The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 42
EP.42 Debate
There was a meme about how British food was tasteless, but honestly, I didn’t fully agree with it. Take fish and chips for example, the quintessential British dish. It was a combination of fried fish and fried potatoes—how could that be bad? Sure, it could get greasy, but it was not without flavor. Of course, if someone hates fish, that might be a different story.
When I actually tried it, I found it quite tasty. The problem, though, was that the version I had was in my previous life, in Korea.
Now, the ingredients might differ depending on the region, but I couldn’t imagine that the taste of fish and chips in England would be drastically different. Maybe they used a bit more oil or sprinkle vinegar on it, which could change the aroma, but at the end of the day, it was still just fish dipped in flour and fried. How different could it be?
I’ve heard that there’s actually quite a lot of edible English food, even if it was not necessarily fish and chips… I didn’t even need to hear someone defend it. It was common for subcultures that were popular among otakus to depict specific races or nationalities in a stereotypical way. Honestly, I thought British food was a similar case.
The real issue, though, was that this world wasn’t Korea, nor was it England—it was the Aetherna Empire.
Right. A world that didn’t exist in reality. Or rather, since this was my reality now, it was a world that didn’t exist on “Earth.”
But here’s the thing.
The game series set in this world was called The Chronicles of Aetherna, developed by Millennium Corp., a company based in Japan. And in Japanese subculture, whenever “foreign cuisine” was mentioned, British food always seemed to come up. British people were often portrayed as bad cooks, or British cuisine was depicted as inedible.
Aetherna, in fact, drew some of its inspiration from the British Empire. It was even set during a time resembling the Industrial Revolution, when life for the lower classes—except for the nobility—was utterly miserable.
So, yes. The food in the Aetherna Empire? For the most part, it was terrible.
Oh, the meats were generally good. If it was something simple, like a steak—just grilled meat—it would taste fine. Desserts weren’t bad either, and neither were the tea and biscuits served at tea time.
But those were luxury foods, weren’t they? The kinds of dishes wealthy people leisurely enjoyed. And if you pour enough money into making something, it was bound to taste good.
Whenever I wandered around Runedarium to familiarize myself with the geography, I would sometimes buy food from street vendors or small eateries. Street food that cost only a few pence? Most of it was barely edible.
Seriously.
When you think of “fish and chips,” you probably imagine crispy, golden-brown fried fish—at worst, a bit soggy—alongside crispy or somewhat soggy, but still decent, chips. But in this world, the fish and chips were far from the quality you’d expect.
It was the Industrial Revolution. The era when everything shifted toward mass production. The fish that served as the raw ingredient for fish and chips—usually cod—was caught in huge quantities using steam-powered ships.
And the best way to handle such massive amounts of fish at once? Throw them into boiling oil and fry them all together, without much care for quality.
The fish and chips in this world were made from low-quality fish, often near spoiled, and fried in equally poor-quality oil. The flour coating was just a way to prevent the fish from being completely soaked in grease. This resulted in a dish that was simply “cooked,” with little concern for taste or texture. Most people would peel off the greasy batter and discard it, eating only the fish inside. And no, the fish here wasn’t deboned like in fish cutlets. You had to pick through the bones and eat the white flesh, which wasn’t even as good as simply grilled fish.
It wasn’t just fish and chips either. Most commoner food in this world was made solely for survival, with little attention paid to flavor or enjoyment.
Have you ever had a sandwich made by toasting bread, seasoning it with salt, and then putting it between two slices of bread? I had. I tried one once, and it tasted like dry, salty bread. Seriously, who thought of selling this? Making it was one thing, but selling it? I hope this monstrosity didn’t exist on Earth.
After that experience, I stopped eating “commoner food” in this world. There was curry imported from the colonies, but even with my Korean taste buds, I couldn’t get used to the unfamiliar spices.
The only dishes that suited my palate were black pudding, which reminded me of sundae (a Korean sausage), and sauerkraut, which came from the Empire’s other cultural inspiration, Germany. But neither of these were main dishes, and both were unpopular enough that I doubted “cool beauty” types would like them.
“Ta-da!”
Claire exclaimed, proudly showing us the food she had picked up after ordering our drinks.
The dish in front of us was so impressive it shattered my preconceived notions about commoner food.
Or, well, maybe it wasn’t technically “commoner food.” It wasn’t particularly cheap, but it wasn’t priced out of reach for the average citizen either. If a commoner really splurged, they could afford it—though their meals might be scarce for the next week. Then again, we weren’t exactly in a poor neighborhood. This part of the Aetherna Empire was one of the most well-off and safest areas.
The parfait was made with tropical fruits, probably mango, as the base, topped with a generous amount of whipped cream, followed by more fruit, another layer of whipped cream, and various other fruits. It was served in a glass cup, making it look almost like a cake.
“This is the café’s specialty, parfait!”
There wasn’t just one type; there were various kinds.
“I didn’t expect much for the price, but this is impressive.”
Alice remarked, her voice filled with genuine admiration.
“Right? I also ordered it without expecting much!”
Claire replied cheerfully.
If any workers from the Aetherna Empire had overheard their conversation, they might’ve felt a revolutionary spirit stir within them. This parfait was an indulgence far beyond the reach of the proletariat of this world.
