In the long past, when there was no so-called "civilization" and the concept of farming had not yet sprouted, primitive humans in most areas lived a life of hunting and gathering.
This ancient way of survival is based on families or tribes: people chase migrating herds across the vast land, fish or hunt depending on the season, and supplement it with a series of edible plants and fungi such as berries, nuts, and mushrooms. Rely on supplies from the natural environment.
Relying on mountains and rivers to eat and drink sounds very beautiful and romantic, but in fact, just like wild animals, due to the extremely high requirements for personal physical fitness of traveling through mountains and rivers and hunting, there was no room for the old, weak, sick and disabled in that era. The mortality rate among human children and adolescents is extremely high, thus keeping the population small.
Survival of the fittest is a cruel natural law, and all living things in nature cannot avoid this - but the biggest difference between humans and wild animals is their intelligence.
Intelligence and wisdom are two concepts.
The former is a highly developed instinct, with a very high ability to perceive and understand the situation - just like an animal that can predict the arrival of a volcanic eruption or an earthquake and escape in advance. They are products of the natural law of survival of the fittest, following extremely simple logic - creatures that do not have this ability are dead, so those who survived have evolved over a long period of time to possess the intelligence to deal with these situations.
The latter is more like an acquired accumulation. It is not a passive selection of the "ability" possessed by surviving by luck alone, but a kind of "thinking" about the solution to the dilemma.
think.
It's the beginning of everything.
The thought of "How to solve the problem of uneven food supply? Sometimes there is a large harvest of prey that is too much to eat, but sometimes it may not be available?" This led to the habit of food preservation.
Thinking about "how to catch fish more efficiently" eventually led to the creation of fishing nets.
The dissatisfaction with having to rely on the elusive gifts of nature led to thinking about "stable living environment", which brought about the origin of agricultural civilization.
Plant your own crops and raise your own livestock. The idea of controlling growth and harvest within a controllable and predictable range is still unique to humans - not only is it different from beasts, but other major races do not have the same concept.
As a result, humans have developed and grown, and patches of forest have been cut down to make way for farmland. Sufficient food security made the population grow and tend to settle down instead of wandering around the land - thus the concept of "hometown" was born. In order to manage the increasing population size, social systems, countries, nobles and A series of concepts such as civilians and law also emerged.
But disasters still exist.
Settlement and an increasingly large population base have greatly reduced humankind's ability to withstand natural disasters. In the past, small settlements with only a few hundred people could migrate long distances to other places to find food when they encountered famine. However, when the population reaches several hundred In any case, once there is a barren year, there is simply not enough food in the wilderness to eat.
Moreover, the competition for resources caused by such a large and growing population base is also extremely fierce - although wars were common among tribes in the long past, now they have become more "civilized and civilized" along with the social system. Efficient".
The original intention of pursuing a stable living environment finally came to fruition after tens of thousands of years of evolution. Human beings have accomplished something that no other single species has achieved: unprecedentedly spreading their footprints across mountains, ice sheets and deserts - but the shadow of crisis But it never disappeared.
As mentioned above: too large a population base means too large a demand for resources.
If there is a problem with the supply of this resource demand, turbulence will occur.
We are now seeing it with our own eyes.
——It is late August, late summer and early autumn.
In just about 20 days, the situation in Jeju has deteriorated to an unbelievable degree.
Although the conflict openly provoked by the samurai class and the civilian class is still limited to the Jeju territory due to chaos - the samurai are too busy dealing with the situation and fail to report it, and the mob lacking order and management is unable to achieve further results - but More serious problems are just beginning to emerge.
Minamata, where the disaster originated, was a fishing port that also served as a commercial port.
The fertile waters of the Shiranui Sea and the superb skills of the large-scale settled fishermen make the seafood produced here provide nearly 50% of Jeju's non-staple food.
What is this concept?
Just the day after that crazy night in Minamata, people in the surrounding cities suddenly discovered that the originally full morning market fish stalls only had a few sparse, stinky fish with cloudy eyes that looked stale, and pickled fish that would last longer. salted fish and river fish caught in nearby fresh water.
In the eyes of Jeju people, river fish is inferior and only eaten by people at the bottom. People with a little money will choose sea fish, which not only tastes more delicious, but is also often more "noble".
But this "minor dissatisfaction" about the shortage of non-staple food and having to choose river fish that I was not happy to eat was almost nothing compared to what would happen next.
Taizhou has lost contact.
The news has been circulating for a week.
As the most important rice producing area in the central and northern parts of the country, the loss of Taizhou directly meant that the staple food supply of a large number of nobles and Chinese throughout Jeju was affected.
