“Free refills on the bread and soup, so feel free to dig in. Give me a holler if you want more! Oh, and the minced meat cutlet tastes even better with the sauce in the pitcher and a dash of lemon juice on it.”
He pointed at the porcelain pitcher with the blue lid.
“Please enjoy!”
And just like that, the master returned to the kitchen, leaving only Sarah and the delicious smelling lunch set in front of her.
“What the?! This is amazing!”
Sarah went for the soup first, thinking she knew what to expect from it. Instead, her mouth was overwhelmed by an unexpected mix of flavors. The sweetness of the oranie (onion in the other world) combined with the savory nature of the dried meat was one thing. However, while it seemed like those were the only two things in the soup, it was actually filled with the flavors of various other vegetables and meat. These various flavors intermingled without overpowering any single element, leading to a refreshing taste.
She drank it all in a single gulp.
The soup alone was far beyond anything she’d ever had at a restaurant before.
“Oh gosh, it’s so soft!”
Next up was the bread. Sarah could barely contain her shock at how soft it was. How was this possible? It was white bread, but so much softer than anything she’d eaten at home. Just putting some of the butter from the mysterious silver wrapping on it was enough to make it taste incredible. The salty flavor of the melted butter combined with the soft and sweet flour of the bread brought out its taste in the best of ways.
It was gone in the blink of an eye.
“Excuse me! Could I get refills on the bread and soup?!” Sarah called.
“Sure, coming right up!”
Sarah then turned her attention to the main course: the mysterious brown objects. She pointed her knife and fork at the minced meat cutlet.
She was salivating despite being confronted with a food that didn’t particularly look delicious from the outside. This was all brand new to Sarah, but as far as she was concerned, if the bread and soup were that good, the main course must be on a different level. There was simply no way it could be bad.
At some point, her initial cautiousness turned into expectation. She carefully used her knife to cut a sizable portion of the cutlet off. Just as her knife entered the ball, meat juices began to flow out from the toasty brown opening. As far as she could tell, the food in question was made of delicately minced meats. With all the expectation in the world, she brought the fork to her mouth.
“…Wha?”
That was all she could say. That’s how delicious it was.
The meat’s plentiful juices mixed with the lightly-textured coating, saturated with fine oil, as they burst and flowed out in her mouth. It was a simultaneous rush of meat, seasoned with just the right balance of salt and pepper, bringing out the best of the meat as well as the oranie mixed in with it.
It was as if Sarah had been invited into a delicious new world of possibilities.
“O-oh, that’s right. He said this tastes good with lemon juice and sauce over it.”
Having already devoured one of the two minced meat cutlets whole, Sarah recalled the master’s words and carefully cut the remaining cutlet in two before grabbing the blue pitcher.
She slowly tilted the opening toward the cutlet, and a thick brown sauce came flowing out and onto it. The dark, thick sauce covered the light fried coating of the meat. Sarah then reached for a lemon and squeezed some of its juice onto the cutlet. It absorbed the fruit juice and softened just a tiny bit. Once again, Sarah brought the meat to her mouth…
What came next was complete silence. If there was time to speak, there was time to enjoy the flavor more.
The complex arrangement of flavors in the sauce was heightened by the sourness of the lemon. Adding those new elements to the cutlet somehow made the first one she had eaten lack a certain something by comparison. What the flavorful meat juice and sweet oranie lacked was sourness. By adding this sauce and lemon, a fruit with practically no sweetness at all, the minced meat cutlet had evolved into its perfect form.
The meat and coating alone should have been more than enough to satisfy one’s hunger. Just a few bites and the heaviness would normally kick in, forcing a diner to stop in their tracks. This is where the sourness came in, balancing all these elements together to leave a person feeling refreshed rather than heavy.
One could eat this forever. It was nothing less than the food of the gods in the celestial realm.
Sarah then went on to order seconds of her minced meat cutlet. Occasionally she would reach for more bread or soup. The master eventually instructed her to sandwich the cutlet between bread and a leafy vegetable (called lettuce in the other world). As expected, the texture and flavor of the cutlet melded perfectly with that of the bread and the lettuce. All she had done was put the foods together, and yet, somehow, she felt they had become an entirely new dish.
Eventually, Sarah placed her fork and knife on the table when she reached the absolute limit of what her stomach could hold.
“Whew… That was incredible.”
She took out a silver coin and multiple copper coins, placing them on the table.
“Thanks a bunch,” the master said. After checking the payment, he handed Sarah a bag. “Oh, ma’am, would you mind taking this?”
“What is it?”
“Takeout.”
The master thought back on when one of his regulars was still alive and well, smiled sadly, and explained the contents to Sarah. “It’s a minced meat cutlet sandwich. William would always order one of these with his favorite meal. Since you looked like you were enjoying the food so much, I just kinda ended up making one out of habit. It’s totally on the house, so please take it with you. It’s still dang good when cold, but I recommend eating it as soon as you get the chance.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, surprised by the master’s offer. Given how full she’d become, she wasn’t exactly ready to eat more. That said, she knew she’d want to taste that amazing meal again once her load lightened. Plus, she had only just discovered how great this sandwich thing was. If she wasn’t so full, she’d probably cram it down now.
“Absolutely. Let’s just say this one’s on William,” he said.
“Then I’ll take you up on your offer.” Sarah nodded at the master and took the bag from his hands. The still-warm sauce emanated an aroma that somehow managed to stimulate her appetite despite her full stomach.
“I’ll be going. Bye now.”
“Thank you for coming. We look forward to your next visit.”
Just like that, Sarah turned toward the exit. She opened the door, greeted with the familiar sound of the bell ringing, and looked out into the old mine.
“Oh, one question…”
Sarah turned when she heard the master behind her.
“How did William…?”
“I hear he went peacefully. If anything, he seemed frustrated that he couldn’t come here anymore,” she answered.
And with that, the door closed behind her and disappeared, leaving only the quiet, old mine in its wake.
“The legendary treasure hunter’s final hidden treasure…” Sarah mused. She stared at the now-empty wall where the door once was, thinking over all that had happened. “I get it now. A hidden treasure truly worthy of William Gold.”
William had been poor as a child. Sarah recalled hearing that her great-grandfather was something of a foodie.
Sarah Gold, the budding young treasure hunter and up-and-coming ladyship of the massive merchant organization, the Gold Firm, hurried home. She couldn’t wait until the next Day of Satur.