Collection of essays The Physiology of Taste
Brillat-Savarin is known as the author of "The Physiology of Taste".
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
He was a lawyer and lived a heroic life when French Revolution broke out the country.
These are the words of such Brillat-Savarin had left behind...
"The discovery of a new dish..."
"Confers more happiness on humanity..."
"Than the discovery of a new star."
Prime Minister
Ato Ichiro
Official residence's Grand Dining Hall Head Chef Kiyosawa Haruki-kun.
Official Residence Grand Dining Hall Head Chef
Kiyosawa Haruki
As of today, I officially appoint you as the second official residence chef.
Prime Minister's Private Secretary
Koga Seiji
Congratulation.
I've high expectation for you, Kiyosawa-kun.
Secretary Koga, what is the arrangement for the next dining?
It's still undecided.
Once it's decided I'll notify if it's you or Ichiki-kun will be in charge of the cooking.
Yes, sir.
I'll take my leave now.
Official Residence Chef
Ichiki Kurumi
Ichiki-kun. I'm counting on you too.
Yes, sir.
Yeah...
(SALE: 100yen/each)
Memorization is prohibited.
I'll take this!
You're buying it?! Finally...
- Here, 100yen. - Thanks for your patronage!
This is the first time...
Wait a minute...
No way... There's no way it's for 100yen!
Eh? But you wrote here that they're 100yen.
It must be a mistake.
It's the cooking book of Shido Fujio who was appointed as the official residence chef...
By Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru?!
No way I sell it for 100yen.
Eh?! But you took my 100yen.
I'll return your 100yen.
- Please give it back. - No way. No way. I've already bought it.
- I'll return your money. - No way. No way. No way.
I'll return your money.
No way.
- Give it back. Give it back. - Take off your hands.
- No way. - Give it back...
Oh?
What is this?
Prince Shotoku... The old 10,000yen notes.
Eh~ Which country notes are they?
Japan!
Eh~
But you have to return these to the owner, right?
Of course I'll return them!
Really?
Really.
Ah, hey... Eh?
Okay...
I'll return them. Hey...
(Yoshida Akiko - Tama ward, Kawasaki city)
I'm begging you, Yoshida-san.
Please pay me...
I'm not saying that I won't pay.
I'm telling you that I can't.
Come on...
Please pay your rent, even just a little bit.
Excuse me... Are you Yoshida Akiko-san?
Who are you?
I have something to deliver to you.
To me?
In a book that you left at Jinbocho used bookstore...
These were tucked inside.
Ah!
- Those are...! - Rent payment!
My secret savings.
- Ah! - Eh...?
Please pay your rent!
I totally forgot about it.
- 1, 2, 3... - Yoshida-san! Yoshida-san!
- You have the money, right? Please pay me. - I'll pay you now, so just wait.
The red copper saucepans that have been used for a long time and beautifully polished.
The Western knives that have been honed carefully by a sharpening rod.
She owned the cook book of Shido Fujio-san, a pioneer of French cuisine in Japan.
Could it be...
Hey, you.
Ah!
What are you doing walked in without permission?!
You won't get away so easily.
Ah! Well...
Listen? It's Katabami. Properly look for it.
Katabami?
Even if you suddenly tell me Katabami... I don't know what it is.
Katabami. Katabami...
Ah...
I'll wait for you at home.
Come back when you'll have filled this basket.
Get help, get help...
This is Katabami, okay? Go for it!
I got it!
You suddenly tell me to find Katabami...
Chef
Tamura Tomokazu
What are you going to use it for?
You can't serve the Prime Minister wild Katabami, okay?
What does that mean...
With the effort of our bureaucrats at Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare...
We've so far restored 14 millions 480 files of the missing pension documents.
We was able to pay back approximately 2.5 trillion yen pension to 65 years old pensioners.
- After this... - That's enough.
Incidentally, Vice-Minister Ishigaki.
Yes, sir.
From now on, I will earnestly push forward the reformation in bureaucracy.
First of all, we will review the regulations for using public funded cars of each ministry, bureau chiefs and and vice ministers...
Eliminate the privilege of public funded residence.
We'll greatly reduce on late night taxi tickets for government office's staffs.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Administrative Vice-Minister
Ishigaki Yoshinari
We'll carry out some other reformations as well.
