TN: A much shorter chapter this time! Thankfully, it’s better than the last one.
Ham Cutlet
At a corner of a house made of logs in the bedroom of a married couple, Ellen wore her best clothes for the first time in a month and was preparing to go out.
(Alright, this is it. I can"t make it better anymore.)
Since there was no mirror in the room, Ellen merely brushed her dark brown hair and checked her clothes for any disorder.
What she was wearing was not her usual ragged clothing with worn-out hem but clothes that were usually worn for festivals or weddings.
Pierced on her ear was a dull silver earring with a tiny jewel the size of a pinky fingernail that her mother told her to sell if she had monetary problem.
As she could not afford high cla.s.s cosmetics that were sold at shops, she made her own cosmetics using spring flowers. She applied red lipstick on her lips and lightly dusted face powder on her cheeks.
The place to go now… In her 30 years, there were women who were younger, more beautiful and higher status than Ellen that visited that place. She felt insecure as she could not afford anything expensive as a poor woodcutter"s wife.
Ellen convinced herself and left the bedroom.
[Thank you for waiting. What do you think? Does it suit me?]
Her family who waited in front of the room… she approached her husband and children who were also neatly dressed.
[Oh, looks good. Well then, let"s go now. The children can"t wait anymore.]
[That"s right! Let"s go now Kaa-chan!]
[I"m hungry! Let"s go!]
But reality was tough.
Her husband, Hermann, was slightly older than her and had a beefy body. Her children, the 11 years old Kai who resembled her husband and the 8 years old Bona who resembled her, ran out of the house.
[…Yes, I know. Just calm down now.]
[[Ye~s!]]
Whether they understood or not, they replied energetically.
[Well, shall we?]
[Ou.]
After she asked Hermann, the 4 of them went out.
…To the barn that was only 3 minutes away by foot.
[Well then, let"s open it.]
In the barn that only had one donkey to carry the wood, while being watched by the other three people… Hermann opened the black door with a picture of a cat.
"Chirinchirin", the door opened as normal.
[Welcome, Hermann, Ellen.]
Looking at it, more than 10 years ago, the two lovers started to visit since before they were married and the previous owner was still alive.
[The usual?]
The owner asked.
Due to their long acquaintanceship, the owner knew that Hermann and Ellen could not read the menu, so he didn"t give it to them.
Also, the order for that family had been decided for the last few years.
That"s why he was only confirming it.
[Ou, as usual. Give us a daily set meal for 4… well, what"s the daily set today?]
Sure enough, Hermann ordered that dish.
Daily set meal.
It was a menu that changed every time they came, and it was a special order, about two copper coins cheaper than any other food in the menu.
[Today"s ham cutlet. I think it would pair well with bread.]
In response to Hermann"s question, the owner replied.
He did not think that the compatibility with rice was bad, he just thought that it would fit bread better.
[Is that so? It"s bread today then. As usual, give us bread and soup first.]
Hermann then placed his order as usual.
[Yes, I understand. Please wait a moment.]
The owner retreated to the kitchen after taking the order.
[Well then, let"s find a seat…]
Then Hermann looked inside the restaurant to find an empty table.
[Oh, that one"s empty. Let"s sit there.]
[Aa.] [Ha~i.]
Following Hermann, the whole family went to that table and took a seat.
[Na, Kaa-chan! I want ice cream! Can I have ice cream?]
[I want cola! The black one with "shushu" sound!]
After they sat down, the children were filled with glee due to the once a month luxury.
Kai wanted a drink that became his favourite after a teen let him had a taste at the restaurant while Bona wanted the cold and sweet dessert that could only be eaten at the restaurant.
[No, be patient. We can"t afford that much. Ne, tou-chan?]
However, Ellen"s body while holding the purse string was stiff.
While they could not read and calculate, Ellen who maintained a firm grasp on their money asked for Hermann"s consent.
[Na, Kaa-chan, I also want beer, can we?]
[…You know, you should nod at this situation.]
Really, the reality was ruthless.
