kscans

Chapter 13 - Interlude: About Food.

Now, let's talk about food.

This story takes place back when my master was still alive, on the day I learned about the food situation in the other world.

To enhance my magical power, I had been choosing foods that would build up my stamina. Rice and miso soup were staples, and my side dish was always one of three things: leek and liver stir-fry, or steamed or grilled garlic. It was a very simple, three-item meal. I'd heard somewhere that diet is part of training, but this was too austere. Still, I didn't have much money, so I couldn't afford to be picky. I had to strengthen my body and gain knowledge and experience as a hunter. For that, a little endurance was nothing.

I also had to think about what to pack for lunch when I was out hunting. That was simple enough—I just had to stock up on the usual instant noodles, cup noodles, and canned goods.

After my master passed away, I began my work as a hunter and adventurer.

You don't just walk into a forest and immediately run into prey. That's a common trope in games and anime, but reality isn't so convenient. After walking through the forest for a while, I got hungry and decided to eat my packed lunch. Today, I'd brought cup noodles.

I'd bought and brought a small, portable kettle. I gathered some wood and used my fire magic to prepare a bonfire. The water was from my canteen, since I'm not good at water magic. I made a stand for the kettle with an aluminum wire mesh and four iron rods, creating a simple barbecue-style cooking platform.

After I finished eating, I cleaned up.

I threw the empty container into the bonfire to burn away the evidence. It was then that a thought occurred to me: what if another adventurer suddenly showed up while I was eating? Thinking about it, I realized I needed a plan for the future. I could only claim that these were goods from my hometown for so long. So, I decided to do some research—into old war rations.

Back on Earth, I headed to the library.

I figured the civilization level of the other world was close to Japan's Sengoku or Tokugawa periods.

I scoured the library for history books. I found what I was looking for surprisingly quickly and grabbed two or three volumes to start my research. The results, to put it simply, were very helpful.

War rations, also known as field rations, were easy to carry and had a long shelf life. The focus, they said, was primarily on ease of acquisition and preparation.

This could help reduce the chances of arousing suspicion.

I left the library.

I wanted to carefully study the books while cooking and experimenting, so I searched for a bookstore that sold history books with detailed information on field rations.

I found one quite easily and bought two or three books.

While I was at it, I did some grocery shopping. Until now, I'd been using instant miso soup and microwavable rice, but this time I chose more authentic ingredients, buying miso, rice, salt, chili peppers, and vinegar.

I returned home.

I immediately started cooking.

First, I decided to make miso balls. I put a small amount of water in a pot and brought it to a boil, then added the miso. I slowly roasted the miso while stirring. Once it was done, I let it cool naturally, then rolled it into dumplings by hand. I placed them in a net to sun-dry. And they were done.

All I had to do at the campsite was dissolve a miso ball in hot water for instant miso soup.

I added salt and chili peppers for a hidden flavor. I'd find out if it was any good when the time came.

I decided to bring the rice as is. I could put it in the miso soup to make porridge. As for ingredients, I could find medicinal herbs at the campsite, and if I managed to hunt some prey, I could just roast the meat. With this, my preparations were almost complete.

All that was left was to actually eat it while camping outdoors.

In the other world.

I started my hunt for the day.

By lunchtime, the prey I'd managed to catch was a monster that resembled a weasel but had a considerable amount of fat. I quickly skinned it, skewered the meat on a stick, and roasted it.

Now, it was time to make porridge using the miso balls I'd made the other day.

I put the water I'd brought into a small pot and added the rice once it boiled. After a while, the rice was cooked. I added more water and a miso ball. Then, I stirred the pot. The miso dissolved, and the rice became mushy. To finish, I added something that looked like a wild vegetable I'd picked, and it was complete.

How does it taste? I took a bite.

To be frank, it was underwhelming.

The chili pepper was too strong, and I ended up drinking more water than usual.

The texture was just like regular porridge, nothing special, just plain and simple. The monster meat was nicely roasted, and when I tried it, it was delicious.

However, just because this world's weasel was tasty didn't mean Earth's weasels would be. There was a high chance they'd be disgusting, since you don't hear about people eating weasels.

So, the result of my field ration taste test... was, frankly, a failure.

Adding too much chili pepper was a mistake. Next time, I'll add just a little or none at all. I couldn't taste the salt, but getting salt is important, so I'll keep adding it.

The porridge wasn't very good, maybe because I made it with already-cooked rice.

From now on, I decided to either make the cooked rice into rice balls or bring uncooked, unwashed rice with me.

And so, my research into field rations continued.