Today, I present another ICC Exclusive Japanese language episode: the Mantis Shrimp battle between Chen Kenichi and sushi artisan Yoshikazu Matsuno. (Click on his name to go to the home page of his restaurant.) The challenger is a sushi chef from Yokohama who is a favorite of famous athletes and entertainers. He began his training at the age of 16. Chairman Kaga calls him a “sushi craftsman.”
Here are some things for which to look when watching this episode. (If I am way off on anything I think is happening, please let me know so I can correct it.)
- I don’t think Chen looked too excited about the theme when it was announced. He even told Ohta that it was “difficult,” and wondered what he was going to do with live shako.)
- I think the challenger said it was his first time using it.
- This is a live ingredient. Check out the looks on the guests faces when Chen drops a batch of live mantis shrimp into the oil.
- The challenger seems to handle the wok pretty well when making his squid-ink fried rice (Ikasumi Chahan).
- The Iron Chef sent one of his assistants over to the challenger’s side to steal some sushi rice. 😀
- Everybody laughs at Chen’s attempt at sushi.
- The female guest isn’t too sure about the Shako dessert the challenger is preparing.
- The challenger couldn’t get his caviar open with only 10 seconds remaining, so they had to cut into the lid to get to it.
- Chen said his first time making sushi was fun.
- Chen seemed surprised at the verdict. (Good surprise or bad surprise? You’ll have to watch it.)
Of course, this episode is presented as it aired on Fuji TV 12 years ago. All breaks and commercials are intact. Remember that Nissan was the sole sponsor when this episode aired, so all of the commercials are for Nissan. (Keep an eye out for a young Ichiro Suzuki in one of the commercials.) The episode is in Japanese with no subtitles. Enjoy.
New in the Database this week: Mantis Shrimp (Shako) – 527OA – Chen vs. Matsuno