Togashi Xiangmei always traveled his own path – one paved with pork buns. A voracious eater inspired by the legendary eating rivalry of Togashi Kennyo and Kitsune Jiro, the ever-cheerful Xiangmei was well-known within the Tattooed Order for his philosophy on enlightenment through gourmet eating. Xiangmei didn’t simply enjoy consuming food; over the course of a decade traveling around the Empire in the 19th century, he quietly and secretly became perhaps the finest chef in Rokugan. But his rise to prominence came purely by chance: during Winter Court at the High House of Light in 1949, the official Imperial Chef suffered a sudden, acute case of the Weasels. Xiangmei offered to step in, and lacking other options, the Togashi agreed; if it failed, they could simply claim it was an exercise in attempting to attain enlightenment through suffering.
Instead, Xiangmei’s cooking was a smash hit; the Radiant Emperor and his court couldn’t believe the new and exciting flavor combinations they were tasting. Curious about their origins, the Emperor asked to meet the chef – and a smiling Xiangmei was happy to oblige. The two hit it off, and talked long into the night about Xiangmei’s philosophy of togetherness and enlightenment through cuisine. By the next morning, the ink had already dried on the paperwork for the formation of a new minor clan, the Panda, with the mandate to push culinary boundaries as far as they could. Though the Crane and Mantis, with their haute culinary traditions, looked askance at the new Panda (and still do), the Xiangmei family has since been considered honored guests at any major gathering anywhere else. Their reach has only grown since Rokugan took to the stars, and today, it isn’t particularly odd to spot a Panda in the most far-flung corners of the Emerald Empire – and beyond.
Xiangmei Family Bonus: +1 Void