Alright, this is another one of those stories that I should probably be putting in my little Book of Stories, but unlike those guys, this one I actually feel like I can and will write more than 4 short chapters. This said, I'm going to have a lot of fun with this story, even if I'm not as caught up on Toriko lore as I am with the rest of my story. What's important though is that everything in this world is delicious, and I recommend no-one read this story while hungry, lest your stomach host a rebellion while your mind is distracted.

Also, as I always put at the front of my stories, I still own none of the properties I write about here. I don't claim to, nor do I ever. What I do own is the time I use to write, and any bits thrown towards me help me write for longer, as well as eat while doing so. Available here, is a link to my P A Treon. And if you're looking for something not once a month try here, which is a link to a pool, for those of you looking to commission or just some incentive for me. If these links aren't available, check my profiles! Any of em!

Let's see where this goes.

Chapter 1: Campfire Cooking At Its Finest

OR

It's Dangerous To Go Alone, Take A Snack

It is said, that somewhere within this world, lies a field where the sky is eternally clear, a window to the heavens that reveal the shooting stars streaking through the air until they impact the earth below! Upon these mighty meteors impacting solid ground, they break open to reveal their rich, creamy centers, unleashing a taste sensation said to send one's taste-buds straight to the heavens this detectible dish descended from! This, is MOON CHEESE FONDUE!

I listened to my audio tape explain the variety of things you could dip in the lunar dairy product, ranging from sweeter fruits and meats, to specially made crackers from the meteors hardened shell as I massaged the massive strip of meat before me. It didn't matter that I was in the fire with it, it had been ages since temperatures that tolerable had bothered me. What really mattered was ensuring every inch of this Spice Bear sirloin was exposed to the heat, while working in my oil.

A Spice Bear was a 3 and a half-ton beast with a Level 4 Capture rating that lived in the Hickory Forest. They generally lived off of a diet of Smoke Salmon, Jewel Bee Honey, and Tang Berries. Combined with their habit of sharpening their teeth and claws off the incredibly aromatic and flavorful barks that made up the Forest, ensuring that every inch of their meat was seasoned to perfection. They also were savagely territorial of other creatures in their territory, ensuring that after they shed their first coat of fur, said bear would be able to break down any tree within reach to use as a massive club. Luckily, they also tended to be slower to act towards creatures smaller than themselves, which is why their Capture Level was lower than others with the same level of strength.

The real trick that came with cooking it however, was separating the choice cuts from the rest, to prevent it from becoming a disaster of conflicting flavors. That's why this was my third Spice Bear in just as many days, with my first attempt having been a mess of sweet and bitter between bites, and the second being far too spicy, to the point I wondered if the bear didn't live off of a steady diet of Sunshine Peppers and nothing else.

For this last attempt, I decided to cut out the middle-man, going over each piece of meat with alternating nibbles as it cooked with me, to ensure the flavors didn't change or burn off. This was also why I was applying my oil rubs once a piece was 'verified', to help lock in the flavors I wanted and to ensure I didn't accidently eat everything in a too-raw to enjoy state. No matter how good it would be though, I was still crossing off Spice Bear from my recipe list.

Oh, excuse me, I never introduced myself now did I? Terrible habit that, putting work before manners, but sadly needs must at time. Ahem! I, am Aidan, a mid-ranked Gourmet Hunter and low-rank Chefist. I was your normal 22 year old hunter, making a living foraging through the Gourmet World in search of new flavors, and I had two dreams. The first, and most important in my opinion, was to experiment with and raise the quality of food the average person had access to. The second was, of course, to finish my Full Course Menu.

Most people only ever heard about some of the astonishing lifeforms that made up the Gourmet world, but even stories never quite gave justice to the sheer awe and joy those same future ingredients could bring. Attempting to branch out from the Human World was an attempt people had been trying and failing to do for centuries, and stronger men than me had failed. Which was why I wasn't attempting to do that.

No, I was trying bridge the gap between a normal person and a delicious opportunity. Granted, I was a terrible example of the former by this point, but the important thing was getting other people to bridge that gap just as well.

When one looked at the Capture Level of a specific creature, they were either shocked away from attempting to catch them, or get cocky and bite off more than they could chew. Never mind that more Hunters died per year to Communion Tuna, with a Level 2 Capture Rank, than they did to Bacchus Sharks, which were Rank 31. It was my hope to re-order the system while finding common alternatives to achieve the same tastes, for those who couldn't trek out from one end of the Poles to the other.

