Chapter 25
Lesson Day #2

This is what happened next week. Many attended to Saiba's class again to learn about various ingredients needed for curry dishes. Especially using Special Region ingredients. It is crowded again with some trying to find good seats as some try to shove each other.

"Settle down." Saiba enters, "Settle down everyone." He takes a deep breath. "Alright. Now, today we're gonna discuss about the various vegetables that would pair well with the meat of the curry. As you know, there have been various versions of curry dishes that use an assortment of vegetables. Such as in curry dishes in India, they use green peas along with spinach. Yet in Sri Lanka, they make a vegetarian curry called beetroot curry along with coconut milk. Chicken tikka masala in the United Kingdom use green chilies along with some bean sprouts in certain areas. But here in Japan, we mostly use onions, carrots and potatoes. But if you put too many vegetables in a non-vegetarian curry, it will make it somewhat bland and you can hardly taste the meat. So, if you can't use meat from the Special Region, try the vegetables."

The projector turns on to show six potato ingredients. Everyone is a bit confused by what they see. One potato looks like a papaya, one potato has a face, one looks like a pork cutlet, one looks like a watermelon, one looks like a bunch of potatoes on a vine, and one is completely pink.

"From the top left, the one that looks like a papaya, we have the Papayayeet Potato. A type of fruit and vegetable mix that is a sweet potato with a sweet papaya fruit which you can to balance out the spiciness of curry but it can overpower the flavor of the meat if you're not careful. The funny looking one with a face is a Moai Potato. When baked, a crisp and dark burnt brown, with a tint of yellow, but that is only assuming that the potato has been cooked well. he insides can be seen to be a bright yellow color, reminiscent of a sweet potato or yam. Looking more closely, the inside seems to also posses a similar texture, most likely a soft yam like consistency. Like the Papayayeet Potato, it can be sweet, but not as overpowering. The one below is Pork Cutlet Potatoes. They are naturally growing potatoes that look like pork cutlets and even taste like pork cutlets. You can kill two birds with one stone with this potato if you cook it right."

Some of the students started smacking their lips when they see this delicious potato.

Saiba continues, "And we go to the top right, we have the Sweetermelon Potato. So, it is a potato with the looks and sweetness of a watermelon. The one below that are known as Rubbing Potatoes. They are special cooking preparation ingredients that are very weak against friction, as such they cannot be prepared normally for even so much as cutting them with a normal knife will cause them to char black. They must be cut with absolute precision and carefulness while causing no friction, once cut it can be eaten normally. So, you have to be extremely cautious when cutting. And the last one is, Peach Potato. This one is a bit more difficult. This tuber must be submerged in salt water kept at 4 degrees Celsius for one year after it's been peeled to get the slime off. Even a degree change by 0.1 degree Celsius or a slight fluctuation in the salt content of the water will ruin the flavor, so a chef must monitor their Peach Potatoes vigilantly."

Many of the students are a bit turned off.

"Like I said, difficult."

Then the projector shows Golden Carrots.

"These, are Golden Carrots. They are super sweet, supple and juicy that have been cultivated in the more 'civilized' continents. But keep in mind, the stronger the flavor is with one ingredient, the worse the dish will get. So you might need to find some way to balance all the flavors."

In the back, Akira is thinking, 'So, if I were to make my curry dish, how exactly do I balance the flavors of the ingredients and the spices?'

Back at Polar Star, Hisako continues to do research on some of the curry ingredients from the Special Region from a few books Saiba has that he does allow all of his dorm mates to use when doing some cooking. Right now, she is reading, 'Special Ingredients Done By Experts' with the back of the book having a picture of a short, thin, and light-skinned young man with short black hair, large black eyes, and a rather wide nose with large nostrils while wearing a chef's outfit and holding a whisk.

"I see." she says out loud, "What a bunch of tricky ingredients! This is a lot harder than I thought."

Fumio walks into the mess hall, "Oh, Hisako. Why aren't you with Erina today?"

Hisako looks at Fumio, "Oh, Ms. Daimido. Sorry, but since I'm in the Fall Selection, my cooking has to take priority over my duties so I can prove myself to Miss Erina."

Fumio checks what Hisako is reading, "I see. Hold on!" She reads about Gori Scallions (also known as Gori Leeks). "'When cut, the severed ends of this perennial grass are so sticky that you have to slice them hundreds of times to truly separate them. It is not only a matter of strong slicing, but precision as the cuts must be made in the exact same spot. Otherwise, the injured fibers become bitter and the food is no longer fit for consumption. This food demands the precise and accurate wielding of a knife.' Hmm. Looks like some foods are more trickier than others."

"Exactly. So cooking some of these ingredients is a lot harder to do than I originally thought. There's Enamel Cabbage, Colored Rice, Golden Wheat, Love Sardines. There's much here that would be a challenge to the chef's here in Totsuki. Even alums would have a hard time trying to make these dishes."

"Then why aren't you in Saiba's lecture? Couldn't you learn more from him?"

"If I did, that would be considered cheating since he is also in the Fall Selection. I want to learn on my own terms. And besides, his lectures are overcrowded that barely anyone can get in. There isn't a free seat anywhere except on the stairs."

"Now I see." Fumio thought of something, "Using these Special Region ingredients is a test."

"A test?"

"Exactly. A test to see how Totsuki School of Fine Cuisine can do with these strange ingredients from another world. In other words, this year's Fall Selection is meant as an experiment to see how young chefs can cook this cuisine. Many of the older chefs stick to their traditions and stay to the path they have chosen. So, they would like to gain insights of the younger generation to see what they can make of it. In truth, the Fall Selection is one large experiment to see how chefs of this world can do with the bizarre ingredients."

"I see." Hisako gets it. "In other words; we're lab rats participating in the tournament."

