Chapter 28: Pork Soup

Chapter 28:
Pork Soup

“Meat Day” always came near the end of the month.

***

Meat Day. It was a special service day at Western Cuisine Nekoya that came without fail at the end of the month (excluding February). Back when the previous master was around the age of the current master, and before the place became the Restaurant to Another World, he began doing special service Meat Days. He hadn’t discounted the meats or anything like that though.

“Special service at restaurants should come in the form of food, not money!”

The previous master had lived off his cooking abilities alone after the war. This was one of the principles he lived by, and his grandson agreed. That’s why the current master made his way downstairs a little earlier than usual, finished with the usual beef stew order, and got to prepping for Meat Day.

“…That should just about do it.”

The master nodded to himself as he looked at the color of the cooked pork meat and moved on to the next step.

He dumped the vegetables he’d cut earlier into the pot: thickly sliced carrots, wide cuts of onion, boiled taro free of sliminess, and daikon radish cut slightly thicker than the carrots. While the master normally also included burdock, the Saturday customers found its taste too earthy. They weren’t fans.

The master sautéed all these ingredients until the pork was browned just right. He then took blended stock made of tuna and kelp, mixed it into the pot, and began heating it all together. The master carefully removed the scum, and once the whole mess was boiling, stopped the flames and mixed in the miso, then placed the pot on a warmer to keep the temperature steady.

“That’s done!”

The master carefully stirred the pot’s contents and placed the lid over it, sighing to himself. Suddenly, the entrance bell rang, almost as if it had been waiting for him to finish.

“Good morning!” Aletta, the Restaurant to Another World’s sole otherworldly waitress, entered Nekoya and greeted the master with a big smile as he exited the kitchen.

“Yo. Before you take a shower, make sure you grab breakfast first. The rice just finished up.”

“Wow, thank you!” Aletta grinned with excitement upon hearing the word “breakfast.” She always made sure not to eat on mornings she’d be heading into work, so her stomach was completely empty.

“Hang on just a sec. I’ll go get things ready.” The master grinned at Aletta and began readying breakfast, complete with the day’s special menu item. He prepared fresh white rice for them both, as well as leftover grilled salmon from the previous day’s daily special. The master also placed down two empty bowls and began preparing the final touch: just a dash of butter and a bit of freshly cut scallions. A long time ago, the previous master heard from a Hokkaido native that including these two items in the recipe would make the flavor that much more “western.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Feel free to use whatever spices you’d like.”

As the butter melted into the miso soup and fused with its ingredients, its gentle fragrance filled the area around it.

“What a wonderful smell… Um, this is miso soup, right?”

The scent alone was enough to rattle Aletta’s empty stomach as she glanced down at the soup in front of her. It was a food with a unique taste to it that utilized something called “miso.” Whenever she had rice with a meal here, it typically came with miso soup. But there was something different about the bowl of liquid sitting in front of her, even if she couldn’t quite pin down what that was.

“Is it just me, or is there more stuff in there than usual? I can even see meat.”

Indeed, while the ingredients in miso soup seemed to differ every single time she came, there only tended to be two main additions to the dish. Meat was never involved either. However, it was clear to Aletta from a single glance that not only was there meat, but all kinds of different vegetables in the soup.

“You’re right on the mark. It is ‘Meat Day’ after all.” The master nodded while replying to Aletta.

“Meat day?”

It was one of Nekoya’s traditions.

“For as long as I can remember, ‘Meat Day’ is the one day where we swap out miso soup for pork soup.”

It was a special menu item that only appeared on this specific day. This was the special service that Nekoya offered to its customers near the end of every month.

***

That day, Aletta’s other boss, Sarah—aka Minced Meat Cutlet—visited the Restaurant to Another World for the first time in twenty days.

“Wow, so today’s soup is really that good?” she asked.

“It’s awesome!” said Aletta. “It’s full of meat and veggies.”

Sarah listened intently while Aletta told her all about the day’s menu. Supposedly, the pork soup being served was in a tier all its own. It was apparently so good that many felt it deserved a spot on the proper menu.

“Well then, I guess I’m decided. I’ll have an order of rice, pork soup, a minced meat cutlet, and a minced meat cutlet sandwich, please.”

After hearing Aletta’s excited thoughts, Sarah couldn’t help but order some soup for herself. She was normally more of a bread kind of girl, but she felt rice went better with miso soup.

“You got it! Thank you for your order!”