Spice Bears were a creature that naturally created a variety of flavored meats based off of their diets, and I had been hoping that they could be raised specifically for that purpose to substitute other, more deadly ingredient choices as they tended to be remarkably calm and easy-going so long as they remain fed.

Sadly, the flavor profile was proving to be to finicky to be useful to the common person, because the senses or heat resistance required to deal with said meat were often in short supply outside major Food organizations. Perhaps if it was pre separated and used in a cooking style that complimented that changing flavor, such as Szechuan-style where the bitter and sweet flavors could be worked with, or fried to work off of the succulent juices that dripped off the meat? Wait...

Thinking aloud, I brought one of my oil soaked fingers to my mouth from the meat, and gave it a quick lick. Then my eyebrows quirked up in surprise.

"The flavor profile isn't changing, its pairing down!" I grinned as I stopped my rubbing of the meat, jumping out from the fire and doing a quick roll to get rid of any lingering embers, before diving for my pack, grabbing three large sauce pans to set under the meat, two for the juices and the third piece now going to the skillet with pressure applied.

I forgot about the drippings! Of course a large piece of meat like Spice Bear would falter in the face of open air cooking, even if it was in direct heat! The correct cooking method would be to bake in its own juices and tent it with liquid! Trap the flavors in layers like its own nature intended, yes, yes!

Inspiration struck at the perfect moment, for soon, the previous scent of cooking meat gave way to something so much stronger. A sharp, tangy smoke that filled the lungs and went straight to the brain, leaving behind a sweet, light dusting across ones tongue and the tip of your nose.

God, I was drooling already, even as I cut up some smaller potatoes and yams to further absorb the drippings as I glazed the bear steak for a fourth coating. The comforting sizzle brought with it a feeling of pure satisfaction and success, because within 16 minutes, I had a delectable steak cooked to Medium-well perfection taking up half of a plate, alongside pan-fried potato wedges, sweet yam fries, and Green Hydra beans for a bit of color, the small fanged heads arranged as if jumping over the starches to reach the steak first.

I gulped my mouthful of drool, gave my thanks, then gathered up a nice cut of steak.

I took my bite...and grinned with satisfaction. Each act of chewing brought out a wonderful breadth of flavor, starting with a crisp outer layer of hickory smoked goodness, before diving directly into an almost citrusy burst of sweetness as succulent juice leaked from the middle. Going down it dragged across the throat as if one last fight, leaving a spicy aftertaste that made one want to take another bite just to have it all happen again.

The next bite I tried with potato, and was met with a fuller feeling, which the yams also provided. What was interesting was that each starch seemed to have picked up a different quality from the drippings. The potatoes, carried with them an almost meaty taste, dripping with juice from the first bite to the last, making for an interesting texture. The yams, meanwhile, already slightly sweet, now seemed as if they had been smoked for hours, the taste tinging in the mouth with every breath taken. Very interesting.

The green beans were also very nice, but compared to the rest of the meal, they served more as a palette cleanser for between experimental bites.

Before I even knew it, I was looking at an empty plate save for an foot and a half long T-bone section, grinning ear from ear and utterly satisfied.

The Spice Bear was delicious, and while it wouldn't be the perfect ingredient for everyone, it would no doubt serve as a wonderful pairing meat. Even just the drippings it made while cooking, processed into an oil would serve as an amazing base, and I could already taste the amazing things one could make with the meat in an omurice or curry.

This was what I lived for. Good food, for better people. Now I just had to get a few more bottles to bring back for Mum.

END OF CHAPTER

This is a story I plan on having a ton of fun with, but I'll let you all know this now. I haven't watched past the Jewel Meat Arc of Toriko, but I don't care. I have a wiki, I have you all, and I love this world. I say we can make something great, and make some people so damn hungry for more. So, I'm going to ask you all to do one thing for me, from the bottom of my heart.

Tell me the food wonders you see in this world. Bomb the shit out of this with the wacky shit Toriko can pull. Let's make this an amazing time for everyone.

Plus, every so often, I'll include some actual recipes for everyone to enjoy, because what am I even doing if I can't cook for shit? Alright, now I'm good. There WILL be more of this soon, cause I'm loving this so damn much right now.