Chapter 45: Fried Delicacies
I ventured deeper into the forest along the riverbank. The gentle slope of the forest meant the water flowed calmly. Even though it was only every two years or so, the traces of human footsteps made the path easier to navigate than I had expected.
“Hey, let’s take a break for lunch soon.”
“We’ve made good progress. The weather’s been a blessing,” Dean and Retze chimed in.
We settled down by the riverside for our lunch break, each of us with our own bento. Though calling it a bento usually meant just bread with meat stuffed inside.
“I’m going to gather firewood while I take a bathroom break,” I said, taking my bag with me.
It would be troublesome if we got ambushed by a demon beast and ended up separated. The others only had shoulder bags, leaving behind larger bags like those of a deity.
Chris and Retze stayed behind to keep an eye on our belongings and prepare a spot for the fire, while also picking up firewood within sight.
Though there were bears in the area, no stronger demon beasts would appear, so we could split up for now. If we ventured further in, I’d likely end up teaming up with either Chris or Dean.
“Rishu,” I called out, returning home to take care of business and give Rishu a pat before heading back into the forest.
I had been granted some free time early in the morning, but if I were to be told that it was canceled and Rishu would follow me, that would be a hassle. After finishing up, I thought seriously about gathering firewood.
Oh? I spotted some wild asparagus. The slender, purplish shoots were standing tall, not even half the thickness of my pinky, but there were quite a few sprouting.
The butler had lamented that wild asparagus would be ready for harvest soon. From what I gathered, it was different from regular asparagus, but I wondered what it would taste like. They said it was in season around April, so it was still a bit early. I thought I might try to look for it when the time came.
I also discovered some butterbur. Here, they sell butter wrapped in these leaves. It’s said to help with migraines, nasal congestion, hay fever, and urinary tract inflammation, but there’s also a risk of acute hepatitis or liver failure, according to the appraisal.
That was close; I had been thinking about tempura made from butterbur sprouts. This time, I decided to be satisfied with just the asparagus and retreated.
When I returned to the original spot, the fire was already crackling, and the butler was preparing hot water. I was the last one back, but with this many people, it was fine for each of us to gather only a small amount of firewood. Most of us had scattered to take care of our business anyway.
“I’m back!” I announced, placing the firewood I had collected next to the others and unwrapping my bento.
Thanks to my coat, I didn’t feel too cold while moving around, but it was still chilly. I could really use some warm soup or tea. Well, that’s why the butler was boiling water.
“Is this for tea?” I asked.
“Yes, indeed,” he replied.
I took out a pot to boil water, tossing in some dried chicken, onions, and shiitake mushrooms, along with salt and pepper. The onions and shiitake were already diced and dried, so there was no need to cut them further, and the chicken could be easily shredded by hand along the grain. After that, I left it to simmer and opened my bento.
Inside were sandwiches wrapped in oil paper: katsu, egg, cheese and ham, sautéed mushrooms with beef. And of course, delicious karaage that tasted great even when cold.
“Your lunch looks incredibly delicious…” Dean remarked.
“Go ahead and eat. I made a bit too much, and it won’t keep,” I offered.
Given the size of the bread, everything was portioned into two pieces, so I couldn’t finish it all by myself. I had thought about saving some for dinner, but since I found the asparagus, I could manage.
“Wait, all of you!?” I exclaimed as hands reached out from all directions, each grabbing one piece. Of course, my share wouldn’t be enough! Well, I could always have some karaage.
“What a tenderness!” Chris exclaimed, holding up the egg sandwich. The bread here might be a bit tough and crumbly. It seemed like it was meant to be eaten with plenty of olive oil, or perhaps it was just easier to store that way.
Also, it must have something to do with the type and quality of the wheat. Here, the focus was on utilizing every ingredient to maximize calorie intake.
“I prefer my bread on the tougher side, but this meat is delicious,” I said.
“I agree, it’s tasty.”
“What’s this around it?”
“That’s panko.”
Dean and Ash were enjoying katsu sandwiches. Panko was available here too, but it was actually a dish made by roughly grinding stale bread that had hardened over time. I hadn’t seen anything else like it.
“Is that panko?” I asked.
“To be precise, it’s pork coated in a mixture of egg and flour, then rolled in panko and deep-fried,” the butler explained, curious if I planned to make it.
Here, most cooking was done over a fireplace, and deep-fried dishes were rare. There were thin cutlets made in a frying pan, so it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar.
Thick pork loin, coarse panko. Freshly fried, it was crispy, and the juicy pork inside was a delight. The katsu sandwich, with the pork soaked in sauce after sitting for a day, was moist and tender. When I bit into it, the pork easily tore apart.
I thought to myself that making oyster sauce would probably be more challenging. I had brought oysters through [Teleportation], but I wondered how difficult it would be to obtain them normally here. In fact, they might not even know oysters existed.
Traveling in this world wasn’t easy, and the culture surrounding fresh food had been severed. Each time we entered a new territory governed by a different lord, we had to pay a passage tax at the gates and bridges.
It seemed that most passage taxes, except for entering towns, were waived for adventurers and merchants ranked Iron or higher, but it still depended on the lord. Even among the same lord, the taxes could vary based on the number of demon beasts.
In other words, many places were just squeezing every last bit from ordinary travelers. They wouldn’t want their valuable workforce moving to other cities. Farmers were tied to their land.
I sipped my soup while munching on karaage.
“This is delicious too.”
“Is it chicken?”
“This one’s deep-fried as well.”
Dean and Ash were the ones chatting about the food. The butler asked about the cooking methods. Meanwhile, Chris and Retze had fallen silent, just munching away. Their eyes seemed a bit unfocused, which was a little unsettling.
Since we had planned to walk for a long time, the seasoning was quite robust. Salt, pepper, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and a splash of brandy. The fish sauce was a byproduct from when I made anchovies.
Though I was using the cheat of [Teleportation], I had only brought ingredients based on what I had seen here. As for quality, I didn’t think about that. — Corn was quite different too, and even things that should have been the same as what was in the Pantry felt significantly different.
Yeah, it couldn’t compare to freshly fried, but it turned out delicious.