotel shadow boxes I made so far! I still need to add Vaggie, Lute, and Val!