kscans

Chapter 309 - An Acquired Taste? A Strange Taste? Yuri (Part 1)

On that day, when Yuri was summoned by Mand, he wondered what it was for, but then he reconsidered that it might be a good opportunity and obediently complied with the summons. That was because Yuri also had something he wanted to ask Mand.

Yuri was concerned about the vegetables. The variety of vegetables served at meals was almost fixed, and only cooked ones were served. He had no memory of seeing any kind of salad. For Yuri, who prided himself on his experience with hospital food and health food in his previous life, a dinner table lacking a fresh vegetable salad was nothing short of mysterious. He had wondered if leafy green vegetables were unavailable due to the cool climate, but in his home in the Salt-Sour Mountain, which was north of Laurenzen, leafy greens grew just fine. It did not seem to be due to the climate. Prying into the kitchen affairs of another person's home would be rude, but perhaps it would be permissible to ask Mand about it as a general topic...?

With that in mind, he accepted Mand's invitation, and whether the timing was good or not, it was Mand himself who asked him a question.

"Eh? What I usually eat?"

"Yeah. Eto told me about it, and it got me a little worried. He said you were over the moon buyin' up livestock feed and emergency food. ...Nah, maybe it's none of my business, but I got to wonderin' what kind of stuff you usually eat."

"Oh, so that's it..."

So that was it. Just as Yuri had been concerned about the Adon family's food situation, Mand had been concerned about Yuri's. In that case, it would be best to frankly show him the things Yuri usually ate, focusing on wild edibles and vegetables.

Of course, Yuri had no intention of revealing his entire diet. Especially regarding detoxification and water-leaching, it would be safer to keep quiet. He had been thoroughly put off by the reaction in End Village. It also seemed that some of the vegetables he had recovered from the village ruins were not well known in this country, so he felt it was wise to feign ignorance.

Yuri quickly thought things over and selected things that were relatively unproblematic, from Yuri's perspective. He took them out of his magic bag, or rather, pretended to, while actually taking them from his Storage. The lineup was...

《Aralia, a deciduous shrub that grows in mountainous areas. In addition to its new shoots being edible, its hardened leaves can also be used for beverages, and the bark of its roots can be used as a crude drug, making it useful. Elves and beastmen use it as food and medicinal herbs. It is almost equivalent to what is called Uko-gi in the other world, Earth.》

《Portz, an annual herb that prefers sunny places such as fields, roadsides, and vacant lots. It is widely used among commoners as an edible plant or medicinal herb. Those with large, beautiful flowers are sometimes cultivated as ornamental plants. It is almost equivalent to what was called purslane or portulaca (ornamental species) in the other world, Earth.》

《Tsuruna, a perennial herb that grows in sunny wastelands. Its fresh stems and leaves are edible, but they are strongly astringent and contain oxalic acid, so boiling and soaking them in water makes them easier to eat. It is almost equivalent to the coastal climbing plant called New Zealand Spinach in the other world, Earth. It is not recognized as edible in the Rivairein Kingdom and had no name, so it is described here with the Earth name 'Tsuruna' for convenience.》

《Cresson, a perennial herb that grows in mountain streams, either emergent or submerged. Edible. It is almost equivalent to what is called cresson or Olanda-garashi in the other world, Earth. It is not known to be edible in the Rivairein Kingdom and had no name, so it is described here with the Earth name 'cresson' for convenience.》

Yuri was quite confident in his selection... but for some reason, the expression drained from Mand's face. It seemed that showing him only "wild edibles" was a bad move. So, Yuri added another item.

《Dillash, a small variety of Suzuna introduced from overseas long ago. Because of its small size, it does not require a large field for cultivation, has a short growing period, and can be grown in any environment, so it is widely cultivated even among commoners. It is almost equivalent to what is called radish or hatsuka radish in the other world, Earth. As mentioned above, it is a type of Suzuna, but because its size is too different, its root color is colorful such as red, yellow, or purple, and furthermore, because Suzuna itself is not well known, it is not recognized as a close relative of Suzuna.》

This should be a popular "vegetable," so surely Mand's opinion would change... or so he thought, but he was met with a gaze filled with even more pity.

"No, Mand-san! Their appearance might be a little, well, you know, but they are all excellent ingredients in terms of nutrition!"

Perhaps his passionate speech was effective, as Mand's view of the wild edibles seemed to have improved considerably. Of course, right after that, when he was pressed about seasonings, he unfortunately had to admit that they were still far from complete, with 21st-century Japan as his comparison.

But, Yuri could only be perplexed by the next question Mand asked, not understanding its meaning or intent.