Comic Artists Bring Some Action To The Kitchen
Whether you’re a student of an online culinary arts program or an avid comic book fan, you know about crime-fighting superheroes such as Batman, Captain America and Superman. However, comic book heroes no are longer expected to be mega-strong, ultra-manly or undefeatable. Artists have used the comic book medium to tell stories in every genre, including the culinary arts. One author has married common tropes found in role playing games and comics with cooking.
Cooking is an adventure
Have you ever sought long and hard for that perfect ingredient? If so, you might have a lot in common with the hero of “Rutabaga, Adventure Chef.” The comic follows a man by the name of Rutabaga as he seeks new ingredients (the story opens with him picking a mushroom that only grows near legendary artifacts) and fabled recipes to add to his masterpiece, a cookbook. The tone of the story is lighthearted as it often pokes fun at common themes found in fantasy, adventure and hero genres. “Rutabaga, Adventure Chef” is available for free online and is posted by chapter.
Relating to Rutabaga
The hero of this legendary tale may look familiar to chefs and home cooks. His goals include creating a unique cookbook and serving people at his very own restaurant. For most students of an online cooking school, making dishes and running a restaurant would be a dream come true, and you don’t have to travel the world to do it! Rutabaga encounters other travelers with lofty goals of slaying dragons as he makes his way through his journey. He often cooks up dishes for them and follows them to eerie dungeons. At this point in the comic, you’ll run into some real-world cooking tips such as how to cut a vegetable. The writer Eric Feurstein often includes real recipes alongside some fantasy ones that use ingredients from various monsters.
Lessons learned
Comics like “Rutabaga, Adventure Chef” come with a few encouraging messages for young chefs (or artists of any type, really).
Be creative: Making your way as a culinary artist is a hard path. You’ll have techniques to learn and tests to pass, but your true skills come from your creativity. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas. It’s OK to mess up, but you’ll never know if you can make it until you try.
Persevere: There are days when cooking might seem like a challenge, but you can get through it to achieve your goals! Rutabaga faces monsters, deep caves and scary forests in the pursuit of his dream. If he can make it through mortal danger, you can cook that dish!
