episode_0042

There’s a meme going around saying that British food is tasteless, but I don’t entirely agree with that sentiment.

Take, for example, the quintessential British dish of fish and chips. Well, isn’t it just fried fish and fries? While it may feel heavy when you eat it, it’s not inherently tasteless. Of course, if you dislike fish in general, that’s a different story.

In reality, when I tried it once, it was quite delicious.

The issue is that it was a dish I had in my past life, that is, in Korea.

While the origin of ingredients may vary slightly, I don’t think the taste of fish and chips would be drastically different just because you eat it in the UK. Sure, they might use a bit more oil, and the condiment might be vinegar, so the flavor could be different, but frying fish coated in flour, how different could the taste really be?

Even if it’s not fish and chips, there are plenty of other British dishes that are worth trying… I heard. You don’t even need to hear someone defend it, as it’s common in subcultures consumed by fanatics to stereotype certain races or countries. Honestly, I thought British food was a similar case.

The problem is, this world is neither “Korea” nor “Britain,” but rather the “Azernej Empire.”

Yes, it’s a world that doesn’t exist in reality.

No, here too, reality is reality, so saying it’s a world that doesn’t exist on Earth would be roughly accurate.

But here’s the thing.

The game series featuring the Azernej Empire was called the “Azernej Chronicles,” and the company behind the series was Millennium, a Japanese company.

And in Japanese subculture, when it comes to “foreign-made food,” British food is often mentioned, with British people being portrayed as unable to cook or British food itself being inedible.

Furthermore, one of the motifs of the Azernej Empire was the “British Empire.”

Even excluding the noble class, the life of the common people during the “Industrial Revolution” era was depicted as miserable.

Yes, the food in the Azernej Empire was generally tasteless.

Oh, but the meat dishes were generally excellent. If it was “grilled meat,” like steak, it was delicious.

Desserts were the same, and the tea and cookies served during tea time were also good.

But those were usually foods enjoyed by the wealthy, right? It’s a fact that with enough money poured into it, any food can be made delicious.

Sometimes, in order to understand the geography of the land, I would go out and eat street food or snacks from street vendors, but most of the inexpensive street food was not fit for consumption.

No, really.

When you hear “fish and chips,” you might imagine a crispy—worst-case scenario, soggy—fried fish cutlet and some tasty fries, but the fish and chips in this world are not in that good condition.

The Industrial Revolution.

A time when everything was transitioning to mass production.

The “fish” that was the raw material for fish and chips—usually cod—was caught indiscriminately using steamships.

And the best way to process a huge amount of fish at once was to fry them in boiling oil.

The purpose of coating the low-quality fish, which was about to spoil, with flour and frying it in low-quality oil was simply to cook it enough to be edible, and that was how fish and chips were made in this world.

The typical way to eat it is to peel off the greasy batter and just eat the flesh.

Yes. There is no bone sticking out like a fish cutlet. It simply means that you have to eat the white fish meat that cannot be grilled without removing bones and spines.

It’s not just fish and chips. Most of the commoner’s food in this world was made solely for survival.

Have you ever tried a sandwich made by grilling bread with salt and then sandwiching it between bread slices? I’ve tried that sandwich once. It was a tough bread with a salty taste. Who on earth thought of selling this? Even if it was made, it’s a strange idea. I hope it’s a food that doesn’t exist on Earth.

After experiencing that reality once, I don’t go near the “commoner’s food” in this world. There was curry among the foods that came from the colonial side, but… even after coming to this world, as someone with a native Korean taste, the unfamiliar smell of spices did not suit my taste.

The black pudding that tasted similar to sundae, and the sauerkraut brought from Germany, another motif of the Azern Empire, suited my taste very well… but neither of them was a main dish. Moreover, both were foods with strong preferences, so it didn’t seem like something the “cool beauty” would like.

“Ta-da!”

The food that Claire showed us after seating us was so excellent that it shattered my image of “commoner’s food.”

No, can I even call it commoner’s food?

If you look at it, it’s not cheap. But it’s not a price that only nobles can afford either. It was a food that commoners could eat with a big heart. Of course, after eating it, the diet would be very poor for about a week.

Well, it’s not a place where you can’t live around here. At least it was one of the safest places in the Azern Empire.

Based on tropical fruits, probably mango as the base, topped with whipped cream, then layered with fruits again, and topped with whipped cream once more, with different fruits arranged by type.

It looked like a cake just by being in a glass cup.

“The pride of this shop, parfaits!”

It wasn’t just one kind, but each type had a different form.

“I didn’t expect much when I saw the price, but it’s amazing.”

Alice said in a pure, admiring voice.

“Right? I ordered it without much expectation too!”

If the working class of the Azern Empire had heard the conversation between Alice and Claire, they would not have been able to bear the revolution. In this world… the proletariat, shall we say. Anyway, it was a dessert that was quite burdensome for them to buy with money.

Of course, in terms of nobility, it was cheap to be able to buy it. Especially for Princess Alice.

