Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 20 - Chapter 1.2

2

“Hello! Looks like I’m really running behind!”

Myme arrived in the post town around thirty minutes after we opened for business.

By this point, we had managed to serve all the customers in the opening rush and the flow of new ones had finally started to slow down. Our hunter guards had gotten their snack too.

“Your restaurant really seems to be a success. You’ve got so many seats now, and they’re still all filled,” Myme noted.

“Fortunately, we’ve had a great flow of customers. Once the sun hits its peak, things will pick up again, and I’m sure your cooking will sell really well too.”

“Right! I don’t want the ingredients to go to waste, so I’m hoping I can sell out by the lower second hour,” Myme said, and I could see Bartha behind her holding the reins of the Ruu clan totos, Jidura. In order to transport her supplies from her house in the Turan lands, Myme had needed to borrow not only a guard but also a wagon. These were the totos and wagon that had been bought for the clans under the Ruu to use, so once Bartha finished up her guard duty, the plan was to have her go around and buy whatever the clans needed before returning to the settlement.

The Fa clan was actually using the totos and wagon bought for our local clans in a similar manner. After all, Gilulu and Ruuruu’s wagons alone couldn’t quite handle twelve chefs and five or six guards.

And just a trivial little aside, the local clans had decided to name their totos Fafa. It was a sign of respect, as the massive bird had been a gift from the Fa clan.

Around the Fa clan we had Gilulu and Fafa, the Ruu had Ruuruu and Jidura, and the Rutim had Mim Cha. There were also totos that I didn’t know if they had a name or not, belonging to the Lea, Zaza, and Sauti clans, meaning there were currently eight of them living at the forest’s edge.

“Well, I’m gonna go pick up my stall, so I’ll see you later.”

“Right. Take care.”

Based on my recommendation, Myme was renting her stall from The Kimyuus’s Tail as well. She had gotten acquainted with Telia Mas the other day when they both visited the forest’s edge, and I would really be glad if that led to her making a connection with Milano Mas too.

I also couldn’t help but wonder just what sort of giba dish Myme had come up with after all that preparation time. I knew I’d be impatiently looking forward to trying it for the rest of the day.

“So someone who isn’t a person of the forest’s edge is finally selling giba cooking,” Ai Fa muttered from her position next to me. “Well, I suppose they’ve actually been selling it at the inns for a while now, but this is the first time I’ve personally seen it done. It’s a rather strange feeling.”

“Yeah. The inns have been serving tons of giba meat to the townsfolk in their dining halls for months, so it’s nothing to be surprised about now. And besides, I’ve been selling it, and I look different from the rest of the people of the forest’s edge myself.”

“Even so, you are a full-fledged member of our people.”

“Yeah, I know. You don’t have to give me that scary look.”

That said, back when I first opened my stalls, I had folks ask questions like, “Why is someone who isn’t even a person of the forest’s edge selling giba meat, of all things?”

But at any rate, a natural-born citizen of Genos like Myme would now be selling giba cooking from a stall. This was surely another big step forward.

“Ooh, there certainly are a lot of giba dishes for sale,” a deep male voice said from directly in front of me. When I turned my head to face forward, I found a rather well-built customer from Jagar standing before the stall.

He was even larger than Aldas, the construction worker I had been acquainted with in the past. In terms of sheer body mass, he might have even been a match for Dan Rutim. His dark-brown hair and mustache were disheveled, he had a piercing look in his green eyes, and his expression appeared both calm and stern at the same time. A traveler’s cloak fully concealed his bulky frame.

“Welcome. They’ve cooled a good bit, but you can sample the meat atop that wooden plate for free,” I replied, only for the customer to simply give me a big enough smile that it made his eyes narrow.

At that, Ai Fa jabbed me with her elbow. “Asuta, he’s the man from that one time.”

“Hmm? Which man?”

She turned to address our customer. “My apologies, but I’ve completely forgotten your name as well.”

“Ah, think nothing of it. We’ve only met once, after all. And it can be difficult to tell people from other nations apart, so it’s no surprise that you wouldn’t remember, Sir Asuta.” He certainly was being polite. Folks from Jagar tended to be so frank and open that it was quite rare to hear them talk that way, aside from Diel’s attendant, Labis. “My name is Bozl. We met in the Turan manor in the castle town.”

“The Turan manor? Ah, then you’re...!”

“Yes, I am one of the apprentices of Chef Varkas. It’s been roughly a month since our last meeting, Sir Asuta.”

Varkas, the chef from the castle town, had two other apprentices in addition to Shilly Rou. One was a tall older man who looked to be an easterner, and the other was a large southerner. The latter of those two was Bozl here.

“I’m terribly sorry about that. What brings you to the post town?”

