CHAPTER 1 STORY 7
The Center of Food Culture Exchange
It was midday when I finally arrived in that particular country.
I had heard secondhand rumors about it in other neighboring countries. This was a major country that was known as the center of food culture exchange. Apparently, it was a wonderful place where the food cultures from all the surrounding countries blended together in a pleasant way.
“Welcome, Miss Traveler,” a soldier said to me in front of the gate as he bowed. “This is the country of Evifurya.”
“Evi…? Huh, what’s that?”
“Evifurya.”
“What is that?”
“Ha-ha-ha. What strange things you say, Miss Traveler. Evifurya is exactly that—it’s Evifurya.”
“…No, but what I’m asking here is what is that Evi-whatever you’re talking about—?”
“Evifurya is Evifurya.”
Apparently, he’s not going to give me any more details.
Ultimately, I wound up entering that country of Evi-whatever while still racking my brain over what it might be.
Apparently, the Evi-whatever this country had taken its name from was a kind of soul food, the most popular and delicious dish they had, and the pride of the country.
I see. Very interesting. I’m curious to see just what kind of food it is.
And so, to that end, I visited a nearby café and immediately ordered some.
“Excuse me. Give me one order of the most highly recommended dish in the whole country.”
But unfortunately, by this time, I had completely forgotten the name Evifurya, so I ended up ordering it in this incredibly roundabout way. But I figured that if it was really the most prominent dish in the country, well, then I wouldn’t need any detailed explanations, would I?
“Right away!”
And in fact, the employee nodded in understanding and went into the back of the shop, so I figured they had probably understood me.
Before too long, they came back.
“Here you are.”
And what they set down on my table was—well, how do I describe this? It was a puzzling pancake with a huge amount of cream piled on top of it.
“…Um, this is the Evi-whatever?”
At my words, the employee tilted their head. “No, it’s not? Did you want to eat Evifurya, miss?”
“Uhhh…yes. I did, but…isn’t this country the country of that Evi-whatever?”
“Oh-hoh-hoh. Not at all. This is the country of the Shi Whirl.”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear part of what you said.”
“I said, this is the country of the Shi Whirl.”
“……”
I was bewildered by the appearance of yet another new word. And then—
“Oh, now, I just can’t let that fly! This is the country of the Shi Whirl, you say? Pshaw! This is the land of Miso Stew Udon!”
At the adjacent table was a manly looking man, clambering out of his seat as he made this assertion.
“To start with, could this ever play the role of a staple food? This here’s a dessert. It could never be the leading part!”
The employee raised their eyebrows at the manly man. “Well! How can you possibly say such a thing?! Miso Stew Udon can only play the leading role during the winter season, surely! Why don’t you realize that it’s the Shi Whirl, which can play the leading role year in and year out, that reigns supreme?”
“……”
My head was getting more and more turned around with the appearance of yet more new words.
The two of them left me alone with my headache as their argument heated up.
“I’m telling you, the Shi Whirl is the best—”
“No, it’s Miso Ste—”
“You two. Don’t you think you could leave things there? Aren’t you embarrassed to be fighting in front of a customer?”
Just as I was getting the feeling that things were getting out of hand, the soldier who had been on gate duty earlier stepped in to mediate.
“The best food is Evifurya.”
Nope, I was wrong, he just came to pour oil on the flames.
“Huuuh?”
“What are you saying, you jerk?!”
“I should ask you! What are you two saying?! You’re a couple of brats who don’t even know how superior Evifurya is!”
Can we not agree that they’re all delicious?
“Hoh-hoh-hoh…at it again?”
I was determined to remain a bystander, but appearing suddenly by my side was a mysterious old man wearing a know-it-all look.
Often, when trouble breaks out, such an old man with a know-it-all look will suddenly appear and explain the situation to you. It’s part of being a traveler. Make sure you remember that.
“Young lady. Look around you. Everyone has their favorite dish, and they quarrel about them, you see?” Apparently, he was in the mood to explain things to me.
“In other words, this place is the battleground of food culture, young lady.”
“Sorry, I kind of don’t really understand what you’re saying.”
Unfortunately, I felt like I didn’t understand the situation, even with the help of a know-it-all old man.
What exactly is a battleground of food culture?
“Hoh-hoh-hoh…well, just look.”
“…Sigh.” As I was urged to do, I watched their movements carefully.
The people who had been quarreling eventually came to a point where one of them said, “Fine, let’s try them and compare to see which is the most delicious.”
After that, they started praising one another’s dishes.
“So tasty…”
“It’s the flavor of home…”
“What in the…? This is really good, huh…?!”
Ultimately, they took each other’s hands and reconciled.
Through this turn of events, I finally understood.
This country, which had many different food cultures, had probably seen many clashes like this one before, between the many culinary traditions and their different dishes. Whenever that happened, they each accepted the other, and in that way this place became the center of food culture.
I was deeply moved.
“So when cultures clash with each other, that’s where the exchange happens, right, old man?”
In response to my words, the old man broke into a smile.
“Sorry, I don’t really understand what you’re saying.”
“……”
At any rate, the food in that country was super delicious.
[Publication Information] Volume 6
Animate Tokai Region Limited Bonus Story
[Author Comments]
This is a bonus story limited to Animate Nagoya. Since parody routines narrow the scope of a story’s humor, I try not to overuse them, but this was a bonus story, so I figured what the heck? This bonus story is chock-full of parody items.
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