Even though he knew the circ.u.mstances of the household, Hermann wanted the otherworld alcohol that resembled ale.
[A, tou-chan, not fair! I want ice cream too!]
[I want cola!]
[Na, can we? I"ll increase the amount of firewood I cut tomorrow, I promise.]
Hermann and their children ganged up on Ellen.
Ellen heaved a sigh and said,
[…Ice cream or cola, pick either one. You can"t have them both. Anyway, whenever you order them, you always want another one. And I"ll have a bottle of beer, I also want to drink.]
[Ou!]
[[Yatta!]]
They exclaimed in delight.
Then, the kids debated whether to pick ice cream or cola and eventually decided on cola.
[Sorry to keep you waiting! I brought your bread and soup.]
A newly hired waitress with unusual black hair ornaments placed their order on the table.
[Aa, sorry to trouble you, but I want to order an additional bottle of beer and two colas.]
[Yes! Thank you very much! I"ll bring them with your order of ham cutlets.]
Responding to the additional order, the waitress retreated to the back.
[Well, let"s eat… Hermann, eyes on me okay?]
[O, Ou.]
She decided to eat after reprimanding Hermann who was staring at the waitress" b.u.t.t.
(Aa, it smells nice…)
Bread and soup.
In the otherworld, if they order the main course, they could ask for free refills of bread and soup.
The bread was even better than the white bread that Ellen usually ate during the festivals.
A long time ago, before they were married… when Hermann accidentally found the door and invited Ellen, she would eat a sweet dessert, but now she prefer the bread and soup that came with the daily set.
They were excellent food.
Two breads were placed on a white plate, warm as if it"s freshly baked. She then tore them.
The dark brown l.u.s.trous exterior was torn apart and the pure white interior was revealed.
She cut the b.u.t.ter that was also placed on the plate, spread it on the bread, and brought the bread to her mouth.
(…Aa, how sweet.)
The first bite of bread with plenty b.u.t.ter.
The taste of thin and crisp crust along with the sweet taste of the white interior spread in her mouth. The fragrance of baked bread with b.u.t.ter tickled her nose.
The taste was delicious. Soon, the bread disappeared into her stomach.
She then reached for the soup.
The soup was pale coloured with chopped vegetables and smoked meat.
She scooped it with a spoon and brought it to her mouth.
(Aa, the food here is really delicious.)
Her tongue could taste the flavors of salt, vegetables and smoked meat and some other flavors that she could not discern.
The soup served at otherworld dining hall changed every time they came, all of them were delicious.
This time was no exception.
Then Ellen proceeded to eat the soup with the bread.
She took a bite of the bread and drank a mouthful of soup.
Repeating the actions.
Hermann and her children also ate the same way.
—Aa, she"s eating delicious food.
They felt fulfillment after finishing their bread and soup.
[Sorry to keep you waiting! Here"s your order!]
The previous waitress carefully carried their food and drinks along with additional bread and soup.
[Aa, thanks.]
Thanking the waitress, Ellen looked at the highlight of their meal.
Four disk shape fried food with wheat covering, a heap of pale green leafy vegetable, three round red fruits (TN: cherry tomatoes), and yellow mayonnaise on the corner.
Today"s daily dish "Ham Cutlet" was also delicious.
[Saa, I"ll eat a lot today!]
Hermann poured the beer into a clear gla.s.s cup from its brown bottle. He also took a blue bottle and poured the content onto his plate.
[Here, you too Kaa-chan.]
[Aa, thanks.]
Ellen received the bottle of beer and the blue bottle. She then started to eat.
First, a little bit of sauce. Hermann liked to use a lot but she preferred to use it moderately.
She thought it was delicious because of its crisp coating.
She cut the Ham Cutlet into bite-sized pieces using her knife.
Peeping from the cross section were the pink smoked meat and melted cheese.
(Apparently there seems to be two kinds. Not just meat.)
While thinking such, she pierced a piece with no cheese using her fork.
