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| [Graded]For Simplicity's Sake | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 21 2013, 01:31 AM (408 Views) | |
| Umibouzu | Aug 21 2013, 01:31 AM Post #1 |
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" Now our customers want some Simplicity Rice! I don't know where it is, but we'll go bankrupt if we can't find any!" Umi was had spent a few days before researched the ingredient he was looking for this time, and found that the Simplicity Rice was known for it's modest and very ordinary flavoring; in fact he doubted it was different at all from regular rice, but his boss told him that in order to keep the restaurant floating above water, he would need to bring a pound of it back home. He searching had lead him to Simple Diet Hill, a peaceful place just outside of Eco Land that was known for two things: it's absolute beauty, and being home to the Gourmet Knights. A small religious group, the Gourmet Knights had subsisted on a diet of only the most basic and simple ingredients that could find, and cultivated them in farms around there village. Being generous, pious people, Umi planned on visiting them and asking for some rice, which, he assumed, would be given to him and he would be on his way. Edited by Umibouzu, Aug 25 2013, 04:49 AM.
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| Alberio | Aug 21 2013, 02:19 AM Post #2 |
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"Listen up bub. Word on the street is, the flavor of the month is Simplicity Rice. Now I know normally, we'd just use the same old rice and call it that, but it turns out simplicity rice has this weird trademark thing that the distributors put on the bags. And what's more, to PROVE it's simplicity rice and not a knockoff, yah need ta have the bag handy for those gourmet critics to prove it's real. And see'in how you're the only one in this dump that HAS airplane miles, that means we're sendin you to get it. If ya can't get the rice, at least get the bag so we can show it around. Now, get goin" And it was with that, that Ian was off on another trip to secure an obscure ingredient. His boss had taken a liking to sending him on these, as he would simply take the travel funds out of Ian's next check. Landing at the nearest airport, Ian would then find that it was still another fifty kilometers before he reached simple-diet hill. It was bad enough that the "plane" was just the throat lining of an abnormally large bird, now he didn't have enough money for any other form of ground transportation. Heaving another sigh, Ian would begin following the long and winding goat path which was said to lead to Simple diet hill. When hearing something behind him he would walk backwards briefly with his thumb held out in a hitchikers sign, hoping that someone with multiple-person transportation might swing by and pick him up. |
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| Umibouzu | Aug 21 2013, 04:05 AM Post #3 |
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( I forgot to put WIP, whoops) "Oh, you're that guy!" Eying the man in front of him, Umi was shocked to see that the enigmatic chef, the one who saved him from the Crag Lizard weeks back, had once again found him in the midst of an ingredient request. Last time he had disappeared without so much as a trace, but now Umi was sure not to let him get away. His honor as a chef was giving him the immense desire to thank the man for his generosity, and the second they had arrived at Simple Diet Hill, a verdant garden in the midst of several large mountain ranges. "Thank you so much for saving me at the bluffs! If it werent for you, I might have died. Let me cook for you at my restaurant some time!" |
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| Alberio | Aug 21 2013, 04:19 AM Post #4 |
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"...thaaaaanks..." Ian would say nodding slowly. Fuck. It was this guy again. That chef who was always upstaging him in the gourmet reviews! Like he was that great...working with an actual budget...and having grease on his grill which WASN'T twenty years old...or actually getting a paycheck rather than accepting payment in the form of meals he himself cooked. Dear goodness Ian hated this man! Hated him and all the advantages and prestige that he had! And of course...which Ian sorely lacked. He would bite his tongue however and smile back. "It's good to meet a fellow chef way out here! Tell me good chum, what's a fine fellow such as yourself doing way out here in the boondocks, miles from a proper stove?" he had an inkling but he wasn't sure about it. Ian hoped that they'd get there soon. Perhaps the gourmet knights would come riding down, patrolling on horseback and give them a ride to their present base of operations. |
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| Umibouzu | Aug 22 2013, 01:56 AM Post #5 |
