Find Rice

We arrive at the backyard and immediately start to wash our dirty laundry. Silvie also takes her dirty clothes to wash. This world washing system is simple, just beat the dirty laundry into wash plank and didn't use any detergent or soap at all. of course this is a tiring job because need a lot of hand strength.

So after washing our faces and brush our teeth, we start to wash the clothes. I'm the one who fetches the water and Silvie the one who washes it. While we wash the clothes, I ask her about the eating habit in this world

"Silvie, what usually people eat to breakfast in here?"

"Breakfast?"

"Ah, eating in the morning. In my world that called breakfast"

"We don't eat breakfast. If there's some leftover from dinner then we can eat in the morning"

Oh right, is already hard to make fire, how they will able to make breakfast in the morning. Firewood also sometimes not dry enough to burn and will make much smoke if forced to burn. If the coal we found during our trip to the beach can widely use, maybe the eating habit in this world will also change. But maybe still take times before the coal can be mined and use widely. Another idea shows up in my mind, charcoal! That don't need to mine but can be made. This charcoal also makes a good scent for the food either depend on the wood used to make charcoal. Moreover, it more practical when used to grill meat or make barbeque. This sudden idea I will propose to chief Harvard later.

"But if you don't eat at morning, you will have the energy to do activities during the day, right?"

"We already used to it. Besides, we can eat a lot during lunch to compensate for the hunger"

"If there's something easy to make in the morning, will you eat in the morning?"

"Like frikadel? Oh I would like to"

"Maybe simpler and faster to make. Oh right, I see many earthen jars in the kitchen. What is inside that?"

"We make powder from jagung, wheat, grain and anything that can make into powder. It can last longer if keep in dried place rather than keep in its original form"

What? There are flours in there? Why you tell me this earlier, I can make something else if I have the ingredient"

"Ah, talking about eating, I almost forget to feed the chicken. Ikki, I get some chicken feed inside first okay, can you continue this washing?"

"Sure, no problem"

"Aw, Ikki is so nice. Here's the gratitude token….*smooch*"

Silvie gets inside the house to take chicken feed after leaving a kiss on my cheek. She comes out again with a sack in her hand and goes to the chicken kennel. In there she throwing something brownish white grain which almost makes me stop breathing when seeing it.

"Silvie, wait!"

"What happen Ikki?"

"Can I see that sack content?"

"You mean this chicken feed?"

"Yes, that one"

I walk to approaching Silvie that still held the sack in her hand. After arriving in the chicken kennel, I see the chicken is pecking that grain happily.

"May I look that chicken feed?"

"Oh, here you are"

Silvie handed me the sack, and after I see what inside, I'm feeling like want to cry. What inside that sack is RICE! Although the color is brownish white, it still RICE! It's something that I never eat again after I arrive in this world. As a Japanese people, of course, I will prefer rice than other staple food if they presented together. But in this world, it only used to feed chicken. Did they ever try to eat this before? Or they already satisfied with corn and wheat? Which make them no longer search for alternative food.

"Ikki? What wrong? You look at this chicken feed so serious"

"Where do you get this?"

"Oh, that harvest from the wild grass in the grassland near the village. Since the chicken like it, we use it as chicken feed"

"Do you ever try to eat it?"

"The taste is awful and hard. No one like it, so we just make it as chicken feed"

Gosh! I almost want to slam my head against the wall. Of course, it would taste awful if you do not remove the skin from the rice first. You should also need to boil it first before eating it to make it soft and edible.

"Ikki, what are you thinking? You look like want to cry and laugh at the same time"

" ....."

I'm speechless. I'm indeed want to cry and laugh for this silliness. Maybe if I can turn this rice into something nice, they will consider to cultivate this rice and use it as a staple food.