Chapter 100
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100
To Koreans, garlic wasn’t a spice.
"It’s a vegetable, I tell you!"
"Kkoong, kkoong, kkoong..."
"Honey, do you really have to hate it that much?"
Honey always made a "kkoong" sound to express disapproval. When he grumbled like that, he would curl his already round body even tighter and bob up and down, looking like a delicate, bouncing rubber ball.
But Gio felt deeply wronged.
"Garlic isn’t spicy once you cook it."
"Kkoong."
"You’ll see once you taste it—it’s just like a potato. It’s soft, easily mashed, and moist, just like a potato."
"Kkoong, kkoong..."
"All the sharp flavor has seeped into the oil. I’m being completely wronged here."
After all his hard work making dinner, two of his family members were staring at him with profound distrust.
"I told you, I already tasted it."
The one who responded to that wasn’t Honey, but the Teddy Bear.
"Kkoo..."
"...Of course, I know Koreans have a reputation for handling spicy food, but Father, that’s a stereotype. Not all Koreans can handle spice. I was just average."
Though he had never mentioned it, the Sun God, being a god, knew that Gio had once been Korean. This standoff was the result of the stereotype that all Koreans could handle extreme spice.
"Why must we face such a harsh trial when faced with this warm, delicious spread...?"
As always, Gio’s cooking was superb.
Tossed in at the perfect moment, the Club Trumpet Shells were cooked to a soft, moist perfection, their flesh a pristine white. The olive oil, infused with the very soul of garlic, harmonized beautifully with the Milky Way Mary and Crying Hem.
Furthermore, the bread—blessed with the Sun God’s warmth, sliced, and baked once more in the stone oven by Gio—exuded a rich, savory aroma.
"And with the addition of smoked fish fillets gently dried in a mild spring breeze, what a simple yet perfect table this is. Imagine placing a piece of this soft, chewy fish fillet on a crispy baguette, drizzling a drop or two of the gambas oil, and topping it with well-cured capers—how delicious would that be?"
Perhaps his sincere appeal to their appetites—spoken like a true glutton—had worked, because he felt Honey and the Teddy Bear hesitate. Gio didn’t miss the opportunity and sat them both down at the table.
"Let’s eat first. I don’t care how much you dislike spicy food; you don’t act like this in front of a fresh, hot meal. It’s an insult to the ingredients and to me, the chef."
"Kkooreuk..."
"Kkoo..."
"Dana is already at her spot, so why is everyone hesitating? Honey, I didn’t raise you to be so weak. And Father, didn’t you say you wanted to experience human culture?"
With that, Gio barely managed to persuade the two.
"A wise decision. Yes, you might feel averse to spicy things, but if you just avoid them without even trying, you’ll only limit the scope of your experiences."
"Kkoooo."
"Of course, they say spiciness is closer to pain than an actual taste. But even if we don’t deny that, I hope you understand that even pain can be part of the culinary experience. Texture is also a key part of dining."
It was just like how no one wanted to eat soggy fried dumplings or rock-hard pudding. Every food had a texture that suited it best, along with a flavor and aroma that matched its form. Gio simply could not abandon these spice wimps to their fate.
"But more than that," Gio protested his innocence once more, "I told you, it’s not spicy!"
"..."
"Even you, Dana... you don’t trust your father?"
At any rate, the meal proceeded. Although both Honey and the Sun God had shown subtle resistance, they had never actually intended to skip it entirely. With such a delicious aroma wafting through the air, how could they possibly resist?
Gio made a salmon baguette for his timid, spice-wimp son.
"Put some well-cooked broccoli and garlic on the baguette... crush a tomato flat so the juices flow... place the smoked fish on top... and then top it with a Cheese Flower. Ta-da."
Gio’s signature salmon baguette was complete.
I’m glad I grew those Cheese Flowers.
This flower made of cheese was something he had first encountered at a restaurant he visited with Yoo Seong-un. Since it was a plant that grew naturally in a dungeon, he had been able to bring back its seeds.
Perhaps because it was influenced by the forest, it had evolved from resembling an azalea to something like a morning glory, but its deep flavor and aroma remained the same.
"If you eat it with cheese like this, it’ll be much less spicy."
"Kkoong..."
Chomp.
The baguette slid smoothly into Honey’s body and dissolved.
"...Kkooreu."
"It’s good, right?"
"Kkooreureureureureu."
"What a relief."
The impression of the very first dish often determined the rest of one’s Gourmet Road. He didn’t want his child’s first experience with "spicy" to be a bad one.
"It’s just the right amount of spicy, right?"
"Kkooreuk, kkooreuk."
"Yes, you have to try everything to know."
Gio also made a baguette for himself in the same way and took a bite.
"Mmh."
He approved, in the name of a self-proclaimed amateur gourmet.
This is good.
"Kkooroong."
It was delicious.
I think it could have been a bit spicier, though.
While Gio avoided spice levels that felt like a car crash, he knew that a gentle nudge of heat could be a pleasant stimulus. Since the smoked fish, Cheese Flowers, and broccoli were all mild, it did feel a bit plain.
But this is still pretty good.
The uniquely spicy and pungent aroma of Milky Way Mary lightly brushed against the roof of his mouth, but it wasn’t enough to numb his tongue, making it a pleasant fragrance to savor. Honey seemed to have given it a passing grade for this very reason.
The broccoli is cooked just right, too. If it had been cooked too long, it would have gone soggy and limp, ruining the texture... and the exceptionally plump tomatoes, softened by the heat, mashed down easily.
