Shokugeki No Souma: One Ingredient, Many Ways

Yukihara Souma was put through gruelling challenge after challenge beginning with bullies sabotaging his father’s restaurant and thereafter at Totsuki Culinary Academy. From having to use a restricted amount of items to having to cook for a spot in his dorm, Souma somehow managed to often come out on top. His secret? An almost maniacal ingenuity that comes from making do with what he has in creative ways. In one word: Adaptability.

Adaptability refers to a person’s ability to be flexible enough to change their approach to overcome a challenge. Depending on the situation, this may require you to change your perspective or behaviour. Souma changed his perspective about the squid snacks he had, and saw their potential in becoming an ingredient for stock, thus allowing him to make use of them effectively for a cooking challenge. It’s important for us to understand that adaptability isn’t about changing who we are, rather it’s a key understanding about whether it’s more advantageous to switch tactics to your benefit.

Adaptability is crucial for resilience, allowing us to bounce back from setbacks and adversity. The more open-minded we are, and the more we look for opportunities to adapt, the stronger we become in the face of challenges. Despite his ingenuity, sometimes Souma also fell short of success. However, he kept his head up and continued to practise and experiment, training himself to cook food in a wider variety of ways.

Here are some ways you can hone your skill in adaptability:

1. Accept challenges

If you shy away from challenging situations and stay in your comfort zone, there won’t be a lot of opportunities for you to think differently. Instead of letting the fear of failure overcome you, welcome these challenges, you may surprise yourself.

2. Practice reframing your thoughts

If setbacks happen, challenge yourself to think differently. “How can I turn this into an opportunity to turn things around or learn?”

3. Embrace mistakes

Sometimes no matter how hard we try, things still may not turn out to be a success. This doesn’t mean it’s the end. Forgive yourself  Rather, try to view mistakes as learning experiences so that you can do better next time.

Join a Shadee.Care online care group, and hone your skills in adaptability