“It’s excellent. It doesn’t seem much different from what I saw in my hometown.”

Since parfait is a French word, in the fictional country of Belburg, which seems to mix French and Belgian cultural motifs, it might just be an ordinary dessert.

“Still, you never know until you try it.”

Charlotte said with a slightly expectant expression.

“To be honest, the bread from the academy wasn’t that tasty.”

“Huh?”

Alice’s head turned sharply at Charlotte’s words.

“Wait… the bread from the academy isn’t tasty?”

Now that Alice, Claire, Leo, and even Mia Crowfield were looking at Charlotte with shocked expressions.

“…What?”

And Charlotte, with eyes wide as if the reaction was truly shocking, was looking back at them.

“Wait… did you just say that those breads are tasty?”

“No, isn’t it delicious?”

Alice, who heard Charlotte’s words in a slightly hesitant voice, looked perplexed and asked Claire and Leo, as if seeking confirmation. The two nodded their heads.

“It’s delicious. Actually, I’m not sure if it’s tastier than the bread I had in Korea. Most of the bread I had there was convenience store bread that came from a factory. If it’s bread baked with care, it can only be delicious.

However, Charlotte is from the ‘Kingdom of Taste,’ Belvoir. It’s even one of the motifs of France.

France. A country where the recipe for baguettes is actually regulated by law.

If Azerna Empire is the land of meat, black tea, and cookies, then Belvoir Kingdom can be called the land of bread, wine, and chocolate.

Of course, since baking and pastry making have developed diversely in England, Azerna Empire’s bread must be of the highest quality, but… how should I put it? Should I say that the production company wanted to add special characteristics for each country? In this world, Belvoir was known as the country with the most delicious bread. It was even mentioned in the setting book. Regardless of personal preferences, it’s the ‘official setting.’

Perhaps it’s common sense in this world.

“Alice, have you been to Belvoir Kingdom before? Did you try their bread then?”

“Oh, no, it was delicious. It was tasty! Just because one side is incredibly delicious doesn’t mean the other side is tasteless, right? Even if one is ‘more delicious.’”

“No, that’s definitely not the case. Azerna Empire’s ‘bread’ is tasteless.”

By the way, in this world, ‘bread’ is Belvoir.

“No, what I mean is that both are delicious, but Belvoir’s side is more delicious.”

Alice seemed determined not to back down, perhaps due to her pride as an imperial princess.

“Saying that Belvoir Kingdom’s bread is ‘more’ delicious means that Azerna Empire’s bread is ‘less’ delicious, which implies that the empire’s bread is less tasty than the kingdom’s. Honestly, objectively speaking, can we say that Azerna Empire’s food is tasty? It’s just cooking and baking with fresh ingredients, right?”

“What!?”

Alice looked incredulous.

“If you look at it that way, Belvoir Kingdom’s food, which doesn’t fully bring out the taste of the original ingredients and covers it with wine, is the real sin! It’s not even pitiful that the poor ingredients are dying to be eaten!?”

Belvoir cuisine is famous for frequently using wine. Even in the lower class, there is a high production of wine.

The best wine enjoyed by the nobles and aristocrats of Azerna Empire is Belvoir wine.

“Belvoir wine is objectively the best drink. Naturally, food made with such ingredients can only be the best, right? Moreover, the food we are eating right now at this table is from Belvoir Kingdom.”

“Uh…! There are plenty of delicious desserts in the empire, right!?”

“Setting aside all those ‘delicious desserts,’ the dessert we are about to eat is from Belvoir Kingdom.”

“No matter what, we can’t just eat Azerna Empire’s food!”

“I can live just fine eating only Belvoir food.”

“No, that’s not what I’m trying to say…!”

“…Sister?”

The heated debate between the two abruptly stopped.

Fighting over food is pointless. Frankly, it’s because the motif of England is highlighted here, but still, one of Azerna Empire’s motifs is Germany.

In this world, sausages are Azerna Empire’s food, and when you think of ‘sausages,’ you think of Azerna Empire, so why argue over a single piece of bread like this?

As long as it’s delicious.

“…Sister, are you smiling…?”

First to open their mouth was Claire. Next was Leo, and lastly, the ones who were shocked simultaneously were Alice and Charlotte.

Mia Crowfield had a look on her face as if she couldn’t keep up with the story.

“… Sylvia?”

“Is, is this parfait really that delicious…!?”

Alice mumbled my name with a blank expression, and Charlotte asked me in shock.

It’s delicious.

Having tried the commoner’s food in this world a few times, I know how to appreciate such food.

It’s about not arguing over whether the food is delicious, but simply humbly savoring it.

If someone doesn’t smile after eating a wonderfully sweet dessert, then they must either have lost their sense of taste or have no emotions.

… Well, not that I have any intention of showing such an expression already.

I wiped away the whipped cream that had gotten on my cheek with a very princess-like gesture.

And after taking a small breath, I mumbled.

“Again.”

Since it’s come to this, should I taste all the parfaits in front of me?