Dragging a somewhat reluctant Sajji out of the wooden cabin and heading outside, to be honest, Altaïr was actually looking forward to it.
The culinary skills of the two Felynes, Sajji and Clawdia, were practically nonexistent. Forget about fancy Canteen feasts; even ordinary grilled meat wasn't something they could cook well.
Isis, on the other hand, was a bit better. Due to being able to eat and loving to eat, and having lived independently for a while, her cooking skills had reached the average Hunter level. Grilling meat, grilling fish, things like that she could do. Occasionally, she'd also use rations to cook some porridge or something, not much to look at but not bad to eat either, enough to fill the stomach.
Of course, compared to Altaïr who had specifically studied recipes, there was still quite a gap. So usually, the meals in the hunting grounds were prepared by Altaïr.
Now, however, the team's new member Nymera had taken the initiative to handle preparing dinner. Though they hadn't eaten her cooking before, presumably her culinary skills wouldn't be poor. Otherwise, with her personality, she definitely wouldn't be so proactive about preparing food for everyone.
Following the call of "Dinner's ready!", Altaïr and the others arrived at an open space in the center of the camp with a campfire burning. This was the "dining area" and "kitchen" that Nymera had specially set up.
"Oh, she's really going all out," Altaïr praised with a smile.
If he were to prepare it, at most he'd build a campfire and set a frying pan over it. But Nymera's drive was unexpectedly high, just for fires, she had made three piles.
One pile had a large iron pot set over it, the lid on, with the sound of boiling water inside. Another pile had a steamer basket set over it, steam curling around; who knows where she dug these things out from. The third pile had just had the flames suppressed, leaving a pile of heated stones on the ground, probably for roasting something.
The air was filled with the unique, refreshing sweet aroma of grain. Just from the smell, one could tell the food she was making was a completely different cuisine from what he usually made, so Altaïr couldn't help but feel anticipation.
Isis was even staring intently at that boiling pot, practically drooling.
Seeing Isis's greedy look, Nymera, who had rolled up her shirt sleeves and tied them with cloth strips, said with a laugh, "The first batch is already ready. The pot has the second batch being prepared. Let's start eating first."
As she spoke, she lifted the cloth covering a huge cutting board, revealing the neatly arranged, round objects underneath.
"The specialty of Kamura Village, Yomogi's Bunny Dango!"
"Wow!"
Isis's exclamation came from the heart. Altaïr's cooking was delicious, sure, but he never went out of his way to pursue plating or presentation.
But the dango Miss Nymera made were different. Apart from the basic snow-white dango, there were ones dyed green and pink with some unknown plant powder, dango sprinkled with two-colored sugar powder, ones cut into little rabbit shapes with ears using small scissors, ones dotted with sesame seeds to look like little faces, looking like little people...
Wait, why are they all dango?
*No, no!* Isis forcefully shook her head, shaking off those impolite thoughts.
Even though they were all dango, these dango were all carefully prepared. Some were boiled, some were steamed, some were roasted. The fillings were different, and the shapes were completely different too.
This takes far more effort than preparing a regular meal!
Nymera wore a business-like smile that was quite different from her usual expression, pulling out two large handfuls of bamboo skewers. "Simply choose whichever type you like, skewer them, and eat — this is Yomogi's Tea Shop's 'Bunny Dango' self-service!"
Faced with the vast variety of dango, Altaïr felt a bit at a loss about where to start. "Boss Nymera, could you recommend a classic combination and guide us in putting together a few skewers?"
"Of course! Perfect timing to showcase a special skill I learned from my teacher!" With that, Nymera handed a cutting board to Isis. "Would you mind holding this up for me?"
"Oh! Sure!"
Under Nymera's direction, Isis took a few steps back and raised the wooden cutting board.
Nymera then scooped up a plate of Bunny Dango and forcefully tossed them into the air. Under the stunned gazes of Altaïr and the others, she suddenly flung out the bamboo skewer in her hand.
The slender bamboo skewer shot out like a ninja's Senbon, precisely piercing each Bunny Dango as they fell from mid-air, pinning them onto the cutting board Isis was holding.
"Done!" Looking at the rows of dango skewers neatly pinned to the cutting board, Nymera nodded with satisfaction first, then added with a touch of wistfulness, "As expected, I'm still far from matching my teacher. If it were her, she could skewer all the Bunny Dango in an instant, not like me, only able to manage one plate at a time."
Altaïr: "..."
*Is this a circus act? Some kind of side entertainment? Or is it a master of Throwing Knife technique showing off?*
*With skills like that, you could probably toss Dung Bombs into a Monster's nostrils with your eyes closed, right?*
"Wow!" Isis's eyes sparkled as she carefully laid the skewer-laden cutting board flat. "Can we eat them like this now?"
"Naturally! I've also prepared the accompanying hot tea!"
Following Nymera's enthusiastic recommendation, Isis first picked up a skewer with red, white, and green dango. Just as she was about to bring it to her mouth, she hesitated again. "How should I eat this properly?"
