Original subtitles

Manpei-san came up with the idea of deep frying the noodles.

The noodles have gone through porosification.

The heat from the oil evaporated the moisture in the noodle and created pores in it.

In other words, when hot water is poured over it, the moisture penetrates into those pores?

Yes. That's why the noodles reverted back to their original state.

This was an epoch-making invention.

This means it's finally complete, right?

- Complete? - Yes.

Don't be silly, Fukuko. We're just getting started.

- Right? - Yes.

Here, try this.

Just getting started?

Manpuku

♫Marumatteru senakani ni morai naki ♫I get infectious weeping looking at your stooped shoulders

♫Haji datte issho ni ♫We'll share the humiliation too

Week 20

It's Done! Fukuko!

♫Hikoukigumo bonyari nagamu ♫Gazing absentmindedly at contrails

♫Kokoro kokoni arazu ♫Here in body, but not in spirit

♫Nenkan totaru moshi shitara ♫If I was to calculate an annual total

♫Tsukiau watashi sugoi? ♫Aren't I amazing for keeping you company?

♫Toboketeru mayuge ni morai warai ♫ I get infectious laughter looking at your comical eyebrows

♫Tere datta nandatte ♫Be it embarrassment or whatever

♫Ganko de mendou de hara mo tatsu kedo ♫Although you're obstinate and troublesome and you make me mad

♫Anata no jounetsu wa ♫Your passion is

♫Atashi no hokori de jiman de kakugo nano ♫My honor, my pride, and my resolve

♫Morai naki morai warai morai ikari ♫Infectious weeping, infectious laughter, infectious anger

♫Moraippaji don to koi! ♫Infectious embarrassment. Bring them on!

♫Seiten mo donten mo hekireki mo ♫Sunny days, cloudy days, thunderous days too

Hello.

- Hello. - Yes. Wah~! Kanbe-san.

I heard from Ohmiya Sensei that the ramen is done.

- That it's an epoch-making invention! - It's not done yet.

What?

Okay. This should do it.

- What is this? - It's a wire frame.

Wire frame?

It's to keep the noodles from spreading out.

- I'm not quite sure what that means... - I think you'll understand if you watch.

If you put the noodles in like this, they'll end up spreading out in the oil.

That's why I'm putting them in this wire frame

and closing the lid to prevent them from spilling out.

He's going to put this in oil and try frying it.

What? Try? Is this the first time?

- Let's go. - Okay.

Fukuko, get me something... Hot, hot, hot... hot!

These bubbles are the moisture?

Yes. The noodles are going through po...poro...

Porosification.

Pores are created in the noodles.

Moisture penetrates in there and the noodles revert back to their original state.

Okay, that should be good.

It cooked too long.

It's not burned inside.

180 degrees. Does that mean

the temperature was too high?

This is the kind of thing that can happen, huh?

It's a failure.

I don't care if it's a failure. Please let me have a taste.

Tanaka Ichiro-san. He works for Kakubeni Bussan.

He's a perfect match for you, Yoshino.

Didn't I tell you I'm not interested in a marriage meeting?

- Why did you pursue the matter on your own, Mom? - That's right.

He works for Kakubeni Bussan. It's not easy too find a good partner like him.

I'm going to find my own...

Are you going to choose one of those two? Those colleagues of Shigeru-san.

Morimoto-san and Oka-san are both nice guys.

Do you disapprove of people from Shigeru-san's workplace, Grandma?

Compared to Kakubeni Bussan, the difference is like night and day.

That's so mean. Oh, the baby kicked.

- Huh? - The baby just kicked my stomach.

The baby's saying that's mean too.

Aren't you so perceptive.

What a smart baby.

Look at this. Yoshino. Yoshino.

- 130 degrees. - Here you go.

- Kanbe-kun, keep time for me. - Got it.

Okay, here it goes.

- 3 minutes have passed. - Okay.

The color is...

- The heat's gone through at least. - Let's try eating it.

