Delicious in Dungeon was born from the author’s lifetime “guilt” and struggle with food
Ryoko Kui’s hit manga series Delicious in Dungeon follows a memorable cast of characters as they learn about food and cooking in a fantasy RPG-inspired world. Although appetizing (and often freaky) gourmet dishes are at the forefront of the beloved manga series and its wildly successful anime adaptation, its author is not a foodie – in fact, quite the opposite.
While Delicious in Dungeon is, of course, inspired by various things Ryoko Kui loves, such as video games and Western fantasy fiction, the series’ main topic centers around the author’s personal struggles with things like interpersonal relationships and food. The mangaka revealed this in a rather personal interview with Denfaminicogamer.
Although Ryoko Kui has previously mentioned to Western media that she is, in fact, a picky eater rather than a gourmand, the story runs a lot deeper than that.
Speaking to Denfaminicogamer, Kui says that she had decided from the very beginning to make Delicious in Dungeon revolve around “shokuiku,” which translates to “food education.” At the time, gourmet manga were common, but seldom leaned into education – which Kui has a special relationship with.
“I bear a strong grudge against food,” the author reveals. “Since I was a child, I’ve been an extremely picky eater, and mealtimes were a struggle for me. I hated eating in front of others, and for a time, I even had a problem with seeing other people eat. I would look for toilets people rarely frequented and have my meals there.”
The last statement likely refers to eating in school toilets, as Kui goes on to say that at the time, the phrase “benjo meshi” or “toilet meal” didn’t exist, and that she was later relieved to realize that there were others doing the same thing, as she had always felt bad about it. To clarify, “toilet meal” refers to the phenomenon of people eating in the toilet of their school or workplace due to various social or psychological circumstances.
But going back to food education, with Delicious in Dungeon’s author being a picky eater as a child, her parents did their best to instill in her all kinds of knowledge about nutrition. They also taught her techniques to get her to eat, such as “triangular eating.” But despite absorbing this knowledge, Kui was unable to ever put it into practice, which ultimately gave birth to feelings of guilt about food and eating.
“If you think about it that way, Delicious in Dungeon started from a very negative place,” Kui’s editor-in-charge comments.
Thankfully, the mangaka seems to be learning how to enjoy eating, but things become interesting when she’s asked about why she was able to draw and write about something she dislikes so much. Kui says that just like the things she loves, she spends a lot of time thinking about the things she dislikes. “There are many things I draw precisely because I don’t like them,” adding interpersonal relationships, clothing, and “the modern times” to the list.
In addition, pursuing the things she dislikes in her manga allows the author to “look for the good in them” and sometimes make new discoveries. In this sense, Delicious in Dungeon’s author even says she “feels afraid” to only draw the things she likes. She sums up these feelings in a powerful message about creative work:
“What you decide to capture with your camera is important, and, of course, there’s no need to go out of your way to capture something unsightly. But if you want to make your world wider, I think it’s important to remain aware of all the inconvenient, unclean and unpleasant things that lie outside of your viewfinder.”