Wait a minute, Prime Minister.
Without any prior arrangements...
Please stop forcing only us to be the scapegoats.
"Only us"?
For one Diet member, approximately 100 million yen is spent every year.
Wouldn't it be much more effective if one Diet member voluntarily returned his annual expenditure?
Please excuse me.
We'll shake up that man.
Prime Minister.
What is it?
Finally, it's time for the battle, isn't it?
GuRaMe!
~Prime Minister's Cook~
Ah, it's over here.
Did you get them?
Only this much...
Okay.
You have a face of a poverty-stricken gigolo.
A gigolo?
Cook instant noodles to al dente state.
Finely cut the noddles.
Mix wild grass Katabami with the finely cut noddles.
Furthermore, add in eggs and mix well.
Make a thin layer of the batter and fry until crispy.
And stack them up.
3 pieces...
4 pieces...
She's good at it.
Cook the instant noddle's soup.
Put in green peppers.
Make it thickened with potato starch.
Here you go.
Mille-feuille style Noddle with green pepper thick sauce.
Oh~!
Uh... Since you took the trouble to make it, can we eat?
"Since you took the trouble"... that's my lines to say.
I'm digging in!
Uh! Tasty!
The noodles are crispy and the thickness of the sauce is superb...
Yeah. It has a good mouthfeel!
The slightly bitter taste of Katabami... Yeah, it tastes very good.
Wow, this is amazing. It doesn't cost a lot of money to make.
Yoshida-san. You're a chef, right?
A chef?
Who would do a job like that?!
I'm just scraping along doing my cleaning part-time job at multi-storey buildings.
What?!
You don't have pension?
They said when I was young, I had payment defaults.
Even though I paid them properly.
And yet, they persisted that "there's no records in the ledger".
Geez? All government officials are the same...
Here.
Huh?
2000yen... What is this?
2000yen for one.
Eh?!
You're not gonna eat for free.
Do you take money for this? Besides, this is too expensive!
4000yen for the two of you.
- Thanks for the food. - No, no, no, no...
Eh~?
What is this?
The early print of the weekly magazine that will be released tomorrow.
Toyo TV Broadcast's Reporter
Tachibana Yuko
Suspicion on Prime Minister Ato's misappropriation of public funds.
(Revelation! Prime Minister Ato's petty embezzlement during his Diet member time?!)
(Misused of state affairs expense for his daughter's birthday party at a gorgeous hotel?)
From hotel's name, its location to dinner menu.
They have written pretty well.
But I've never hosted birthday party for my daughter.
Here... They made a mistake on Riko-san's birthday.
Eh? Really?
Yes sir.
It's off by one day.
That is a problem.
Their source was probably the bureaucrats from Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
There's more...
Since yesterday, this has been being spread with tremendous momentum on the internet.
Official Residence Office Staff
Sakurai Asuka
Anyway, you should act with caution for the time being.
Thanks for your hard work.
Ishigaki-kun.
Yes sir.
Looks like you'll be going home late today again?
For tomorrow's committee meeting...
The questions from the opposition party for the minister haven't arrived yet.
It's likely to take considerable time to prepare for answers for the National Diet.
Then I hope that you can at least get on the last train.
The last train...?
In our ministry, there's no laid back personnel who would take the last train home.
Excuse me but Prime Minister, please turn your eyes to the reality.
Reality...?
Prime Minister...
Do you know how much is the JR's starting fare in Tokyo?
Well? How much was it?
Your next appointment... Prime Minister.
Practically, we're the ones who get this country moving.
We don't care about every little thing such as merely 100yen or 200yen.
"Merely"?
Prime Minister...
Try and say that again!
Even as a joke, how could a person who deals with the livelihood of the nation say "merely" 100yen?
- Take back your words! - I won't take back my words.
Vice-Minister, will you continue this talk at the official residence?
At Grande Maison of the official residence.
At Grande Maison?
This time, I'll give you a piece of my mind.
Ichiki-kun?
Yes.
For the next dining together...
Eh?
Head Chef Kiyosawa... Prime Minister's...
Eh?
Head Chef Kiyosawa will be the Prime Minister's chef in charge.
Is that so?
Prime Minister's guest for tomorrow dining is Vice-Minister Ishigaki of Ministry Health, Labour and Welfare.
