Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

39 – Seafood Feast Mermaid VS Meat Feast Elf

When the mackerel was grilled, Andrea frowned at the faint fishy smell that she couldn’t help but notice.

No matter how well Lucas drained the blood and cooked it, he couldn’t completely prevent the slightly fishy smell from emanating.

And that fishy odor was extremely unpleasant to the sensitive nose of the Elf.

That’s why she wondered.

‘Why do they eat this fish when the meat tastes better?’

She just couldn’t understand.

From her perspective, she’d rather have had an extra piece of meat than eating food with such a smell.

Of course, through Lucas, she learned that just because it smelled bad didn’t mean it tasted bad, but the smell was still not pleasant.

She thought it was just a passing thought.

“What did you just say?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean…?”

“You just insulted the sacrifices and devotion of these fish.”

Apparently, her thought had slipped out unconsciously.

The blue-haired guest, who possessed an extraordinary aura, glared at her and spoke.

“Apologize.”

Andrea frowned at his words.

This guest had been irritating her nerves since his arrival.

The fact that Lucas was strangely overly friendly to this guest also bothered her.

His subtle way of looking down on her didn’t sit well with her.

Isn’t it true though?

Isn’t meat from the land much more delicious than fish caught from the sea?

The thrill of a successful hunt, the taste of the meat – land meat had always been the clear winner.

What’s the fun in fishing where all you do is wiggle a fishing rod and catch something?

As that thought came to mind, Andrea’s neck stiffened.

“Well, isn’t that true?”

“What?”

“I mean, beef seems to be much tastier. Talking about the recommended menu by the staff, you would probably have had bulgogi rice or beef bulgogi bibimbap, or if you were willing to spend a little more, you would have had Chadol Doenjang jjigae.”

“Take back what you just said. A fish is a complete food, isn’t it? Obviously, fish should taste better than the smelly beef!”

The two of them, no, a mermaid and an elf stared at each other, fanning the flames of confrontation.

The forest race, Elves, and the ocean race, Mermaids.

“‘Fish tastes better than beef? Are you a mermaid who’s come from the depths of the ocean?”

“…”

“What? You’re really a mermaid? Why would a mermaid come all the way here to try human cuisine…”

It was then that it happened.

“Thunk!”

“Andrea, that’s enough.”

“Ouch!”

Lucas intervened and lightly flicked Andrea’s forehead.

“It hurts…!”

“What are you doing in front of the guests? Haven’t I been emphasizing for days? Always show a smile and kindness to the guests. That’s crossing the line.”

“But, boss, this person also said that beef…”

“Apologize right now.”

Lucas pressed down on Andrea’s head.

“Ouch, it hurts…!”

“I apologize. I must have trained my staff incorrectly. I will make sure this doesn’t happen again. And today’s meal is on me.”

At that, Andrea finally bowed her head as well.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I feel relieved since the boss said this.”

Michelle felt pleased that Lucas had taken her side.

Indeed, this chef knew good taste.

After all, the fish was delicious.

She had heard rumors that beef was tasty, but fish was bound to be even better.

While beef simply walked and ran on the ground, fish swam the vast oceans with more freedom than anyone.

The energy contained in their small bodies could not even be compared to that of beef.

“Then, please enjoy your meal before it gets cold.”

“Thank you.”

Michelle bowed her head slightly in gratitude to Lucas and grinned at Andrea, who was forcibly holding back her laughter.

“Uh, ugh….”

“Andrea, be quiet.”

“Yes.”

Ah, how delightful.

Seeing Andrea who couldn’t do anything even while witnessing her own delight, Michelle felt the initial envy she had fade away.

It wasn’t all good just because she was working here.

After all, Lucas seemed to treat the guests much better than the employees.

In that case, rather than joining as an employee…

‘Maybe I should purchase a villa around here as well….’

The problem was that the Sea King possessed a tremendous hostility towards humans.

It was crucial not to get caught by Abmama.

It was then when she thought selling just a few jewels would solve her problem.

“Is there a problem with the food?”

“Huh?”

“You haven’t started eating yet.”

“Ah, sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment.”

Thinking about something else with food in front of me.

Everything was a mess because of that elf who suddenly appeared.

“I’ll enjoy the meal.”

She looked at the mackerel dish and fried squid, which were still steaming.

On top of the browned, well-grilled fish were finely chopped onions and peppers, as well as green onions, mixed with a soy sauce-based sauce.

“Please enjoy.”

She picked up the mackerel with now-familiar chopsticks.

Crunch!

The crispy, grilled skin cracked and split, and the firm flesh of the mackerel tore along the grain.

She lifted the seasoned fish with the sauce on top of the white flesh.

“Yum.”

The salty taste of the soy sauce that had soaked into the seasoning greeted her first.

Followed by the texture of the mackerel’s flesh.

The outer part was crispy from being cooked in oil, but the inside was soft and moist, settling comfortably in her mouth.

Crispy yet moist.

She didn’t expect to feel the same texture in grilled dishes as she did in fried ones.

It was a stimulating sensation that she could never experience in the Dragon Palace.

Regardless of how much they removed the water at the Dragon Palace, it was fundamentally underwater.

There was a limit to the cooking methods that could be done there.

Most of the dishes were boiled or steamed.

That’s why she liked this man’s cooking more.

It was a taste she would never experience in the Dragon Palace.

The soy sauce added to the savory taste of the grilled fish.

The crispy texture of onions, green onions, and peppers were added in between the texture of the fish.

“As expected, it’s delicious.”

Michelle knew how to make this saury dish even more delicious.

She placed a bite-sized piece of fish on spoonful of rice.

