TWOD 09
Chapter 9: Kelton, Who Doesn’t Understand Food
The vibrant green lettuce, orange carrots, and light-green cucumbers made the entire room feel alive. Su Ye gestured for Master to begin.
With trembling hands, Master, unwilling to be polite, grabbed the first true salad in all of Greece and put it in his mouth. He closed his eyes, shutting out his other senses to fully concentrate on his taste buds, and chewed and savored it carefully.
While to Su Ye this behavior seemed a bit crude, to everyone else, Master’s actions were incredibly elegant.
“This flavor surpasses the limits of imagination! Su Ye, your family is the Prometheus of the culinary world!”
This praise shocked everyone, including Kelton. In Greece, Prometheus held a very high status. He had not only stolen fire from the gods for humans but also helped them reduce their sacrifice requirements and passed on other knowledge, contributing immensely to humanity. Ultimately, Prometheus angered the gods for the sake of humans and was imprisoned on Mount Caucasus.
Kelton, half in disbelief, reached out to grab some salad.
“Wash your hands first!” Su Ye lightly tapped his hand with a bone spoon and then grabbed some salad himself.
Kelton was stunned. Was there now a second person at the Dolphin River who dared to defy him? He involuntarily looked at the five servants, who immediately turned their heads and pretended not to have seen anything.
Kelton reluctantly went to wash his hands, then grabbed some salad and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. At first, he was resistant, but he quickly calmed down, his eyes sparkling.
An unprecedented depth of flavor exploded in his mouth, which was accustomed to the simple tastes of ancient Greece. Despite being a so-called gourmet who had tasted as many different kinds of food as Master, he was still captivated by this dish.
Remembering how Su Ye had tapped his hand, he snorted and said, “I’m not sure how much this dish is worth, but I disagree with calling it the Prometheus of the culinary world.”
Master turned to look at Kelton with a look of utter disappointment, then turned back, not bothering to say another word.
Kelton was baffled. What was that look? Compared to that expression, the earlier criticism was like a gentle spring breeze. As the owner of the Dolphin River and a powerful Silver Warhttps://orangenuna.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/woman-traveling-in-france-2023-11-27-05-16-47-utc_Easy-Resize.com_.jpgr, why did he have to endure this indignity?
Su Ye said, “Chef Master, you don’t need to get angry. What does a restaurant owner know about gourmet food?”
Master agreed completely, nodding vigorously.
The five servants looked up at the magic lamp.
Kelton’s mind was a mess. What did Su Ye mean, he didn’t understand food?
Su Ye added, “How about this: you personally cook some roasted meat and fish, and serve a full meal with the salad. Then he’ll understand the true purpose of the salad.”
“Wait here, gentlemen,” Master said happily, leaving to prepare dinner.
The five servants exchanged glances and wisely moved to the wall farthest from Kelton, lining up and looking up at the magic lamp again.
Kelton was feeling a little confused.
Meanwhile, Su Ye was examining the food on the table and searching his memories for Greek cuisine. He realized that tomatoes didn’t exist in Greece yet, which would significantly hinder the creation of Thousand Island dressing. However, the Greeks were famously fond of sour flavors. The reason for the popularity of sweet and sour food in Europe was largely due to the Italians, whose tastes were, in turn, influenced by the ancient Greeks.
Fortunately, while there were no tomatoes, there were sour pickles and fruit vinegar. So, Su Ye began to experiment, eventually creating a sweet and sour salad dressing. Although it wasn’t as good as Thousand Island dressing, it was definitely suited to the Greek palate. As for the famous Caesar salad and other types, Su Ye decided not to make them for now. The equally popular Italian vinaigrette, he decided, would fetch a better price later.
Su Ye then mixed a new salad with the sour dressing and placed it in front of Kelton. “You try this one.”
Kelton hesitated for a few seconds. He moved his nose closer, caught a whiff of the sour aroma, and his mouth began to water. He quickly swallowed.
“Mmm.” Kelton straightened his posture with dignity and reached out gracefully to grab the salad. As he chewed, his eyes widened in disbelief. Compared to the slightly sweet salad dressing from earlier, he liked this sour one much more.
“Is it delicious?”
“Uh… delicious…” Kelton realized his slip-up and quickly shut his mouth.
After the first bite, Kelton reached for more, but Su Ye tapped his hand with the bone spoon again.
“Wait until the main course is served.”
Kelton silently pulled back his hand, feeling no resentment. He just wanted to eat dinner quickly.
The five servants suppressed their subtle facial expressions and continued to stare up at the magic lamp.
Su Ye had spent a lot of time making the sour salad dressing. Soon, Master personally walked in with a platter, placing a large portion of roasted pork ribs and a large portion of roasted tuna belly on the table. He then hurried out and returned with another platter.
This one held more food: rare and expensive wheat bread, vinegar squid, herb eel, and a simple vegetable soup.
Master used a knife to cut the pork ribs and the large tuna belly into pieces and put them on three clay plates. “Thank you,” Su Ye said, taking a plate.
The aroma of the roasted meat instantly filled the room. The five servants’ throats never stopped moving, and their eyes could no longer focus on the magic lamp, constantly drifting toward the delicious food on the table. In Greece, even wealthy small merchants rarely ate beef, lamb, or pork due to their high cost and the difficulty of preservation. Athenian law mandated that meat could only be sold after a religious sacrifice. Most people ate meat only after festival sacrifices. Even the Dolphin River would sometimes be unable to acquire fresh meat.
However, since Greece was by the sea, people ate a lot more fish. Both pork and tuna belly were known for their rich fat. The roasted meat sizzled, oil splattered, and its alluring color and delicious smell made everyone’s mouth water.
Kelton, whose appetite had been stimulated by the sour salad, didn’t care how hot the meat was and reached out to grab a piece. Su Ye and Master both glanced at Kelton, not bothering to hide their disdain for his haste.
Kelton chewed quietly, wanting to explain that he wasn’t just eager for the meat but wanted to taste the combination of roasted meat and salad to see if it would attract more nobles.
“Is this a new type of salad dressing?” Master asked, looking at the second plate of salad.
“I came up with this on a whim. You can try it. This flavor is more suitable for Greeks,” Su Ye said.
Master took a bit of the sour salad, and as he ate, he nodded vigorously. After swallowing the last bit of salad, Master praised it lavishly.
“Excellent! I believe this sweet and sour flavor will win over even more people. Su Ye, have you considered joining the Dolphin River?”
Kelton stopped chewing and looked at Su Ye with a complicated expression, then reached out to grab some of the sour salad.
“I prefer magic,” Su Ye politely declined Master’s offer.
“What a shame. Well, there will always be a place for you in the Dolphin River’s kitchen.”
Kelton chewed with a sense of resignation. A place in the kitchen was a privilege he himself didn’t have.
The three ate in silence, and the five servants silently swallowed their saliva.
Today, Kelton discovered that his appetite was surprisingly large and that he didn’t feel at all greasy from the food. After eating the last bite of meat, he reached out for more, but both bowls of salad were empty.
In the end, all eight pairs of eyes landed on the cold vegetable soup.
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