Actually tasting the food!
After chewing for a while, s.h.i.+n"s wrinkled glabella turned normal.
"… Nn? What is this? I thought it would stink, and it tastes like rich meat…"
s.h.i.+n made a face of regret after swallowing down.
"How is it? Internal organs can be made tasty after cleaning them properly, right?"
"Yeah, I am shocked how much tastier that was than my expectations. However, I"m sure they don"t eat something like this in the slums, no?"
"Hmm, that might be true. Removing the bad smell with milk and using plenty of seasonings and oil might be too difficult there…"
"No, I did not mean it like that…"
"? Ah! It"s almost time for dinner. I will leave the rest to you, okay?"
I took out the piping hot Tatsutaage from my Inventory and handed it to s.h.i.+n, then I canceled the barrier that I erected to hide the fact that I was cooking with internal organs from the Head Chefs and others chefs. Brining Kurogane and Mas.h.i.+ro who were blocking the way so the chefs couldn"t approach, I returned to my room.
"Ah, oi!… Geez. That fellow has no awareness to what she just made, at this rate… huh, Head Chef! There"s not much of this, you can"t sample it!"
I later heard from s.h.i.+n that he got all worn-out from protecting the food from Head Chef, I was grateful.
Soon, it was dinner time.
I made sure that the family wasn"t told anything before this. I mean, wouldn"t Okaasama just scream after hearing about food made out of internal organs?
Just in case, I asked to serve ginger-grilled Orc meat instead if she couldn"t take a bite.
Otousama sat down and noticed the Tatsutaage. Yep, he"s sharp.
"… Mu, is this today"s new dish? It does look just like normal fried meat, but…"
"This is a dish called Tatsutaage. It"s well-seasoned, so eat it just as it is."
"Tatsutaage, huh. Fumu, I won"t hold back then… mu!? T, this is!"
Otousama opened his eyes wide the moment he tasted the Tatsutaage, and after that, he continued eating in silence.
… Looks like Otousama likes it.
"My. Somehow, it has a richer taste than the usual meat. The flavor is also not overpowering, so it"s easy to eat and tasty."
Okaasama also to likes it, but it looks like she noticed that it"s not the usual meat.
But, as expected, she has no clue that it"s a liver… an internal organ. What will happen once I let them know, I wonder… should I keep it a secret?
Seeing the two eat their fill, I believe they are fond of it.
Seeing them like this, I judged it will be fine to make things like Reba Nira and liver paste, so I started eating the Tatsutaage in relief.
"… By the way, what kind of meat have you used for this dish? I have no recollection of ever eating a meat like this."
"Indeed. What kind of meat is it? Will we eat it again?"
"Mugu? Cough, umm, this is…"
Well, of course they would be curious… what do I do?
Their impressions were favorable, would it be fine to tell them? No, but…
"It"s an Orc."
"Orc? Orc shouldn"t taste like this."
"Right. Orc meat should be more fatty…"
Uguu. As expected, the food reporting couple has good taste buds.
They are convinced that it"s a meat different from what they usually eat.
"I, indeed. It"s different from the parts you usually eat."
"… Different part? Surely not…"
Whoah, Otousama"s glabella has- He is already suspecting it.
"… I have used Orc liver."
""Eh!?""
Surprised by what they heard, my parents were at a loss for words.
… Err, as I thought, was telling that that it was a liver… an internal organ was bad?
"… No wonder."
"Eh?"
"I have felt br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with power after eating."
"Yeah… me too, even though I felt sluggish since the morning, I feel refreshed now."
Okaasama certainly did look pale with anemia since the morning, but blush returned to her cheeks now.
Otousama also looks somewhat younger.
"I believe you are not aware, but the livers of Orcs and other monsters are used as a material in magic potions."
"Fueh?"
Magic potions? Material?
"Since magic potions can be used as poison depending on how they are used, so I thought it would be better for you to learn about them properly in the academy, so I didn"t look for a tutor. But to think you would use it in cooking…"
"I didn"t say anything because I thought it would be another strange knowledge for her… she"s using herbs in cooking too, after all. There are no problems because it benefitted the body, but…"
Hah? Eh? What is this about?
"I heard that you wanted to cook with internal organs, but I did not think you would use a magic potion material… make sure to not let this recipe get out. Got it?"
"… Y, yes."
"I don"t know the proper dosage, but it seems to have quite the effect for not being a restorative medicine."
"Yes. Indeed. I did not think a dish could have an effect like this."
"Fumu. This is quite interesting… but, letting the magic potion researchers now about this would be troublesome. Let"s keep it secret for a while."
"Of course. If people get to know that it was Cristea"s recipe, she won"t be able to hide from unneeded rumors."
Eeeh? The h.e.l.l is this?
Questionable rumors about the Repulsive food eating lady that made a dish out of internal organs which turned out to have medicinal effects or something like that? No way, I don"t like this sat all! I don"t need another t.i.tle attached to my name!
"Umm… this wasn"t the main dish I wanted to cook out of internal organs, but would it be better to stop cooking these, including the Tatsutaage?"
"No. There are no problems to make them at home. We shall examine the effects. Especially this Tatsutaage, get it on the table regularly."
"Haah…"
"If you have other dishes you want to make, consult with me about the materials beforehand. Understood?"
"Y, yes…"
The gluttonous, food reporting couple found no problems with the internal organ dish, but I had no idea livers were used for magic potions!