Chapter 53

"Since we've had a lot of rich flavors, let's have something to cleanse the palate."

What I served was octopus sashimi.

"More sashimi?"

"This is octopus sashimi."

"Octopus?!"

Narnia exclaimed.

"Are you eating octopus?! I can't believe it!"

Is this a world where octopus isn't eaten? I heard that in the world, apart from Japan and the Mediterranean, there aren't many places where octopus is consumed. Well, I'm sure there are many ethnic groups that eat it, even if I don't know about them... Is it called something like a devilfish around here?

"Octopus... octopus... and it's raw..."

"It's sashimi, but I've blanched it a little."

"A little...?"

It didn't have enough power to dispel Chelina's unease.

"Well, you don't have to force yourself to eat it. ...Yeah. It's delicious."

I added a bit of wasabi and plenty of soy sauce and enjoyed it. Personally, I think octopus sashimi tastes best with a lot of soy sauce.

"Then I'll try... Hmm, interesting texture. It's bland, but the umami is more pronounced than other white fish."

Thanks for the accurate comment as always.

"Hmm, it's not bad, but I prefer the previous sashimi."

"...I like this."

Hag seemed to like it, and Yararai seemed to enjoy it as well.

"Ugh... I'll try...! ...Hmm. It's squishy."

"Don't force it."

"Okay... It's squishy and crunchy, with an interesting texture... Plus... it might be tastier than I thought."

"Good to hear."

There will be other octopus dishes later, so it would be easier if her prejudice disappears here.

"...I'll give it a try."

She cautiously stabbed the octopus with her fork.

"Don't use wasabi."

"I know that without being told!"

She turned red and got angry. I was just being considerate, but she's ungrateful.

"...Hmm... Hmm... Hmm..."

She closed her eyes and seemed to make up her mind to bite down. As she chewed slowly, her expression softened.

"This is... more interesting than I thought... It's... an interesting flavor."

"An interesting flavor?"

"I can't find the right words to describe it. The texture is unique, and the flavor is neither light nor strong."

"It's a light dish, but it has a lot of flavor."

"It reminds me of the taste of shabu-shabu."

Now that you mention it, it does. But if this continues, shabu-shabu might be associated with fish. I'll have to break that stereotype with meat shabu-shabu next time. I don't know if I'll be staying in this country long enough to do that, though.

"Well, you don't have to force yourself to eat it. The octopus dish I'll serve later is the main event."

"Is there more?"

"Just wait, let's try this first."

And with great anticipation, I placed before everyone...

Dun! Dun! Dun!

Eel rice bowl!

This is the dish that I think would be most popular with foreigners. ...Calling them foreigners is strange. I'm the foreigner. Yeah.

"What's this?"

"It's an eel rice bowl. The eel is simmered and placed on top of rice, with a special sauce poured over it. The proper way to eat it is to use chopsticks or a spoon to scoop it up in a somewhat vulgar manner."

"Eel... that snake-like thing, right..."

Chelina's expression turned visibly uncomfortable.

"If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it... but don't regret it?"

"Elves eat snakes. No problem."

"It's not a snake... Here's how you eat it!"

I held the bowl and brought it to my mouth, using my chopsticks to shovel it in. The sweet and savory eel fell apart and blended with the rice, rolling into my mouth.

"Ah! Delicious!"

This is it! The feeling of eating a rice bowl that I haven't had in a long time! It's irresistible!

"Then... (shovel) delicious."

Yararai ate it the same way and let out a sigh of admiration. He seemed to enjoy it as he continued to eat.

"I'll eat it too! (Shovel! Shovel!) Oh! This has a punchy flavor! The richness can rival meat!"

"Yeah, the greatness of eel lies in its dense, flavorful texture."

"Indeed! I can see why it's delicious!"

"Me too!"

"Then I'll have some too."

"Ugh..."

As usual, everyone except Chelina used spoons.

"Delicious! But what kind of fish is eel? I've never heard of it."

"It's not commonly available in the market, but the people in the slums fight over it... Maybe they know how delicious it is..."

"There's a possibility. For me, both octopus and eel are delicacies."

I think fresh octopus is surprisingly expensive.

"Hmm. If we can remove the bias of the people who eat it, it could be a profitable business."

"I didn't think that far ahead."

"No, no, it's educational."

The chef Hugo is as humble as ever. Even though I'm younger than him.

"Well, if we were to sell it, we could just serve the finished product so that the original form isn't recognizable. It's not like we're poisoning anyone."

"I can only establish the cooking method, but I think the soy sauce is key."

"Yeah, that's true."

I doubt we can get mirin, in addition to soy sauce.

"No, I'm also a member of the Veriello Trading Company. If requested, I will definitely create something that will satisfy you."

"You're reliable."

Actually, the craftsman Dauro and the aide Melvin are also talented, making this trading company well-staffed.

"So, if the young lady isn't going to eat, it might be better to give it to the dwarf with the dangerous look."

"Aye. It's impolite to leave food uneaten."

"I heard that in noble households, it's polite to leave food."

"This isn't a noble household, is it?"

"Oh, right. For some reason, I had a strong impression that Lady Chelina was noble."

I think her image has changed a lot today. I didn't expect her to fight over shabu-shabu.

