Bonus Chapter – Food Of Middle-Earth

Author's Notes: Hi ppl! This is a bonus chapter I came with while in the shower. It can't really fit into the storyline, so I might as well put it as a bonus (sidestory), but hey, there MIGHT be something related to the story later. This is for pure fun, mind you. You don't have to read it unless you're in a crapping mood, like I am now. This isn't the only one I can tell ya. Well, here goes!

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This happened during the first two uneventful days of my journey. We have covered a lot of ground, but I am sure there's a lot more. Mirkwood seems so far away now. I miss Faryndiel...and the gorgeous bathroom. Seriously I could just migrate there. Well, of course I miss home. But eventually I will get home...I think. Oh well, I shouldn't be complaining right now. Mirgom's cooking is excellent. Not bad for a guy...an Elf guy...

He is cooking a stew of some sort. I saw him dump some herbs, some chunks of white...stuff and now he is handing out small portions of Elven bread. Today the bread is green, yesterday was deep brown with small flakes like raisins or something. Doesn't matter, it tasted great. So does this bread. Hmm...

"Narla, what is o-on your mind?"

Mirgom looked at me with concern. He is always so sweet and caring. No wonder the horse likes him. In fact, who doesn't? Unlike some snobby blonde who thinks he's got it all and just sits there pretending to be on guard or something, Mirgom is nice to all and a great cook. Wonder why he doesn't have a nice Elven wife...waitaminute, maybe he HAS a nice Elven wife. How old is he anyway? Uh-oh, his frown has deepened, I'd better say something...

"Oh nothing, Mirgom. I was just wondering, what are the foods we eat made of? They taste lovely."

Mirgom's frown just dissolved to thin air and a wide smile replaced it. His eyes seem to be sparkling or something.

"Why, Narla, I would never thought that you would ask such a thing. I have forgotten that you may have never eaten our foods before. Well, as you can see, only Elves eat no meat. We make these foods when we are idle or when a feast is called for. There is so much to talk about I know not whither to start from!"

Wow! Talking about food can really excite Mirgom. I think I know what to get Mirgom for Christmas - a nice, fat cookbook.

"Well Mirgom, perhaps you could start from the stew you are making today. What are those white stu-...tasty chunks?" 

"Chunks?...Oh! These are dried Langla fruits. They are good for travel. Though small to pack, when you boil them with water, they blow up in size."

Sure enough, the bowl handed to me contained two blown up white Langla fruits, twice the size of fish balls from my world. The stew smelt great and when I tried the fruit, it was soft and spongy, similar to marshmallows I guess. I smiled at Mirgom as he continued,

"Of course, all the food are given to us by nature. We do not pluck fruits from trees, nor do we take herbs without asking. The herbs I used for this stew comes from the bottom of the Mountains of Mirkwood. These herbs could multiply rapidly if requested."

Ask herbs to multiply? Whoa, this is getting weirder than ever. Should I continue asking? Oh, what the heck.

"What about the pastry of Middle-Earth? I notice some have different coloring than the others."

"Aye, most of the colored pastries are created by Elven hands. The bread on your hand is one such pastry."

I held up my bread. It was a small piece broken off from a large oval one. It looked much like a rugby ball, only flatter and green. It tasted crunchy.

"This bread is a mixture of flour and powdered leaves from the trees up north. It provides the crunchy taste and its color."

Powdered leaves? Ooook, I guess it won't hurt to eat these. After all, they taste great and so far, Irthal and Vortayn are having no trouble taking them. Huh? What is Mirgom doing? He is taking out all the bread we brought. There's the bread we had last night…I think it's going to be a long night.

"This, if you remember, is what we had last night. This is a favorite among Elves and half-lings. It is made of flour, baked for one full day."

That explains the deep brown.

"This is to ensure the Falliel tree bark bits turn soft and sweet."

Tree BARK bits?? So much for the thought of raisins…I don't think I want to know anymore.

"And this..."

Now he took something similar to a croissant, but based on the shell shape, it probably is one.

"Is a croissant."

If I were not sitting on the ground, I would have fallen headfirst. All I could do was drop my jaw. How do they know of a croissant and its pronunciation? Is there any French here in Middle-Earth?

"How...Did Elves make this...croissant?"

"Oh no, Narla. We would not possibly give such an odd name* to pastry. It was made a long time ago far north, by Man. In fact, this little piece of pastry had a long story of its own..."

Then Mirgom closed his eyes and prepared himself to sing,

(in story format)

"During the disappearance of the Great Sage Alranyam, Searia was in despair. It was said that an event similar yours, Narla, occurred. A young lady, whose name has faded through time, had appeared from unknown, and with her she brought the knowledge of pastry to mankind. West Searia became a foundation of medicine and pastry, an odd combination, but true. The Men of West Searia offered the knowledge of pastry to the Half-lings of East Searia, but they haughtily rejected. Man found a new source of food; flour. The knowledge passed all over Middle-Earth and soon, bread was made in all forms and mixtures. We Elves were intrigued by pastry-making as well.

The young lady loved her stay in Middle-Earth. She met a kind man who took her in and from there a bakery opened in Searia. Many say her favorite pastry was a shell-like bread, small in size, by the name of 'croissant'. It became a favorite among all of Searia, as was she.

Two years had passed and she had not left. The kind man and her made a family, and the three of them lived in warmth and joy. One fateful day an old wizard dressed in blue appeared, and he knew the key to return her to her world he told. However, she was soon to give birth to a second child, thus having no wish to return to her world. The lady thanked but refused the wizard in blue.

But Alas! The wizard was not to be refused. He came one sad night in a storm and asked again for her to follow him. Once again she refused and the wizard showed no mercy. He slay her husband and child in front of her and took her away with the storm. There was no word of her ever again.

The people of West Searia mourned for the loss of their much-loved family. However, there was only one burial. The son had survived the wizard's malice and had grown into a fine man, becoming the Lord of the Men of West Searia. All wizards are not welcome in West Searia, with the exception of Gandalf the Grey.

Thus the tragic tale of the creator of the croissant."

 I could feel my eyes going glassy. What a tragic story. I did not know there were other wizards such as Saruman around here. This croissant carries such a sad tale. I remember as a young girl, my grandmother would make the greatest croissants in the house, as my great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother was a great baker. However, when I saw the picture of my great-gre...her, she looked really sad, as though she had carried a heavy burden…waitaminute...no way...could that young lady be...

"However, 'tis a mid-wife's tale I heard from along time ago. I know not how much of the tale is true, but l'est forget such tragedy and enjoy the meal."

Mirgom smiled and ate happily away. I started eating too. There is no way how this tale could be connected to my family. It seems a little too silly to come to Middle-Earth to bake croissants. Nah, half of this story is possibly not true. People probably needed to spice things up. Oh well, there goes another day.

*No offense to the makers of croissants or French ok...