When the Chinese servants and the ashigaru under the nobility went out to purchase food, the price of rice could triple in just one conversation. In just one week, the Chinese and nobles who had no worries about food and clothing suddenly found that if they wanted to maintain the same life as before, they had to worry about food expenses like civilian families.
Some of the countrymen who came from more down-to-earth backgrounds switched to eating potatoes and yellow rice to save money, but the vast majority of Jeju nobles were just like the people in power in any country with strict classes - they did what they were best at. Things - Use power to suppress others.
Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, the society of Crescent Continent is similar to that of other great empires, the status of merchants is quite low.
Slick-tongued and speculative people are probably the common impression society has on them. Although the ration suppliers who can control the nobles must also have official backgrounds, the actual operators at the bottom are just ordinary civilians.
There is a saying among the people in Xinyuezhou that "it depends on the owner when beating a dog" - this is why the Jeju Chinese were tolerant of the price increase at the beginning. The Chinese behind these rice shops are also Chinese, and they do not want to openly compete with others. Nobles of high status stir up conflicts.
But there is a degree of tolerance.
Nobles who have good face and are accustomed to being in high places, when the food supply is short and the money is too tight to buy rice, it is reasonable for them to be angry instead of buying other food.
Then a dramatic scene appeared - almost the same situation as that night in Minamata also occurred quickly in other cities in Jeju. However, the Xinyuezhou nobles who grew up in a reserved culture did not use such "rude and barbaric" methods as direct beating, smashing and looting. The way - they used their identity and power to squeeze, forcing the rice shop owner to lower the price back to the original level.
This is obviously an imposition, but how can the nobles care.
While they were still worrying about "what to eat," the "Jeju Prefecture Incident" quickly spread hostility and a movement to suppress the upper class.
It directly turns "what to eat" into "is there anything to eat?"
The Kingdom of the Moon is a large agricultural country.
Rice, vegetables, fruits, tea, potatoes, millets, more than 80% of the country's population are farmers who are engaged in planting.
And when the farmers excitedly picked up their sickles and hoes and put down their farmlands to confront the nobles, a very simple question came up - what to do with the crops that no one took care of?
At first, other Jeju farmers were unwilling to participate in this massive "lower and higher" movement. When they wanted to stay home and take good care of their fields, their angry young neighbors would accuse and scold them of being cowardly and cowardly.
And when they returned home after a week of frenzy and madness, they found that all the crops had died. After these people's enthusiasm had subsided.
I found that all I had left was a piece of chicken feathers.
The initial rumors that Minamata incited panic finally became a reality due to their own unremitting efforts - the problem of food shortages definitely arrived at the end of August when autumn was supposed to be a good harvest.
But the solution to the problem also became obvious.
They have resorted to violence and even killed the Jeju nobles who did not know the danger but still went out unprepared, and the farmers who had tasted the sweetness of plundering property.
It would be just a thought to raise arms against other farmers who still have food left at home.
Human nature has never withstood scrutiny.
For those who did not participate in the riots and took care of the fields honestly, their "non-cooperation and cowardice" became the reason for punishment. People who have been stained with blood think they have become upright men. They have tasted the consequences of forming a group and resorting to violence. People who have a sense of superiority and authority regard other people's food and lives as belongings at their own disposal.
So not only the common people and the nobles, but also the common people and the common people were in conflict.
Some purists believe that they must focus on uniting against the nobles who want to deal with them, but many just continue to savor the sense of control that comes through cathartic violence.
Everyone is in danger and split into countless small groups that are hostile to each other. The real material conditions of shortage of food rations have given rise to countless evils.
Taizhou lost contact, Jeju was in turmoil, and Zhangzhou was isolated.
The people in power in Xinjing are very anxious, and under such a turbulent background.
Our sage and his party are currently cooking food in the forest of Jeju.
Those Rigal-style rations that Henry bought for the missionaries as condolences, even if the warriors didn't like them very much, they still had to eat some at this time.
Because they did not expect the incident in Jeju. Although the Japanese rations purchased are sufficient, considering that the supply may be inconvenient on the future journey, the sage must use the portion purchased personally. At this moment, it is the right solution to try to taste some adaptable flavors.
It's just that although what the sage purchased was Rigal style, it was not entirely West Coast or Lamanite style.
The contents of the clay pot are fermented vegetables pickled with salt. Once opened, a strong sour smell wafted into the air. Not only the warriors of Crescent Continent were dissatisfied with the pungent smell, but even the Lamanite missionaries and their party didn't like it very much.
Only our Luoan girl and Mr. Sage can accept it.
"It's pickled vegetables." The white-haired girl said - this is an Otolo style pickled vegetable. Luoan, as a nation that once lived in the Western land, also has a similar flavor dish.
The food of the Otolo people is generally consistent with that of most other places in Rigal, and is mainly based on pasta. However, the bread that the people like to eat is usually a unique black bread with a sour taste.
