Book 11: Chapter 337: Food Duel (part 1) |
“Here it is!”
Lunch was finally ready. After all her fussing around in the kitchen, Alma finally picked up what she made and carried it to the table with a proud look.
“Huh? That just looks like plain rice.”
It was just one plate, full of white rice. Mira had been expecting a luxurious feast, so she instantly glared at Alma with a betrayed look. But Iris’ excitement remained the same, even after seeing the rice, and instead just stood up while saying “I’ll go get some toppings for it!”
“Oh, you don’t have to bring anything. This is just the first part.”
Alma stopped Iris and made her sit down again. Then she grinned at Mira, having anticipated that reaction, and returned to the kitchen.
“We’ll be having a whole party for lunch!”
Alma announced that while placing six large plates on the table. They had finely cut seafood, vegetables, and others, as well as a large amount of nori sheets.
Seeing all of that finally let Mira understand what Alma had been trying to do.
They would be able to pick up some nori, add whatever fillings and rice they wanted, and roll up their own sushi. The variety of food on the plates would grant them plenty of combinations, some of which would work well, and some not as much. Some choices could be questionable, but whoever found the best combination would be hailed as the hero of the hour. That was the essence of a sushi party.
At the same time, being able to exchange ideas and their findings in taste would quickly form a sense of camaraderie between the participants, which was exactly what Alma had been wanting all along.
“Oh wow, I’ve always wanted to do this!”
Iris’ eyes were twinkling with even more excitement as she said that.
She had never eaten sushi like that, so she looked at the various plates on the table like it was a dream come true.
“Well, I’m sure we’re all hungry, so let’s get right into it! Eat as much as you want!”
To complete the lineup, Alma brought various seasonings and announced the beginning of their sushi party. The first one to act right after that was obviously enough Iris, the most hungry of the bunch. She had already been planning her first attempt as the plates were placed on the table, so now she was reaching out to everything she wanted without hesitation to complete her idea.
“It’s really tasty!”
Since it was her first time doing it, her first attempt was far from elegant, but she still looked delighted as she put it in her mouth.
“There’s so much I don’t know where to begin with hmm…”
“Let’s see who can come up with the ultimate sushi now!”
Mira and Alma watched Iris’ smile for a moment, and then began assembling their own sushi, relishing the flavors they came up with.
At first, everyone at the sushi party in the oracle’s room just enjoyed what they wanted, until things somehow turned into a competition to see who could come up with the most delicious one.
“I doubt you’ll be able to think of a better combination than my teri-mayo-chicken.”
Mira tried her hand with various staple combinations like teriyaki chicken with mayonnaise.
“You’re just rehashing what everyone knows… A true adventurer should learn to take more risks!”
Alma fought back, even though she was also sticking to common combinations like tuna mayonnaise and corn.
Iris took the role of judge, trying the sushi the other two presented to her and deciding which she liked better.
“We’ll never reach a conclusion at this rate.”
“It would seem so…”
As the two came to that realization, they decided to fully delve into their own creations.
Mira made various attempts, but found them lacking after trying them.
Alma was the same, continuously amending her creation every time she took a bite.
That went on for a while longer, until Alma finally made something she was satisfied with.
“Done! Here’s my ultimate creation!”
Alma had fully discarded the beaten path, treading a new one on her own. It still had all the elements of hand rolled sushi, with some fillings, sauce, and rice, but it was meticulously crafted into something unique.
And there was one more thing, completely different from everything they tried before.
“What…is that?! Did you…you’re cheating!”
The one thing that made it completely different from any regular sushi was the outside, it was not wrapped in nori, but a piece of meat carefully cut into a large sheet.
Meat was usually only used as a filling in hand rolled sushi, making Alma’s creation something outside that realm. But at the same time, it was shaped and could be eaten like any piece of sushi.
Alma had stomped straight through that thin line of distinction, and emerged with her ultimate secret creation.
But Mira’s reaction was mainly directed at the origin of that meat, as it was not something that came from the plates on the table.
It had been one of the many snacks Alma kept stashed in her Item Box, which she brought out as a secret weapon in this competition.
And obviously enough, the hungry judge was beside herself with delight after trying it.
“I have to admit I wasn’t prepared for the appearance of high quality meat only accessible to an empress here… And I doubt there’s many people possessing food that can surpass that. But you chose the wrong opponent today!”
Still, Mira would not accept defeat. If Alma was doing that, then she would respond with the supreme vegetable sushi roll, which she prepared with a menacing grin.
“These are no mere vegetables, they’re a step ahead…nay, a whole dimension above any other vegetable in the world!”
The vegetables Mira spoke so highly of were none other than those gifted to her by the Originator Spirit of Nature, Martel.
“Mmm, this is delicious!”
Even though the roll only contained vegetables, the judge’s reaction was on par with Alma’s meat one.
“Now you’ve done it…”
“You can’t take me down so easily.”
Their competition remained at a stalemate, so the two began planning their next one.
Once again, they began taking out their own high quality ingredients.
“This is for you.”
Only to be interrupted by a cheerful voice as Iris placed two plates in front of Alma and Mira.
Iris had also gotten inspired to make her own original creation, just like Alma and Mira. It was not the prettiest, as Iris was still not used to wrapping it, but that also went to show how much effort and determination she had put into it.
At first glance it was impossible to tell what it contained, all they knew was that it only contained things from the table, so at least it would not be something dangerous.
“Let’s give it a try then.”
“Thank you, Iris.”
That was the first original creation of Iris, who was eating hand rolled sushi for the first time. Alma and Mira agreed on a truce while they indulged in Iris’ kindness.
(I think she just mixed everything she liked. There was a time when I used to do that too…)
Mira had caught a few glimpses of Iris preparing it during the duel with Alma earlier, which reminded Mira of how she ate when younger.