Nymera answered with utmost seriousness, "The principle is one bite per dango. Never take half a bite. Of course, if you have the capability, devouring an entire skewer in one go would be even more impressive."
Altaïr also picked up a skewer of pure white Bunny Dango. Looking at each dango roughly the size of a chicken egg, he decisively abandoned any thought of attempting the 'one-skewer' challenge.
Isis strained to open her mouth wide, brought the skewer to her lips, clamped down on the bottommost dango, and gave a forceful pull. All three dango slid into her mouth at once, puffing out both her cheeks.
"Mmmmph, chew chew chew..."
Just watching Isis eat without even taking a bite himself, Altaïr already felt his throat tightening.
For some reason, Nymera's gaze towards Isis, who could swallow an entire skewer in one go, was filled with envy, even tinged with a hint of admiration.
She quickly handed over a teacup. "Quick! Now's the time! Drink the tea!"
Just when Isis was feeling a bit choked, she gulped down the hot tea in one go. As if having taken a large swig of strong liquor, she closed her eyes, lowered her head, held her breath for a couple of seconds, then finally exhaled a long sigh.
"So refreshing!"
Altaïr also plucked a dango off his skewer with his mouth and began chewing slowly.
Contrary to his initial assumption of them being solid, these seemingly ordinary white dango were filled with red bean sauce. The sweetness was so intense it even reached a point where he found it a bit cloying.
Taking a sip of hot tea, the bitterness of the strong tea neutralized the sweetness in his mouth, even drawing out a unique, fragrant aroma of herbs and plants.
"Truly delicious," Altaïr remarked sincerely. "Carbs plus carbs, these dango must be quite filling, right?"
Nymera nodded firmly. "Exactly. Hunters from Kamura Village have the custom of eating dango before heading out to hunt, the same principle as having a meal at the Canteen in the Old World.
In refined Bunny Dango, various special ingredients and medicinal herbs are added to achieve the effect of enhancing physical abilities. Unfortunately, with limited materials on hand, I could only make these most basic dango that increase stamina and vigor."
After forcing down a whole Bunny Dango and nearly choking to death, Sajji patted his chest and took several deep breaths. "What are these dango made of, meow? I've never eaten anything with this texture before, meow."
"It's rice, specifically glutinous rice," Nymera explained. "It's a crop that's relatively less cultivated in the Old World; you seem more accustomed to wheat here?
The most orthodox method would be to steam the glutinous rice in a steamer, pound it into glutinous rice dough, and then shape it into dango; that yields the best texture and aroma.
Unfortunately, conditions in the hunting grounds are limited, so I could only bring glutinous rice flour for Crafting. By the way, the powdered sugar, red bean sauce, and sesame filling were also brought ready-made; the flavor is slightly worse than if prepared on the spot.
If you have the chance to visit Kamura Village in the future, you can go to my teacher's shop and taste truly perfect Bunny Dango!"
Altaïr: "..."
*Earlier, when I saw you carrying several large bags, treating them like treasures, I thought it was gunpowder or something... turns out it was ingredients for making dango?*
On the other side, Isis had already finished that plate of dango.
Seeing this, Nymera immediately tied her apron back on. "I'll go prepare right away; the second batch should be steamed by now."
"Strange," Isis poked her own stomach. "It doesn't feel like I ate much, so why does it seem... I'm already full?"
Lifting the lid of the steamer, Nymera smiled and said, "Bunny Dango are indeed filling and long-lasting. For an ordinary Hunter's appetite, three to four skewers are enough to feel full."
Altaïr glanced at her. "And you've already eaten eight skewers, so you should be full."
"Hmm, it feels like my stomach is stuffed, but also like I haven't eaten anything at all," Isis muttered softly.
"Wanting to keep eating Bunny Dango is only natural!" Nymera seemed to misunderstand Isis's meaning. "No need to worry, the Bunny Dango I prepared this time aren't just for one meal. They taste good even when cold, and you can take them along as rations during hunts."
"Eat dango for every single meal, meow?!" Clawdia, who loves fish and doesn't care for things like dango, couldn't help but exclaim.
Nymera tilted her head at her. "Don't like sweets? That's fine, I brought Miso. Miso-grilled dango are also delicious."
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES — LORE SECTION
Some terms and creatures referenced in this story may be unfamiliar to readers new to the Monster Hunter universe. The following entries provide additional context.
CONCEPTS & SYSTEMS
Canteen — A dining facility operated by Felyne chefs, found at Hunter's Villages and Guild Hubs throughout the world. Before departing on a hunt, hunters visit the Canteen to order a meal that provides temporary stat boosts for the duration of their quest, such as increased maximum health, stamina, attack power, or elemental resistances. The Canteen serves the same role in the Old World that Bunny Dango fulfill in Kamura Village: a pre-hunt ritual to prime the body for battle.