So I've been reading manga with a lot of food competitions lately (Shokugeki no Soma, Hell's Kitchen, etc.), and my main problem with these manga is the lack of actual discussion about how the judging process takes place. 2a2n2f

Like, people aren't machines that can eat an endless amount of food and still judge them objectively (and eating one person's dish right before another's, no matter how good either is, will influence the final score of the second dish, no matter how unbiased the critic tries to be).

And there are also factors like the food's appearance that rarely, if ever, seems to be taken into , especially in Shokugeki. If you're going to serve these things in a restaurant, they have to look and smell good too, you know?

Also cost and subsequent ability to reproduce these foods in a commercial context. For example, the recent antagonists in Hell's Kitchen brought in all these expensive machines to replace actual cooking, but how viable is that on a pure cost-based level to implement? Not very.

So, basically, I'm wondering if there's any manga about the food critics themselves (or any judging committee) and how they factor all these things into their judging. (And also maybe how they became food critics in the first place? Like, I expect they'll have to be able to eat pretty much everything and go through training.)

The closest I can think of is the wine critic in Kami no Shizuku and the criticisms/advice that Ban receives (from a variety of people) in Bambino!

If you can't think of manga centered entirely on critics, I would be fine with them being major side characters or if the actual cooking in the manga takes into consideration very real concerns (like in Bambino!).

Thank you all in advance!

Hmm well food competitions are for show business (TV and such), real food critics go, sometimes anonymously, as any normal customers and write on that. The main qualification isn't your tastes or food knowlegde (although of course they do count); but actually your writing skills; they are first and foremost journalists. My uncle worked for the Michelin guide in (not as a food critic, mind you) and that's what I got from what he told me. Basically they travel around and dine in a different restaurant every day; there's no need to eat "endless amount of food" or whatever. And while the food served is important; the environment is as much (service, location, etc..). It's not just the food which is rated/reviewed but the restaurant as a whole.

Anyway I haven't read it but the protagonist from Oishinbo is supposed to be a food critic. It's published by Viz in the U.S.

Ah, thank you! I guess I meant more along the lines of judges at food competitions, then, though I am interested in food critics as well.

not exactly what your looking for but you might like Yakitate!! Japan, its about bread making and their are food critics in it but its more of a comedy then anything

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Quote from Gale1

not exactly what your looking for but you might like Yakitate!! Japan, its about bread making and their are food critics in it but its more of a comedy then anything

I've actually already read Yakitate!! Japan, and yeah, it really isn't what I'm looking for. It's enjoyable, but I want something more serious/realistic right now.

Thanks anyway!

Oishii Kankei is similar to Bambino! in that aspect. The heroine is an expert at fine dining (so are her mentors) who aspires to start her own restaurant business.

Probably might not fit very well but Addicted to Curry?