Cooking Master Boy Vol04 Ch27
Translator - xah
Proofreader -
Legend of Notes:
Frames, pages are stated. Frames without text are not stated.
/ separates any connected bubbles.
Sound effects are labelled as sfx.
<> any text outside bubbles.
{} = Translator’s notes
pg01
f01: [The ultimate "super-chef trials"!!]
[The five competitors who passed the preliminary test will now beginning the official battle!!]
f02: [The location is at the legendary "Arena of Flavours",]
f03: [and the new topic is...]
(Chapter 27: A well)
{banners}Noodles - No Flour
["Noodles with no flour"!!]
f04: It's noodles...
but not made of flour!
{Remember pun, characters for "noodles" and "flour" is the same. So it can be interpreted as "noodles that are not noodles"}
pg02
f01: Okay---!!
Must do my my best--!!
f02: Er, catfish...?
f03: Hm?
pg03
f01: Wow...these are marks left by chopping knives...
They're everywhere...!!
f02: Ahh...the stone floor too...
it's dented from people who did hours of work here...!!
f03: Don't...they just use this place once every four years...
so why is this...!!
f04: I knew that a brat like you shouldn't be coming here...
pg04
f01: Um...
f02: These cuts are all from the previous competitors of the super chef trials,
and you could say they are "cuts of their dreams"...
f03: You have no idea how many people, considered to be "geniuses", once came here and fought...
but those who passed, were really just a tiny minority...
while ten times that minority, no, a hundred more times, could only just cry in shame or envy in a dark corner...
f04: Those once-entranced chefs,
left their own cuts of their dreams here,
and those dreams have all been deeply engraved into the "Arena of Flavours"...
pg05
f01: <The four-thousand year history of Chinese cuisine--->
<even today, every scene, every act...still lives in this arena...>
f02: You being in here,
means that you were pretty lucky...
f03: But unfortunately, today's victory
will be me, Dan...!!
f04: Leave marks of your own dreams here and then go home and sleep, brat!
f05: Yeah right!
pg06
f01: I WILL
BE THE WINNER!!
f02: Why use catfish,
to make "noodles with no flour", Mao...?
f03: That's because
catfish is a type of fish that can become anything you want it to be.
f04: Anything you want it to be...?
f05: Its meat has a good supply of fat,
and it tastes refreshing and natural.
pg07
f01: It doesn't stink like normal fish either,
that's why it can be made into anything you want.
f02: First, pull off the skin to get the crystal-white meat,
then grind it--
f03: Completely grind it!?
That's right, Mei Li, please lend me a hand too.
Okay!!
f04: But, there are lots of white fish species, for example flounder. / So why specifically use catfish?
That's because I was born in the mountains and I use freshwater fishes better.
f05: Done!!
It's elastic enough for now.
f06: Mei Li, could you get me ten chicken eggs please?
Chicken eggs?
pg08
f01: Ah, I can do this too!!
this way you can get rid of the egg white, leaving just the yolk.
f02: I'll help you!!
f03: ...I get it!!
You plan to use egg yolk to increase elasticity of the catfish and to increase the flavour!!
f03: Haha~~wrong~~!!
Eh!?
f04: I'm planning to use--
the egg white!
f05: Eh---why?
pg09
f01: To preserve the refreshing taste of catfish,
the light taste of egg white is needed.
f02: Okay,
the elasticity is prefect now.
f03: I still don't get what you're trying to do!
Oh really...
f04: Just think of it as something like a kamaboko...
Kamaboko...?
f05: Come to think of it---
What's that pot of wine alcohol, Mao?
f06: First put the alcohol--
f07: into the steaming hot wok
f08: and burn out the excess water.
pg10
f01: Then pour the burning alcohol
f02: into the ground fish,
making the last adjustments to flavour.
f03: The flavour of the noodles---
comes from maize, eh?
f04: And alcohol comes from maize as well,
that's why I decided to use burning alcohol to adjust the flavour.
f05: The fun's about to start now!
f06: You're wrapping it up...
in a cloth with lots of holes...?
pg11
f01: "Raw Noodles", complete!
Awesome--!!
f02: Although it's still raw, you ought to try it first, Mei Li.
f03: It looks really white, kinda pretty actually...
but when I think that it's made from strange-looking catfish, I...
Don't worry!! I'm sure it'll taste good!!
pg12
f01: This has...such as strange new flavour...!!
f02: There's no "fishy" flavour and no "mud" flavour of normal freshwater fish,
instead, there's a sweet scent of fish fat!!
f03: There's also another enticing flavour, which is created by the alcohol used!!
f04: The best thing about it, however, is that it doesn't have the floury taste of normal noodles, / it's texture is better than most noodles!
