A mid-level (middle-aged) office worker's laid-back industrial revolution in another world - Chapter 144

Translator: Jasper Kadowaki | Editor: NovelMultiverse

Grandpa Elvis, Alice, and Smith were sitting in the dining room.

Takeo and Frederick stood by.

“Hm? Takeo’s not sitting, so that means… Did he make something?” asked Grandpa Elvis.

“Yes. After the rifle practice today, we stopped by the grocery store and bought some ingredients, so I tried making something new,” said Takeo.

Dinner was brought in as soon as Grandpa Elvis had asked his question.

..

.

“Ah, Dinner is served,” said Takeo, “Now, I will quickly explain the dish.”

“Hmm, Yes,” said Grandpa Elvis.

“First off, the main dish is a cod roe pasta. The sauce is a mixture of cod roe and butter, and the dish is called “Tarako Spaghetti”. I’ve used quite a lot of butter, so I think you will find it rather sweet. Please enjoy the bubbly sensation caused by the roe.”

“Hmm, yes,” said Grandpa Elvis.

“There are two types of soup,” continued Takeo, “They are both simple soups with onions and eggs. The difference is in the dashi.”

“Hmm? What is this ‘dashi’?” asked Grandpa Elvis.

“It’s the soup stock – the base.”

“So, it’s bouillon.”

“It’s different from bouillon in that the flavors are extracted from individual dried ingredients. The first soup uses small fish, and the other uses shrimp.”

“…It’s shrimp?”

“I heard about the shrimp situation in the kitchen. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” said Takeo.

“…Hmm, all right.”

“Please enjoy tasting how the soup changes based on what stock is being used.”

“Hmm, yes. I understand,” said Grandpa Elvis.

“Takeo? What happened to the dried mushrooms?” asked Alice.

“Well, actually, I wanted to make three different dashis out of the dried mushrooms, the dried small fish, and the dried shrimp. I was satisfied with all three options. However, three soups would be unnecessary, so I added another dish using the dried mushroom dashi. It’s this steamed egg custard, called Chawanmushi.”

“Is this pudding?!” asked Grandpa Elvis.

“Yes. Pudding is made by steaming a mixture of eggs, milk, and sugar.”

“Hmm, yes. I remember.”

“Chawanmushi is made by steaming eggs and dashi.”

“…They’re similar, aren’t they?”

“Yes. Which is why I made it for you. The bits of food inside are shitake mushrooms, shrimp, and chicken.”

“You used both food from the sea and the mountains?” 

“I don’t believe anyone has ever said that you can’t do that.”

“That’s true, but… It’s a first, for me.”

“Yes, the head chef was surprised, as well. Which is exactly why you’ll be able to enjoy the differences in texture upon eating it.”

“Hmm, yes. I see.”[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]

“Well, if it doesn’t suit your palate, I’ll be careful about that, next time,” said Takeo, “Lastly, we have a salad. I neatly used up the remaining small fish for that. Please add a bit of mayonnaise to it before trying it.”

“Hmm, yes… Well, then. Can we start eating???”

The three diners restlessly wanted to start.

“Please,” said Takeo.

Again, they all start eating as soon as Takeo had pronounced the P in Please.

With squinted eyes, Takeo watched them all dig in.

Grandpa Elvis and Smith were grinning from ear to ear, eating ravenously. 

Alice took one bite and looked over at Takeo, and her eyes sparkled as if to say, “This too?”

“Are you enjoying it?” asked Takeo.

“…”

Everyone was focused on eating, and all they could do was nod in response.

“I’m satisfied as well,” said Takeo, smiling.

————————

After dinner, Grandpa Elvis, Alice, Smith, and Takeo moved over to the parlor.

Frederick made the after-meal tea and served it to everyone. He then stepped back from everyone.

“Well, yet again, today’s dinner was a marvelous meal,” said Grandpa Elvis, and everyone besides Takeo nodded.

“Hmm? The fact the Frederick is also nodding must mean…”

“Before serving the meal, I asked Frederick, the head chef, and the other chefs to try it, first,” said Takeo, “And I had the butlers and maids try the soups, as well.”

“Urggh… Eating before the masters of the house is…”

“What do you mean ‘urggh’? I had Frederick and the head chef try the food as a final test for the dishes. I had the other employees eat some, as well, out of gratitude,” said Takeo, “When it comes to food, there are no class differences to me.”

Takeo talked back to Grandpa Elvis.

“Hmm, yes. That may be a good thing… But I wanted to be the first to try it.”

“Are you throwing a fit as a grown man?”

“…Hmph. I have the soul of a child.”

“I may be willing to serve sweets on a whim, but don’t you agree that I should have Frederick make sure that the meals are good before they’re served?”

“…You may be right about that…”

“You won’t be the first to try dishes in the future, either, so please just give up on that wish.”

“Hmm,” said Grandpa Elvis, a bit disappointed.

“One thing is for certain, though,” said Grandpa Elvis, “The Tarako Spaghetti was great.”

“Did it taste good?”

“Hmm, yes. I was thoroughly satisfied with it.”

“I thought it was delicious, too,” said Alice.

“Same here,” said Smith.

“I did, as well,” said Frederick.

It received good reviews from all four people.

“It was a stroke of luck to be able to obtain some cooked cod roe,” said Takeo, “This is a mountainous area, so I believe it’s quite rare here. Is that correct?”

“Hmm, yes. This was the first time I ever tried it. To be fair, fish eggs are not eaten very often, here.”

“I see. They’re so good, though,” said Takeo.

“Hmm, yes. I see that, now that I’ve tasted it in your cooking, Takeo.”

“The next time I get my hands on some, how about mixing it in with an omelet?” asked Takeo, “The fluffiness of the omelet and the bubbliness of the eggs work well together.”

“Hmm, yes. I look forward to trying it.”

The four of them all nodded in agreement.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]