Reaction Shot: Today's Menu for the Emiya Family Episode 5 (or: OH, it's THIS episode)

[spindizzy]

I'm going to be honest with you all: I don't actually know what a gratin is. ("A gratin is an ingredient made of animal fat and used as a gelling agent." "No, you're thinking of gelatine, a gratin is...")

• I knew that was Taiga being so happy about food, I knew before she even got here. Also WOW she's on a mission today.


• ... Wait, Taiga actually prepares for her classes?


• Aw, bless Rider and Saber sitting happily with their tea, that's adorable.


• OH WAIT, I REMEMBER THIS EPISODE NOW. MOTHERFUCKER.


• I like that when Shirou asks if there's something up with Sakura, Rider's just there like of course there is.


• Rider, I know your mythology, I don't know if you're the person I'd trust to judge whether people were fine or not. I'M JUST SAYING.


• People just give Shirou ingredients now, that's kinda cool!


• "They look like bamboo shoots." "Because they are."


• Yes, Shirou! Bring him a box lunch! Fluster him completely! (I'm pretty sure that's canon and I didn't make it up.)


• Everyone is SO NON-PLUSSED by the bamboo shoots.


• Oh god, this is me when I'm trying to make decisions in a shop. Stare blankly at everything, pick something up, put something back, get interrupted, never buy a goddamn thing.


• I don't know if she's doing batch cooking or just HUGE MEALS but whichever it is, I respect her for it.


• I thought her brother was way younger than her! He is too old to be a brat about stuff!


• The apron montage is Sakura this month! Whaaaaaat. (She is super precious, fight me.)


• Okay, so bamboo shoots need cutting and soaking in water before you can do anything with them.


• I like how they're both just like "I have no idea how this'll work, but hopefully it will!"


• Sakura is so intent bless her, and also I could NOT do what she's doing – I've figured out that I'm only okay with people watching me do things that they don't know how to, up to and including chopping garlic, making a sandwich, and peeling vegetables.


• It's so cute the way that they help each other, and they're so used to working with and around each other because they've cooked liked this so many times!


• I'm gonna be honest, I still have no idea what a gratin is, but it looks like a carbonara that is acceptable to serve with salad and soup somehow.


• ... Their oven makes the same noise that our microwave/oven thing does, to the point where when it went off in the show, I looked into the kitchen DESPITE KNOWING THAT NO ONE WAS COOKING IN THERE.


• SHE'S SO PROUD!


• Awww, apparently it's Sakura's speciality! That's sweet.


• FLOWERS UNLOCKED, MISSION COMPLETE!


• Saber can recognise the taste of bamboo shoot, but doesn't know what it's called, bless her.


• NO ONE CARES IF YOU LIKE IT YOU FUCKTRUMPET, YOU DON'T GET TO BE PICKY ABOUT FOOD THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS COOKED FOR YOU AND SERVED UP NICELY.


• ... Okay, literally every other person in the world gets to be picky, but NOT THIS GUY.


• Seriously Sakura is peeping through a door to see if he likes it, and only goes in to clear his plate when he's long gone. YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS AND I'M JUDGING BOTH SHINJI AND THE SHOW FOR PUTTING ALL OF THE WORK OF MANAGING HIM ONTO YOUR SHOULDERS.


• She is so happy and I'm so angry for her. She shouldn't have to worry about her brother being a douche in her own home, and she shouldn't have to appease him!


• JUSTICE FOR SAKURA.


• RIDER STOP ENCOURAGING HER, YOU COULD BE HELPING HER ESCAPING THIS LIFE OF CRIME.


• BASICALLY I am annoyed by this episode because Shinji is canonically an abusive rapist, and the fact that Sakura is never actually in the same room as him suggests that he's at the very least unpleasant in this altverse where no one wants to kill anyone. So having Sakura put so much effort into pleasing him and having it treated as anything other than appeasing someone who's violent towards her feels bad. I like Anime Feminist's take on this and would honestly have preferred the suggestion they make here of Sakura cooking for Rin.


• Recipe!
  
  1. Slice the bamboo shoots thinly, about the size of macaroni. Slice the onions thinly as well. The chicken should be bite-sized.
  
  
  2. Use a peeler to peel away the hard root of the asparagus,
  
  
  3. Boil in salted hot water al dente, then put them in ice water and chop into manageable slices.
  
  
  4. Boil the macaroni in plenty of hot water.
  
  
  5. Pour oil into the frying pan, fry the chicken breast, onions, and bamboo shoots in that order.
  
  
  6. Add the macaroni, water, and milk. Add stew mix when it comes to a boil and adjust the flavour and viscosity.
  
  
  7. After placing in a heat-resistant plate, top it off with the asparagus and cheese. Sprinkle some bread crumbs over to finish it off.
  8. And into the oven it goes! (The oven appears to say "240 degrees" and 12 minutes, but if someone wants to fact check me on that I'd be grateful!)