kscans

Chapter 28 - Chapter 7: Part One - An Edible Menu

"The quality is even better than I imagined."

The members of Mock Shop Holdings were gathered for the first time in three days in the conference room, which was apparently also called the Sage's Room. Looking at the lovely dishes placed on each of our trays, I offered my praise without a hint of flattery.

But the faces of those I complimented looked conflicted.

"The taste is spot on. But they're so small there's no meaty chew to them at all," Dalgan grumbled.

"It came out beautifully, but with only vegetables, the balance is..." Belmini trailed off.

"At this size, I can't add any decent toppings. Don't you dare think this plain little thing represents our company's true skill," Plural added.

"..." Roston remained silent.

"A male customer would finish this in one bite. And this color is still... I'll add a swirl of cream for accent, but still," Rilka said, her voice laced with worry.

Facing the bite-sized dishes, the members' words were unchanged from three days ago. Rilka looked anxious as well. It was true that by this world's definition of luxury, these portions would seem flimsy. One could even say that as standalone dishes, they were a complete non-starter.

"You're not planning to have them do some kind of taste-testing, are you? The nobles will just think you're making fun of them. They're not like commoners who'll jump at anything free," Dalgan said.

I can't say I didn't seriously consider that at one point.

"There's an appropriate size for savoring a dish, you know. I wouldn't expect someone of the Copper rank to understand," Plural remarked condescendingly.

The two men, in particular, seemed to suspect I was making some kind of fatal miscalculation. It was because of my background, of course. But they were mistaken. My background is that of a commoner from another world.

"No, this is perfect," I said.

I looked over the five small items, each different in shape and impression, and nodded once more. Then, I took a round plate from Mia. Today, this plate was the only thing I had prepared.

I began placing each person's bite-sized dish onto the white plate. As my hands moved, the stark white ceramic began to fill with color.

At the very front, I placed Belmini's jellied medley of five vegetables. The colors were subtle, but the red of the carrot, yellow of the paprika, green of the zucchini, and white of the turnip were all set within a perfect square. It served as both an appetizer and a salad.

To the back and left of that, I placed Roston's baguettes, three small, oval-shaped slices stacked on top of each other so they could be paired with various dishes. Of course, I staggered them to create a sense of height.

To the back and right was Rilka's fava bean stew. This I placed in a separate small cup on the plate. On top of the green soup, I drizzled a swirl of cream as an accent.

Finally, the main event. In the center, I arranged the roast beef like a blooming rose. At the heart of the red meat, I placed a small piece of fig with its sweetness toned down. The color of the meat instantly brought the entire plate into focus.

At the very back, I set a square of white cheese mousse. A fragrant tart base and a single raspberry as a final touch made the small dessert stand out.

It was fun to watch everyone lean further forward with each new color and shape I added to the plate.

"This is the signature dish for our food court. The One-Plate Lunch." I announced, presenting the collage of food completed on the white plate.

"It's beautiful," Rilka answered, her face rapt. The word probably slipped out unintentionally. The other members, who had been complaining just moments before, fell silent before the picture that had appeared on the plate. It wasn't denial or agreement, but a confusion about how to even process it. And for something new, where resistance is the default reaction, that response was practically a victory.

In modern industrial society, the principle for a long time was low-variety, high-volume production. Food was fundamentally the same. In fact, Belmini had already voiced her concerns about inventory management with just five types of vegetables. A system that would collapse if even one ingredient was missing was nothing but a risk in this world.

That was precisely why the direction of luxury here was toward being bigger and flashier. A thick steak, a whole cake, things that were certainly luxuries in my old world too. But on Earth, where food was so abundant that even commoners' obesity had become a problem, there was another kind of luxury.

In industrial terms, it was the completely opposite concept. High-variety, low-volume production. A paradigm born from a world overflowing with goods. That was what sparked this idea. The fact that I didn't immediately think of a one-plate lunch from a restaurant in my old world just goes to show my deep-rooted commoner sensibilities.

Even if they had never seen it before, they should understand. Presenting a small amount of many different things was a different kind of impact from sheer size. But it was, in its own way, an incredible luxury. The kind that would even appeal to the nobility.

"Wow, it's like a painting on a plate. I've never seen a dish like this before," Belmini said. It was the first time I'd heard her voice sound so full of energy. At her words, the large man's head snapped up.

"That's not all. This is a menu of sorts. Am I wrong, Vinder?"

Dalgan grabbed my shoulder. His grip was too strong, it hurt.

"A menu?"

"Look, on this plate, you've got each company's specialty, arranged in portions that leave you wanting just a little more."

"Oh, I see. So the customers who eat this can then order more of the food from the shop they liked."

