For lunch, I decided to try recreating a dish from my previous world.
I’d already promised Aina and Sorte that I’d let them try it when they got back, so for now I wanted to figure out what I could make.
I also needed to find a way to get Shiro to enjoy eating vegetables, so that was another thing to consider.
And so, here we are—at the shopping district north of the central plaza.
Around the plaza, there were food stalls selling ready-made dishes, but once we turned north, we entered a main street lined with shops like a bustling marketplace.
There’s a good variety here—fruits, vegetables, fish, and of course, meat.
There were also bags of what looked like different kinds of flour or powder being sold.
「Come one, come all! Fresh-picked Umuru fruit, just 1,400 nohls a basket!」
「Hey there, missus! Got some prime cuts today—King Turkey, Piggle, Black Maume, all the best parts!」
「Look here! Freshest Caterpillars of the morning! Still got the heads and everything!」
Oooooh…
Nope. That one stall is a no-go. I’m going to make a conscious effort not to even look in that direction.
「Just so you know, Wendy, Shiro—there’s no way caterpillars are ever showing up on my table. Please remember that」
「But I heard they’re delicious」
「I don’t care how good they are or if they’re the best in the world. If it’s a bug, I can’t do it. Absolutely no chance. You can buy and eat them yourself if you want, but if you do, stay away from me for a while…」
I’m sorry, but I can’t handle the idea of bug juice residue… it’s just too much.
「Master, you don’t like insects?」
「It’s not just dislike. I can’t touch them. I can’t even look at them…」
「I see. Understood. Then I won’t eat them either」
「Me too. I wanted to try one, but if I can’t be near you, I don’t want it」
Thank you.
Seriously, I really appreciate the understanding.
So from now on, our dining table is officially bug-free.
「Alright, let’s take a look around. I’ll rely on you two for explanations」
「Yes. Leave it to me」
「If it’s about flavor, I’ve got you covered」
Of course, I’ll also be using Appraisal, but I want to hear what they think directly too.
We started checking out shops, beginning with those closer to the western side.
「Hey there, good-looking gentleman with the pretty wife! Come take a look! I’ll give you a special deal!」
「Pretty wife… even though I’m a slave… ehehe」
「So that makes Shiro the kid?」
Shiro, I really don’t think it works if I’m the husband, you’re the wife, and Wendy is our child.
「Oh? Both of them are slaves? Either way, you’re one lucky guy, sir! Spread some of that happiness around—how about buying something?」
「Haha, mind if I take a look?」
「Of course, sir! Got some top quality goods in today!」
He was a lively old man.
Fortunately, the things he sold were all cuts of actual animal meat.
「Whoa. That marbling is impressive」
「You bet it is! Absolute top quality! The fat’s sweet, I tell ya! Black Maume isn’t just about the leather, you know!」
「What kind of cuts do you have?」
「Got the whole beast! I can give you any cut you want!」
That’s impressive.
I wonder if names like rib or loin are used here too?
「Rib! Ribi!」
Oh, so they do use those terms. That’s convenient.
「Rib’s pretty fatty, so I’d also like some loin, filet, and rump. Ah, dear」
Dear, huh… Just changing the way she addresses me shifts the atmosphere entirely.
But the one who said it looked incredibly embarrassed.
Her cheeks were turning red, and she covered her face with both hands. It was honestly kind of adorable.
「Right. I also want some tail. Can I get some brisket too?」
「Of course you can! Tail never sells well, but let me tell you, it’s amazing when stewed!」
「Nice. Oxtail stew. Then I guess I’ll need to buy some wine too」
「Got you covered! I’ve got one that’s perfect for both drinking and cooking!」
「You’re good at this. Do you have tongue as well?」
「「「Eh…」」」
Huh?
What’s with that reaction?
Where’d all that energy from a moment ago go?
「Master, you eat cow tongue?」
「That’s a bit…」
「It’s like kissing a cow, you know? That’s rough…」
「What the hell? You’re all okay with eating bugs, but cow tongue’s where you draw the line!?」
You’ve got to be kidding.
I’d rather kiss a live cow than eat a bug any day of the week.
「Is it tasty, lord?」
「In my country, it’s one of the most popular cuts」
It’s usually one of the first things people order.
Though it fills you up quickly because of the chewiness, so it’s not great if you want to eat a lot at buffets.
「Still… it’s a cow’s tongue. I mean, just thinking about it makes me…」
「You too, Wendy…」
「W-Well, if you’re taking it off my hands, I’ll sell it」
「Yeah, I’ll take it! It’s fine. I’ll eat it by myself」
Whatever. I’ll just snack on it alone.
「So, what’ll you be buying today?」
「Let’s see—about a kilo each of rib, loin, rump, sirloin, filet, and tail. Slice the tongue thinly. I’ll also take that red wine you mentioned」
「Hey, I’m happy to sell it, but can you carry all that?」
「Yeah, I’ve got this」
I’ll just store everything in the magic bag.
The smell won’t transfer or anything… probably.