It seemed that she would have to open her mouth really wide to fit it all in at once.

‘How embarrassing…’

She glanced at the kitchen and covered her mouth with one hand, lifting the spoon with the other.

Wow.

‘It’s hot.’

The rice, seasoning, and saury all entered her mouth in one bite.

She munched on the saury, then cut the kimchi with her chopsticks and ate it as well.

The cold, fresh salty taste of the newly pickled kimchi was added to the mix.

Crunch! Crunch!

It’s delicious. So delicious! Really delicious!!

The saury is flopping around on top of the cabbage.

This kind of diverse taste could never be achieved with beef, could it?

“Ummm~.”

Her mouth was full.

‘It’s said that elves are stubborn, and that’s just right.’

After taking another bite of saury, Michelle clenched her fists and shivered vigorously.

It’s delicious.

“Hehe.”

An involuntary smile appeared on her face.

It’s always like this.

Guilt fades away when eating something tasty.

Without realizing it, those feelings had become thinner and thinner until she hardly felt them at all.

Because it’s natural.

She couldn’t forget her gratitude toward them.

Her mood was soured from the outset by the argumentative elf, but today’s menu was more than enough to make up for it.

Just grilling it alone was enough to stimulate people’s taste buds.

‘I want to take him with me. I really want to take him to the Dragon Palace.’

Of course, she had been turned down once when she offered to scout him, but she thought that was because she hadn’t revealed she was the mermaid princess.

What would his reaction be if she told him that she was the princess of the Dragon Palace below and the future master of the sea?

Would he be surprised?

Humans had a fascination with mermaids, after all.

‘You can become the exclusive chef of the mermaid princess. How about it? Isn’t it tempting?’

But there was one reason she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

What if she was rejected?

What if she could never taste the food from this place again?

– Don’t trust humans.

Abamama’s voice echoed in her mind.

Her warning that humans would exploit mermaids.

No.

He would never do such a thing.

From Noble mtl dot com

Forgetting her thoughts, she picked up a crispy fried squid neatly stacked on the oil paper.

The fried squid was also delicious.

The batter was crispy, and the squid flesh was chewy.

The squid, dressed in flour batter, swam in lemon soy sauce.

It was salty, tangy, crispy, and bouncy.

The lemon aroma caught any greasiness of the fried dish.

“It was delicious. I’m so full now. I can’t fit in any more. Hoo-ooo.”

Finishing her meal perfectly, Michelle watched Andrea, who was being scolded by Lucas in the corner of the restaurant.

She didn’t know what to do, her head bowed deeply in apparent distress. Watching her in that state, there was no need for an antacid.

Hoo-hoo, quite a sight.

***

“Andrea.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Didn’t I warn you not to fight with the guests?”

“Well, you did…”

I looked at Andrea, her head bowed.

I had expected something like this to happen at least once.

Aren’t elves inherently stubborn beings?

And of all things, her adversary is a noble lady.

Of course, besides her name being Michelle, I knew little about her true origin and background. Without asking, her casual noble demeanor and the jewelry on her body indicated she wasn’t an ordinary noble.

Having seen enough nobles in the capital, I could boast of being someone who could easily discern nobility.

Despite her claim to be a princess from another country, it seemed like a disguise, considering how she carried herself.

‘It doesn’t seem like someone sent by the princess. And she’s certainly not the head of the noble faction.’

Seeing her come every other day, she probably hailed from a nearby region.

‘Who would come alone without any escorts?’

I couldn’t quite figure it out.

So, I immediately interrupted Andrea.

“But honestly, isn’t beef better than fish?”

“….”

From a chef’s perspective, I preferred beef because it was much easier to cook. However, instead of agreeing with her, I remained silent.

If I sided with Andrea here, she’d only learn bad habits.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“But why do you accept that person even when it’s not open hours? You don’t accept other guests.”

“Why?”

I looked at Michel, who enjoyed the mackerel grilled and the squid fried more than anyone else.

She smiled happily, her cheeks full as she chewed on the mackerel.

She then swayed her shoulders and picked up a piece of fried squid.

She seemed to be unaware of it herself.

“Um~.”

“She is the only guest who eats fish dishes in our restaurant.”

“Is that really the only reason?”

“Of course.”

Having someone who enjoys my cooking so happily was the greatest luck for me as a chef.

“You have to be kinder to regulars than anyone else. Remember that.”

“Alright, got it.”

“Oh, and I’m going to charge you for the fish dishes that the guest ate.”

“What? Why, why?”

“Why? It’s because they got it for free because of you. You have to take responsibility.”

“No, that’s not fair.”

“Don’t worry. It’s just one more day of work.”

“……”

I patted Andrea’s sulking shoulder.

A strong warning is necessary to prevent the same thing happening later.

“Do better from now on. Then, I might consider forgiving you.”

“Ugh…….”

“I ate well. I’ll come again later.”

“Please come anytime. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, always.”

Finishing her elegant greeting as always, Michelle left the restaurant with her plate completely empty.

As expected, she had no escort.

‘Does that mean she’s that skilled?’

Or did she sneak all the way here?

Let’s not think too deeply.

Whatever their story, they are all customers of my store.

‘As long as they don’t cause any problems.’

They were always welcome.

Not long after Michelle left with a noble-like courtesy, a group of knights hurriedly came from the castle.

Woosh!

Looking at them through the window, sometimes I reminisced about my school days when I used to run for meals in the distant past.

“Sir Lucas! We’re here!”

“We’ve arrived!”

“Please give us pork cutlet!”

“I’d like bulgogi!”

It was lunchtime and the knights were hungry and exhausted.

Today, let’s get down to business.