"I'll eat it. I'm just enjoying the aroma."

It's tough for her.

"It looks... well... like a dark grilled fish."

I arranged it so it doesn't look too much like a snake.

"I have no intention of eating it in a vulgar manner."

She gently scooped up the eel with a spoon and slowly brought it to her mouth.

"...Huh?"

Her movement paused for a moment.

"Is this... really that snake? Such a rich umami... It must be the sauce... Ah! The grains of rice soaked in the sauce are incredibly delicious!"

"Chelina, you're not supposed to eat them separately. You should eat the eel and rice together... that's when it's complete."

"Together... like this..."

She managed to scoop both the eel and rice with her spoon and brought it to her mouth.

"! Ah! What a revelation! The white meat that seemed rich and coarse becomes elevated by one... no, two levels when combined with the rice! It's a perfect blend, a true art! This... mmm... mmm... is the beginning of a new food culture! (Shovel, shovel, shovel)"

At the end, she had rice grains stuck to her cheeks as she shoveled the bowl, which was endearing but probably destroyed Narnia's admiration. However, Narnia, who initially looked bewildered, seemed to find it oddly entertaining. Well, Chelina's expressions are always entertaining.

"Indeed, after eating this, the fact that eel is a snake becomes irrelevant."

"It's not a snake..."

My mutterings didn't seem to reach Chelina, who was focused on her spoon. Besides, it might be a snake in this world.

"Hugo, can this be commercialized?"

"It won't be possible immediately, as we don't have rice or the necessary seasonings. However, I think we can adjust the flavor to make it a good accompaniment to alcohol."

"I see, so you're giving up on the rice bowl."

"Yes. Without soy sauce, we can try to get close to the flavor using fish sauce and sugar."

"I'd like to work on that along with the fried dishes."

"Understood."

The two of them were enthusiastically discussing how to recreate the dish.

"How was the flavor?"

"I liked it!"

"Me too! Me too!"

"Delicious"

"That's good... but the flavor was quite strong, so maybe I'll serve something lighter next time."

"Anything will do as long as it can be eaten."

That's a bit sad, but...

"Well, Hugo, please bring out the dishes you've been keeping in the room."

"Understood."

---

So, the next dish I served was horse mackerel in a vinegar marinade. It seems that vinegar isn't widely used here, so it's uncertain whether it will be accepted.

"It looks beautiful."

I was surprised by Chelina's comment.

"What? This one has the head and tail too."

"It's a familiar type. We usually eat it whole."

"That's true."

Chelina seemed to be fixated on the pufferfish, but it wasn't because she was afraid of fish. It was probably because she recognized it as a food from the slums. I had a bit of a misunderstanding there.

"Let's give it a try."

Hag, as usual, reached for it without hesitation.

"Hmm... I've had a similar dish before. It's a nostalgic flavor. This one is much deeper and more delicious, though."

"Really? There's a similar dish?"

"It's common in the continent. Hag has traveled all over it."

That makes sense. Hag has traveled all over the continent.

"Me too."

Yararai also reached for it and put it in his mouth.

"...Delicious. It's light and good."

Hmm. It seems they both enjoyed it. They're eating it normally, even though they don't say much.

"Then I'll try too! ...? Big brother, is this rotten?"

Narnia, unusually, frowned.

"It's fine, it's not rotten. It's just made with a seasoning that isn't common around here. By the way, it's said to be good for beauty."

"I'll give it a try."

Chelina, who had been drinking lightly, suddenly started eating.

"Is it medicine?"

"Not really... but a balanced diet is important."

The meals here are mostly calorie-based, so there are probably many nutrients missing. I'm sure a little vinegar would be effective. ...It might make you feel a bit better.

"...Hmm, big brother. I don't think I like this..."

Narnia looked disappointed.

"Hmm. It's supposed to be good for getting plenty of vegetables, but maybe the vinegar is hard to accept."

"Yes, I find it an interesting flavor, but..."

Hugo had joined the conversation.

"Is this a flavor that isn't common here?"

"Yes. This dish is strongly characterized by the vinegar. A dish with this much vegetable and horse mackerel would be more appreciated if it were simply sautéed with salt."

"I see."

"As a chef, I welcome this as a way to break the monotony of salt-based Piratas cuisine, and I can judge it as a delicious dish, but it might be difficult to popularize."

Hmm... I guess it's hard to secure vinegar.

"Similar flavors, elves, use."

"Hmm. They use it in the Shinko Empire too."

I see, so vinegar is common in some other regions.

"Conversely, if it's presented as an Atlantian dish, it might be accepted due to its novelty."

Hugo slowly chewed the vinegar-marinated horse mackerel.

"...So? What do you think?"

I asked Chelina, who had eel sprouting from her mouth. She chewed and put down her fork.

"...The flavor is a bit strong. Did you make a mistake with the seasoning?"

"No, I didn't."

It seems it was a bit off.

"I think it would be good as a bar snack."

"Dwarves, annoying, but agree."

"I also think it would be good as a bar snack."

It seems the vinegar-marinated horse mackerel is more suited to adult men.

"Speaking of bar snacks, this is the best."

I took out some fried food.

"What's this?"

"This is fried octopus."

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