Sauerkraut is also an important part of this, which at first glance may sound very similar to the tomato-centric cuisine of the southern East Coast, but if that were just the case, the Lamanite missionaries would not be embarrassed.
The biggest difference between the two traditional cuisines of East and West Rigal is that the "sourness" of the east coast is actually the result of the pursuit of "umami".
Although tomato soup is sour, its deliciousness is also outstanding. But Otolo's is different. The "acidity" of Otolo is actually the result of pursuing long-term preservation - which is exactly the opposite of the definition of "delicious".
Whether it’s brown bread or sauerkraut, it lasts a long time if stored properly. This is also the reason why Henry bought these instead of the Laman cuisine that that store is better at making. They are travelers after all, and they are not rich enough to abandon them wantonly, so they have to consider the problem of food spoilage.
There are also some bacon and beans. The surface of Laman ham and Otolo sausage, which are smoked with fireworks until dry and hard, can last for several years if stored in a dry area. Together with the beans in bags, it can be regarded as filling the gap. The typical non-staple food of the Qingtian family and people's meals is seriously lacking.
In addition to these, the sages bought relatively normal bread to the missionaries as consolation gifts - and this is what they are dealing with right now. These breads are relatively less durable for storage, so they must be dealt with first.
The sauerkraut taken out of the clay pot is cut into thin strips with a pocket knife and served with the beans that have been soaked in advance. Sausages can be fried directly, but some more shelf-stable bacon needs to be soaked several times because they are too salty to keep as long as possible.
The process of soaking bacon in water is the most time-consuming. You must first cut it into pieces and put it into the pot, cook it to dilute the salt, then pour it out, add water, repeat this three times, take it out and fry it in a pan until golden brown on both sides, then add beans and Stew with other seasonings. So this is prepared in advance.
But other than that, everything is quite time-saving.
Fry the sausages in the melted fat from the bacon, slice the bread and toast it briefly, then stew the bacon with shredded sauerkraut and beans to form a common folk dish in the Otolo Empire from the west coast to the west. A meal.
Except for the cooking part of the bacon, the time consumed is very short. If it is not sausage but ham and is directly sliced and served with bread, it will only take less than 5 minutes to prepare.
Compared to the staple food of the Crescent Continent, which always needs to be simmered slowly before being eaten, the sage finished this Rigar-style lunch in just three strokes, five by five, and divided by two, which simply stunned the ashigaru in charge of cooking in the Qingtian family.
"Sir, is this good?"
'Is this really edible? 'The words in his heart almost blurted out, but Henry was as noncommittal as ever and just shrugged.
The long-lost bread side dishes made the missionary and his party the first to take action. Although it was more of an Otolo-style meal, it was still the style of the Rigal people, so they quickly started to feast.
Rigar and his entourage, plus Lulu who was a barbarian, Mr. Jian who was born as a commoner, Miss Doctor and the Courtesan all followed closely. They were either dubious, full of expectation or curious.
After hesitating for a while, the Qingtian family finally put aside their prejudices and made a bold attempt.
"It's a bit heavy-handed, but it's acceptable." became the comment of the samurai.
It cannot be achieved in a day or two to make the Crescent Island people's generally lighter tastes accept Rigal-style dining. But overall, although this meal was not in line with my habits, it was not unacceptable.
Easy to store, durable in storage, and time-saving in cooking.
A meal like this is not only a home-cooked dish in the Otolo Empire, but also a common ration for Otolo soldiers - it is said that the adventurers there also like this combination.
If there is any disadvantage, it is that the jars used to store sauerkraut are heavy and fragile.
And the smell is just a bit strong.
——This shouldn't be a problem, because after all, they came to a deep forest to avoid being seen and heard.
unless.
Someone who happened to be from Otolo, and who just happened to be able to avoid the eyes of others, also walked into this forest, and then just happened to smell the familiar smell of dishes during the meal and approached out of curiosity.
So, this coincidence is also destined to a certain extent.
A group of heavily armed men suddenly emerged from the bushes near Henry and the others.
The moment their eyes met, the air froze.
They looked at each other, dumbfounded.
"Ah - hiss -" Mira looked at the white hair of the group of people who were the same as hers, and suddenly remembered the previous experience in Zhangzhou.
And this group of people looked at their team, which was obviously too strange, and panicked for a moment.
"Ostobach (retreat)!" When the leader finally realized that the people in front were not their friendly forces, he immediately gave the order and turned around and ran away.
"This-" Old Joe was stunned, and Henry finished the bread in two bites and grabbed Claymore.
"I'm talking about you."
"Don't you want to chase him? He looks suspicious at first glance." The sage shrugged and said.