Of course, by noble standards, it was still considered cheap, especially for Alice, who was a princess.
“Impressive. It doesn’t seem much different from what I’ve seen in my homeland.”
Since the word parfait was French, it was likely a common dessert in Velbur, a fictional country with cultural motifs blending French and Belgian elements.
“Still, you never really know until you taste it.”
Charlotte said, with a slightly eager expression.
“Honestly, the bread from the academy wasn’t that good.”
Charlotte remarked.
“Huh?”
Alice’s head whipped around at Charlotte’s comment.
“Wait… are you saying the academy food isn’t tasty?”
Not only Alice, but Claire, Leo, and even Mia Crowfield were staring at Charlotte in shock.
“Uh… yes? Are you telling me you think that bread is good?”
Charlotte blinked, her expression showing she was just as shocked by their reactions.
“What do you mean? It is good, right?”
Alice, sounding baffled, looked over at Claire and Leo, who nodded in agreement.
The bread was delicious, actually. In fact, it might even have been better than most bread I had back in Korea. The majority of what I ate was mass-produced convenience store bread. But here, every loaf was baked with care, making it hard not to enjoy.
However, Charlotte was from Velbur, the “Kingdom of Taste,” and one of its cultural inspirations was France.
France. The country where the method of making baguettes was so sacred that it was literally written into law.
If the Aetherna Empire was known for its meat, tea, and cookies, then the Kingdom of Velbrun was the land of bread, wine, and chocolate.
Even though Aetherna’s bread was of the highest quality due to its British-inspired cultural roots, it seemed the creators of this world wanted each country to have its own distinct flair. In this world, Velbur was considered the place with the best bread. This was so official it was even mentioned in the lore books. Whether one liked it or not, it was “canon.” In this world, it was practically common knowledge.
“Alice, haven’t you been to the Kingdom of Velbur before? Didn’t you try the bread?”
Charlotte asked.
“Yes, it was great, but just because one thing is good doesn’t mean the other is bad. You could say it’s ‘better,’ sure, but—”
“No, that’s not the case at all. Aetherna’s bread just isn’t good.”
By the way, the word “bread” in this world came from Velbur’s language.
“But I mean, they’re both good, Velbur’s is just better, right?”
Alice, likely holding onto her pride as an imperial princess, clearly didn’t want to back down.
“To say Velbur’s bread is better implies that Aetherna’s bread is worse, and that means Velbur’s bread is superior. Honestly, objectively speaking, can we really say Aetherna food is delicious? All they do is bake, boil, or roast fresh ingredients. That’s it.”
“W-what!?”
Alice looked utterly flabbergasted.
“By that logic, Velbur’s dishes that drown everything in wine without preserving the original flavors are the real culinary sin! Aren’t you even a little sorry for the cows that gave their lives only to be drowned in wine!?”
Velbur cuisine was indeed famous for its frequent use of wine, even among the lower classes, because the country produced so much of it.
Even among the nobles and royalty of the Aetherna Empire, Velbur wine was considered the best.
“Velbur wine is objectively the best, though. Of course, the food made with such ingredients would be the best as well. Besides, the very dessert we’re eating right now originated from the Kingdom of Velbur.”
“E-excuse me! The Empire has plenty of delicious desserts, too!”
Alice snapped back.
“The delicious dessert we are about to eat is from the Kingdom of Velbur, isn’t it?”
Charlotte pointed out with a subtle smile.
“Well, it’s not like we can only eat Aetherna Empire food all the time!”
Alice shot back.
“I can live just fine eating only Velbur food.”
Charlotte countered smoothly.
“That’s… that’s not what I’m trying to say here…!”
Alice stumbled over her words, clearly flustered.
“…Sister?”
Their heated argument was suddenly cut off.
Arguing about food was pointless. Sure, the Empire’s British inspiration was often emphasized, but one of Aetherna’s cultural influences was also Germany. In this world, sausages were a signature Aetherna dish. Just thinking about sausages brought the Empire to mind, so why were they debating so fervently over bread? If it tastes good, that’s what matters.
“…Sister, you’re smiling…?”
Claire was the first to notice, her mouth dropping open. Next was Leo, and finally, Alice and Charlotte were simultaneously struck with shock.
Mia Crowfield looked confused, as if she hadn’t fully grasped what was going on.
“…Sylvia?”
“Is this parfait really that delicious…!?”
Alice muttered my name with a dazed expression, and Charlotte asked me with a shocked expression.
Delicious was an understatement.
Having tried some of the commoner food in this world, I had learned to truly appreciate a dish like this.
The key to enjoying good food wasn’t to debate about it but humbly savoring it.
Anyone who didn’t smile after tasting such a sweet and exquisite dessert either had broken taste buds or lacked emotions altogether.
…Though, I wasn’t ready to let them see me smile just yet.
A smile should be reserved for truly important moments.
Besides…
With a motion fitting of a princess, I gracefully picked up a napkin and wiped the whipped cream from the corner of my mouth.
Then I took a small breath and murmured.
“Again.”
Since it had come to this, I might as well indulge in all the parfaits laid out before me.