I thought he was just a jock, but he has a surprisingly good head for business. I guess that's what you'd expect from the heir to a Silver Company. Still, I wish he'd let go of my shoulder.

That's right. This was an assortment of appetizers designed to stimulate the customers' appetites. More than that, it was an edible menu, made to guide them to each shop's main dishes.

"Vinder, you've really come up with something incredible," Belmini said admiringly.

"An edible painting, an edible menu... I'm not pleased that the main event, the dessert, is at the very back, but this..."

Plural still seemed dissatisfied. It probably wasn't the ideal form he envisioned. Still, I'd take it as a win that he wasn't completely rejecting it.

"But... The concept is amazing, I'll admit. It's beautiful and elegant, and it seems like it would be a hit with the young noble ladies, but..." Rilka's face clouded with anxiety again, the visual impact likely having worn off.

"You're right. Let's have a taste," I said, deciding to answer their doubts with a demonstration. Everything up to this point had been theoretical, all about appearances. But first and foremost, this had to be a dish. Everyone reached for their plates, eating a portion so small you could pick it up with a toothpick.

"...Each individual item is delicious, but it leaves you wanting more. Which is fine, since that's the point. But as a whole, the flavors are fighting each other," Dalgan noted.

"This is no good. The tastes are all over the place," Plural declared.

"You're right, this won't work," Belmini agreed.

Calm and collected opinions began to emerge before the plates, which were now only faintly smeared with sauce. That was actually a reassuring sign.

Back when I was in Japan, I once tried to create a course meal by arranging various side dishes from the supermarket on the dinner table. There was nothing luxurious about using half-priced items, but that aside, I learned a lesson. Simply lining up pre-made dishes doesn't make a course meal.

Of course, the items here were not pre-made sides. They were specialties made with each company's own products. That was precisely why their individual strengths were becoming a weakness.

"To be frank, the meat dish should be toned down a bit. It interferes with the delicate flavor of my mousse," Plural said.

"It's the other way around. Make your mousse's flavor stronger," Dalgan retorted.

"The vegetable dish and my soup overlap a little, don't they?" Rilka murmured.

"...Yeah. But..."

"I agree."

And that was exactly why they couldn't be easily adjusted. If I were to dismiss each of their signature dishes, this whole holding company would shatter as easily as dropping this plate.

I held my hand out to the male student who had only provided the baguette and thus hadn't been part of the conversation.

"Did you bring what I asked for?"

"It's not as sour as a lemon, and the aroma is a bit plain," he said.

I accepted a small, yellow fruit from him. Frankly, I think it's amazing he procured something like this on such short notice. Roston, I haven't paid you much mind, but I'll have to remember you.

Mia arranged another one-plate lunch on a fresh plate. I took the small, bumpy fruit and cut it in half with a knife. I squeezed a single drop of juice onto the jellied vegetables and the roast beef. On the soup and dessert, I sprinkled finely chopped zest. The amount was minuscule.

A nostalgic aroma reached my nose.

"What's that supposed to change?" Dalgan asked.

"Please, try it."

I'm no expert in cooking. My knowledge is just a smattering of things I picked up from cooking manga in my old world. Incidentally, I was a fan of a ramen manga that had a bald food consultant.

Everyone began to eat again. Their clothes won't suddenly fly off or anything, right?

"Huh? It all comes together so cleanly now. The scent isn't even that strong," Belmini said in surprise.

"The aroma is less punchy than a lemon's, yet it's so vivid. What is this...?" Plural wondered.

Four pairs of eyes turned to the quiet male student.

"It's a fruit called Yairu. Our company handles it in very small quantities."

In the language of my old world, it was yuzu. I had once used it as a subject for market research for a university assignment. This one seemed closer to the Japanese native hana-yuzu, with a mild aroma and flavor. Thanks to that, it added a sense of unity to all the dishes without overpowering them. I had found it by chance while looking for ingredients that were unknown here. At the time, I only made a small note of it, but I never thought it would come in so handy.

"I had no idea it was this versatile," Roston himself said.

"It's brought all the flavors together," Dalgan grunted.

"Normally, I would use lemon to complement my mousse. There's no doubt about that, but when you think of it as a single dish on one plate, tch."

"With this, we might be able to make it work with just a few small adjustments. No, it might even be fine just as it is," Rilka said, a smile returning to her face.

The attempt to create a sense of unity through aroma was a success.

Seeing the looks of astonishment on the members' faces, I let out a sigh of relief. I'll say it again, I was no expert when it came to cooking.

Now, the next problem was whether this would be appreciated not by the food specialists here, but by ordinary customers.