“I had some minor negotiations to do with a merchant from Jagar. Not all merchants have passes to the castle town, so I occasionally have to head out myself,” Bozl answered with a smile. “And since I had already come all this way, I decided I should see how your business is doing, Sir Asuta. But this is quite a surprise. I never imagined I would find such a large operation in the post town.”

“We actually just expanded the restaurant today. Also, half of it belongs to the Ruu clan from the forest’s edge.”

“Is that so? In that case, it seems I picked a good day to come,” Bozl remarked with a nod, staring down at the plate of samples. “So, this is giba meat? From what I can tell, it seems to be a rather straightforward dish.”

“That’s right. I just grill the giba meat on a metal tray and then add a sauce made with tau oil, myamuu, and a few other things. That’s all there is to it. If you’d like, please go ahead and give it a try.”

“I appreciate it. Ever since I tasted your cooking, I’ve been highly interested in giba meat.” Then, after saying “My thanks” with a western-style show of gratitude, he grabbed one of the small skewered bits of steak and tossed it into his mouth. Since I had gotten some orders in the meantime, I went ahead and grilled up some more meat. “This is delicious...” Bozl said with a beaming smile. “Thanks to how straightforward the dish is, I was able to appreciate the taste of the meat fully. Just what cut is this, exactly?”

“It’s back meat.”

“Back meat, is it? It seems a bit tougher than karon meat, but it has just the right amount of fat to it, and a powerful flavor. It seems with the meat of wild beasts, it naturally comes with both a characteristic scent and a strong taste that can’t be avoided.”

“That’s true. Is it to your liking?”

“Yes, very much so. If it were not forbidden by the castle, I would surely be making plans to buy up your giba meat myself.”

Since we were still figuring out the appropriate market price for giba meat, it was forbidden for citizens of the castle town to purchase it. That was because Duke Marstein Genos had concerns that some noble may attempt to buy it all up and corner the market.

“My apologies, but I would like to sample the other dishes as well. That one there has a wonderful herby smell.”

“Yeah. If at all possible, I’d love to have Varkas try that one someday too.”

Varkas was incredibly skilled at handling herbs, so I couldn’t help but wonder what his impression of my giba curry would be. It was something I had really wanted to know for a while now.

Bozl nodded and then headed off to the right toward the giba curry stall and those belonging to the Ruu clan. At the same time, I spotted Myme and Bartha returning with a stall. Perhaps because it was her first day doing business, Milano Mas was also with them.

“Okay, I’ll be taking the spot next to you,” Myme said with a smile as she started hurriedly setting up the stall. Part of that involved placing a large lidded pot over a flame. Maybe because the giba manju stall was between us, though, the smell of her dish didn’t make it over to me.

“Hey Myme, how many portions did you prepare for today?” I loudly asked, with Yamiru Lea standing between us at the giba manju stall.

Myme sent me a smile back. “Well, since I’m just getting started today, I went ahead and prepared thirty meals.”

“Huh?! Only thirty?!”

“That’s right. From what I’ve heard, you’re doing well if you can sell thirty to fifty meals in the post town, so I figured that would be about right for now.”

That might have been true, but it was now normal for our giba dishes to sell into the triple digits. Not that I had room to talk, considering I had started out with just ten meals in the past, but I still couldn’t help but feel that such a small amount would sell out in a flash.

“I prepared three extra portions for you, someone from the Ruu clan, and the innkeeper to try, so please go ahead, if you’d like.”

“I see. Thanks, that’s good to hear,” I replied, and then I turned the other way toward Toor Deen.

The young girl gave me a bashful smile while watching over the Gaaz woman as she worked. “I’ll buy one of Myme’s meals tomorrow or some other time.”

“Sounds good. I’d like for everyone to have a chance to try it, so could you prepare ten or so extra meals tomorrow?” I asked Myme, but Bozl returned before I could get an answer.

“I sampled all of the dishes that I could, and every last one of them was delicious. I still have room left in my stomach, so I’m trying to figure out what I should order,” he remarked with a smile, and then he brought his face close to mine with a serious look in his eyes. “That curry dish in particular...it was most splendid. Now I not only want to hear what Varkas has to say, but also Tatumai as well.”

“Tatumai is Varkas’s other apprentice, right? Was he born in Sym?”

“No, he was born in the west, but one of his parents supposedly had blood from the east.” So in that case, he had mixed blood from the east and west, just like Sanjura. “Sir Asuta, if you do not mind, could I bring a serving of soup and that curry back to the castle town? It would allow me to fill my stomach fully with the other dishes as well. If that would be acceptable, I shall go purchase some lidded pots from a craftsman.”

“Yeah, it should last till nighttime with no issue, so I have no problem with your plan. And I would be really glad if you could get the others’ impressions too.”

