kscans

Chapter 310 - An Acquired Taste? A Strange Taste? Yuri (Part 2)

"...Eh? The reason for storing vegetables in a magic bag?"

Reason? Storing fresh vegetables in a refrigerator... or rather, a magic bag or a cool, dark place, was just common sense, wasn't it? Adon's mansion must have a cellar or a pantry. Yuri's house didn't have a cellar, or rather, there were heating ducts running under the floor, so he was storing them in his magic bag, officially, instead.

Yuri tilted his head, not understanding the intent of the question, but as he continued to talk with Mand, he realized a terrifying possibility.

(Could it be they don't realize the importance of fresh vegetables... or rather, raw vegetables?)

It might sound like an exaggeration, but for Yuri, it was a shock like being hit over the head. In End Village, they had spoken as if they ate raw vegetables normally, but in Adon's mansion... no, was it different here in Laurenzen?

Yuri, driven by an almost obsessive sense of mission, appealed to Mand about its importance with a torrent of words that flowed more like a raging river than water from a spout.

"O-Oh... is that so..."

"I'm not saying raw is everything, but I think it's questionable to ignore it completely. And besides, you don't use many leafy vegetables, do you?"

"Ah, well, yeah. When you're thinkin' on the premise of cookin' 'em, you just end up not."

He said that while there are leafy vegetables like lettuce, they wilt as soon as heat is applied and look unappealing, so they are not used very often. They are still somewhat better when soaked in soup, but as soon as they are taken out, they become limp, and again, their appearance is not great. So they are often avoided. As for cabbage (Capet), the representative of leafy vegetables, it is overwhelmingly eaten as pickles (sauerkraut). While the deliciousness of spring cabbage is known, it is often turned into sauerkraut, which can be preserved, so there is less to go around for other dishes. Mand, being a first-rate chef himself, was aware of the importance of vegetables, but...

"Also... raw vegetables just don't go over well with the higher-ups."

"Ah... so there's that problem."

It is difficult for a hired chef to force something on their employers that they do not particularly want to eat. It seemed like it could even cause a rift in their employment relationship. Yuri could understand that. In that case, an alternative would be...

"Then at least, please try to serve fruit more often. ...Fruit is served raw, right?"

"Oh yeah. We sometimes serve it cooked, but it's basically raw."

"Then that, and... how about increasing the variety of vegetables?"

"Nah... I've been concerned about that too... but it's not very well received. They say it's too fibrous and hard to eat."

"Eh? Dietary fiber is essential for health, you know?"

"What's that?"

He had never formally studied nutrition, but he hadn't become a resident of a hospital ward in his previous life for nothing. It was knowledge picked up from listening to conversations between nurses and patients, who were both female, but...

"I don't know the details either, but... I think... it's good for beauty and health..."

"Beauty and health?"

If he tried to explain without using power words like good and bad bacteria, cholesterol, GI value, or gut health, Yuri's knowledge could only convey a vague idea, but it seemed he was somehow understood.

"...Anyway, I'll tell the master that I heard somethin' like that from you."

"Yes. Please do."

In the end, it seemed he would convey it as information from Yuri. Well, considering the current situation, that was probably the safest bet.