Head Chef Kiyosawa will be entirely in charge of the cooking.
While the tough negotiation between Prime Minister and the bureaucrats is continuing...
Whatever it takes, we want to push forward with the reform.
- Therefore, you... - Secretary Koga.
We will create the best dishes to satisfy the guest as we've always been doing.
We'll only concentrate our efforts on that.
We absolutely won't do any impertinent thing like putting message into the food.
That's all from me.
I'll announce the menu.
Yes, Chef!
Huh?
Don't look...
Why? Isn't it okay...
Tomokazu's special poulet rôti ramen. (~Garnished with minced olive~)
It's finished!
Poulet rôti is roasted chicken.
- I'm digging in. - Go ahead.
Uh...
It's good.
- Tastes good, right? - Yeah!
Ichiki-kun.
Don't feel down.
Uh... About what?
Such a false rumor without any grounds...
They're suspecting that you're Prime Minister's mistress...
And you're caught up in the fuss.
Well...
It might be unavoidable that you were taken off this time.
Thanks for the food.
"Thanks...", that's fast!
Say, Tamura-san.
Why is Prime Minister having a showdown with this person?
A showdown?
Ah...
Prime Minister's taking drastic measures to reform the bureaucracy.
Most importantly, he's opposed to Ministry Health, Labour and Welfare's Vice-Minister Ishigaki on the pension issue.
- Pension? - Yeah.
You don't have pension?
They said when I was young, I had payment defaults.
Even though I paid them properly.
They persisted that "there's no records in the ledger".
Geez... All government officials are the same...
Ichiki-kun.
Exactly at time like this, I...
Female ninja!
- Hey! - Ah! What?
Did Yoshida Akiko-san sell you any other books?
Yes...
Like these...
And these.
What did you do with the money?
I went to Yoshida-san's place and gave it to her.
Ah, thanks for taking the trouble to do that...
Ah!
What now?
Yoshida-san. You're a chef, right?
A Chef? Who would do a job like that.
I found it.
It was here...
Akiko-san's restaurant.
Yoshida Akiko.
From 1969 to 1978, she trained in France.
For the last 5 years there, she worked as under-chef at Grande Maison in Paris.
After she returned to Japan, in May 1980...
She opened a French home-cooking style restaurant named Cuisine d'Maman in Nagata District.
It tastes good, doesn't it?
Eat it all up.
There's no more trace of the restaurant.
Yeah.
Eh? Why are you here?
Because you wouldn't let go!
Ah! Ah... I've already memorized. You can have it back.
I can have it back?!
- Yes. - Ah!
Ah, sorry. Bye now.
Wait! You, Prime Minister's residence chef!
Eh?
You can't do this.
A lot of customers are from the ministries and government offices around Nagata District and Kasumigaseki District.
Especially, the perfect hearty lunch that is being offered at a reasonable price...
Is extremely popular amongst young bureaucrats and future politicians.
While smacking their lips, they talk about Japan's future.
It supports their vitality.
What they like to eat is the restaurant's signature menu: Fricassée de Ris de Veau.
Ris de Veau is the sweetbreads of veal.
Ris de Veau
(Sweetbreads of veal)
In other words, it's organ meat.
It's indeed inexpensive home cooking.
Please taste it.
Okay.
Yeah.
It's good.
It's good but...
Look here.
Chef Akiko's Fricassee de Ris de Veau has an unexpected ingredient.
Unexpected ingredient...
Right...
Teach you how to cook?
Yes.
I want to know the secret ingredient in Chef Akiko's Fricassee de Ris de Veau no matter what.
What would you do if you knew?
There's someone whom I want him to eat Akiko-san's Ris de Veau.
Ichiki-kun, don't tell me...
No, but this time, you...
Who the heck are you?
I'm a chef.
What restaurant do you work at?
Ah, well... about that...
Prime Minister's residence.
What?
Hey, wait... Ichiki-kun.
I'm working at the official residence's Grande Maison.
No way...
You're the Prime Minister's cook?
Yes.
All the more reason for me to refuse.
Akiko-san.
I had opened a restaurant when I was young and had worked desperately for it.
Even during recession, I survived the hard time by myself.
And yet, at my age I don't get any pension. I'm in this state.
You know, this country has never once helped me.
Then why do I have to let the Prime Minister taste my food?!
