“This ham and cheese sandwich is to die for! How are the flavors so strong without any kind of smell? Unless it’s not real ham and cheese...” Undine’s eyes were sparkling as she munched on her ham-and-cheese sandwich.
Salamander’s were too. “This cheese is so gooey—it’s meltin’ on my tongue! Goes swell with the salty ham!”
I was shocked to watch him devour the entire thing, given how small he was compared to the baguette! Just where was he putting it all?
“C’mon, m’lady, I’m a fire spirit, remember? I can burn, melt, and gobble up anythin’!”
I giggled. “Maybe so, but while you’re with me, I would appreciate it if you saved your fiery powers for the likes of potatoes and meat.”
“Ya don’t hafta tell me twice! Anythin’ for the young lady who’s offerin’ me all the good grub I can eat!” he said happily.
Salamander was wearing a satisfied smile after having swallowed all the packaging of the items I had ordered. I gave his head a gentle pat. I was sure that he hadn’t intended to come off as adorably as he had and was trying to play the villain, but I doubted he was capable of any actual evil. Of course I knew that he was brimming with the awesome power of flame, something that was beyond human control, but for now, he just seemed content to stay by my side. Did he really expect me to be frightened of him?
“This one was ‘jellied consommé,’ wasn’t it? It almost glides into your mouth before melting inside it... Utterly wonderful,” Sylph said. “It makes me hungry for more.”
“I can also highly recommend the terrine, especially with how the vegetables in it have retained their flavor,” Gnome said, sharing his own thoughts. Both he and Sylph had helped themselves to appetizers while I’d been fooling around with Salamander.
I was over the moon to hear praise for those items and not just the sandwiches. It seemed they were as delicious as they were gorgeously presented. I was ready to call this basket a successful purchase!
“Would you like some roast pork, Alk?”
“Yes, I think I would,” he said. “Pork comes from pigs, doesn’t it? I wonder how it compares to the beef from yesterday.”
“It’s considered to be a very different type of meat,” I said with a laugh. “They are somewhat incomparable. It’s more a question of which you prefer.”
As lighthearted as our conversation was, I had to remember that Alk was a dragon. Between him and Salamander, perhaps I needed to be more prudent in my behavior—even if I was a little late to be coming to such a conclusion. Having said that, I doubted that this dragon had any designs on world domination or anything else so grand. And I would be happy just as long as I could continue with my carefree life on this island!
“Oh! This isn’t just meat! It looks like there’s an apple and prune stuffing.”
“It isn’t purely meat?”
Alk was very clearly disappointed, perhaps because of the fact that there was stuffing taking up space that could have been meat. While that was technically true, this was an artisan product. It was special in a way that differed from a uniform slice of pork!
I had to laugh again. “Come now, at least take a bite before jumping to any conclusions. You might find that it’s to your liking!”
Alk took some roast pork from me and studied it carefully. He huffed. “Never have I eaten meat cooked in this manner.”
“Oh... I suppose you wouldn’t have,” I said.
His reaction had me thinking about things slightly differently. Before he had met me, Alk had only ever eaten raw meat. To him, the word “meat” had no reason to lead him to think of anything other than pure flesh. I doubted he had ever considered that it might be served stuffed with something else.
“In that case, I’m going to order all kinds of meat dishes!” I said. “Dishes you’ve never tasted before, but I’m sure you will enjoy!”
“Yes, there must be countless foods out there that I’ve never even heard of. I suppose I shall have you working for me for a good while yet,” Alk mused.
I offered Alk the largest piece of roast pork, and a satisfied smile rose to his handsome face. He truly was fond of my otherworldly delights, and I couldn’t blame him! This picnic selection was just as delicious as everything else I’d ordered! Not to boast, but I was pleased as punch with my skill. Well, perhaps I was boasting a little...
“Mmm! The inside’s sweet, but it goes real well with the richness of the meat!” Salamander said. “This is great!”
“I was dubious about the combination of meat and fruit, but they complement each other better than I’d expected. I daresay I shan’t tire of salty and sweet together.”
Neither Salamander nor Alk had wasted any time in stuffing their cheeks with the meat dish. Their joy was palpable. Not wanting to be left out, I took a bite for myself.
“My! I’ve never tasted anything quite like this!”
