234 - - Episode 232 Real Food

Yesterday I got some milk. I gave Martha the recipe for a dish using milk when I got back, and soon there will be a new dish in my magic bag. I'm looking forward to it.

I wake up and am thinking about the new menu while playing with Belle and the others when there is a knock at my door.

"Sarah, good morning. Are you sure you don't want to help Mr. Torque?"

"Good morning, Master. The message from Mr. Toruku is that he has made a prototype of the recipe you gave him and he would like you to delay the breakfast time to taste it. I had it and Gina's sister had it as a bribe, and it was very delicious!

...... I can't believe you already made a prototype yesterday. You've been up all night. Besides, Sara's smile looks like it's of high quality.

"I can't wait to see how good it tastes. I'll be waiting in my room. Call me when it's ready.

"Yes!"

I saw Sara off, closed the door and turned around to see Belle and the others staring at me with sparkling eyes.

"Yummy food!"

Belle says, flapping her arms and legs. She's totally expecting it. But it's just a taste test of a prototype, and I'm sure Mr. Toruku will be there, so it's hard to get Belle and the others to eat it.

"Well, it's still a prototype, so I can't let Belle and the kids try it. When it's finished, I'll have Mr. Toruku make a lot of it and we can all eat it together."

"Isn't it breakfast?"

"Yes, the belles will eat it when it's finished."

He goes to Sarah's room and feeds breakfast to the spirits while consoling the disappointed Bells. When they're done, we'll send them off to the city to play. If we leave them waiting at the inn, they might come to take a peek at the new menu. It's a kind of torture to tell Mr. Toruku how the food tastes with curious Belle and the others watching us.

*****

"Sorry I'm late. Come on, taste it!"

In the dining room of the inn, where the usual breakfast time has ended, we see the food laid out on the table. Let's see, I'm sure you tasted the prototype of the dish I asked Mr. Toruku to prepare, right?　Sara called me down with Marco and the others, and I even have a dish in front of me that I asked them to research: .......

Carbonara is still understandable. But how come the cream stew and the gratin are already done?　I gave you the recipe last night and now it's the next morning?　Didn't I write on a piece of paper and give it to you, asking you to study it so that you can eat it the next time you come to the labyrinth city?　Why are you making this?　Also, why is Betty here?

"...... Well, that's great. Have you finished it yet? And why is Betty here?"

"It's a prototype, though. But it was the first time for me to cook with milk, so it was worthwhile. It's not quite finished yet, but I think I've achieved something. And Betty is here because she helped me get the best flour."

I don't think it's something that would take shape just because it was worthwhile. ...... You might have some weird skill or something. Maybe he has some weird skill...like cooking makes time stop. ...... No, I don't think so. That's too cheat.

"I did my best to appeal to my boss about the possibility of a new dish. I can't wait to try it!"

Betty kept her eyes fixed on the food, but explained the situation to us. At any rate, there is no doubt that she wants to eat the food as soon as possible.

"I see, I have some questions, but I guess we can talk about them after the meal.

We take our seats and start eating.

It's delicious!　What is this?　Eggs, cheese and milk mixed together in a rich sauce. I've never had anything like it. The dried meat and pepper accents are also wonderful!　Milk is awesome!"

After taking a bite of carbonara, Betty starts fussing. It's amazing how she eats the dish as if she could breathe despite her fussiness. She seems to be very busy, fussing and eating and putting on a happy face.

"It's hot!　Master, this is very hot. But it tastes so good!"

Marco's tongue was injured by the heat of the gratin. Sara, who was watching beside Mr. Toruku, secretly dispatches Pul-chan. I think this is the first time I've ever seen Pru-chan use recovery magic.

"Osho-sama! Kikka likes this.

Kikka is eating cream stew with a big smile on her face. She seems to like the stew so much that she is bringing it to her mouth one after another, as if she is afraid to let it cool down. Everyone seems to be enjoying the stew. Some of them don't like milk, but the members here seem to have no problem with it. I'll try some of them right away.

The carbonara sauce is a little hard and not smooth. Is it overcooked?　But I can't complain about the taste. A little garlicky for my taste, but maybe too much for female customers.

The gratin has flat pasta instead of macaroni. It could be a lasagna with meat sauce, but the crispy bread crumbs and slightly burnt cheese are irresistible.

The cream stew lacks a little bit of a consistency.　It tastes good, but it is a little bit crumbly. I think it would be just fine with more potatoes.

I tell Toruku what I liked about each dish. He nods his head, so I guess it will be better the next time.

"But I'm sorry, it's the recipe I gave you, but the other dishes are hot, except for the carbonara. It makes my body warm and I can't stop sweating."

I thought about asking Sylphy to cool it down, but I felt bad that I should be the only one to cool down while everyone else was eating in a sweat. Marco and Kikka are fine to cool down, but I think I'd better hold off on cooling down Betty, since it might cause a commotion.

"Ah, you're right. I thought so myself when I tasted it... it's a dish that makes you warm up."

Toruk agrees with me. Betty, Marco and Kikka would agree with me because they are sweating too much. Gratin and cream stew are both winter dishes. They are definitely not suitable for the climate.

"Except for carbonara, I don't think they are suitable for serving at an inn.

"What are you talking about? Yes, it's hot, but no one will complain if it tastes like this.

"Master, it's delicious."

"I want to have kikka again."

Apparently, the taste was so well accepted that it didn't matter if you were sweaty. Well, unlike in Japan, sweat can be managed with the magic of cleaning, so what's the problem?