As soon as Sarah finished making her order, a voice erupted from the table over. “Say what?! If there’s pork soup, that must mean today is ‘Meat Day,’ is it not?!”

“Hm? Know something, Fried Shrimp?” asked Sarah.

The origin of said voice was the knightly man known as “Fried Shrimp,” whom Sarah had become ever-so-slightly close to during the great “Sandwich Incident.”

“Indeed. I heard about it from Lord Tatsu…er, Lord Teriyaki. Supposedly, pork soup is an ephemeral dish served only on ‘Meat Day.’”

Heinrich, known to the regulars of Nekoya as “Fried Shrimp” and a knight of the Duchy, explained to Minced Meat Cutlet the story he had heard from the swordsman he looked up to.

Pork soup only appeared once or twice a year on “Meat Day.” It was as mysterious as it was delightful. Outside of utilizing the same miso used in miso soup, it was on an entirely different level of flavor. It had quite a few fans among the many regulars who had been frequenting the Restaurant to Another World for decades. The problem was that none of them had any way of figuring out when exactly “Meat Day” was, so being present when pork soup was available proved to be a puzzle in and of itself.

After chatting with Minced Meat Cutlet for a moment, Heinrich placed his usual order.

“Young lady! I would also like an order of rice and pork soup! Of course, I will be having that with fried shrimp! Oh, and a fried shrimp sandwich to go, thank you!”

“Yes, right away, sir!” Aletta scurried to the kitchen with the pairs’ orders. She returned a little while later with their food in hand.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here are your orders of minced meat cutlet and fried shrimp. And these are your pork soups. The red spice here is quite hot, so be careful.”

A faint sizzling sound could be heard from both plates of fried food alike. And then there was the pork soup.

It looks as delicious as usual, thought Sarah.

Indeed, this looks as scrumptious as always. Heinrich echoed her thoughts.

Though neither Sarah nor Heinrich took their eyes off the hot, fried foods in front of them, they first started with the pork soup.

…This is splendid.

As soon as Sarah took a sip of the soup, she immediately understood Aletta’s gushing appraisal. The savory flavor of the boiled pork meat had melted into the soup itself, and the vegetables were hot and soft. The unique flavor of the miso paired well with the gentle flavor of butter that wrapped itself around all of the soup’s ingredients.

This reminds me a little bit of knight stew.

The soup’s flavor reminded Sarah of her hometown, the royal capital. Knight stew was developed just before she was born, quickly becoming the city’s most famous food. Much of its popularity came from how it utilized knight sauce, which was also quite different from the lightly salted soups Sarah was used to. Its rich, buttery flavor was one of its main characteristics.

Sarah had indulged in knight stew often when she was a child, being from an affluent family and all. But ever since she broke out on her own as a treasure hunter, her pockets were far less deep than they used to be. She hadn’t eaten the stew in a long time.

Oh, this is pepel, is it not? It really brings the flavors together.

Meanwhile, Heinrich was thinking back to his hometown by the sea as he looked at the bottle of pepel. Pepel was a crimson-colored, fiery spice from the Western Continent that was easy to come by in the port town that he grew up in. It was a town filled with all sorts of goods from the Western Continent, but because pepel wasn’t native to the Duchy and had to be imported from the Ocean Nation across the sea, it was rather expensive. Fortunately, cost was never much of a problem for Heinrich’s family, considering they were nobility.

As a boy, he hadn’t been particularly fond of the pepel in his soup or noodles. It was so hot that it burned his tongue. As an adult, however, it became one of his favorite additions to almost any dish.

But wait, there’s just a hint of the sea in this. Some sort of hidden flavor?

Deep within the thick flavor of the miso was just a hint of the sea. Heinrich could spy no fish within the depths of the meat and vegetables, but there was most certainly a hint of fish-like flavor.

It’s been three years since I last went home… Heinrich thought.

The faint taste of fish, a flavor unavailable to him at his fortress, reminded Heinrich that he hadn’t been home in a while. In fact, the last time he visited was to report to his parents that he had been entrusted with a squad of knights all his own. Since then, he had received a long vacation but was unable to return home due to the long journey.

Maybe I should head home for once, thought Heinrich.

I could just drop by and see how everyone’s doing, mused Sarah.

Sarah and Heinrich couldn’t be from more different worlds, with personalities that were nothing alike, and yet the pair came to the same conclusion at precisely the same time.