At noon tomorrow, there will be a dining together at Prime Minister's residence.
I want to serve Akiko-san's Ris de Veau there by all means.
- That's why...! - I refuse.
It's time for my part-time job.
Please leave.
Ichiki-kun.
It's impossible this time.
You've been taken off from preparing foods for the dining.
If you go into the kitchen and making the foods without permission...
Do you know what's the consequence?
Head Chef Kiyosawa will burn you to death with his eyes.
In the first place, Akiko-san wouldn't tell you the crucial ingredient...
Okay!
What's wrong?
I'll try to persuade her one more time.
Eh?
But how?
I'll settle it with money.
- With money? - Yeah.
No way.
It won't help even if you laugh.
Otou-sama.
Here she comes.
Did she see the weekly magazine?
Riko, I will firmly complain to the publisher.
The matter about your birthday was published wrongly...
Prime Minister's daughter
Ato Riko
It's written here that "His daughter's, Riko's, laughter resounds through the hotel".
I don't laugh in such a loud voice.
You mean that?
(You're Disgusting)
...Yes ma'am.
Today, a direct talk will be opened in Prime Minister's residence between Prime Minister Ato and Vice-Minister Ishigaki.
Will this settle the conflict between Prime Minister Ato and the bureaucrats?
This has gathered public attention.
Vice-Minister Ishigaki, will you resist Prime Minister to the bitter end?
Sir, what are you going to talk about during the dining?
Vice-Minister...
Bring them out.
Yes, Chef.
Ichiki-kun.
As I thought, Akiko-san won't come.
Regarding our reduction plan...
Minister Masumura of Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will cooperate positively.
But when I met him yesterday, he was opposite to it.
We've brought up the food.
To begin, for one bite-sized appetizer...
You'll have onion and bacon royal custard.
Please enjoy the food.
Well, the food at the official residence's Grande Maison is truly amazing.
Prime Minister.
We're working hard every day at our duties to sustain the small power called pride and self-respect.
Without any bite of this high class food...
Occasionally, rather than to sustain that pride and self-respect...
It's possibly for a purpose, right?
Pardon?
The article in the weekly magazine was quite fun to read.
One person didn't touch it at all.
I can guess who that is.
You know, this country has never once helped me.
Then why do I have to let the Prime Minister taste my food?!
There's someone whom I want him to eat Akiko-san's Ris de Veau.
At noon tomorrow, there will be a dining together at Prime Minister's residence.
I want to serve Akiko-san's Ris de Veau there by all means.
I refuse.
For appetizer, you'll have escargot with puff pastry.
She came!
Akiko-san.
Don't you go and ridicule people!
I said 2000yen for one person.
Even so, you gave me 200 thousands yen.
"Mille-feuille style Ramen with green pepper thick sauce"...
You think I'll be delighted being made fun of like this?!
What on earth is your intention?
I'm sorry.
Did you...
Plan this?
Yes.
Where's the kitchen?
Let the cooking start!
Ah...
Who's that?
That Vice-Minister didn't touch the appetizer either.
What does he even think of our feelings?!
Head Chef!
Prime Minister's reduction plan...
What would you do if I refused it?
From now on, you can't review ministries and government offices' personnel affairs.
We will simultaneously protest about it.
Well then, as a first step...
I will dismiss you.
From drawing up a bill to distribution of budget...
Anything and everything is left to bureaucrats.
Because of your own popularity, you fire me...
Even convenience has a limit to it.
Prime Minister.
I have nothing else to talk to you.
I'll take my leave.
Vice-Minister.
They haven't finished serving all the foods.
No, sir. We have no more food to serve.
What do you mean by having no more food to serve?
As chefs, for the guests who taste our foods to have a blissful time...
We hone our tastes and pile up our devotion everyday.
The social status of the guests who eat my foods doesn't matter to me.
However, in this world there are people who don't have heart to simply appreciate foods.
- Kiyosawa-kun! - Today, you have...
Missed a perfect opportunity for a bliss.
That's ridiculous!
Excuse me.
Please wait.
We've brought up the main dish.
Allow me, sir.
Excuse me, sir.
This is Fricassée de Ris de Veau, garnished with mushroom.
Ris de Veau?
Fricassée de Ris de Veau, Garnished with Mushroom
This smell..
Sir, please take your seat.
This smell is...