Because the broccoli, garlic, and tomatoes had all absorbed the spicy oil, it did feel like the heat was building up a bit. But just as it did, the Cheese Flower entered his mouth, spreading even softer and silkier than the vegetables, soothing the tingling sensation.
In particular, the smoked fish lent a luxurious aroma of burnt wood, creating an even more harmonious flavor.
"...If we added scallops to this..."
"Kkoo?"
"Ah, yes, the scallops won’t be particularly spicy either."
Perhaps the Sun God also found this level of spiciness delicious, as he subtly slid a baguette with Sun-dried Tomatoes toward Gio. It was a silent request to make one with scallops.
Experimenting the moment he accepts a new idea—he has all the makings of a true glutton.
A baguette with Sun-dried Tomatoes already possessed the unique sweet and sour flavor of tomatoes dried in the sun. Gio refrained from adding the oil-soaked tomatoes, instead topping the baguette with only broccoli, garlic, and scallops.
"Give it a try. If it feels a bit spicy, you can eat it with some of this cheese."
"Kkoo..."
Chomp.
Half of the baguette vanished into the Teddy Bear’s large mouth.
"..."
"..."
"Kkoo-kkoo-kkoo..."
From his pleasant chuckle, it seemed he was highly satisfied with Gio’s choice.
"..."
"Mwahng."
"...You’re quite clever."
Gio had been a bit worried since Dana and Honey didn’t have hands, but they were managing to combine and eat the food perfectly using their mouths or feet. Nodding with pride, Gio watched his family members, who were now busy assembling their own combinations.
Hmm...
Maybe he should try making bread with dried figs next time.
"It really is nice to have bread made in advance."
"Kkoooo."
"Indeed. This was daily life in Edlen Village."
Since it was a region where bread was the staple food, there were plenty of bakeries, even for a coastal village.
"Kkoo?"
"Yes, many households didn’t have their own ovens."
"Kkoo?"
"In those cases, they used the village’s communal oven, or wealthier families frequented the bakeries. At any rate, bread was basically never missing from the table."
"Kkoo-kkoo-kkoo."
"As you guessed, I preferred baking my own bread at home."
In Edlen Village, bread was treated much like rice in Korea, so bakeries only sold the most basic loaves. Because dipping bread in stew was the norm, almost no places sold bread with dried fruits or nuts mixed in.
"Baking it myself allowed me to try all sorts of things. Sometimes I even baked it with minced sausage or fish inside. The seafood in Edlen Village was of such high quality that no matter how I used it, it was never too heavy."
Recalling those times, a sudden surge of motivation washed over him.
"It really is best to bake bread in advance."
"Kkooreureureureu."
"Right? That way we can just take it out and eat it whenever we feel like it."
Since bread took a lot of time to knead and bake, the people of Edlen Village would set aside one day to bake a massive batch, then survive on it for nearly a month.
Naturally, the bread would grow hard and dry, but eating warm, moist bread every day was a privilege reserved for nobles... and besides, dipping hard, dry bread into stew had its own charm.
In fact, dry, stale bread paired perfectly with brothy stews. Because everyone ate it that way, the stews ordered at restaurants were served slightly too salty to eat on their own, but they always came with bread to accompany them.
However, the advantage of this forest was that fully grown vegetables and cooked food never spoiled.
Even if he baked a generous amount of bread, it would always remain as fresh as if it had just come out of the oven. If he diligently baked and stockpiled bread, they could snack on it whenever they wanted.
"Aside from bread for meals, if I bake other kinds of bread, that would also be quite..."
"Ahng-ong."
"Small, round bread? Munchkin donuts would be nice, too."
If you mixed a bit of milk into powdered sugar and coated the bread, you would get a wonderful glaze. Gio decided he should make a few sweet breads as well.
"Now, this is where we use the pasta noodles."
Sensing that they had eaten a reasonable amount of bread, Gio brought out the pasta he had prepared in advance.
Placing the springy, perfectly cooked noodles onto his personal plate, he added various vegetables, a few spoonfuls of oil, scallops, and even the sausage Dana had brought along.
"If I add cheese, this will be delicious in its own way."
"Kkooreuk."
"I’ll give you some too, so wait a moment. This has a lot of oil, so it might be a bit spicy."
"Kkoog."
"You’ve grown brave. Children really do grow up in the blink of an eye..."
Tossing the noodles in the hot oil to bring them to the perfect temperature, Gio took a slurp to taste.
Nice.
He liked it very much.
"It won’t temper the spiciness as well as the bread did, so this will probably be a bit hotter. Just in case, make sure to eat it with a Cheese Flower on top."
"Kkooreureureureu."
"Do you want some too, Father?"
At Gio’s question, the Teddy Bear shook his head. He had never really eaten noodles before and seemed to prefer the bread, showing no intention of switching to something else just yet. Gio respected his firm stance.
Dana was also curious as she watched Honey eat, so Gio plated some pasta for her before returning to his own meal.
"..."
Chew.
It was indeed excellent.
The aroma of the oil is stronger, giving it a nice tingle...
Gio sprinkled a bit more ground Milky Way Mary over his portion of pasta. Its uniquely intense aroma burst forth, and when eaten alongside the spicy sausage, the combination of the rich juices and the spices tasted absolutely superb.
I’m glad I grilled the sausage first.
The moist meat inside the snappy casing offered a satisfying chew with every bite. The slippery noodles, coated in plenty of oil, enhanced both the flavor and texture, fueling his appetite.
Even switching to the Club Trumpet Shells offered a distinct flavor, preventing the meal from becoming boring.
Gio took a sip of the sweet Mangdung Fruit tea he had brewed beforehand and opened his mouth.
"...Ah..."
A sigh of pure satisfaction escaped him.
This was true happiness.