kscans

Chapter 249 - That Evening's Dinner 1. Mayonnaise Elegy

That evening, a rather eye-catching salad was served for dinner. It was accompanied by a cream-yellow condiment that was rare, perhaps even a first in the country's history.

"Ah, it's making its debut already, I see."

"Mand has taken quite a liking to it. He said he finally made a batch he's satisfied with. I heard it was a sauce for fried foods, but does it go well with raw vegetables too?"

"Yes. But it's a sauce with a bit of a peculiar taste, so some people might not like it, regardless of whether it suits the dish or not."

"I see, I'll keep that in mind. Would it be better to serve it in a separate dish or something, rather than pouring it over the food from the start?"

"That would be the safer option."

What Yuri and Adon were talking about was mayonnaise. The mayonnaise he had just taught Mand about the previous night was already being used in a salad. It seemed Mand was quite taken with its versatility. In truth, there was someone else besides Adon who had enthusiastically supported it.

"This sauce truly does go well with salad."

"Yes, it brings out the flavor of the vegetables so well."

"I could eat this forever."

These were Adon's wife, Ilma, his eldest daughter, Mora, who lived with them with her husband, and his third daughter, Sera.

("...Um... Adon-san?")

("Ah. It seems she heard somewhere... that vegetables are good for beauty and health. And that's the result.")

Adon wore an innocent expression, but the whole thing had started when his wife, Ilma, overheard Yuri and Mand talking. Of course, the story had been relayed to Adon, but his stance was not to say anything unnecessary. Besides, if Yuri knew the information had come from him, he might feel self-conscious.

("Is that so? But... um, if you eat too much mayonnaise, you'll gain...")

Before he could finish his whisper, the three women turned around with terrifying speed. Dona's ears also seemed to twitch, but she remained silent for the moment.

"""What do you mean?!"""

Who could blame Yuri for instinctively shrinking back? Their expressions and intensity were that fearsome. However, Yuri had not gone through the trials of his past life for nothing. He was well aware that in any era, in any land, the two words "beauty" were sacred to all women.

"Uh, um... Mayonnaise uses oil in its ingredients, so eating too much isn't good for your health. The great thing about mayonnaise is that it goes with anything, but in this case, that virtue backfires. It has something of a habit-forming quality..."

Yuri advised, his gaze somewhat distant as he recalled the people in his past life who were called 'mayora'. When he had been hospitalized, one of his roommates had been a 'mayora', and he had waged a constant battle with the nurses over smuggling in mayonnaise. Yuri himself didn't have that much of an attachment to mayonnaise, but he was aware that it went well with a variety of foods.

"No..."

"What should we do..."

Yuri tilted his head, a question mark floating above it, as he looked at the women, who appeared as though their world had ended. Did they like mayonnaise that much?

(Well... people who get hooked on mayo get really hooked...)

He thought to himself, and then said,

"No... I mean, it's just a matter of moderation, so you just need to be careful about how much you use. It's one thing to have it with a salad, but as long as it doesn't get to the point where you feel you can't eat anything without mayonnaise, well, you'll be fine."

"You, you're right... I got a little carried away..."

It was a fact that people like that existed in his past life, but could Adon's wife and daughters be the same? But could they really get hooked that quickly?

Seeing that Yuri didn't seem to understand the situation, Adon decided to throw him a lifeline. He could ignore neither his wife and daughters' grief nor Yuri's confusion. Above all, if he didn't intervene here, who knew what they would say to him later. He just hoped his wife hadn't seen him chuckle to himself at the part about it being 'habit-forming'. It wasn't that he was laughing at his wife and daughters, he was just thinking about securing customers, but whether they would accept that excuse was another matter entirely. In any case...

"Ah, Yuri-kun. I believe what my wife is concerned about are condiments that go well with salad. You might not know this, Yuri-kun, but aside from salt, there's really only fruit juice to go with raw vegetables."

"Is that so?!"