It's awesome, Mao!!
pg12
f01: Are...are you okay? Mao...you look unwell...
did I say something wrong?
f02: UWAHH!!
f03: Wha...what's wrong!? What's wrong what's wrong!?
Ah, flavour!! No flavour---!!
f05: What do you mean,
it tastes wonderful!
f06: No, I meant, my tongue isn't working,
I can't taste a thing---!!
f07: Eh!?
pg13
f01: Everyone else...
is doing pretty well...
f02: What are you doing, Mao!?
f03: It's not working!! No matter what I eat, I can't taste it!!
My sense of taste is completely gone!!
f04: Then...what should we do...
f05: At such an important time, why---!?
Mao's best ability is his sense of taste, if he loses that, everything will be over---!!
f06: <Noooooo>
<Uwaaaah>
f07: Open your mouth!
Why?
pg14
f01: Ahhhh...!
f02: What...what are you doing...!?
Just what did you put in Mao's mouth!?
f03: So, tasting anything now?
pg15
f01: Huh?
f02: HEEEEEEEEH!!
f03: Mao...!!
f04: Uwah~~~~
so salty~~~!!
pg16
f01: This...this is...!!
the halite my sister brought back from Szechuan!!
f02: What, what the hell were you doing...
Didn't you just say, "so salty", a moment ago?
f03: Ah...it's back...
Mao...!!
f04: It's back!!
My tastebuds are back--!!
f05: So...just then...
what did you do?
f06: This...
I found this hidden under your hair, on your neck.
What...!? A needle...!?
f07: The place that controls your taste is close to your ear,
and this needle numbed that section, making your tastebuds temporarily disable.
pg17
f01: I don't think it's a coincidence.
It's likely that someone intentionally
put it on there, while you weren't noticing...
f02: Wh...why would they do that...!! Who was it...!!
f03: I don't know...all I can say is...
f04: Everyone wants to win in this competition and some will do anything to win...!!
f05: Be careful,
you're such an easy target...
pg18
f01: Hold...hold on a sec!!
Fei(-san)!!
f02: You...
Why are you so nice to me!?
f03: ...That's...because...
I owe something to your mom, Pai the fairy of cuisine...
f04: And,
it's also to see which is the better one of us...!!
f05: Eh...?
pg19 {An extra 4-koma}
LONG LIVE CHINESE COLD NOODLES! {~Act Five~}
f01: <When working, eating time means one person and buying four different bentos, and then playing a game to see who gets each bento!>
<You could say it's just a short entertaining part of everyday life.>
f02: I've got 'em.
<hehe>
sfx: *waves*
Good! Let's play now!
f03: <SCISSORS-->
sfx: badump, badump
<hehe...>
sfx: rustle, rustle
<ROCK--->
My go...
sfx: badump, badump
f04: <ALL OF THEM>
<Loves eating Chinese cold noodles>
<Awesome--let's eat everybody!>
<Eh>
Hehh!
<ARE CHINESE COLD NOODLES!>
<ta-da!>
<What was the point in the game then!?>
<End>
Translation Notes:
Seems like there'll be a lot today, so I'll put all of them at the end. ^_^
White fish, it's actually like a fishing term and sometimes it's called "whitefish", however, I separated the word to avoid confusion because the term "whitefish" is also given to many other types of fishes that are unrelated...
It's claimed that there's a lot of fat (by the manga not me), which I don't know about, but I'll post nutritional information - found of wikipedia.
Calories :265
Fat(g): 11.60
Carbohydrates(g): 0
Fibers(g): 0
Protein(g): 37.80
Cholesterol(mg): 119
Kamaboko, as its name suggests, originates from Japan (it's a little unusual in China...). It's like a loaf of ground fish meat (known as surimi) and you can chop it up and dip it in sauce and whatever you want to eat it.
That's basically what Mao made before making his catfish-noodles.
Halite, the cube-like thing that Fei put in Mao's mouth, is the crystalised form of sodium chloride (table salt). It's more commonly known as rock salt, I reckon, but I think Mao should use more professional terms when he can. To use in cooking, you grind it first (or dissolve it in water?)
Chinese cold noodles (from the 4-koma), Japanese = "soumen", Korean = "Naengmyeon". Chinese people call it "Liang Mian", but...not many people on the internet know that. And yeah, most importantly, "cold noodles" are really "noodles that are served cold".
Subject: Cooking Master Boy Vol04 Ch27 - another translation 
