79 The Taste of Hometown
Nighttime.
The stars were shining brightly, and the wind was gentle. As Zane lit the advertising sign outside the door, the tavern began a new day of business.
He selected a fresh eel, freshly slaughtered and grilled until the surface of the fish tightened, brushed with sauce, and finally placed it on top of rice, becoming a bowl of delicious Unadon!
Soon after, the golden eel meat on the table kept shimmering with an enticing luster.
Arranged neatly on white rice, a layer of sauce hung on the surface of the eel and rice, and the whole bowl of Unadon exuded the unique delicacy of Japanese cuisine! This excited Megumi, prompting her to divide the bowl of Unadon into three portions.
The first portion was the original Unadon, the second portion contained seaweed, wasabi, green onions, white sesame, and Japanese pepper mixed with rice.
The last portion used eel offal to make a soup-drenched rice dish served with pickles, known as "tea-soaked rice."
This way of eating is currently the most popular "three ways of eel" in the Nagoya area.
"Amazing!"
"This eel is so tenderly cooked."
"And when you eat it, there's always a slight chewiness."
"It's rich in fat flavor, without any fishy taste, and when grilled a little drier, the skin is crispy and particularly fragrant!"
"The rice, although a supporting role, is steamed distinctly and has a certain stickiness, allowing the special sauce to permeate the rice without overpowering the eel's flavor."
"It not only adds a chewy texture in the mouth but also complements the tender eel."
After taking a bite of the Unadon, Megumi was instantly conquered by this local dish from Nagoya since she had been living in a fishing port city since she was a child, so this type of Unadon with local characteristics has always been her favorite dish.
"Chef, do you know?"
"When I was in middle school, I joined the local cuisine research association."
"Our association's leader was the best at making the famous Unadon from the Nagoya region. But compared to that, I feel that the Unadon you make has the most local flavor!"
As Megumi came back to her senses, she couldn't help but admire and say.
"Yeah!"
"That's high praise."
Upon hearing this, Zane just smiled lightly and replied.
Poor grades.
Is it really because of low intelligence?
In Zane's opinion, it depends on the situation; some people are simply too lazy to study. Some people make an effort but still can't learn well, the latter may be faking effort, or like Megumi, she tends to make mistakes at crucial moments!
In fact, in the original plot, Megumi's halo once overshadowed Erina.
Especially during the residential training activities, she impressed the senior residents such as Gin Dojima and Hinako Inui with her gentle cooking.
It also made Kojiro Shinomiya completely awakened, realizing that the reason he was not making progress was that he was too eager for quick success and instant benefits, and couldn't use the gentle side to cook!
Of course.
As a member of the prestigious Nakiri family, Erina is naturally the ace of Totsuki, so Megumi, no matter how hard she works, cannot catch up.
However, unlike the Nakiri family heiress who cannot tolerate any questioning, Megumi's cooking also has a bright side: she always tries to consider the diners' health conditions and impart the value of cooking with her warmth!
Therefore, for this lovely, innocent, shy but daring girl who dared to push herself to the limit at critical moments, Zane has always harbored a deep pity!
Sauce.
Like a tie.
It made the simple rice and the gorgeous eel perfectly blend together.
The sauce of the famous Nagoya eel shops is filtered daily according to their own secret recipe, while Zane's Unadon definitely uses his secret concoction of sauce.
And the sauce he concocted can perfectly bring out the freshness of the eel and the fragrance of the rice.
This is unlike the industrial mass-produced sauce that is too sweet, too salty, or too alcoholic, which covers the taste of the eel and rice!
In any case.
This bowl of Unadon.
Gradually evoked Megumi's memories of her hometown.
In this mood, she began to devour the Unadon.
Until finally, all three different Unadon portions were completely eaten up by her.
Food is so wonderful.
Discovering one more delicious thing; our expectations and curiosity about this world will increase.
Years flew by, and Megumi hadn't been home for a long time; hence, her mother's Unadon only existed in her memories.
The only thing she couldn't let go of was her current performance at Totsuki Academy, which was quite unsatisfactory.
Perhaps, she shouldn't have chosen Totsuki to begin with.
Just think, if she hadn't come to Totsuki Academy to study, her life in these past few years would have been relaxed - enjoying breakfast leisurely, not rushing; she could sleep until naturally awakening, without worrying about grades.
She could also spend every moment with her mother, working together at Shōkeien Ryokan. However, life choices ultimately have no regret medicine, so Megumi can only accept everything as it is!
"Phew!"
"I feel so satisfied."
"I haven't had hometown-tasting dishes for a long, long time!"
Licking her lips, then touching her slightly protruding belly, the still-unsatisfied Megumi couldn't help but sigh: "Chef, your Unadon, just the rice itself is fluffy and chewy; especially after absorbing the sauce, it doesn't turn mushy but retains a bit of chewiness!"
"The quality of the rice is really great, the steaming texture is just right."
"It perfectly complements the eel; even if I eat a mouthful of plain rice without sauce, I still find it very flavorful."
Seeing how absorbed Megumi was in his cooking, Zane remained silent.
He just turned to make a cup of floral tea, placed it lightly in front of her, then finally asked, "Are you alone tonight? Where are your dorm mates like Yuuki, Ryoko, and Satoshi?"
"Chef."
"I... I came alone."
"You know, the start of the school year at Totsuki is approaching."
"Whether I can pass the first class assessment is still uncertain!"
"So tonight, I wanted to enjoy my favorite Unadon here at the tavern and then bid you farewell, Chef."
Megumi hesitated, her voice filled with a hint of helplessness.
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