"There is no need to be formal. If you are not used to being seated in our country, just follow the relaxed way. Narumi, you are the same." The city lord of Qingzhi said this to Henry and his entourage and the samurai under his command respectively, and put his calf The Luoan girl, who was feeling numb from sitting, saw that the warriors had also changed their uncomfortable posture and changed to sitting cross-legged.
It seems that even for those who have been trained for a long time, this posture is more inclined to the etiquette of formal occasions rather than a daily relaxed posture.
Servants carrying large wooden plates came in one after another. Most of the dishes covered with ceramic tableware were still steaming hot.
Although she had a good lunch, it was already past seven o'clock in the evening after walking around all day, and Mira also felt hungry. She was looking forward to it, but what the first servant handed over was some kind of soup in a small black and red bowl.
"..." The same disappointment as the Luoan girl was Lulu sitting on the other side. The Yiren girl obviously drooped, but she still picked up the spoon and started to drink the soup.
Kazuto's way of dining is different from everything the sage and the Roan girl have experienced so far. The Rigal world does not distinguish between the east and west coasts. Even in Otolo or the Absera Prairie, dinners are basically the same. Everyone eats together at the same table.
But Kazuto's banquet was a small table for each person, and everyone sat on the floor and ate with their own set of tableware.
This approach may be related to their culture of paying attention to etiquette. Compared with larger tables, separated meals are less lively, but more quiet and polite. There is no need for everyone to compete, everyone has their own individual share.
The part where meals are served by servants is similar to some places in the world of Rigar, so that guests who don't have to do it themselves can have time and leisure to talk to the host instead of just fighting for food.
Of course, even so, there are still many people who are busy eating - such as Lulu, who is small but very good at eating.
She lowered her head and finished the soup quickly, but the Luoan girl on this side only took two sips before stopping her spoon.
"Doesn't it taste good?" The sage obviously noticed Mira's frown and the spoon placed back on the small table, while the Luoan girl looked at her teacher with a subtle expression.
"I'm not used to the taste," she said.
"Kazuto likes to eat soy products, and these are fermented beans." Henry used a spoon to scoop up the thick dark yellow butter-like substance in the soup bowl.
"It's okay for people who are used to it, but for Rigar people who are not used to it -" He looked to the other side. Aiji, who was already so hungry that his face was sallow and skinny, was stirring the spoon, but he still couldn't. Refuses to take a sip. Next to him, Alfonso, another missionary, and Galeva drank the soup very well.
"Just like the cheese over there, people in the Moon Kingdom can't get used to it." The sage shrugged, and Mira glanced at everyone on the other side who drank the soup cleanly, and frowned. With little eyebrows, he closed his eyes and drank the soup in one breath.
"Bah." The white-haired girl who always had a different taste and could only drink like medicine couldn't help but spit out her tongue. Fortunately, this approach did not arouse the dissatisfaction of the city lord and his family. The city lord who always smiled once again "Haha" laughed, and said: "It seems that the food in my country is not very suitable for your taste. I have prepared some that may be suitable, but before that, I still want to ask you to taste our food. country’s tradition.”
After finishing the appetizing soup, the second item served looked freshly baked. The still steaming red fish is covered with some square white lumps, which look like cheese, but the way they shake after being put down is very different from cheese, and they will not melt at high temperatures.
"If you want it light, pour some sauce on it and taste it!" the city lord introduced. The fish served on a long square black-glazed stoneware plate was not particularly large. The red fish was clearly steamed without oil and had some cuts on it. The snow-white fish meat emanating from it was tender and delicious. The fish skin is covered with some thinly sliced gold and what looks like chopped green plants, which should serve as seasonings. Without the fishy smell, they exude a faint fragrance that I have never seen before. .
"What's the sauce?" Because she didn't understand the vocabulary, the Luoan girl asked the sage. "The one next to it is for seasoning." Henry said this. Although the years passed, he still skillfully picked up the spoon in the porcelain bowl next to him, scooped up a spoonful of black sauce, and poured it around in a circle. On top of the fish skin.
The color of the sauce, which looks rich in flavor, soaks into the tender fish meat from the opening on the fish skin. Because it is steamed, the fish meat with sufficient water is not easy to taste, so the rich sauce is also It won't become too salty after pouring it on.
"Like this." Mira followed suit and moved her hands awkwardly while watching Henry's actions, as did Galeva next to her.
"Wow." But the young man, who was as dull as ever, didn't learn Henry's method of pouring the sauce evenly in a circle. He directly poured all the sauce onto the cut opening in the center and soaked it all into the fish.
"Wow." It was obvious that the fish meat that had turned into a dark color would have a strong flavor, and what was even more terrible was that Galeva then used a spoon to mix the fish meat with the seasonings in the way the Rigar people eat pancakes. It was scooped up.
"Wait -!" Ling opposite saw this scene and tried to stop it, but it was too late. After Galeva chewed the entrance a few times, her whole face immediately turned red.
"Ginger is used to remove fishy smell." Miss Doctor sighed helplessly, holding her forehead.
