Gin no Saji – Food Tastes Better When You Work Hard!

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When a person works hard, a reward works wonder. For example, if his concentration starts to drain, or if loses his motivation, having a reward would help one re-motivate himself to work harder. When you were a child, taking your examinations, I am sure your parents must had “bribe” you in some way or the other, right? Indeed, some may say such thinking is too simplistic, while some might say it’s childish, especially those of older ages. However, I noticed this mentality had been floating around to the minds of college students and even working adults.

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In Gin no Saji, the characters’ source for motivation is unsurprisingly… food. This meager theme here might seem like a small aspect to the show overall, but it provides a little entertaining basis of characterizations for most of the characters and as a result, provides a more fun environment for Gin no Saji as we look at the whole package. As we know, a good show doesn’t just progress headstrong-esque in one single direction, but a single over-arching route that encompasses multiple subtle aspects and this particular theme is one of those very aspect in Gin no Saji.

It is pretty fun to see high school students like them, still retaining their youth and innocence, firing up over a simple reward like food. Indeed, it is childish, almost foolish for high school students – a period of time when student are closest to being adult, to work themselves that hard, to the point of being covered in dirt and sweat, just to have some scrumptious food. But indeed, that very childish innocence of high school students, are one of the many pleasurable excitements that Gin no Saji had given us.

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This also plays with another meager theme back in season one. In almost every episodes, we had seen Hachiken and the other students worked so hard they barely had time to spare for anything else. Waking up before dawn, attending lectures and predominantly, physical labor, physical labor and physical labor one after another. Incidentally, part of their physical labor also involves procuring and producing these very food – eggs, vegetables and meat. Yes, meat. While the other students with farming backgrounds were used to it, Hachiken himself was struggling to come into terms of “murdering” livestocks just to eat them. Even so, it is exactly why all these worries, troubles, weariness – all those physical and mental exhaustion that he had experienced in procuring these food, made it more delicious once he had taken a bite. Furthermore, being a conscious consumer, it allow Hachiken appreciate the food he ate that much more.

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One thing that tied both together, is the sense of accomplishment – the accomplishment that one had gain through blood, sweat and tears, make the food that much more delicious. After all, as they say, food tastes better when you work hard!

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