Bastard Swordsman

Food Situations in Another World

The food is terrible.

That's the entirety of the food situation in this world. From my perspective, it's not an exaggeration at all.

In this country, the staple grain foods are either porridge or bread.

But both are awful. The bread is more like black bread or something mixed with grains, far from the fluffy, refined bread I know. The porridge isn't made from white rice either; it's made from something akin to oats. Maybe it's more accurate to call it oat porridge. The sensation in the mouth is bizarre, to say the least.

Soups aren't particularly delicious either. The broth is thin, lacking in umami. They seem to rely on chunks of meat and legumes to create flavor, but it's bland. I find myself wishing for consommé cubes. The saltiness is doing all the heavy lifting.

Salads are out of the question. Some items do taste good, but they haven't gone through the active selective breeding process, so to me... they taste like "weeds".

If someone accuses me of having a spoiled palate, there's nothing I can do but acknowledge that they're right.

I am from the modern world, after all. Naturally, my taste buds have been pampered. I've somewhat adapted to the flavors here by now, but it's not like I've forgotten the tastes of the past.

However, even in this world, there are dishes that are delicious.

Meat.

「Leave the meat behind, or else!」

「Squeal!」

I swiftly dodged the onrushing Mad Boar and delivered a clean slash across its throat from the side. Blood gushed profusely from the deep wound.

Dispatching a Mad Boar, notorious within the boar family for its deranged charges that cause significant damage, was a frequent mission.

When I received a job to deal with a boar that had killed numerous rookie guild members who underestimated it as just a wild boar, I secretly pumped my fist in my mind.

This was because Mad Boar meat is quite delicious.

「All right! Time for bleeding! Time for gutting!」

Rivers flow through parts of the nearby forest. Despite the Mad Boar's hefty body, weighing nearly 100 kilograms, I easily dragged it to the river and tossed it in with a splash.

Simultaneously, I used my bastard sword to slice open its belly vertically, extracting the innards. The organs I eat are liver and heart—liver and heart. There are other edible organs, but they're a hassle to process and not to my taste, so I discard them.

Initially, this task was daunting for someone from the modern world, but I'm used to it now.

Hunger can sometimes give people extraordinary drive. For the sake of delicious food, I'm more than willing to gut as much meat as necessary.

「Yup, looking good, looking good...」

Besides organs, I also eat cuts of meat and tongue. This plump tongue is just irresistible.

When it comes to pigs, I've heard there's pig trotters, too, but I don't know how to process them, so I've never tried. Brains are also intimidating, so I avoid them.

As a rule, if it's savory when sprinkled with salt and grilled, it's right for me.

It's refreshingly simple because it's incredibly tasty just by salting and grilling it. It's far better than consuming poorly made agricultural products or processed goods.

That's why I actively take on quests involving edible monsters. The fights themselves are easy. It's like a godsend quest that tells me the whereabouts of a feast.

「Delicious.」

I divide the meat into what I eat on the spot, what I smoke, and what I take home.

The organs, considered a hunter's privilege, are quickly consumed. Particularly, liver is important for fulfilling my apparent nutritional needs since I don't eat much in the way of vegetables.

I prioritize eating the tongue myself over giving it to others. The meat from the back is also delicious, so I quickly claimed it.

Leg meat is easy to carry and perfect for selling, so I make sure to take it home. Besides fetching a decent price, it serves my hobby well.

Admittedly, I doubt my efficiency is anything to brag about.

Therefore, I perform this task while camping in the forest. The forest at night is inhabited by monsters, but for the sake of meat, I'm willing to give it my all, so there's no problem.

... I wish I could make sauce. I really want sauce.

However, given that I don't even know how to make soy sauce, there's no chance of me crafting any sauce. Crafting salt with herbs is about the limit of my abilities.

Damn it it, I crave sauce. I don't particularly need rice, but I long for sauce.

「Oh? Hey, Mongrel. You've bagged something pretty big again, haven't you?」

Upon returning to the city after my hunt, the usual gatekeeper called out in a laid-back manner.

I was carrying a balance pole with chunks of meat dangling from it over my shoulders. It's the proud sight of someone who has done a good job.

「Hey there, want some meat?」

「What are you, a butcher? Hahaha!」

「This is the kind of stuff we deal with. Can you let me through, please?」

「Sure, Mongrel the Butcher, seems like you're back from a nearby mission. Hand over your card.」

「... It's in my left pocket, could you grab it for me? I can't move, as you can see.」

「Don't make me stick my hand into a guy's pocket... Okay, here it is. Got it. But next time, use the side gate to come around.」

「No thanks. I can handle butchering myself, so there's no need to rely on a disassembly shop.」

At the entrance to the city, there's typically a side gate for bringing in supplies.

This gate is designed to allow the transport of monster corpses resulting from nearby exterminations. There's a dismantling shop conveniently located right after entering.

Handing things over to the dismantling shop saves on effort, but they deduct money for the service.

Moreover, every time they ask, "What about the fur?" and when I answer, "It was a nuisance, so I left it behind," they give me such a disapproving look. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the facilities at the other gate. Unless there's a massive influx of bodies that I can't handle, I try not to use it.

I prefer to butcher my own meat for personal consumption. Any objections are not acknowledged.

「You're an odd one. Are you planning to switch over to being a butcher?」

「I wouldn't say I haven't thought about it.」

「What? Really?」

「Well, I'm more suited to using physical strength in my line of work.」

「I figured. If you can take down a Mad Boar on your own, being a guild member is probably the best fit for you.」

Yeah, it's not that I couldn't become a butcher.

But since I have a unique gift, there's no reason not to make moderate use of it and enjoy myself.

「Oh, I made some smoked meat in the woods. Consider it a souvenir.」

「Oh! Seriously? Thank you! I owe you one!」

「Make sure everybody gets some. To avoid another argument.」

Additionally, I maintain good relations with the gatekeepers.

I'm not handing out bribes for any under-the-table activities. Maintaining friendly relations with people in these professions can be advantageous in the long run.

When you have a recognizable face, especially during crowded times, you can enter and exit quickly. Even if you arrive just before nighttime closing, there's a chance they might let you in.

Furthermore, it makes things easier if the public perceives me as just an average guild member with physical prowess.

「See you at the tavern.」

「Yeah! Until next time!」

Alright, after filing the subjugation report, I'll have a meat party.

Even bad bread and soup become a feast when there's plenty of meat involved.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌ )】
For people who haven't tasted liver and heart, they taste good. It's a delicacy from where I came from.
Not gonna lie, hunting your own food in another world sounds pretty neat.