“Then I shall bring some back for Tatumai and Shilly Rou as well. It seems that Shilly Rou was dissatisfied with your sweet from the tea party the other day...but if she tries these dishes, it will surely have quite an impact on her,” Bozl stated with the sort of wide grin I had come to expect from southerners. “As I recall, that morning was quite the ordeal. Varkas was in such a sulk over the fact that he could not attend the tea party due to work...”

“A sulk? Varkas was?”

“Indeed. He was like a child, asking why he couldn’t go rushing over there, to the place where you had been invited.” I had hardly seen Varkas’s expression shift at all, and my meager imagination wasn’t enough to picture what exactly the man would look like if he was sulking. “Well then, I shall finish up my work first and then return to purchase the meals once I’ve bought those containers. You wouldn’t expect any of the dishes to sell out in the next hour or so, would you?”

“No, I don’t imagine that will be an issue since we prepared a lot for today. But, well...” It must have been some twist of fate that I had met Bozl here today. After a bit of hesitation, I made up my mind to tell him about Myme. “Um, Bozl, do you know of a man named Mikel?”

“Mikel? Ah, he was considered to be one of the three great chefs several years back, alongside Varkas. I heard he had disappeared from Genos, though...”

“No, he actually moved from the castle town to the Turan lands. And his daughter is selling meals here in the post town starting today.”

“Oh?” Bozl remarked, his eyes opening wide. “Sir Asuta, are you close to Sir Mikel? The web of connections between people can be truly inexplicable at times...”

“Yeah, seriously,” I agreed, and then I pointed over toward the other side of the giba manju stall. “Mikel’s daughter’s stall is that one there. She didn’t prepare all that much, so how about giving it a try now while you have the chance?”

“Hmm...” Bozl pondered, stroking his disheveled mustache.

“On top of that, she uses giba meat too. And despite how young she is, I find her to be an exceptionally skilled chef.”

“Is that so? If that is your viewpoint, Sir Asuta, then I’m certain it must be true,” Bozl replied with an amused smile. “I suppose I shall have to give it a taste before I leave. It being giba cooking is enough to draw my interest in and of itself.”

After watching Bozl walk over that way, I turned toward Ai Fa. “Sorry, Ai Fa, but if any customers come by, could you ask them to hold on for a bit? I’d like to try Myme’s dish before things get too crowded.”

“Yes, just leave it to me.”

Leaving my reliable clan head to hold down the stall, I called Sheera Ruu over from the outdoor restaurant, and we hurried over to Myme’s place.

The young girl greeted us with a bright smile. “Ah, Asuta. I just got the food heated up. This man placed an order just a moment ago as well.”

Bozl was in front of the stall wearing a nonchalant look. Since Myme wasn’t offering samples, he’d had no choice but to make a purchase. Meanwhile, Milano Mas was standing there next to the stall looking bored.

“I’ll go ahead and get things ready. That will be two red coins.”

“Right. Here you are.”

After accepting the coins from Bozl, Myme removed the lid from her pot. Instantly, a sweet smell spread through the air. It was the scent of karon milk.

Now that I thought back on it, during our trip to Dabagg, Myme had been struck by inspiration and had said she’d like to use karon milk in the recipe for her stall. That was why the stall’s opening had been delayed to today, right before the start of the revival festival.

Inside the large pot was a milky-white soup boiling away. It looked to have a thickness akin to a stew, and there were, of course, scents other than just the milk coming from it. It was a dense, sweet aroma.

Additionally, I could spy dozens of wooden skewers poking up from under the surface. Though I couldn’t see what the soup looked like under the surface, it was reminding me of oden.

“Please hold on for just a moment.”

She then pulled some baked poitan roughly twenty centimeters in diameter from a bag and placed them on top of her work station. Next, she grabbed one of the wooden skewers and stirred it through the broth a bit before pulling it out. Apparently, the liquid was even more viscous than a stew, as the milky-white broth wrapped around the skewered bits like cheese fondue. However, now I could just about make out what she had on those skewers: giba meat, aria, and nenon.

The skewers alternated between three bits of meat and one of each of the vegetables, like what you’d see with a kabob. The vegetables were cut into round slices, while the meat was all rolled up.

Myme grabbed a baked poitan and sandwiched the skewered ingredients in the middle. Then, she gripped the poitan and pulled the skewer out. The result was a semi-circular dish that looked like a massive unsealed gyoza.

“Please, dig in,” Myme said as she handed it to Bozl and then got to making the portion for us. Though she had to get her hand in close to the boiling contents of the pot, she didn’t show any concern about the heat. She must have toughened up the skin of her hands through years of practice, just like I had. “Here’s one for you too.”

“Right. Thanks.”

I started intensively inspecting the dish. Fuwano and poitan wrapped around meat and vegetables was a staple among the stalls. Nothing about it struck me as especially novel in terms of appearance or aroma. However, my expectations were still quite high as I bit into it.

The poitan was springy, yet also soft. Just dissolving the poitan in water and then baking it wouldn’t give you this texture, so she must have mixed in gigo or something.

