You might not have heard of it, but 10 years ago, there was a show called Cooking Master Boy. The show took place in a fictional version of China, during an also fictional Era of the Cooking Wars, which is placed during the Quing dynasty. In this China, chefs, not warriors or priests, are the epitome of bravery, wisdom and skill, and they compete between each other to see who the best chef in China is. The show revolves about Mao, a 13 year old boy that has a gift for cooking and travels around China after his mothers death in order to learn more cooking techniques and prove to everyone that he is indeed Chinas greatest cooking master.

The style reminds me of programs and events, such as Dragon Balls martial arts tournament. Cooking Master Boy also features cooking tournaments, where they use techniques and cooking utensils that have names that sound like anime magical moves. For example, the Devil Cow Knife, or the Coiled Dragon Pot. Another funny thing about the show is that the main characters enemy is a secretive mafia organization of chefs called the Underground Cooking Society.

One interesting thing about the show, is that all recipes and dishes are pretty normal and can be prepared in real life by a real chef. Its the processes and reactions of the people who eat the dishes that are exaggerated to give the sense of super ability to the chefs. For example, a character may throw a potato up, use his or her super speed to slice the potato in mid-air, and then catch the sliced potato with a plate, using his or her other hand.

The person eating the prepared potato might like it so much that he or she will feel as if he or she were transported to a paradise, complete with musicians and fairies surrounding him or her. Yet, all he or she ate was a potato prepared in some way.

Of course, not all of us have the skill it takes to be a master chef, like Mao. In fact I can barely do anything useful in the kitchen. My friends and family have a joke about this. They say Im so bad at cooking that Im capable of burning water when I try to warm it up. Its a bit of a shame, because I really like watching cooking and I would like to be better at it. I tell myself its a matter of practice, and that someday Ill be able to prepare dinner for everyone.

So, what do I do instead? I play cooking games online. Yes, cooking games that I find on several sites. Theyre designed for children, but I can spend hours playing them. In fact, playing some of them that have anime type characters was what got me thinking about Chinas Cooking Master Boy. I may be a total dork in the kitchen, but with my computer, I can be a great cooking chef, just like the great Mao from China.

You might not have heard of it, but 10 years ago, there was a show called Cooking Master Boy. The show took place in a fictional version of China, during an also fictional Era of the Cooking Wars, which is placed during the Quing dynasty. In this China, chefs, not warriors or priests, are the epitome of bravery, wisdom and skill, and they compete between each other to see who the best chef in China is. The show revolves about Mao, a 13 year old boy that has a gift for cooking and travels around China after his mothers death in order to learn more cooking techniques and prove to everyone that he is indeed Chinas greatest cooking master.

The style reminds me of programs and events, such as Dragon Balls martial arts tournament. Cooking Master Boy also features cooking tournaments, where they use techniques and cooking utensils that have names that sound like anime magical moves. For example, the Devil Cow Knife, or the Coiled Dragon Pot. Another funny thing about the show is that the main characters enemy is a secretive mafia organization of chefs called the Underground Cooking Society.

One interesting thing about the show, is that all recipes and dishes are pretty normal and can be prepared in real life by a real chef. Its the processes and reactions of the people who eat the dishes that are exaggerated to give the sense of super ability to the chefs. For example, a character may throw a potato up, use his or her super speed to slice the potato in mid-air, and then catch the sliced potato with a plate, using his or her other hand.

The person eating the prepared potato might like it so much that he or she will feel as if he or she were transported to a paradise, complete with musicians and fairies surrounding him or her. Yet, all he or she ate was a potato prepared in some way.

Of course, not all of us have the skill it takes to be a master chef, like Mao. In fact I can barely do anything useful in the kitchen. My friends and family have a joke about this. They say Im so bad at cooking that Im capable of burning water when I try to warm it up. Its a bit of a shame, because I really like watching cooking and I would like to be better at it. I tell myself its a matter of practice, and that someday Ill be able to prepare dinner for everyone.

So, what do I do instead? I play cooking games online. Yes, cooking games that I find on several sites. Theyre designed for children, but I can spend hours playing them. In fact, playing some of them that have anime type characters was what got me thinking about Chinas Cooking Master Boy. I may be a total dork in the kitchen, but with my computer, I can be a great cooking chef, just like the great Mao from China.

Have you ever entered an argument that seems to have no end? This seems to be part of nature, as there have been questions that look like they can never be answered satisfactorily to two or more parties. In the famous musical Fiddler on the Roof, the village Anatefka is pictured as a place where everyone lives in peace and harmony, except for an ongoing conflict that will never finish. One of the villagers claims that he bought a horse from another one but was given a mule. The seller of course claims that he indeed delivered a horse. Similarly, in The Lord of the Rings books, by Tolkien, elves and dwarves both claim to be the best of races. This conflict seems even more eternal due to the extremely long lifespan of those races.

Well, I had such a question that repeated itself in my head endless times. Looking back at those times, I realize it was a futile and unimportant question. But I was young and inexperienced and I used to make a big deal of things that werent worth it. That particular issue was my belief that men were better chefs than women. Im not sure how I got that idea, I guess its just the natural rivalry that arises between teens of opposite genders. Maybe it was my male pride I guess if that was my belief, I could have stayed with it and be happy about it. But noooooooooooo, for some reason I felt I had to expose my idea to someone and prove that I was right.

