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I picked this up at the library. I've been checking out a lot of cookbooks at the library lately; I find increasingly that I only want one or two recipes, and don't want a $30, 3lbs cookbook taking up shelf space for it.
Donburi Mania caught my eye because it promised easy+fast Japanese food. I don't make Japanese very much at home because all Japanese cooking is a synthesis of prepared traditional ingredients; easy if you're Japanese and usually have them on hand, tedious if you aren't and don't. I just don't tend to have homemade dashi, pickled vegetables, presoaked noodles, omlet, etc., etc., ready-made and on hand.
So, Donburi Mania. Assessment: I'm glad I didn't pay for it.
First off, the book is actually translated direct from the Japanese. It shows. No, it's not full of "engrish", but a lot of the descriptions and instructions leave you thinking that something was lost in the process: "Thinly slice the stems of Napa Cabbage." "Soft-boiled egg deliciously coats the rice." Not incomprehensible or misspelled, just ... odd. Given that the book has entire pages devoted to upbeat imprecations about donburi, which in the oddly poetic English of the book are snicker-inducing.
Of more concern is that many recipes call for ingredients I've never heard of, and are not explained. Without a heavy reliance on Google and Wikipedia, most Americans would find them rather difficult to follow. There is also a 2-page instruction spread on what tools you need to make a proper "simmered egg sauce", yet not one recipe in the book calls for simmered egg sauce. It makes you feel like, even though you're reading English words, you're not quite getting the language.
There are no vegetarian recipes in the book, except for some salads in the back.
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The Fuzzy Chef
Serious Chef iz Serious!
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