The juicy, velvety meat encompassed the soft, pliant filling in the center. Within that filling were fat pieces of prune and crunchy bits of apple. Though the prunes were dried, they had absorbed the juices from the meat and apples, so they weren’t the least bit hard. The pork had just the right amount of marbling, and it dissolved with each bite, making the flesh overflow with sweet, fragrant fat. Combined with the refreshing sweet-and-sour juice of the apple, the deep juice of the plum, and the rich sauce, it was like paradise in your mouth! The moisture-rich stuffing saved the well-cooked pork from seeming dry at all.
Teiren surmised that the enzymes in the fruit had kept the meat soft throughout the cooking process. I didn’t really understand what she was saying, but it seemed there was reasoning for cooking meat and fruit together.
While Alk, Salamander, and I busied ourselves enjoying the meat, the other spirits excitedly exchanged their own opinions.
“Wow! This is my first time eating something like this!” Undine exclaimed.
“The wind tells me much of how the little humans live, but never have I heard of such a dish,” Sylph said.
Gnome nodded to himself. “It appears that a small change in a recipe can affect the end product in large ways.”
Whether human or spirit, we were all blown away by the delicious taste of the meat dish, and I was elated to see everyone enjoying it!
“M’lady! M’lady, I think they’re ready!” Salamander whispered into my ear, much like he was my conspirator. The flickering flames on his body might not have been hot, but the peach fuzz on his body felt slightly ticklish! His fiery tail was pointing at the bonfire burning at the edge of the field.
“My, what perfect timing! I can think of no better accompaniment to meat than roasted potatoes!”
Salamander cackled. “My powers’re pretty impressive, huh?”
“They certainly are!” I said. “We would never have been able to sample those potatoes without you!”
I’d hastily ordered some metal skewers earlier, and I now approached the bonfire with them in hand and Salamander still on my shoulder. Because it was a magical fire, there was nothing physical fueling it. Though it made sense in my head, the sight of a fire burning all by itself was a curious one indeed...
I’d asked Salamander to adjust the flames so that they were more like crackling embers rather than a roaring blaze, but a fire was a fire. Even though I was standing a decent distance away, it felt like my skin was burning!
“Oh, you can smell that a mile away!”
“Careful ya don’t get burned!”
“I know! It would be awful if I were to get hurt now, considering how much I’ve been looking forward to this!”
There was still so much I wanted to do, from sampling these vegetables to planting some of my own. I would be heartbroken if I couldn’t do those things because I got burned now. No amount of lamentation would ever be enough! So, I was as careful as could be as I pushed the skewers through the potatoes that lay on the bright red embers.
“They slip through so easily,” I said. “You got the timing perfect, Salamander, just as I knew you would! I was right to depend on you to manage the flames!”
“Aww, shucks!” he chuckled. “I’m gonna get a big head if ya keep showerin’ me with compliments over every li’l thing!”
Despite his protests, Salamander looked completely thrilled. This was one of the aspects of his personality that made him so adorable! Fire shot out from all over his body, and he let out sparks that looked like tiny celebratory fireworks. I bet if he had a human form like some of the others, he’d be rubbing his finger under his nose in a terribly smug manner! It was so easy to picture that the image came to mind immediately. I had to giggle at it.
“By the by, m’lady, do ya know which potatoes are which?”
“Let’s see... I think these smaller ones are the mild ones, the bigger, round potatoes are the fluffy kind, and the long, narrow ones are the sweet potatoes.”
Except for the sweet potatoes, they were wrapped in paper towels and aluminum foil. It was difficult to say which they were when I was basing my assumptions on size alone. But both varieties seemed delicious, and there were plenty of them to go around! Seeing which type of potato you got would be like playing the lottery!
A thought suddenly struck me. “Perhaps I ought to have ordered those ‘surprise’ potatoes as well...”
Those potatoes had looked wildly different, but stocking up on them might have been fun! For example, there were those that looked like sweet potatoes with red skin and others that were purple on the inside!
“Eh, just save ’em for next time! I’m thinkin’ that bitin’ into these and findin’ out how delicious they are is gonna be fun enough for now!”
Salamander might have had a point. Everyone would be happy enough with how delicious these would be. The surprises could wait.
I giggled. “You’re right, of course. Anticipation is something best built up for a while!”
My objective today was to show everyone how delicious the food from the other world was, and I drew confidence from Salamander’s words. With my resolve bolstered, I carried the platter of potatoes to the rest of the group.
Alk was frowning at me slightly—or rather, at the plate in my hands. “Those are the promised potatoes, aren’t they?” he asked.
“You still don’t look particularly enthused, dragon. What is it that you so dislike?” Gnome tutted, pushing his monocle up his nose. I wondered whether even Alk was socially obligated to treat him with respect.