Chapter 100

Koreans say garlic is not a spice.

"It's a vegetable, I tell you."

"Coo, coo, coo..."

"Honey, is it really something to hate that much?"

Whenever Honey expressed denial, he always made a "coo" sound, and when he cooed like that, he curled his already round body even rounder and bobbed up and down.

He looked like a bouncy ball rolling around weakly.

But Jio felt wronged.

"Garlic isn't spicy once it's cooked."

"Coo."

"You know once you try it, it's just a potato. It's basically a potato that mashes well and has moisture."

"Coo, coo..."

"All the aroma went into the oil. Dad really feels wronged."

After going to all the trouble of making the meal, two members of his family distrusted Jio.

"I told you Dad tried it."

The one who responded to that was not Honey, but the teddy bear.

"Coo..."

"... Of course it's true that Koreans have a high tolerance for spice, but Father, that is a prejudice. Not all Koreans are strong against spicy food. I was average."

He had never said it separately, but since a god was still a god, the Sun God knew there was a Korean among the "Jios."

And because of the common belief that Koreans were unusually strong against spicy flavors, this standoff had happened.

"Why must we face such a cruel trial before this warm, delicious table...?"

As always, Jio's cooking was incredible.

The club trumpets, tossed in at just the right timing and cooked until tender and moist, boasted a milky color, and the olive oil imbued with the soul of garlic harmonized with the Milky Way mary and weeping fronds.

Also, the bread that the Sun God had blessed with warmth and cut, and that Jio had baked once in the oven, was generously giving off a savory aroma.

"On top of that, with the slices of smoked fish gently dried in a mild spring breeze, what a modest and perfect table this is. Especially if you put this soft and chewy fish jerky on a crisp baguette, drip one or two drops of gambas oil over it, and then top it with well-aged capers, how delicious would that be?"

Perhaps the sincerity of a pig appealing directly to their appetite had gotten through, because he felt Honey and the teddy bear waver.

Jio did not miss the opportunity and seated Honey and the teddy bear on the table.

"Let's eat first and talk after. No matter how much you hate spicy things, you don't do this in front of a piping-hot table. That is an insult to the ingredients and a criticism of me as the chef."

"Coo..."

"Coo..."

"Dana has already gone and sat down, so are you all going to hesitate like this? Honey, I did not raise you to be that weak. Father, did you not say you wanted to experience human culture?"

In that way, Jio barely managed to persuade the two of them.

"You made the right decision. Yes, you may feel aversion to spicy things, but if you avoid them without even trying them in the first place, the breadth of your experiences can only shrink."

"Coo."

"Of course, spicy flavor is said to be closer to pain than taste, but even if I do not deny that, I would like you to understand that even that is one experience in gastronomy. Mouthfeel is also one branch of dining."

It was the same as not wanting to eat soggy fried dumplings or hard pudding.

Food had the texture that suited it best, and the taste and aroma that suited that form.

Jio could not leave these spice wimps alone.

"No, more than that."

Jio once again protested his innocence.

"I said it isn't spicy."

"..."

"Dana, even you don't trust this father?"

At any rate, the meal proceeded.

Honey and the Sun God both subtly showed their reluctance, but from the beginning, they had never had any intention of not eating at all.

There was no way they could avoid it when delicious smells were wafting everywhere.

Jio made a salmon baguette for his timid spice-wimp son.

"Put the nicely cooked broccoli and garlic on the baguette... mash the tomato wide enough for the juice to come out... put the smoked fish on top of that... then add the cheese flower, and ta-da."

Jio's salmon baguette was complete.

"I'm glad I grew cheese flowers."

This flower made of cheese was one he had first encountered at the restaurant he visited with Yu Seongun.

Because it was a plant that naturally grew in a dungeon somewhere, he had been able to receive its seeds.

Perhaps because it had been influenced by the forest as expected, it had evolved from an azalea to about a morning glory, but its deep flavor and aroma remained the same.

"If you eat it with cheese like this, it will be much less spicy."

"Coo..."

CHOMP.

The baguette slowly melted down into Honey's body.

"... Coo."

"It's good, right?"

"Coooooooo."

"That's a relief."

The impression of the very first food one ate tended to decide the culinary journey that followed.

He did not want to plant a bad memory of the first "spicy flavor" the child had ever tasted after being born.

"It's fine because it's moderately spicy, right?"

"Coo, coo."

"Right, you only know anything after trying it."

Jio also made a baguette in the same way as before and ate it.

"Mmm."

In the name of a self-proclaimed amateur gourmet, he approved.

"It's nice."

"Coo."

It was delicious.

'I think it could have been a little spicier than this for me, though.'

Jio avoided spiciness on the level of a traffic accident, but he knew that if it was at the level of lightly bumping his shoulder as it passed, it could be an appropriate stimulus.

The smoked fish, the cheese flower, the broccoli, all of them were mild flavors, so it did feel a little bland.

'But this is pretty decent.'

The sharp, spicy aroma unique to Milky Way mary tapped the roof of his mouth and passed by, but it was not enough to make his tongue tingle, so he could let it pass as a pleasant aroma.

Honey also seemed to have given it a passing grade on that point.

'The broccoli is cooked just right, too. If I'd cooked it too long, it would have gone limp and soggy, and the texture would have been strange... The unusually firm tomatoes also mashed softly because I heated them.'

Because the broccoli, garlic, and tomatoes had all absorbed the spicy oil, it did feel as though they had become slightly spicy.

