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| “ | Do you really not get it? The answer to your questions is right there in the food Megumi has made. Kojiro...you’ve hit a plateau, haven’t you? | ” |
—Gin Dojima, figuring out what’s behind Kojiro’s facade | ||
Memories of a Dish (ひと皿の記憶 Hito sara no kioku) is the twelfth episode of the first season of Shokugeki no Soma and the twelfth episode overall.
Synopsis[]
It is time for Megumi’s dish to be judged.
Plot[]
After Kojirō's dish receives positive reception from the judges, it's Megumi's turn to serve her dish. It is revealed to be terrine as the judges recognize it. Furthermore, Megumi points out it's a Rainbow Terrine, featuring seven vegetables, and Fuyumi wonders if the terrine is also assigned in Kojiro’s lesson. Kojirō questions if Megumi is trying to find fault with his recipe for the nine vegetables terrine, but she instead states her desire for people to try her own recipe. As the judges are tasting her dish, Megumi hopes not to fail.
The judges and Hinako (who's just a bystander) are satisfied by Megumi's dish. They review her patés are made from potatoes, carrots, zucchinis, and other vegetables to create layers of seven colors to maximize the flavor. The two kinds of sauce are sweet-and-sour sudachi gelée and astringent herb sauce. The sudachi also goes well with tomatoes. When Gin asks Megumi if she used sun-dried tomatoes, she confirms that she did. She explains that back at her home, the vegetables were harvested to dry in summer for winter to eat. Megumi has learned to try them in the oven from her mother while helping her, and she has thought the sun-dried tomatoes would give flavor to the terrine. Gin figures the tomatoes contain glutamic acid and drying them would increase the degree of sweetness. He points out that Kojirō's terrine is meant to savor the flavor of fresh vegetables, but Megumi's Rainbow Terrine focuses on the flavor unique to vegetables prepared for preservation. While they're both vegetable terrines, one displays the flavor of freshness, and the other umami is born of maturation. The judges are arguing over a title for Megumi: Donato suggests Koro-pok-guru of Légumes, Hinako prefers Household God of Légumes, and Hitoshi goes with Snow Child of Légumes. Fuyumi starts to wonder why are all of them of the yokai variety.
Megumi is in her thoughts that she had no confidence and was a failure of Tōtsuki Academy until the Alumni said her cooking was delicious. She looks at Sōma as he smiles. Gin announces the coins represent the judges' votes for Megumi or Kojirō. While Megumi prays to stay, however, all three judges have voted for Kojirō instead. Sōma apologizes to Megumi that he couldn't help her, but says she can stand up straight and proud as she has made a good dish. However, in Megumi's thoughts, it's not his fault as she cries. Kojirō tells her that there's no need to be down about it as it's inevitable. As Kojirō is about to leave, Gin places his coin for Megumi, much to everyone's surprise. When Kojirō questions him for voting for Megumi despite that he has won, Gin acknowledges her dish. As Kojirō argues with Gin that he's not a judge as he doesn't understand, Gin tosses a coin to Kojirō, and he explains to Kojirō that Megumi's dish is the answer to his question that can be found. Gin asks Kojirō if he's stagnating, much to Kojirō's shock.
A flashback shows the Alumni who graduated from Tōtsuki 10 years ago. Donato tries to comfort a crying Hinako due to finding out Kojirō is going to France, and even Fuyumi is surprised about it. Kojirō talks about his plans that he'll hone his cooking skills in France, set up his own restaurant, and win the Pluspol award. Donato remarks that Kojirō will be the first Japanese to win the award. Hinako tells Kojirō that he won't make any friends there because he's unfriendly and gets into fights with the staff, causing him to grab her by the head. Donato and Fuyumi agree with Hinako, which irritates Kojirō. Kojirō went to France with the money he won from various cooking contests. After 6 years of training, he has opened his restaurant, SHINO'S, in Paris. While a customer is impressed by Kojirō, a couple of the sous chefs have grown jealous of him. As a result, Kojirō finds out that two of his employees have changed his recette for the sauce, and they suggest that it's more to people's liking in Paris and his flavors are a bit too oriental. Kojirō's restaurant is running down, so he has decided to kick them out and only trust himself. Moreover, Kojirō has grown ruthless as he even thought of his staff as enemies, and he made them obey his judgments. When his restaurant is running well, Kojirō is revered as the Magician of Légumes, and he has finally won the Pluspol award.
Gin points out to Kojirō that now he has earned the award, he has lost sight of his path to move forward. Furthermore, he's at a standstill like a pineapple and doesn't know where to go. For the Alumni, stagnation is akin to regression. The reason why Kojirō isn't cooking his specialty in the match is that he doesn't want anyone to find out it has hit the wall. Kojirō then complains to Gin, saying that he knows nothing. However, Gin makes him eat Megumi's dish. When Kojirō reluctantly tastes her dish, he says the heat is insufficient, and the plating and the paté's texture are subpar, telling Gin that he has lost his touch. However, he takes another bite. In Kojirō's thoughts, Megumi's dish is clumsy, but each detail speaks to the chef's care for the customer. Kojirō remembers when he was a child, he got into a fight, but his mother reminds him that he's a gentle boy at heart as they go home to eat his favorite dish. As a result, Kojirō places his coin for Megumi. He questions Megumi if she used allspice on the paté, and she confirms that it was. Fuyumi guesses that Megumi used it to remove the chicken liver's strong odor. She also explains that allspice possesses cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. However, Kojirō points out it's not the only reason. Megumi explains that allspice aids in digestion and wants to serve a dish that'd be gentle to their stomachs.