「Hoo boy. A magic bag, huh? Looks like you’re richer than I thought. That’ll be 114,000 nohls total, with the discount included」
「Alright, just give me a second」
Now that I think about it, the money was also inside the magic pouch.
Even though I just sold a vibrator to Yasis, this still counts as quite a big expense.
Well, my accessories are selling too, so maybe it’s not that bad.
…My sense of money isn’t falling apart, right?
I mean, it’s a lot of meat. Yeah. This should be fine.
「Thanks for your business! Come again, mister!」
「Yeah, since it looks like you don’t deal in bugs, I’ll make this my go-to place」
This place really gives off that vibe of a meat-only shop.
If they ever started lining up insects next to beef, I’d be out.
Maybe I’m overreacting, but what’s impossible is just impossible.
「Meat! Meat, meat, meaaat」
「Now now, Shiro. You must eat your vegetables too」
「There’s so much meat we can’t finish it all. That’s why Shiro eats meat. Wendy should eat the vegetables. Any more than that… is dangerous」
「What do you mean by that? I’m not fat or anything!」
「Shiro, that’s not fair. And eating only meat isn’t good for you either」
They say when people lose weight, it starts from the chest.
If those treasured assets of hers ever got smaller, I’d be in trouble.
Not that Wendy’s charm lies only in her chest, of course. But still, treasure is treasure, you know?
「Hey there, newlyweds! If you’d like, come take a look at the vegetables we just harvested from our farm. They’re fresh and tasty!」
「She says they’re good, Shiro. Let’s go check them out」
「Ugh… I don’t like vegetables」
「Come on now, let’s go」
Whoa.
This is amazing. I’ve never seen these vegetables before.
Some of them are kind of familiar, though. Is this a potato?
It’s got two stalks like burdock stuck together though.
『Moi – High in fiber, delicious when mashed and added to soup. A common, affordable ingredient. Walks around the field on two legs.』
Hmm…….
That’s a potato(jagaimo). Yeah.
And the name’s just “imo” spelled backwards. Makes sense.
TN: When you say imo, it means root crops like potato, sweet potato, etc
The idea of this thing walking around on two legs is pure nightmare fuel, though.
「Master, everything looks so tasty」
「Yeah, pretty much…」
『Piggy-man – A bitter green vegetable. Natural enemy of children. If you can eat this, you’re an adult. Walks around the field on two legs.』
『Kares – A salad staple. Great for digestion. Also walks on two legs. (rest omitted)』
…
What?
What is this?
Are vegetables in this world just naturally bipedal?
「Hey, do vegetables really walk around?」
「Yes. They usually don’t leave the fields, but they do move around」
「Why?」
「Hmm…? Maybe they’re just moving to find sunnier spots?」
「You folks really don’t know anything, huh! It’s because veggies need exercise too, to keep their bodies lean and firm. The more they walk, the tastier they get!」
「Doesn’t that make them hard to catch?」
「At night, they go back to their nests and rest in the soil or hang off their stems. That’s when we harvest them all at once!」
I see. So at night, the vegetables are just like the ones I know.
That’s a relief. If vegetables in this world kept wandering around at night, that’d be straight out of a horror film.
「Well, I guess I’ll take one basket each of these, these, these, and these」
For now, I’ll get one basket of things that look like potatoes, peppers, cabbage, carrots, and tomatoes.
「Oh, looks like the handsome guy’s feeling generous!」
Generous? Well, we do have a big eater at home.
「We don’t need that much!」
The big eater in question seems to really dislike vegetables, though.
But with a bit of creativity, they can be made delicious no matter what.
「Thanks. Can you carry them?」
「Yeah, just put them in here」
「Oh, a magic pouch? Nice. If I could afford one of those, transporting the vegetables would be a lot easier」
「Unfortunately, it’s just a borrowed item」
「Oh? With two such beautiful slaves, I thought you must be some rich nobleman」
I totally agree that they’re beautiful, but I’m still far from the point where I could live my whole life without working.
Ah, I really want to be rich…
「So many vegetables…」
「Don’t look so down. We’ve got plenty of meat too, you know」
The magic pouch has a limit, so I quietly transfer the vegetables and meat into the magic space, making sure no one sees.
With a small magic pouch, time passes, but in the magic space, time doesn’t pass and the freshness doesn’t degrade either.
「What are you planning to cook, master?」
「Hmm, I haven’t decided yet. I mean, vegetables and meat can be substituted, but the real question is what to do about the seasonings and staple foods」
In most otherworld stories, there’s usually no rice, or it’s only found in some remote area.
But there’s white bread, so they must have wheat or something close to it.
If that’s the case, I think I could make something.
It wouldn’t be Japanese food, though.
Then again, maybe they already have it here.
「What are we looking for next?」
「Oil and flour, and it’d be nice if there’s a store for seasonings…」
「Did I hear you say oil, mister? If it’s oil, we’re number one! We’ve got the best seasonings and alcohol too!」
As we were talking, a cheerful beastkin with healthy tanned skin and wearing a crop top and short shorts popped up in front of us, stopping us with her energy.
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