Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Just Cooking
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Vegetarianism.
Even in modern times, it's a complex and sensitive topic.
Unless humanity goes extinct, the debate will probably rage on endlessly.
It's not just about personal beliefs—religious, ethical, and environmental reasons are all tangled up in it. Without some absolute being suddenly appearing and declaring, "From now on, you're eating meat (or veggies)," it's never going to end.
As a chef, I've had to think deeply about this subject, and I know the problems that can arise from a strictly vegetarian diet.
Let's just focus on the most important one—
'Nutritional issues, obviously.'
Depending on how strict the vegetarianism is, the classic problems include deficiencies in protein, fats, and essential amino acids.
These are all essential for human survival.
If you don't get enough, you can end up with muscle loss, decreased bone density, anemia, chronic fatigue, nervous system issues—the list goes on and on.
Even those are internal problems, though. The most obvious outward change is from collagen deficiency: your skin loses elasticity and gets dry.
And not just that—your weight drops sharply.
Not in a positive dieting way, but literally becoming 'frail.'
It's actually bad for your looks.
In extreme cases, I've seen news stories about people dying from sticking to a vegan diet.
And right now...
I'm witnessing a textbook case of all those issues I just mentioned, in real time.
"Damon, did you figure out what's causing the illness? For real?"
I nodded.
"Yes. And if we leave it like this, it could really be dangerous."
Elfriede had told me that elves' average lifespan is about the same as humans'.
That's laughably short compared to how they're usually depicted.
If you think of elves as just humans with pointy ears, it's not that weird in a medieval world where longevity is tough anyway.
Humans die young due to poor medical tech or wars, but elves are free from all that, so them dying early is definitely a problem.
In other words, their lifespan is inherently short.
'The cause is obviously that 'illness.'
In our modern world with advanced medicine, people don't just aim to 'live long'—they want to 'live long and healthy.'
Put another way, you could say elves' lives are just a 'slow death.'
"...This won't do."
"Huh? What?"
"Help me out, Elfriede. We need to make something edible right now."
I grabbed Elfriede's slender wrist and headed straight outside.
*
I'm not trying to play some genius doctor who time-traveled from the past or anything.
Are the elves unhappy just because they're sickly?
'No, they're not.'
I'd heard elves are pretty content living in the Spirit Realm.
For a nobody like me to go around saying they're unhealthy would just be arrogant, assuming some kind of superiority.
I'm not trying to be a hero saving primitive medieval folk either. I hate that kind of cringey stuff.
I'm just—
'Cooking.'
Like I said before, that's what I did in my old world, and it's what I'm best at.
I was born to cook. I love it.
Setting that aside, the reason I'm even here is because Elfriede asked me to cook for her.
That's justification enough. Call it meddling if you want.
When someone orders food, it's a chef's duty to serve it.
"So, what do you need help with?"
"First, chop some mushrooms. Edible ones."
"Got it!"
Extreme vegans don't even eat mushrooms, apparently.
So what?
The reason elves had been surviving on just herbal tea wasn't religious, ethical, or environmental.
They just ate that because they could survive on it.
In other words, they don't know the joys of 'gourmet' food.
Living in a place so cut off from the world, they had to be conservative.
They probably never even tried food that suited their tastes.
So, just make food that does. Problem solved.
'Meat's too soon, though.'
Even when raising a baby, you don't just shove tasty stuff in from day one.
You have to check for allergies first, and their stomachs need time to adjust to new foods.
That's right.
To me, elves who'd spent their lives on herbal infusions and raw greens were no different from newborns.
But you can't feed baby food to grown adults.
I already had a rough idea of what to make.
'Anyway, this is creepy.'
It had been evening just a few hours ago, but after a quick trip to the Spirit Realm, morning light was already breaking.
"That's enough."
As expected from nature-loving elves, she gathered mushrooms lightning-fast.
"What's next?"
"Eggs."
Unfortunately, I don't think there are any wild chickens around here.
"Any animal eggs will do."
"Okay, hold on!"
It really didn't take long this time either.
What the...?
Why is she so fast?
"Next?"
"...Potatoes?"
I half-expected it, but she actually got them.
'Ridiculous.'
Alright then.
"Any nuts would be great."
She got them quick again.
No, seriously—how does she find this stuff so fast?
When I asked, she said:
"Ask the spirits, and it's fast."
Ah...
'Total cheat.'
I thought it'd be so convenient if I could handle spirits too, then told her we should head back.
A little while later.
Back in the Spirit Realm, we gathered our haul in Elfriede and her mother's kitchen.
"No meat needed?"
"Can your mom eat it? Honestly asking."
"...Kinda, huh?"
Heh heh. Elfriede scratched her head and smiled sheepishly.
"Meat next time. Today, we're making pie."
"Pie?"
She looked a bit disappointed. Why? Pie's delicious.
Especially mine—it can't possibly taste bad.
"But don't you need flour for pie?"
She's had some human food exposure, hitting the key flaw.
But who am I? A one-star chef can't make pie without flour?
'Let's get started.'
First, I coated a pan in oil. From pressing the nuts.
By the way, I borrowed the earth spirit 'Geo's' power.
Mashed the dirt into a press, and out came the oil.
Chopped the leftover nuts fine with the mushrooms. Stuffing for the pie.
Mushrooms are packed with B vitamins and minerals that veggies lack.
Nuts have plant protein, fats, iron, and trace omega-3s—especially walnuts. Yeah, that stuff from fatty fish.
'They pair great.'
Mushrooms have glutamates for umami, nuts bring that nutty richness.
"Damon? Potatoes look done. Wanna check?"
"Yeah, perfect."
Elfriede handled boiling the potatoes. As the homeowner, she wanted to help somehow.
It combined three spirit techniques.
Water spirit 'Hydro' filled it up, fire spirit 'Pyro' lit the flame, wind spirit 'Aero' controlled the heat.
Thanks to them, we could heat-cook without a hearth.
'The more I see, the more I want one.'
Smacking my lips, I mashed the boiled potatoes.
"Whoa, not hot?"
"Has to be hot to mash smooth."
Elfriede went "ooh" with an intrigued look.
'Should've brought milk and butter.'
Swallowing my regret, I beat eggs into the mash.
'Might be too stimulating, so light on seasoning.'
No milk or butter, but I did bring essentials: salt and pepper. Easier to carry.
Seasoned lightly, then layered the stuffing in an oven pan and spread the mash smooth on top.
Lots of missing ingredients due to circumstances, but bake it like this and you've got a half-vegan Shepherd’s Pie.
This pie, popular in Commonwealth countries, swaps flour for potatoes.
You could call it an idea born from shepherds (the namesake) too busy herding to make dough.
No lamb, the star ingredient, but that's intentional.
Sniff sniff.
Elfriede prowled around the hearth, sniffing nonstop.
"Not ready yet...?"
Hmm.
She'd looked bummed at "pie" earlier.
I chuckled and checked the pie.
'Good to take out.'
The potato top was perfectly crispy. Any longer and it might burn.
"Whoaaa."
Elfriede's eyes glued to the pan, following it.
"It really turned into pie?"
She clapped timidly and asked.
"But will eating this actually make me better? I mean, it looks amazing, but no herbs or medicine went in."
...Except the herbs. She'd quietly added that after I decorated the top with some.
"Can't guarantee instant results. We'll watch your progress for a bit."
This is just a stopgap. For real effects, meat is essential. And plenty of sunlight.
Can't rush those, so we'll take it step by step.
"Let's serve your mom quick."
Mountains of work ahead.
To feed every elf in the village, we'll need to hustle.