With all the hype surrounding this weekend's opening of the film Julie and Julia, there has been a renewed interest in cookbooks and food books at the library. However, I think I might have found one of the most unconventional ones of all. Oishinbo ("The Gourmet") is a long-running manga series in Japan which depicts the adventures of culinary critic Shirou Yamaoka and his wife Yuko Kurita. The best part? The book contains recipes, complete with step-by-step instructions and drawings, and also lessons on proper Japanese cooking and knife techniques. This is definitely not your average cookbook!