Chapter 10: Day 2 (Morning)

Hachinohe Bouillabaisse

Waking up was always such a chore for Sōma. Ever since he was a small kid, he was never good at getting up early. School, working in the shop or weekend chores; he was hopeless at getting hip in time. Even now, studying at Tōtsuki had only strengthened his dislike of early mornings, mainly down to how early the lessons were slated to begin each day.

Yet, Megumi was one of a few people that could get him awake everyday, the others being; Isshiki and Ikumi who would barge into his room, invading his privacy and waking him by sheer embarrassment.

With Megumi however, he was awake just by hearing her voice on the other side of the door telling him that either breakfast was ready or her warning that he was going to be late.

And as he lay in bed, at the Tadokoro family restaurant, Sōma found himself awake upon hearing Megumi knocking on his door and announcing, in that way which made his heart soar, "breakfast is ready". In no time at all, the redhead boy was out of bed and standing before a mirror in his pyjamas, trying to make himself look appropriate for early morning. Not just for Megumi but to continue the good impression he had made with Emiko and Shirō as well.

As he left his room, he saw Megumi standing at the top of the stairs waiting for him, also in sleepwear: a nightgown covered by a dressing gown wrapped around herself.

"Morning Megumi". He greeted her with a kiss, hearing her hum in appreciation, was almost too cute. And he wrapped her into his arms, for another embrace before they took off down the stairs as Emiko called from the kitchen, "hurry up love-bugs, otherwise breakfast will be all gone". Both chefs instantly scooted downstairs and entered the kitchen-diner red faced. "So..." Emiko cooed, standing over two saucepans of the hob; stirring one large cast iron saucepan on the hob sending up aromas of paprika and garlic, whist the other sent up a scents of milk and oats.

Emiko and Shirō were extremely generous and inviting, Megumi's grandfather had smiled and shook Sōma's hand when hearing how supportive and caring Sōma had been to Megumi at Tōtsuki. Whilst Emiko, simply grinned winking coquettishly, making the blue haired girl immediately bury her face in a teatowel.

"You two really are made for one another", Shirō stated wiping away a tear before patting Sōma's shoulder. The redhead boy smiled as he was welcomed into the family, then with eyebrow raised as he caught the embarrassment on Megumi's face, "grandpa... you said you wouldn't embarrass us", the girl bemoaned, blushing as she pulled Sōma towards the stove.

"Come on dad, let them be", Emiko Tadokoro, rolled her eyes, responding to her father's actions. "They're barely awake and out of bed, and you lurch into relationship talk". Sōma looked bemused but retained his expression of thanks as he was handed a bowl of Okayu, rice porridge, with a spoonful of pickled plums and vegetables on top. "Thank you, mam" he responded, taking the bowl over to the main table to sit and eat. Megumi followed suit and sat down her to him, the only difference was that in her bowl of Okayu, she added dried kelp and maguro tuna flakes, making it a tsukudani.

Sōma couldn't help but grin at her choice of breakfast, it was so her to choose sea food, after all she did grow up be the sea. He was also entranced by the simplicity of the Okayu as it was both homely and rustic with a taste that practically screamed goodmorning.

'Guess this is where Megumi gets it from', he mused to himself, mother and daughter, sharing a hospitality culinary style that warmed the very souls of those who ate it. And for Sōma, it only increased his wonder and curiosity about Kenosuke and his cooking style.

"This is amazing!" The boy exclaimed, a large grin spanning his face and his eyes shining with sheer joy. "I've had Okayu before but I always had honey. I never thought to have pickled plums and vegetables instead! Or even sea food!" Megumi smiled as she listened to his admission of genuine surprise, so she offered him a spoonful of her Okayu. She could tell by the gleam in his eyes that he wasn't wasting anytime thinking new recipe ideas for these ingredients back at Polar Star.

