Chapter 378:
Marinated Baaba
THE BUTCHER’S NAME was Kohl. He was twenty-two years old, and his wife Lizzy was the same age, as they were childhood friends. They ran their baaba butcher shop together, and both sets of their parents were baaba ranchers. Due to concerns over the growing population and the lack of food, Hataka’s village chief decreed many years ago that the village should focus on baaba as its main food source. But its toughness and gamey flavor made it unpopular with the villagers, so much so that it was now considered a liability to Hataka. This was definitely worrisome for Kohl’s family.
Kohl’s and Lizzy’s parents were both in the baaba ranching business because the village chief’s wife had asked them to go into it. Lizzy’s mother owed a debt to the chief’s wife, and the chief himself had run many experiments trying to make baaba meat more palatable with no success. Some baaba ranchers quit, but most of them were trapped because of the booming population. The story poured out of Kohl like a raging river. I was impressed at how quickly his mouth could move.
“Okay, so to sum it up…” my father began. “You want to know how to make baaba meat taste good so you can help feed Hataka Village. Is that right?”
Maybe that was too simple? There was a lot more to his explanation. I kind of tuned out halfway through, but I think he raved about his wife for a while.
“Yes, sir, that’s right. We can’t afford to pay much, but please, we need your recipe.”
I guess he didn’t mind his story getting shortened. Well, maybe it doesn’t matter since Dad covered all the major points? My father gave me a hinting look. Um…right, he wanted that recipe. But I didn’t feel right making him buy it from me.
“Um…Kohl?”
I looked in the direction of the woman’s voice to see the mistress of the shop pop her head out from the back. Was it Kohl’s wife?
“Hello, ma’am.”
“Oh, um…yes?”
The confused woman was probably Lizzy. I glanced at my father, trying to figure out the best way to explain everything to her, and he looked just as lost as I was. Maybe we should just let her husband tell her? I looked at Kohl, and for some reason, he was giving me the most desperate look imaginable. Huh? Hasn’t he noticed she’s in the room?
“Um, may we call you Lizzy?” my father asked the woman.
She looked at him in surprise and nodded. So she was Kohl’s wife Lizzy. My father told her the gist of our conversation with Kohl, and she gave her husband a tired look. Kohl, finally noticing his wife was in the room, stared sheepishly down at his feet.
“Sorry about my husband. He can be a little spacey at times, but he’s a good man.”
I glanced at Kohl to see his eyes were swimming. From the look of him, he would rattle off all sorts of other requests to me if I didn’t stop him, so I decided it was best to set the record straight.
“Mr. Kohl, I’ll teach you how to cook the baaba, but I insist on doing it for free.”
“What?! Are you sure?” Lizzy stared at me in disbelief. Either she was worried about the flavor or afraid we were deceiving Kohl. I hoped I could quell her worries.
“I have an idea. It’s short notice, but are you available to come to the plaza for dinner tonight?”
If I asked whether we could stay for dinner, Lizzy would definitely be wary about it even if Kohl wouldn’t mind. But if anything went wrong at the plaza, they could easily call a watchman for help, so I figured that would put Lizzy’s mind at ease.
“Huh? Why don’t you just come over here?” Kohl said.
“No! Yes, please, we’ll join you in the plaza.”
Come on, Kohl, notice how your wife’s feeling. She’s obviously worried sick. After I shot a few stolen glances at Lizzy, her eyes met mine. She stared critically at me…then, for some reason, a mirthful smile grew on her face.
“Tee-hee!”
“Huh?”
With a little giggle, all the fear in Lizzy’s face melted away. Could it be that she finally gets what’s on my mind?
“All right, then, um, we’ll be honored to join you in the plaza this evening,” Lizzy continued politely. Kohl looked terribly confused.
“You’re a real trouper, Lizzy,” my father said softly.
Lizzy smiled sheepishly. She definitely had some stories to tell.
“Well, see you in the plaza.”
We gave them directions to our tent, then they told us what time the shop closed and we left.
“Will you be able to cook it on time? Should I help?” my father asked. Since we had stayed at Kohl’s butcher shop a little longer than intended, it had gotten late. But marinated baaba meat needed only a little time on the grill, and as long as I chopped the vegetables finely, the soup wouldn’t take long, either. For the salad, all I needed was to cut the lettuce and add a little dressing.
“I’ll be okay, thanks. By the way, sorry I invited Kohl and Lizzy over to supper without asking you.”
“Oh, it’s all right. I had a feeling that was where the conversation was headed.”
Am I really that easy to read?
“You can never resist helping someone in need, Ivy.”
“Oh, that’s not true. If there’s nothing I can do to help, I don’t bother.”
That would only give them false hope. And I’m not a jack of all trades, so there were plenty of things I couldn’t do. That’s why I wanted to do everything in my power to help whenever I could contribute something. I was only helping out this time because it was an area I was well versed in.
“You’re a kind daughter, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“You’re blushing,” he said, poking my cheek.
“Oh, let’s just get back home so I can cook!”
As I quickened my pace back to the plaza, I pressed my hands to my cheeks. They did feel a little hot.
I gave a satisfied nod to the food on the table. Once I grilled the onigiri, everything would be all set. Between that, the meat, and the soup, we’d have more than enough to eat.
“Miss Ivy?”
When I heard my name, I turned around to see Lizzy carrying a basket. Kohl was beside her, staring at the food.
“Thank you for inviting us to dinner tonight. Here, I’ve brought you some knutzen.”
Knutzen? The fragrant smell of tree nuts wafted from her basket. I took it from her and peeled back the cloth to have a look. There were cookies inside, packed with tree nuts.
“Thank you very much. We’ll have these for dessert.”
Lizzy beamed joyfully when I bowed to her, but her fist was turning white at the knuckles as she gripped the sleeve of Kohl, who was trying to stray from her to look at the food. You really are a trouper, Lizzy.
“Dinner is served.” My father set the platter of grilled onigiri onto the table where Lizzy and Kohl had just sat. They had looks of wonder and curiosity in their eyes as they stared at the food.
Oh, right, I’d better tell them about rice. Since it was an easy crop to grow, that ought to help with Hataka’s food insecurity issues, too.
“So, um, this is marinated baaba, grilled onigiri, and soup. Help yourselves.”
“Thank you so much!”
Kohl took a piece of baaba, sniffed it, and looked at it in shock. “Wow, it really doesn’t have a trace of that gamey smell.”
“You’re right… How incredible.” Lizzy sounded a little excited.
My heart raced as I watched them take their first bites. My father and the gentlemen of Zephyr had all said it tasted great, but it was nerve-racking showing off for some new guests.
“It’s tender…and tasty, too. It’s got a bit of a twang to it, but in a good way,” Lizzy exclaimed, slapping Kohl on the shoulder.
Oh, good. I think she likes it.
“It really is incredible. I didn’t think you could get flavor like this out of baaba meat.” Kohl happily took another bite of it while Lizzy merrily ate hers beside him. My father and I both grinned at what a cute couple they were. The way they smiled and ate so vigorously was identical.
“They’re fun to watch.”
“I know, I’ve never seen people so in sync with each other. Think it’s because they’re old friends?”
“Could be. They’ve been close all their lives.”
That makes sense. But wow…they’re sure eating a lot.
“Think we’ll have enough food?”
“Did you cook all of it?” my dad asked, putting another piece of baaba onto my plate.
“I’ve still got about three portions left.”
“Okay.”
I looked at our two guests. I think I’d better cook the rest of it.
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