Today’s Menu for Emiya Family 01
Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan 01
衛宮さんちの今日のごはん 01

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis

Shirou and his Servant Saber Altria head to the shopping district to buy ingredients for New Years. They see a shop making snack cakes, so they both get one. Saber asks about New Year celebrations, so Shirou explains. They discuss having osechi, served in the special wooden, tiered boxes with square compartments for the different foods. But for tonight, they are having (shinshu) soba.

Taiga and Illya are waiting at the kotatsu when Shirou and Saber come home. Shirou wants Taiga’s help, but the lure of the kotatsu is too strong. As such, Saber gets caught up in it as well. Shirou makes the toshikoshi soba — a soup made from soba, shrimp tempura, aka kamaboko (red fish cake), negi, and mustard greens. He explains to Illya and Saber the symbolism in this New Year’s meal.

Afterward, Shirou heads to the Ryudouji (temple) and Saber joins him. As they walk and talk, Shirou explains another symbolic meaning for toshikoshi soba — staying together forever. He wishes her well for the coming year, pleasing Saber.

Thoughts/Review

Since I had finished with the Fate/EXTRA anime series, I thought I’d pick up on another Fate title. Today’s Menu for Emiya Family 01 starts me on a TYPE-MOON Fate series that doesn’t look to be dark at all, but promises to make me hungry as all get out. But not for Poodle Tonkatsu Sauce. 😂

Masters and Servants but No War!

Although Shirou and Saber Altria were the central focus of Today’s Menu for Emiya Family 01, we did have a cameo by Sakura and Rider (Medusa, without her eyes being covered). And the OP/ED show Lancer (Cu Chulainn), Caster (Medea) and Assassin (Sasaki Kojirou). These were all Servants from the Fate/stay night series. I have to say, it is nice seeing these Servants again, only in a non-war way.

I wonder if there are other Servants who show up or not. Illya was alone, suggesting Berserker (Heracles) isn’t around. I can’t see Gilgamesh showing his mug either. And then there’s Archer…

Two Shrimp!

One thing I had to laugh at was the excitement Taiga had over getting two pieces of tempura shrimp. If I order a shrimp tempura meal from my local Japanese restaurant, it comes with five, large pieces of shrimp. 😅

Still, Today’s Menu for Emiya Family 01 made me hungry as all get out. And I suspect this is how the rest of the series will be.

Crunchyroll

The subtitles from Crunchyroll are a mixed lot for me. On one hand, most of the Japanese food names are used, which I approve of. Ingredients got translated, but at least the major meals were not. That way when I go into a proper Japanese restaurant, I know what to order, not some dopey, translated food name ’cause “muh English!”

The Japanese honorifics were mostly cut, and you long time readers know how I feel about that. Oddly enough, while “Oneechan” was on the cutting block, “Taiga-nee” was not. Go figure.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

In the end, Today’s Menu for Emiya Family 01 is a fun cooking anime episode taking place in the world of Fate/stay night. And frankly, I’m looking forward to more of it.