"Water, water." The young man, who was as hard to breathe as a fish thrown ashore, but felt embarrassed to spit out the things in his mouth in such a clean place, forcefully swallowed the things in his mouth, and then whispered cried the ground.
The servant next to him immediately brought him water at the city lord's gesture. After drinking it in large gulps, the young man still stuck out his tongue and fanned it with his hands, as if his tongue was on fire.
With this lesson learned from him, the Luoan girl breathed a sigh of relief - she almost did the same thing.
Rigal people are often accustomed to layering condiments on top of their main dishes when eating them, such as layering thin slices of cheese with delicious smoked ham and some plant spices on small pieces of bread, but in the Moon Country It doesn't seem to be the case - you can't follow your own habits, you have to observe more and learn more. The white-haired girl emphasized this sentence again in her heart, and then carefully observed Henry's actions.
After pouring the sauce on it, the sage picked up two things that looked like bamboo sticks from the side, then used them to wipe off the seasoning covering the fish skin, then picked up a small piece and dipped it in some fish in sauce.
He held a spoon underneath with his other hand, so that when the food went into his mouth, the soup wouldn't drip all over the place.
"What is this?" The girl from Luo An noticed the usage of this kind of tableware. Because she had eaten some food such as dumplings before, she thought this one was also used in a similar way.
"Use it like this." Henry turned his hand over to show her, while the missionary, Galeva and others next to him also looked at the sage's movements and began to imitate them. The city lord observed all this, and Sakura and Aya on the opposite side couldn't help but be curious about Henry's skillful movements.
But curiosity was no match for the hunger in her belly. After learning more or less, Mira clumsily picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks and imitated Henry. But after taking it into her mouth, her expression changed several times because of the unique taste of the sauce.
"It seems delicious...but the taste." The Luoan girl couldn't express her precise feelings for a long time, and the sage shrugged: "It is also fermented from soybeans."
“Try that one again,” he said, pointing to the white square on the side of the fish on the plate.
"Ah -" Mira listened to Henry's words and tried to clamp it, but because her strength control was not accurate enough, she broke the smooth white square piece in one fell swoop.
"Strength must be mastered, just like using a sword. You can't just use brute force." Even during the meal, the sage did not stop giving instructions. Our Luoan girl nodded, and then tried to clamp it up again.
"The taste is so...unique." The tofu, which is still somewhat steaming, opens up as soon as you bite it, and melts easily in your mouth. This kind of thing does not exist in Ligar. The unique taste makes it People are easily fascinated, but it is like the fish and the previous soup, which makes Mira feel uncomfortable.
"This, why, it has no taste." She said with her little eyebrows furrowed.
"Made of beans, too." Henry shrugged again.
"Hahahaha." The city lord sitting in the middle looked at the interaction between the two and laughed again: "Sure enough, most of the meals in our country are a bit bland to you."
"I also expected this, so I specially ordered my servants to prepare some things that may be more suitable for everyone's taste." He said this, and then clapped his hands again, and the servants carried the same things as before. The wooden plate came in again and placed another plate of dishes on everyone's low table.
This time, the things placed on the table exuded a familiar smell that whetted the appetites of the Rigal people, especially those from the Padrosi Empire——
"Is this a tomato?" Aggie said this for the first time. The bright red and slightly sour item was one of the main ingredients of the empire's southern cuisine system.
It’s just that it’s not used as a main course here, but as a condiment.
It was processed like a sauce and poured on top. Underneath were the golden-brown fried meatballs. The missionary and his party couldn't wait to taste them. When they bit into the crispy outer shell, they found the delicious and juicy meatballs inside. The minced meat is fragrant.
"Ah." Even though it is not an orthodox Rigal-style dish, this style is more suitable than the bland steamed fish and soup of Moon Country. Most of the group of people sitting on the right began to feast, while the Crescent Continent natives on the left also tasted with a slight hesitation, and their eyes shone one after another.
It seems that not only the foreigners like them like this dish very much, but also the samurai and the young master of the castle lord, Yajiro.
"As long as you are satisfied, I developed this myself." The city lord also said this after tasting some.
"Mix minced meat with some dried tofu pieces to increase the taste, then coated in flour, fried in the usual Nanban way, and seasoned with Nanban persimmon that has been spread in our country for hundreds of years." He obviously had something in his words: "I believe that just like this dish, two cultures separated by oceans may have better results if they combine with each other rather than confront each other."
The main topic of the banquet was finally coming. Alfonso, Henry, Sakura and Aya all stopped the chopsticks in their hands and looked at the city lord.
"Let me tell you straight to the point. I know that you have some important information about those who rebelled. And I intend to help you." He leaned his hands together, and because he covered the smile on his face, he only The rest of his eyes were piercing.
"Although I can't say it clearly, for me personally, a better result will be achieved if Xinjing wins."
"This person, I believe he also guessed this, and came to contact through a series of actions." He did not look at Aya, who was of high status and was a native of the Moon Country, nor at Alfonso. The older missionary leader instead looked directly at Henry.
"I would like to hear the details." The wise man spoke and replied.