***

“What?! What’s with this crazy soup?!” The young hunter was stunned.

That same day, “Ginger Pork” Yuuto and his master visited the Restaurant to Another World. As always, before he swung by, he made sure to wash his trusty hunting dog, Taro, cleaning all the muck off him. Yuuto went on to order his usual, a plate of ginger pork with some rice. Everything up to that point was the same as it always was.

But something was different about today…

“There’s never meat in the miso soup! What is this, Master?”

Chunks of meat and vegetables floated in the miso soup. The meat was nice and fatty, while the vegetables had been carefully simmered. The soup itself had been seasoned differently than the usual miso, too. Each time Yuuto chewed the meat and veggies, the delicious flavor of the soup filled his mouth. The onions were the only ingredient that hadn’t been simmered, and still maintained a satisfying crunch.

Long story short, today’s soup was on a whole different level than usual.

“Looks like today’s Meat Day, I’m guessing!”

Mashira, Yuuto’s master, smiled down at the soup and took a big bite of ginger pork and rice. He patted his own hunting dog, a beast several times larger than Taro, and explained to his student what the deal was.

On Meat Day, the master of the restaurant served a special pork soup. It was filled with all manner of meat and vegetables, and, as always, came with free refills. According to Mashira, he had only stumbled upon Meat Day a handful of times.

“Wait, if this comes with free refills, then…” said Yuuto.

“Exactly,” Mashira answered. “You can have your fill of pork soup for today and today only.”

Mashira gave his student a firm nod of his head and began digging into his food once again. Yuuto also focused his attention back on his ginger pork.

The pair would go on to eat two servings more than usual.

***

“Oho, today’s Meat Day?”

Taking in the reactions to the soup by the other customers, many who typically adored rice, the former Duchy commander “Curry Rice” Alphonse pieced together the situation. He knew of pork soup; hell, he’d spent twenty years of his life coming here every week, through rain or snow. Alphonse had tasted pork soup more than a handful of times.

“I’ll have a large order of curry rice. Same as usual. But before you serve the main dish, could you get me a plate of rice and a bowl of pork soup, too? Lots of butter, please.”

Like a true veteran, Alphonse ordered pork soup. Before eating the curry rice, he would match some white rice with the pepel-filled pork soup. He would then proceed to eat some of his curry with pork soup. This was what he always did on Meat Days.

“You got it!”

“Yo, young lady! Let me get in on that, too!”

As soon as Aletta took Alphonse’s order, she found herself on the receiving end of yet another booming voice. It came from the man who furiously sat down next to him.

He was a strange-looking man. From the neck up he resembled a fierce lion, his body covered in beast hair. His light clothes revealed scarred, bulging muscles. On his back was a massive steel sword covered with the marks of battle damage. While at a first glance, one might think he was a beastman, nobody had ever heard of one that understood human customs, nor were there any stories of a lion man who lived on the continent. In truth, he was a demon who had received an incredibly strong blessing upon his birth.

“I’ll be havin’ the usual! Two large orders of katsudon! But before that, could ya bring out some rice and pork soup? Cheers!”

“O-of course!” Aletta responded to the unfamiliar demon in front of her and retreated into the kitchen.

“Hey, long time no see,” said the lion-faced man to Alphonse. “I thought you might’ve gone and finally kicked the bucket on me.”

Lionel, also known as “Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl,” flashed what could only be described as a menacing smile at Alphonse. The imposing man thought little of death. After all, he came face to face with it every single day of his life. Lionel was the strongest and most renowned swordsman in the demon capital, and he had the track record to prove it.

“Oh, shut your trap. You really think I’m gonna up and die that easily?”

The average warrior might shrivel in the face of such a threat, but Alphonse was as calm as could be. A long time ago, he, Teriyaki, and Omelet Rice had even gotten into a big verbal argument over which rice dish was the best. While the only common link they shared was this restaurant, the lion man was one of the people he had no trouble calling a friend.

“I just went home is all. Took me a while to find a door after that,” he explained to his old friend.

“Oho! Ya managed to get home? That’s fantastic!” Lionel was genuinely happy to hear the news. In the colosseum, Lionel was a creature of destruction and death, but outside of it, he was normally quite friendly. “So, I guess ya got that city life thing goin’ now, eh?”

“Indeed. To be quite honest, compared to life on the island, it’s almost too uneventful. I’m quite bored.”