Something's different...

- Me too. - I'm first~.

It's not good, is it?

The moisture hasn't been completely drawn out.

130 degrees is too low for the noodles to go through porosification.

This won't do at all.

Oh, don't look so sad, Kanbe-san.

Things like this happened all the time before too.

But that's not it. I want to eat this one. This 180 degree one.

Just the outside ...

Man, that was good.

It was aromatic and firm, and the chicken soup was exquisite too.

- You're so lucky, Kanbe-san. - I can't wait to eat it too.

- I wonder if we can partake in eating it too. - That would be impossible.

- Why is it impossible? - He let me eat it because it was me.

- How come? - Manpei-san is a perfectionist,

so he won't let anyone eat it until it's completely ready.

But Kanbe-kun's sense of taste isn't very reliable.

In the first place, who wants to eat a disgusting thing like ramen that's been deep fried.

Who's gonna eat it? I'm not eating it.

Man~, that was good.

It was aromatic and firm, and the chicken soup was exquisite too.

- You're so lucky, Shigeru-san. - I can't wait to eat it too.

- I wonder if we can partake in eating it too. - That would be impossible.

- Sounds like the same conversation I had earlier. - Why is it impossible?

He let me eat it because it was me.

- How come? - Manpei-san is a perfectionist,

so he won't let anyone eat it until it's completely ready.

But Shigeru-san's sense of taste isn't very reliable.

In the first place, who wants to eat a disgusting thing like ramen that's been deep fried.

Everything's exactly the same! It's a supernatural phenomenon!

- What was that? - I'm not sure.

Manpei-san's trial and error continued.

He tried flattening the wire frame so that heat from the oil would be distributed evenly, but

as expected, the amount of noodles that could be fried at one time was too little.

He tried making a flat, long wire frame to fry the noodle and put it in a bowl and ate it, but...

the noodles got too short from being broken...

Yet, when he made long noodles to begin with...

the noodles ended up sticking together.

There's got to be an answer.

Is that so. He's still struggling, huh?

But the method of deep frying noodles is a great invention.

Now if he can only figure out how to, how shall I say...

Uh... distribute the heat evenly.

Then it's going to be completed eventually, right?

Of course.

Are you doing okay with your living expense?

Huh?

What's wrong?

Just between you and me, truthfully, it's tough.

It's hard to make ends meet with just my earnings from the parlour...

Why didn't you tell me sooner, Fuku-chan?

If it's an amount I can afford, I can lend you anytime.

No, but that would be...

It's not that. I want to do my little bit to support Manpei-kun's ramen making.

- But... - Let me, Fuku-chan.

However... I have a condition.

Condition?

Let me taste it. I don't care if it isn't finished yet.

- Yeah, but... - Manpei-san.

To tell you the truth, Shinichi-san is going to be lending us some money.

Please, Manpei-kun.

Oh... is that right. All right.

Then I'll make it now, so if you can just wait a while.

Sorry to bother you. Thanks.

I'm glad you'll get to try it, Shinichi-san.

Manpei-san, what are you...

- I'm making them into curly noodles. - Curly noodles?

That way, gaps will be created between noodles when it goes in the wire frame

and should make it easier for the heat to go through.

All right.

The optimal oil temperature is 160 degrees.

Time in oil is 2 minutes.

Ladle.

2 minutes.

Yeah, it turned out well.

Let's hurry up and eat it.

- How many minutes do we wait now? - 3 minutes.

- 3 minutes now, huh? - It's only 3 minutes.

I can't wait.

Okay, it's been 3 minutes.

- Here you go, Shinichi-san. - Thanks.

Then...

This is delicious!

This is the best one so far.

You're right.

This is amazing!

This time it's really, truly done, isn't it!

No...

I'm going to make it all over again from the dough.

From the dough?!

I'm going to calculate backwards and contemplate how to make the best tasting noodles

when it reconstitutes after being fried.

Got it.