But right around then, the cheese flower that entered his mouth with them spread much more softly and silkily than the vegetables, calming the tingling sensation.

In particular, the smoked fish gave off the luxurious aroma unique to burning wood and created an even more harmonious flavor.

"... If I put scallops in here too..."

"Coo?"

"Ah, yes, scallops shouldn't be especially spicy either."

Perhaps the Sun God also felt that this level of spice was delicious, because he subtly held out a baguette containing sun-dried tomatoes to Jio.

It meant he wanted Jio to make him a baguette with scallops in it.

'Trying to experiment as soon as he accepts a new opinion. I see the qualities of an excellent pig.'

A baguette containing sun-dried tomatoes.

It already had the sweet and tart flavor unique to tomatoes dried well in the sunlight.

Without bothering to add tomatoes from the oil, he made a baguette with only broccoli, garlic, and scallops on top.

"Try it once, and if you feel it's a little spicy, eat it together with this cheese."

"Coo..."

Munch.

Half the baguette vanished into the teddy bear's large mouth.

"..."

"..."

"Coo, coo, coo..."

Seeing his pleased laugh, Jio's choice seemed to have satisfied him.

"..."

"Mrow."

"... You are quite talented."

He had worried a little because Dana and Honey had no hands, but they somehow used their mouths or feet and combined the ingredients just fine.

Jio nodded with pride and watched his family, who had now begun combining things on their own.

"Hmm..."

Maybe later he should make bread with dried figs in it too.

"It really is nice to have bread made in advance."

"Coo."

"That's right. In Edlen village, this was daily life."

Because it was a region where bread was a staple food, even though it was a seaside village, there had been quite a lot of bakeries here and there.

"Coo?"

"Yes, there were many homes without ovens."

"Coo?"

"In those cases, they either used the village's communal oven, or families with a little more means frequently used the bakery. At any rate, whenever a meal was set, I think bread was basically never missing."

"Coo, coo, coo."

"As you guessed, I preferred baking bread myself at home."

In Edlen village, bread had felt like rice in Korea, so even bakeries sold only the most basic bread.

Because it was normal to dip it in stew, there were hardly any places that sold it with dried fruit or nuts added.

"If I baked bread myself, I could try all kinds of things. Sometimes I even baked it with minced sausage or fish inside. The seafood of Edlen village was of a high quality, so no matter how it was used, it was quite easy to eat."

Remembering that time made motivation well up in him.

"As expected, it would be better to bake bread in advance."

"Coooo."

"Right, that way we can take it out and eat it whenever we think of it like this."

Because bread took a lot of time to knead and bake, the people of Edlen village would choose a day, prepare a large quantity of bread all at once, and then last nearly a month on it.

'Of course the bread got hard and dry, but being able to eat warm, moist bread every day was a privilege of nobles... And in any case, if you dip hard, dry bread in stew, that's delicious in its own way.'

Rather, dry, hardened bread and soup-heavy stew went well together.

Since everyone ate it that way, stew ordered at restaurants came out a little salty if one drank only the broth, and bread was served alongside it instead.

But the advantage of this forest was that fully grown vegetables and cooked food did not spoil.

Even if he baked plenty of bread, it would always be maintained as though freshly baked, so if he diligently baked and stocked it up, he would be able to eat it from time to time.

"If I bake other breads besides meal bread, that would also be quite..."

"Mrrrow."

"Small, round bread? Donut holes would be nice too."

If he added a little milk to powdered sugar and coated the bread with it, excellent glazed donuts would be complete.

Jio thought he should make a few sweet breads too.

"Now, this is where we use the pasta noodles."

When he felt that a suitable amount of bread had been consumed, Jio took out the pasta noodles he had prepared in advance.

He placed the springy, cooked pasta noodles on his own plate, and added various vegetables, several spoonfuls of oil, scallops, and even the sausages Dana had brought.

"If I add cheese, this would be good in its own way."

"Coo."

"I'll give you some too, so wait a moment. This has a lot of oil in it, so it might be a little spicy."

"Coo."

"You've gotten brave. Children really do grow before you know it..."

Jio tossed the noodles in the hot oil to bring them to a suitable temperature, then slurped up a taste.

"It's good."

He liked it very much.

"It won't hold down the spiciness of the oil as much as bread, so this will probably be a little spicier. Just in case, eat it with cheese flower on top."

"Coooo."

"Do you need some too, Father?"

At Jio's question, the teddy bear shook his head.

He had not particularly tried noodles before, but it seemed he still liked bread and had no intention of switching to another kind yet.

Jio affirmed that conviction of his.

Jio served pasta in front of Dana, who had become curious too about what Honey was eating, and then ate his own again.

"..."

CHEW.

It really was good.

'The oil aroma is stronger, so it tingles too...'

Jio sprinkled a little more ground Milky Way mary over his portion of pasta.

Its unique, intense aroma spread out at once, and when he ate it together with the spicy sausage, including its juices, the taste was extremely excellent.

'I'm glad I grilled the sausage once.'

The moist inside beneath the snappy skin let him feel every grain of its meaty texture as he chewed, and the slick noodles thoroughly coated in oil added flavor and texture, setting his appetite ablaze.

Even when he ate it with the club trumpets being treated as scallops rather than sausages, it had a different flavor, so there was no time to get sick of it.

Jio drank the sweet goby-fruit tea he had prepared in advance, then opened his mouth.

"... Haa..."

A satisfied sigh escaped him on its own.

This was happiness.