The two men chatted about their individual circumstances to one another. Lionel spoke about his recent battles, while Alphonse told stories of his boredom after returning to the Duchy.

“Um, sorry to keep you waiting! I brought you your rice and soup first,” said Aletta.

And so, their first set of orders arrived.

“Ah, much thanks!”

“You have my gratitude.”

The pair gave their thanks to Aletta and grabbed their food.

“Shall we…”

“…Dig in?”

The feast began.

***

Mm, the pairing of butter and pepel is splendid.

Alphonse wasted no time topping his pork soup with pepel and was not disappointed by the immense wave of flavor that washed over him. The savoriness of the meat and soup warmed the insides of his body, with the pepel stretching out the experience. While the aftertaste remained in his mouth, he took a bite of rice. The previous master taught him this particular eating style. The light flavor of the rice fused with the heavy flavoring of the soup and its aftertaste to create a sublime experience.

…Hmph, I’m ready.

Even after eating all that food, Alphonse’s stomach was still empty. He patiently awaited the main attraction.

“…”

Compared to Lionel, Alphonse had taken his time enjoying his food. The lion man downed the rice and pork soup in what seemed like one gulp. All that was left was the wait until the rest of the food arrived.

Psh, it’s all this smell’s fault.

Lionel had intended on taking his time with the pork soup, especially because it had been a while since he last had the opportunity to eat some. Sadly, he was done in by the rich fragrance of the melted butter and the simmered pieces of fatty meat and vegetables. Before he could come to his senses, Lionel had annihilated the rice and soup, leaving himself hungrier than ever.

“Dammit, now I’m just hungrier!” he growled.

The pork ended up reminding Lionel of what he felt was the most delicious dish in the entire restaurant. He impatiently waited for his order.

“Sorry for the wait! Here’s your curry rice and katsudon. Oh, and I brought pork soup refills, too.”

“Ho, ho! Now this is what I’ve been waiting for!” said Alphonse. “Time to feast. Ah, and can I get another order of curry rice, please?”

“Argh, so slow! Goddamn, it smells so good! Tell the master to bring me another katsudon, wouldja?!”

With their primary objectives in sight, the two men simultaneously began digging in. It only took five minutes for them to demolish their first round of orders.

***

“Today’s ‘Meat Day,’ eh? I’ll have an order of teriyaki chicken and seishu with a bowl of pork soup. Hold the butter.”

“Teriyaki” Tatsugorou’s long years of patronage at Nekoya had honed his senses somewhat. As soon as he entered the restaurant, he had his suspicions confirmed and placed his order. While he certainly agreed that the butter made the soup that much richer and more delicious, he also felt that when paired with rice, it tasted better sans butter.

A sip of the butter-free soup, a bite of white rice, a sip of seishu.

“Mm, mm.”

Tatsugorou instinctively nodded to himself. It’d been about half a year since he’d had the chance to enjoy his food and drink with a side of pork soup. The finely simmered meat and vegetables had soaked in the savory juices of the soup perfectly.

“I knew I was right. There isn’t anything like booze and pork soup without the butter.”

The butter was undoubtedly good on its own or when paired with other western cuisines, but when it came to booze with a kick, the pork soup went better without it. Tatsugorou came to this conclusion after years of testing on his own terms.

“Pardon me, young lady. Might I get a soup refill?”

This time, Tatsugorou spent his time at the restaurant until closing hours, enjoying his alcohol, teriyaki chicken, and fried rice.

***

After all the customers had returned home and the cleanup was over, the master handed Aletta an envelope and a box of cookies. “Yo, good work today. Here’s your pay and the cookies you asked for.”

“Wow, thank you so much! Is it just me, or were things pretty busy today?”

“They were. It was Meat Day after all.”

On Meat Days, the master typically used more rice than normal. Despite the work it took to make pork soup, it disappeared many times faster than the miso soup. The master ended up making three whole pots of the stuff before the day was done. While it wasn’t quite as busy as a weekday Meat Day, Aletta was right: today had been pretty busy. In fact, they were only just getting around to having dinner.

“I suppose we should get to eating, eh? Let’s see, how about grilled butter soy sauce rice balls, pork soup, and… Oh, I know. Japanese omelets!” The master held up a pot with one hand.

“Oh my gosh, thank you!” Aletta nodded not once, but twice.

“Great, then buckle up. I’ll get to cookin’ up some food for us.”

And so, the master returned to the kitchen once more to prepare the final meal of the day.