Well, I must not have been very intelligent either, because I finally told one of my female friends. I tried to be casual about it, but I ended up forcing the issue for apparently no reason at all. She wasnt pleased at all, or course. She must have thought I was a chauvinistic pig, but instead of putting me in my place, as she should have, she took a defiant and challenging position (I guess youth foolishness runs on both boys and girls). We both gave arguments in favor of our position, and frankly some of them didnt have anything to do with mens or womens ability to cook. Unable to convince me, she finally challenged me to a contest.

The idea of the contest was very simple, we would go to my place, and each of us would select 5 cooking games online. Then wed both play each of the 10 games and try to beat the other. Of course, we had to select games that included some way of measuring our performance, such as timers and points. The person who won more games would win. Of course I accepted immediately as I had played a few and I thought it would be an easy contest for me. Well, it didnt turn to be as easy, and although I lost, I went down with a good fight (6-4 and I always blamed the dirty mousepad).

Of course, a cooking game isnt the same thing as real life cooking, so the contest only proved that she was better at those games, not that women were better chefs. Nowadays, I couldnt care less. When I go to a restaurant, Im interested in knowing if the chef is good, not whether its a man or a woman.

Online cooking games (which feature a variety of themes, including cooking) are in some ways very similar to those penny arcades of old time. They are quick and fun to play, whether its for an hour or two, of just for a quick 5 minute game. They both are also easy and intuitive to play by both children and adults. There is no manual read or complex commands to memorize. And of course, they are even more fun if you bring a friend along.

When it comes to video game entertainment, theres really nothing else that is as simple and cheap to play than online flash games and old arcades. Old arcades require only a quarter to play, whereas online flashing games are free. If you take into account that you can play online games in your office of house, then theres really no comparison.

As I said, among the varieties of online games, there are cooking games. You might want to try them out if you havent already. They are, of course very different from shooting games or racing games. They are intended more for relaxing and taking it easy after writing a boring report or attending a stressful meeting. They usually let you take your time and experiment with several ingredients, without rush or a hurry. However, if you feel like taking on a small challenge, you can. There are games that require you to complete a cooking process in a fixed amount of time. Some others will have you memorize and repeat processes and ingredients. Yet others will have you going from one part of a kitchen to the other, trying to keep dishes from burning. So, as you see there are several types of games that will keep you entertained for 1 hour or five minutes.

And dont worry about installation, cables, downloading times, monthly premiums, boring manuals or any of those perks that come with full priced computer games or console video games. Finding these online cooking games is easy, just browse through Internet and youll find hundreds of them. And theyre as easy to get as reading your e-mail.

And of course, if you get tired of one game, you can just forget about it and look for a new one. PC and console videogames are a different matter. With a new game costing from 40 to 80 dollars, you pretty much have to like it even if you dont, just to justify the purchase. Another disadvantage is that playing one of those games requires time. You cant take a break between sending an e-mail and making a call to play a 5 minute game.

And if real cooking is your thing, then cooking games are a source of inspiration. You can learn different ways to cook the dishes you already can prepare, and maybe get some ideas on how to spice them up. You might even discover that a dish that you though it was too difficult to do, isnt really as hard to prepare.

In any case, online flash games will make you remember those arcade places where you used to spend your allowance on weekends.

Some people like cooking, and if youre reading this article, you probably do too. However, its not so easy to have the time it takes to prepare a good meal. Throw in the time you need to get the ingredients and its something hard to do. Fortunately, theres a new game from Nintendo that will let you prepare your meals anywhere. Its called Cooking Mama.

Cooking Mama is one of the most fun games for Nintendos latest portable video game console, the DS. You take the role of a chef and try to prepare several dishes, according to Mamas recipes. The game is unique in the sense that you dont press any buttons at all. Instead, you use the DSs touch screen and the stylus to imitate cooking movements. For example, if you want to chop something, you tap on the screen each time to cut a slice or a piece off. If you want to stir something, you make circles with the stylus. You can even cool something with your breath by blowing on the microphone.

There are 15 basic recipes you start with, but completing them unlocks over 70. Dishes come from all the world, so theres something for everyone. Dont be surprised if you get hungry after a bit of playing.

Casual Players and Hardcore Players. One of the great things about this game is that it appeals to both casual and hardcore players. People who dont normally play videogames arent much keen to play games that require pressing one of 6 buttons to throw a punch. It isnt natural to them. But since the stylus reflects the actual movement (for example, chopping from the top to the bottom) it feels much more normal to them. Also, there isnt a game over screen. If your performance isnt that great, Mama fixes it so you move on. This way anyone can go through the end of each recipe.

For the hardcore games, the game evaluates your performance and gives you a medal based on your performance. While anyone can finish a recipe, it takes great skill to get a medal gold.

Other Cooking Games If you dont have a DS, you can still play cooking games on your PC. There are many games related to cooking on hundreds of sites. One of such games is called Better Barbecue Challenge. In this game, there is some meat on a grill and you need to cook it from both sides. If you turn it over too early, itll be too raw. If you turn it over too late, itll burn. Its not as simple as it seems, which allows for a fun challenge. One of such games is called Better Barbecue Challenge. In this game, there is some meat on a grill and you need to cook it from both sides. If you turn it over too early, itll be too raw. If you turn it over too late, itll burn. Its not as simple as it seems, which allows for a fun challenge.

So, as you can see, there are many options on both consoles and Internet for you to practice your culinary skills. Some of them are simple, and some are complex enough that theyll make you want to try them out in your real life kitchen.