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" Actually I came here to look for some Simplicity Rice, they say it's quite a bit stickier then normal rice and making dishes with it would really boost our reputation, at least that's what my boss says" It seemed as though, aside from a small group of tourists or traveling Gourmets, Simple Diet Hill experience little to no traffic from the rest of the world; likely because it offered very little in terms of new flavors and marketable people, only those with very specific tastes seemed to even bother to notice this place. As a result, the rolling hills were left completely untouched and in a pristine, verdant condition. The land lacked any defining landmarks, or anything larger then a small village, and as a result, the only sound around them was the peaceful wind and the murmurings of peaceful creatures. "I guess you're here for the same thing huh? Well hopefully we can meet with the Gourmet Knights and be on our way, I have to serve this in a dish for a banquet tomorrow and if I don't make it back on time, my boss will dock my pay! But which way?" "The Gourmet Knights are off hunting for an ingredient right now. So its doubtful you'll get any Simplicity Rice from them" Umi turned to find that a rather ancient man had appeared directly behind him, having arrived from the same bird as them, he had been intruding on the conversation between the two novice chefs. The man wore only simple clothes, and could have easily been mistaken for a beggar if the voyage here had not been so expensive as it was, despite the quality of the ride; around his back he carried a bag at least twice his size, but did not seem burdened by it in the slightest, in his hand was a worn walking stick. " But if you're looking for rice, I think I have a few bags I harvested last week" |
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| Alberio | Aug 22 2013, 02:42 AM Post #6 |
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Ian maintained his smiling facade as long as he could. A BANQUET! Ian would KILL to serve a banquet! And yet here he was stuck serving the lowest class food possible. Yes there was a market for the lowest common denominator but it wasn't one he wanted to serve the rest of his life! Still he would try his best not to let the envy of it all show on his face. At the very least, he was glad that his self-chosen rival had the same problem of pay-docking if he didn't complete his job in a timely fashion. It was then that they would hear the voice behind him. Somehow Ian felt that this was going to be an incredibly cliche' thing when the man said that he had the bags. Clearly he wouldn't just GIVE them away. By the very fact that he wore such simple clothes, had such a simple form AND seemingly knew the location of the gourmet knights, this bespoke him as anything BUT ordinary. Still, he decided it would be better to play along for now, otherwise the man probably wouldn't part with the rice. Perhaps if he did it well enough he could even get the rice for free! "*ahem* Well thank you kind traveler. But I would feel guilty if we just took the rice from you. And I'm afraid that I'm a little short on cash at the moment...is there perhaps a service of some kind I-I mean...WE could perform to earn them from you?" he asked, slinging an arm around Umi's shoulder, trying to seem friendly in his one sided rivalry. |
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| Umibouzu | Aug 22 2013, 06:12 AM Post #7 |
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" I agree, we're both Chefs, is there anything that we can cook for you? Its really all I'm good at" In his lifetime, Umi had only had two jobs, working as a chef in Benzaiten, and loading boxes for one of the many Gourmet Hotels that had littered the more tourist-y parts of Gourmet Town, and several dropped boxes and one pink slip later, knew that he was horribly unsuited for menial labor. But if the man was offering them their quarry without any sort of fuss beyond a measly job, he was damn sure going to do it to keep his job and the restaurant alive. " Well you're in luck youngsters! Because I'm looking for some new upbeat chefs who I can pass my techniques onto, it seems nowadays that nobody has even heard of Ishoku Dogen..." The man paused pensively, Umi assumed that he was looking back at memories that he had thought were long forgotten, and left him to his daydreams; soon a minute past, and another, and then five and ten, eventually felt the need to speak up. "Ishoku Dogen? I've never heard of it" "That's because it's long since fallen out of favor, now I used to be some no name chef way out in the Southern Islands, and what made me famous was my cooking, and my strict adherence to Ishoku Dogen, now youth is far past me, and my only wish is to pass on my cooking doctrine to you, and see it rise once again. The young chef of the Benzaiten had a deep knowledge of history, in fact he had gotten an A in the class when he took it back in Gourmet School, he knew all the names and all the most famous techniques in cooking, but not once had he heard of this strange Ishoku Dogen Doctrine. Without much in the way of leads, and no closer to getting his ingredient, he supposed learn this vagabond's unusual cooking would get him what he wanted, and he would be out of here. Umi agreed, and was lead away from the port by the old man. Edited by Umibouzu, Aug 22 2013, 06:12 AM.