More importantly, though, the fillings were incredibly delicious. To start with, the thickness of the white soup was a complete mystery to me. It was sticky like grated gigo, but had a smooth texture to it. Naturally, there was a strong karon-milk flavor about it. Aside from that, I could taste milk fat and the saltiness of tau oil. Not to mention the strong umami of the meat and veggies.

Myme had perfected the technique of drawing out a dish’s richness and flavor though her use of a stock made out of grated vegetables and bones, which she had utilized to great effect here.

The closest dish I could think to compare it to was probably creamy chicken and vegetable stew. However, the essence of the dish was different. Even if they were similar, they were still pretty distinct.

And as if that mysterious broth itself wasn’t enough, you had the ingredients on top of it. The rolled meat, which had a wonderful gelatin-like texture, was definitely giba rib meat. The sweet broth had seeped all the way into the middle of the wrap too.

The meat was cut thin, but then rolled up until it was several layers thick, so it still felt more than substantial enough. It tasted even more delicious when eaten together with the soft aria. The proportions of the various ingredients you got in each bite of poitan you took were so perfect that it seemed like there had to be actual calculations that went into it.

When I took a second bite, I found another trick to it: that second bit of meat wasn’t from the ribs, but rather the thighs. It was even chewier than the other one, and the meaty taste was strong enough to not get lost in the richness of the soup.

After the nenon—which was every bit as soft as the aria—I found sirloin meat waiting for me. It was more solid than the rib meat, but also had a finer texture than the thigh meat, which made for another welcome change.

Since it only cost two red coins, there seemed to be about forty grams of each cut of meat. Because the price was set by the castle, there wasn’t really any way to change those quantities. Still, it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to eat a whole lot more. It was just that delicious.

After carefully savoring the last bite and swallowing, I turned back toward Myme.

“That was delicious. It’s been a while since I last had your cooking, but you really have grown exceptionally skilled at handling giba meat compared to a month ago.”

“Thank you. I’m overjoyed to hear you say that about my giba cooking, Asuta,” Myme replied with an incredibly proud smile.

As she stared down at the young girl, Sheera Ruu also quietly said, “It’s so good.”

“It’s always shocking to see just how skilled you are, Myme. How did you give the broth that mysterious texture?” I asked.

“I used fuwano, poitan, and gigo. It took a whole lot of time to figure out the amounts.”

“And I’d imagine all sorts of vegetables went into it for flavor too, right? Did you also use kimyuus bones?”

“Yes, leg bones. From both kimyuus and karon. I was thinking of using giba bones as well, but that made the flavor too overpowering, and I just couldn’t make it work.”

That was an issue the Ruu clan and I were currently working on. Giba bone soup had an incredibly powerful stench, so it definitely wasn’t something that would be easy to work with.

“Well, this is a shock. I didn’t expect that your skills would be this incredible... It looks like it really was the right choice for our inn to not bother with a stall,” Milano Mas remarked, unable to hide his surprise.

I spotted Bozl looking closely at Myme’s grinning face after having remained silent all this time. Noticing my gaze, he finally broke out in a broad smile.

“Yes, I find myself quite surprised too. I never would have imagined there was a chef out there even younger than you and yet still on the same level, Sir Asuta. Sir Mikel really must have been as great of a chef as he was reputed to be.”

“Huh? You know about my father?”

“Indeed. I haven’t lived here in Genos all that long, so I never had a chance to eat his cooking, but I’ve certainly heard plenty about him.”

“Ah, sorry. Bozl’s from the castle town and has ties to a chef who knew Mikel’s skills very well, so I told him about your dad,” I chimed in.

“I see,” Myme replied with a carefree smile. “I would be very glad to have someone who knew my father’s cooking taste it. If you could please tell that person about my dish, I’d really appreciate it.”

“I most certainly will. I’m sure Varkas will be overjoyed as well. No doubt, he’ll want to taste your cooking himself once he hears about it...” Bozl remarked, his smile growing all the more amused. “However, it would be a little difficult to bring this dish back with me. I imagine you’ll hear something from Varkas about trying your cooking soon enough.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting.”

Myme looked somewhat nonchalant, but this meant she might someday be invited to the castle town. If that did happen, there wouldn’t be anything strange about it. After all, I found Myme and Varkas to be similarly astounding. And considering her age, Myme seemed to be the chef who had the greatest potential of any I knew.

Cyclaeus isn’t around anymore to commit atrocities against chefs, so maybe Myme should follow in Mikel’s footsteps and become a chef in the castle town.

It might have been a bit forward of me to start thinking something like that, but it all came down to Myme and Mikel. If they both wished for it, then it certainly wouldn’t be impossible.

But for now, I was just incredibly happy to be able to do business alongside a girl so brimming with talent.