"I don't know how it will turn out, but I'm sure it will be delicious. I can't serve it often because of the cost of ingredients, but I think I can serve it as an occasional special menu. But if we can't get the milk, that's impossible.

"Don't worry. I will do everything in my power to secure a route to purchase milk. Don't worry, if you talk to the Culinary Guild, I'm sure there will be a big push to get the milk."

Sniffling, Betty declares. She seems to have a soft-spoken personality, but when it comes to good food, she seems to be a hot mess.

I'm counting on you.

I'll take care of it.

There is an atmosphere of comrades-in-arms between Mr. Toruku and Betty. The food seems to have brought them closer together.

"Okay, now for dessert. You can still eat, right?"

Next up is dessert...you even made dessert?　Even if it's a dessert that doesn't require much effort, is it something you can make just because you stayed up all night?　Well, Torque says there is a dessert, so I guess he could have made it.

My stomach is feeling ...... better, but I think sweet food here is quite painful, although I can eat it because I kept the portions of each dish to a minimum. But Betty is very comfortable with it, and Marco and Kikka are ready to eat too. It seems that the stomachs of the people of this world are different from those of the Japanese. But as a man and a teacher, I can't back down here.

"Don't worry."

"Okay, I'll get the crepes ready, Gina and Sara get the pudding and ice cream."

I watch as Mr. Toruku walks excitedly back to the kitchen. I had no idea that he had made three different kinds of prototypes. I've never seen or heard of these dishes before.

While I was surprised, Gina and Sarah brought ice cream and pudding. Why did I put them in the recipe at the same time? I should have given them the recipes one by one and spread the word.

The white one is the ice cream. It is better to eat it first because it is sensitive to heat.

"The yellow one is pudding. I've never had such a delicious dessert.

Sarah and Gina give a brief description of the dessert. It looks like the ice cream and pudding I know. I try a spoonful of both first. The fact that they are both cool and cool is quite a high point.

"They are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!"

Betty is tasting the ice cream and pudding with a melt-in-your-mouth look on her face, without explaining the taste. It seems that the sweetness has even invaded her thought process for explaining the taste. Marco and Kikka are also completely melted.

Then, Mr. Toruku brought crepes. Rich custard cream, whipped cream, and a variety of fruits. Betty, Marco and Kikka eat in silence, as if their language center has been paralyzed.

"I know what you mean. That's how it was for me, Martha, and Kark.

Torque nodded sympathetically without drawing back. It was quite a shock for him. I wonder what would happen if I told him that crepes are delicious with ice cream?　Let's not, Marco and Kikka aside, Betty is going to be beyond chubby and chubby.

Betty-san...... said she'll put up with fried food, but will she be able to put up with dessert too?　Seeing Betty eat her way through the meal in a completely melted-down state, I think it is quite dangerous.

"Yuta, how was it?"

"Eh?　Oh, yes. I guess it's a matter of taste, but it seemed too sweet to me. And the ice cream was hard. I don't know about the details, but I heard that ice cream tastes better when there is a lot of air in it.

I throw my knowledge from a certain gourmet cartoon directly to Mr. Toruku. I don't know how to mix air.

"Well, you should experiment with different sweetness. As for the air, should we try stirring it more often?"

"Yes, it is possible to add pulp or juice to the ice cream.

"So you can make ice cream with the characteristics of fruits. It may not be suitable for everyone, but it opens up a lot of possibilities.

Mr. Torque has figured out the procedure or he froze. Betty, Marco, and Kikka are intoxicated by the sweetness, and Gina and Sara are looking at us like they know what we're thinking.

"Yuta, everything looks delicious. And isn't carbonara the dish they used to eat in the land of the dead?

Sylphy, who had been silently watching over me, approached me. She seemed to be interested in this new dish.

（Yes, that's right. I can't help you now, but I'll ask Mr. Toruku to make a lot of today's dishes so that we can all enjoy them together.)

"Hmm, I'm looking forward to it."

Sylphy smiles. Her expression moved as if she was drinking. That's how concerned she is. It's a good thing I let Belle and the others go out to play. If they had stayed with us, they would've been in trouble for wanting to eat. It would have been too much for my stomach to bear.

"Mr. Torque!　Do you still have extra food or dessert?"

Betty, who had been mellowing in the afterglow, suddenly stood up and shook Mr. Toruku as she asked.

"Hmm?　Yeah, it's still here."

Mr. Toruku, who had frozen in place, answered in surprise at Betty's swashbuckling.

"Yes, sir. I'll bring the big man now!　I'm bringing not only the great people of the commercial guild, but also the great people of the culinary guild!"

Betty says all she has to say and runs off. Those were serious eyes. Maybe they are going to hold a tasting party and try to secure a route to buy milk like she said before. It's faster to get the word out when you've got the big guy in your corner.

But do we have enough dairy cows to meet the demand?　It wasn't a very big village, and the amount of food was limited.

"Mr. Toruku, can you make me a lot of the food and desserts you made today to take home?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll make it while improving the precautions Yuta told me to take."

"Please do. Also, I have some business to attend to, and I'd like to extend my stay a little. I said three days, but I'm going to change it to five days.

"Five days from now, ......, we'll be improving the menu, you can count on it!"

......It's no fun to stay up all night for five days, so I'll make sure to ask Martha for a favor.

I urge Marco and Kikka, who seem to be too full to move, to return to their rooms. Gina and Sara are going to help clean up and come back. I head for the capital, and Sara and the others rest in the labyrinth city. We set a time that it will take about two days to get to King's Landing, and I'll go somewhere to make myself at home.