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| Alberio | Aug 22 2013, 06:27 AM Post #8 |
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Well wasn't this just wonderful, Ian thought sarcastically. An old man who wanted to see his techniques passed on. The contrarian in Ian made him want to shout at the old man. How there was a reason for his failings! How he should accept his fate, and allow his cooking style to fall into but a shadow of a memory rather than forcing young strangers to carry on the burden of a legacy they knew nothing about! But he was too polite for that and, not wanting to have to pay for the rice simply said "We would be happy to learn from a master such as yourself" he would say bowing one hand a fist pressed into the palm of his other open hand, a stance learned long ago in an old martial arts class as a sign of respect. "Might we have a name with which to call you master? And would you prefer Master, Sifu or Sensei?" He would wait for a response and then ask inquisitively "Though...I do wonder...if you are a chef, and you are to teach us the way of Ishoku Dogen...wahtever that is...then shouldn't we go to a town so that we can use a stove or pot or grill with which to use in your teachings? |
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| Umibouzu | Aug 23 2013, 02:09 AM Post #9 |
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" Stove? Grill? Those are human inventions, Ishoku Dogen was created before we even had electricity! We walked 3000 miles to use the Wul Grills if we wanted to roast something! Sonny what i'm gonna teach can be done with a knife, a chopping board and good ol' fashioned elbow grease! Tastes better then any restaurant cause it has heart! And call me Old Man! cause I forget my name..." Walking along side the man, Umi found it hard to keep up with his wobbly pace, or rather, found himself stopping to that the man could catch up with him, and then immediately took steps and found himself in front of him again. His mind chimed in at the sound of the man's comment, and raised a query to repeat it. " Uhh... if this is your doctrine, does that mean you were around before we had electricity? How old are you?" " Im not that old, most of us from that generation are still pretty spry and well..... I dont remember how old I am, it's been awhile" 'This man is fucking crazy' Umi thought to himself, but at the same time, this man was likely going to be a whole sack of crazy, but at the very least, he would get his job done easily and very quickly. The man lead them to a tiny shack at the base of several large foothills; and true to his word, it looked like it had been around for at least a century or two, though it had been shored up with several creatures native to Eco Land, he had a Solar Turtle hitched to the back of the house, bathing and resting in the sunlight of the day as it generated, which lead to a curious idea... "Hey wait! You said you don't have electricity, why the hell do you have a Solar Turtle?" "Because I need it to cook, only a heathen caveman cooks without electricity these days" Edited by Umibouzu, Aug 23 2013, 02:09 AM.
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| Alberio | Aug 23 2013, 02:46 AM Post #10 |
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"GU! CHB! GK! CK! WHAT!" Ian said exasperated at the old mans inconsistancy. Hanging his head low in defeat he released a sigh. Goodness this was going to be a long day. Entering the house after the old man, the place seemed like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks. There was a small hotplate in one corner, as well as a few pots and pans. Scattered throughout the shack there was a strange cucumber which seemed to hold an inordinate amount of water, a lightbulb which seemed to be made out of a carrot, a ham radio with television set, and a futton which seemed to be made out of a very long, very flat sheep. "oh..sit down will yah" he said placing his massive backpack off to one wall, resting it on the sheep-futon. Ian went to take a seat on the floor "NOT YOU yah whipper um...Clapper!" he said gesturing at Ian with his cane. Ian promptly stood up and remained standing, not wanting to irritate the old man further. "Now...I will tell you the story and philosphy of Ishoku Dogen...as soon as I remmember what it is..." He sat a while in contemplation stroking his long scraggly beard before saying "What was I doing again? OH right right right...the first step, is making onigiri! Pulling out a pack of rice from the backpack, he would then proceed to place the hotplate in the small firepit of the shack, then place a pot of water, drawn from the cucumber on to the hotplate. It seemed he was getting ready to cook the rice. And...was that simplicity rice he was using. "So uh...I was curious about this actually...how exactly is simplicity rice different from normal rice? And why does it warrant a capture rating of two rather than 1, or even Zero like most other normal agricultural products?" |
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