Upon hearing those words, Hinako is brought tears over Megumi’s thoughtfulness. When Donato remarks to the rest of the Alumni that they have a good eye for people, Fuyumi tells him that he just likes Megumi's type, but Hinako says it's not true. Gin confirms that Megumi's dish may be clumsy, but it speaks to Kojirō’s heart. Even in a competition, Megumi tries to be considerate toward people who'll be eating her dish. Kojirō figures it was all part of Gin's plan, but he realizes that he's been turning a blind eye to his customers and his staff by cooking alone. Suddenly, Hinako places her coin for Megumi as well. Since it's a draw, Gin points out that the decision has reverted back to where it started, so Kojiro allows Megumi to stay and starts to leave. When Kojirō looks back at Sōma, he starts to smile. Hinako tells Kojirō that he's a poor sport, so he grabs her by the head, which causes her to apologize before he lets go of her. Gin remarks to Megumi that her cooking reflects a hospitality that welcomes her guests, which is a skill she should hone while studying at Tōtsuki. He reminds her to consider the 3 coins as an investment towards her future. Sōma guesses that they made it out alive, so he congratulates Megumi, which brings her to tears.
As they're walking, Hitoshi discusses with Gin about Kojirō's keen talent being the reason for hitting the wall. Gin starts to point out that Kojirō was focused on the top and casts off everything that felt extraneous. He brings out that Kojirō reached the top before he matured as an owner-chef. However, in order for chefs to aim for the top, they have to possess the hunger to absorb everything. So, Kojirō will regain that hunger as he's walking. Hitoshi figures that the shokugeki saved two chefs at the same time and remarks Gin for being an educator, which leads Gin to tell Hitoshi that he's giving him too much credit.
As they're heading to the campsite, Sōma figures it's dark, and Megumi realizes that she missed many calls from Yūki. Sōma says that they didn't have any signal in the basement, and Megumi runs back to the Polar Star Dormitory residents. Before she goes, Megumi thanks Sōma and says she'll never forget the aid given today. He tells her to go because everyone is worried. As Megumi leaves, Sōma slams his fist against the wall, feeling frustrated that he lost. Gin is looking at Sōma from the window, acknowledging that he was the only one who truly intended to win the fight. This is a quality that a chef needs, which is something that Kojirō also had in his younger days when he left vowing to win the award.
Sōma is in the campsite and enters the room. However, he gets slapped by Yūki, and she scolds and shakes him for challenging an alumnus to a Shokugeki when they hear about it, worrying that Sōma and Megumi get expelled. Ryōko tries to calm Yūki down, and Megumi explains if Sōma hadn't been there for her, she would have failed. As Yūki hears what they have said, she stops shaking Sōma and bursts into tears at Ryōko. Then, Ryōko and the rest of the Polar Star Dormitory are glad that they're okay. Shun asks Sōma what happened to his right hand as it's injured, which he got from hitting the wall, but he says it's nothing. Suddenly, Daigo and Shōji barge into the dorm to play a card game in Zenji's room with everyone tonight, which leads Zenji to complain as he's exhausted.
Features[]
Characters[]
- Polar Star Dormitory residents
- Tōtsuki Academy Alumni
- Takumi Aldini (Flashback)
- Kanichi Konishi (Flashback)
- Kojiro’s mother (Debut; Flashback)
- Abel Blondin (Debut; Non-speaking cameo)
Featured Dishes[]
Featured Cooking Duels[]
Locations[]
Trivia[]
General Trivia[]
- TBA
Manga and Anime Differences[]
- TBA
Errors[]
- TBA
[]
| v - e - t | Episodes |
|---|---|
| Introduction Arc | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 |
| Training Camp Arc | 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 |
| Tōtsuki Autumn Election Arc | 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 |
| Stagiaire Arc | 35 • 36 • 37 |
| Moon Banquet Festival Arc | 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 |
| Central Arc | 43 • 44 • 45 • 46 • 47 • 48 • 49 • 50 |
| Promotion Exams Arc | 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 55 • 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • 61 • 62 63 • 64 • 65 • 66 • 67 • 68 • 69 • 70 • 71 • 72 • 73 |
| Beach Exam Arc | 74 |
| BLUE Arc | 75 • 76 • 77 • 78 • 79 • 80 • 81 • 82 • 83 • 84 • 85 • 86 |
| OVA | OVA 1 • OVA 2 • OVA 3 • OVA 4 • OVA 5 |