She then carried it into her mouth, the smell of fragrant oil and sauce tickled her nose.
[N~!]
Her voice leaked unintentionally due to the taste.
After a crunching noise while her teeth chewed the piece, the taste of smoked meat, salt, herb and spice suddenly spread in her mouth.
Just the Ham Cutlet by itself, the taste was already unbearable. Combined with the sweet and sour sauce, the taste became even more delicious.
[Tasty~!] [Delicious~!]
The children cheered while eating their meal.
[…Puha~! The combination of beer and fried food is unbearable!]
Hermann exclaimed after eating his Ham Cutlet with plentiful sauce and a cup of beer.
All 4 of them thought that their food was delicious.
This daily set of Ham Cutlet.
(Aa… cheese is also delicious! In this case…)
Ellen chewed on a piece of Ham Cutlet with cheese inside. She enjoyed the astounding combination of piping hot melted cheese and smoked meat. While the taste still lingered in her mouth, she gulped her chilled beer.
Yes, not just limited to Ham Cutlet. There was another important way to enjoy deep fried food.
First of all, cut the bread horizontally with a knife.
Stuff the Ham Cutlet and the leafy vegetables into the slit. Pour the mayonnaise and the sauce on top.
And eat the "Ham Cutlet Sandwich" as it is.
(As expected! I can"t stop eating this in this restaurant!)
Ellen cheered internally while stuffing her mouth full.
Sweet and soft bread with smooth surface, piping hot deep-fried meat, and fresh leafy vegetable.
When these were mixed together, it was like another dish.
And, she was able to eat plenty of good bread.
"How to eat delicious deep-fried food" as taught by the previous owner.
After she heard it, whenever the daily set was a deep-fried food, she always ate it this way.
She would never be tired of it.
Looking at it, the other three also enjoyed their Ham Cutlet Sandwich in different ways.
Hermann"s was full of sauce.
Kai did not use any sauce and only used the mayonnaise for the cutlet.
Bonna"s contained a lot of vegetables and only cheese.
The family of 4 people had different ways of "how to enjoy what you think is most delicious".
[Aaah~! This sauce is really delicious!]
[It should be meat after all! Cheese is also delicious but it has to be meat!]
[Onii-chan! Well, if it was me, cheese is more important!]
Although there was no doubt that everyone was happy.
They ate the free-flow bread and soup until night.
[[[[Fu~]]]]
After stuffing their stomach full, the family of four sighed contentedly.
[Excuse me, bill please.]
They would be back soon.
While thinking so, Ellen took out her wallet and called the waitress.
[Okay. Please wait a moment.]
Then the owner came out.
It seemed that the waitress was unable to account gold yet.
[Well then, as usual please.]
Ellen softly handed the wallet to the owner.
She would not do it if the other party was an ordinary merchant, but she had known the owner for a long time so she trusted the owner not to take more money than needed.
[Yes.]
The owner took 1 silver coin and 20 copper coins from the wallet… the exact amount of the bill and handed the wallet back to Ellen.
[Thank you for your patronage. Come again.]
[Aa, we"ll come again… let"s go everyone.]
Pocketing her lighter wallet, she urged the other three.
They went through the door and stepped into their barn.
[Today"s food was delicious, right, tou-chan.]
[Isn"t it. A~a, our next visit is next month… I"ll earn more money in the meantime.]
[When I become an adult, I want to marry a rich guy so that I can go there every day!]
[Well, anyhow, that store only appeared once every 7 days.]
They went back to their house while cheerfully talking about how delicious that day"s meal was.
[Well, when we get home, take off your clothes before they get dirty.]
[[[Okay.]]]
Following Ellen"s instructions, they changed back to their usual clothes.
[Well then, I"ll chop some firewood. You too, Kai.]
[Ou.]
[Bonna, next morning, you"ll be with Kaa-chan. Understand?]
[Okay.]
She finished changing her clothes and continued her work.
Thus, their once a month luxury ended and they continued their daily life.
Also, they looked forward to their next visit.