It was both fascinating to watch his mind at work and a little bit frightening, due to Sōma's mixed blessings of the delectable versus the disgusting. Yet, even as she warned herself about potential 'avoid' dishes back at school, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. To her, no matter what he cooked, it was all him. And it was beautiful to behold. As they both sat and ate breakfast, the smell of paprika began to entrance them both bringing the focus back to the larger pot on the stove, which Emiko was tending to.

A sudden realisation came over Megumi, as she recognised the aromas coming for the pot and the memories that were evoked. "Mom..." Megumi squeaked, "Is that what I think it is...?Hachinohe bouillabaisse! The restaurants signature fish stew..." Her mother nodded her head, smiling as she brought a spoon to her lips and tasted the stew. "It is, I thought that it would make a good introductory dinner for tonight..." Emiko paused, trying to not think about Kenosuke's absence. "... when you two get back from the first day of fireworks at the harbour tonight, as well as keeping Ken in our hearts".

Before she even knew what was happening, she found herself hugged by her daughter with a wide eyed smile on her face. "Mum you're a genius!" Megumi cried, as Sōma stood back and watched mother and daughter reminisce about their absent family member. "That sounds like a great way to show our love for him, and also show Sōma a great recipe", she uttered blushing as she looked towards her boyfriend.

Without further ado, Megumi pulled away from her mother and moved over to a second, smaller kitchen island where two sinks were located. She moved so quickly that Sōma had almost forget about her confidence issues. And yet watching her help her mother cook was a reminder of just how much of a great chef she was.

"Can I help...", he asked moving forwards, watching Megumi prepare some carrots, courgettes, tomatoes, parsnips, celeriac and potatoes. With great dexterity, Megumi was hard at work. After washing up his empty breakfast bowl one of the two sinks, he noticed a large smile on his girlfriends face. Nodding her head in the direction of the second sink Sōma saw sitting in water was a variety of seafood. "Please, could you wash and remove the beards from the mussels and clams", Megumi stuttered.

Beaming, Sōma made his way over to the sink and began his prep work, overhearing Emiko whisper to her daughter. "You just want it watch him don't you..." Pretending that he hadn't heard that he carried on with the task at hand, although he made a conscious decision to calm his heart rate down to stop the blush on his face from becoming any more pronounced. Sōma quickly learnt that to make Hachinohe Bouillabaisse, the dish must contain four types of sea food from Hachinohe port, and as many local vegetables as possible.

Megumi couldn't help but stifle a laugh when she saw Sōma, in complete awe, watching as she handed over her mother the prepped squid, spider crab and blue fin tuna in a matter of minutes. Emiko smiled as she took the prepped seafood and vegetables, Megumi had prepped to the base of simmered fish heads and bones, dashi stock, mochi, cumin and paprika.

Aubergines, carrots, courgettes, tomatoes, peppers, savoy cabbage, parsnips, celeriac and sweet potatoes... watching all those vegetables added to the pot was like watching a composer write down individual notes on to their score. And Sōma was thoroughly amazed.

Lastly, came the family restaurants signature special ingredients, highlighting its own Hachinohe Bouillabaisse to customers. For without them the dish wouldn't even be consideration as a delicacy, and rival, by other local restaurants. As Shirō walked forward with the final ingredient, Megumi followed her mother in bowing her head in silent prayer as her grandfather took a frying pan out of the salamander grill and moved towards the stove top.

Not wanting to be out of place, Sōma followed suit in bowing his head in respect of an important family and, business, recipe. "Grilled okra", Shirō spoke using chopsticks to transfer the ingredient to the simmering pot, then taking a glass jar out of an overhead cupboard he then removed a medium sized desert soon of, "and english mustard" and added that to the pot as well.

Finally, Shirō took a packet of crackers from the pantry and paced four large nanbu senbei crackers into the bouillabaisse, all under the careful eye of Emiko. "Now go get dressed, and go see more of Hachinohe and the food festival", Emiko announced. "Dinner will be here when you get back".