Please enjoy the food.
This is...
This nice smell...
Ris de Veau... Veal's sweetbreads...
This is...
It's the special dish of Cuisine d'Maman restaurant that was once in Nagata District.
Cuisine d'Maman?
Today, I want you to enjoy this dish no matter what...
I asked Chef Yoshida Akiko to especially tell me the recipe...
I've reproduced it truthfully to the recipe back then.
The secret of this dish is...
The ramen's soup.
Ramen?
Okay.
Do you have chicken and pork bones? I'm going to make the soup.
Eh?
For ramen's soup.
We have it!
Thanks.
This is it. I'll put this in the sauce.
Eh? Ris de Veau's secret ingredient...
It was the ramen's soup?!
Hurry up! Come on, we don't have much time, right?
Chef Akiko didn't just use the normal broth...
She always took the trouble to add in the very nutritious ramen's soup...
That had chicken bones, pork bones, and vegetables.
That is the unexpected ingredient of this dish.
She wants everyone who always works hard...
At their duties in Nagata District without going home for days...
To eat her inexpensive and healthy foods and will work hard again.
This dish was created from such feeling of Chef Akiko.
How is the chef?
Akiko-san had quit being a chef and is living alone now...
She's having a retirement life?
But she can't receive the pension. Every night she's doing cleaning part-time job at multi-storey buildings.
What did you say...?
Seems like she was told that there's no record left that she must have joined for the pension.
What I'm hearing is that...
The thymus, a valuable part, of the calf could disappear when it grows into a cow.
That is to say, before they know, politicians and bureaucrats might lose their will.
However...
If there's conviction, you can revive it as many times as you like.
If that is the right thing...
Ishigaki-kun.
Right now, our benefactor who supported us when we were young are living a difficult life.
Uh... It tastes good, doesn't it?
Eat it all up.
Can you still say that you are the ones who get this country moving?
Prime Minister.
It's us who get this country moving after all.
We can't protect this country without strong conviction.
With that thought...
From now on, I will do my job at the risk of my life.
However...
If you still decide to reform our personnel affairs...
I'll cut my belly by myself.
(Resignation Letter)
Excuse me, sir.
Ishigaki-kun. You're not allow to act as you please.
I'll have you joined Prime Minister's residence as the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary.
What...?
If you're going to get this country moving, you should move it from our side.
With a strong conviction to your heart's content.
Please lend me your strength.
I might sometimes shoot bullets from the back, would you be okay with that, sir?
Please tell Cuisine d'Maman's chef... that the food was delicious.
He's here!
Vice-Minister Ishigaki!
Was there any progress after the dining with Prime Minister?
Prime Minister...?
Eh?!
What is this?
What does this mean?
Reconcile...?
Prime Minister and Vice-Minister have reconciled...?!
Nakata.
Yes.
No matter what kind of authority the guests who we're serving our foods to have...
We, as the chefs, must not flatter them.
Bear that in mind.
Yes, Chef...!
*A region around Osaka, Kyoto, Nara.
Today is Kinki* fish boiled in soy sauce from Tabeno shop.
Here it comes!
It looks yummy!
What is this place?!
It's a mysterious place where you quietly sit down and Tsukiji's gourmet foods will be served to you.
I'm digging in!
You first. You first.
Tabeno boiled soy sauce Kinki fish
I'm digging in.
Ah... Ah... Ah...
Wow~!
This is it!
Right?
Yummy!
It's tasty!
We as the chefs live because we want to see these kind of happy faces, right?
Yes.
By the way, who will pay the bill?
This is extorting...
I don't have that kind of money...
Please.
Leave it to me!
My gosh!
But it's yummy.
After This: King of Japan restaurants and the 30 minutes gourmet showdown
This drama's original work, titled "GuRaMe! The Great Prime Minister's Cook"...
We will give a set of volume 1 - 6 to 20 viewers!
Please check our website.
The Last Chapter
NEXT EPISODE
Terrible thing has fallen upon us.
King of Japan Restaurants
Prime Minister's Cook
He's expressed that he wants Mito Kohei to manage the dining.
I've decided to take you off.
In the end, 1 person will leave the official residence
I was told to not talk about this matter.
Who in the world are you?
The the traitor among these 4 is__
Spy?
As expected, their target is...
Who really is it?