"I'm afraid so."

Saiba continues his lecture, "And that's it for the vegetables."

Yuki raises her hand.

"Yes, Yuki?"

Yuki stands up, "I got a question. Can we also add fruit ingredients as well?"

"It is possible." Saiba answers. "I heard that some people use certain fruits in their curry. Some use apples as a substitute for potatoes in their curry. Others like to use the zest of oranges and lemons to give the curry an extra 'zing' to their curry. Plus I even heard people use mixed berries on chicken curry dishes. Although, some like to use mangoes to make chicken mango curry with wild blueberries. But like I said, if an ingredient is too strong: it'll ruin the dish."

AN: Just so you know, I used apples as a substitute for potatoes because my dad can't eat potatoes because of his liver. It's not bad. Plus some shredded cheese makes it a bit more savory. I use carrots, celery and onions as vegetables for my curry along with minced garlic. What do you guys put in your curry?

One male student asks, "What about the meat?"

"Ah, one of the main ingredients to the curry. Well, there are some hybrids of meat and plants. Such as Turkey Fruit. A large fruit that has the shape of a plucked turkey's body, or to be more precise, the midsection and wings. It has a meaty outer exterior and aside from looking like turkey meat, it tastes like one too. There is also the Ham and Eggrass Plant, which are pod-like plants whose insides grow a delicious set of cooked eggs and ham within for the perfect breakfast meal. Their leaves open when they bathe in the morning sun. There is also some new hybrids that have been discovered called, Scrambled Eggplant, which is an eggplant-like meat made entirely out of scrambled eggs with a delicate exterior. Another is Drumcarrot, which is like a drumstick in a shape of a carrot that is full of nutrients from both a chicken leg and a carrot. Taste better if it is made into a stew or fried. Best part is, no bones except for the top of the veggie/meat. There are many other forms of meat and plant hybrids."

A female student asks, "What kind of meat do you prefer?"

"To me, I would like to use Rose Meat. A type of rose flower with plenty of petals that look and taste just like savory fat meat and tender red meat, and when it blooms it has an almost enchanting taste. But be warn though, they have poisonous thorns and must be handled with care. Yet there is the Bacon Leaf. I mean, who doesn't love bacon?"

Some of the students murmur to themselves in agreement that they all love bacon.

"But my personal favorite is the tofu from Tofu Plains. It's a large valley where tofu grows across its vast plains. When it rains, the tofu absorbs the water from the rainfall, giving it a soft and fluffy texture. When it is sunny, the Tofu Plains give off a brilliant golden glow. When I ate it, there was a dense, rich flavor that melted in my mouth like chocolate and slid down my throat like butter which causes a wondrous sensation and fills one's stomach up like beef. I like especially well if it is made into mapo tofu with Karakarāyu oil. A type of chili oil made from extremely hot capsicum."

Some of the students already have drool coming out of their mouths with all this talk of food. Erina is excessively drooling and it is freaking Saiba out.

"Um, how about I make Rose Meat with the salt and pepper made from Sealt and Pepper."

Everyone went over to the kitchen as Saiba cooks some Rose Meat with powdered Sealt and Pepper clumps with the enticing smell in the air with many gawking and drooling over the mass amount of Rose Meat being grilled. In the halls though, an older student with flowing scarlet hair that reaches down to her shoulder blades with her bangs covering her left eye with a lot of feline features, having yellow eyes with vertically slitted pupils and pronounced, cat-like teeth takes a whiff of something delicious.

"What is that?" she says as she follows her nose. "It smells delicious." She walks around the corner and sees a bunch of students bunched up in one classroom. "Whoa! Looks like I'm not the only one following that scent." She approaches one of the students and asks, "What's cookin'?"

"Huh?" one male student notices. "Whoa! Rindo Kobayashi!"

One of the female students noticed, "OMG, it's the Second Seat of the Ten!"

Rindo Kobayashi, the Second Seat of the Ten, has arrived to see what is being cooked.

"So, what exactly is going on? And what is that wonderful smell?" Ringo is curious on what is happening.

The male student says, "It's Saiba Yukihira! He's treating us all to a treat from the Special Region after one of his lectures."

Rindo gasps as she smiles, "Food from the Special Region?! I want in!"

In the room, Saiba is frying the Rose Meat while adding some of the salt and pepper in a special cooking oil, Mors Oil. A naturally made oil from the Mors Mountain Range that is actually nutrient rich water but its constitution is more like oil and is composed of unsaturated fats and oleic acids. It has a smell similar to sesame oil as well as having similar properties to olive oil. The oil itself can be reused over and over, remaining clear even after being used to deep fry fish. Many of the students are drooling over the smell with Erina making a very large puddle.

"Almost done." Saiba says as he smiles as he looks down on the Rose Meat that have a breaded coating mixed with the salt and pepper. However, the batter is giving off a glowing gold coloring as he raise the appetizer out of the fryer. "Perfect."

"Scuse me!" Rindo tries to get through. "Coming through!" She made it past the crowd and sees Erina drooling uncontrollably. 'Whoa!' she thought to herself as she sees Erina in such a state, 'I can't believe that Erina is drooling like that. If she's like this, it must be good!'

"Okay, who wants a piece?!" Saiba says.

Erina snatched one of the fried meat pieces and blows before taking a bite. Rindo managed to take a piece without anyone noticing and prepares to try. The smell and aroma of the appetizer is very appealing with the scent of something akin to sesame oil, the smell of the salt and pepper and something very enchanting. Something like red meat but different. Then everyone take a bite. When it hit their tongues, something hit them deep.

In Erina's mind, she is in a new land where there is a wheat field, a rose garden, the sea, and a vast mountain range. She stands there in a white summer dress as she feels the breeze of the sea and the sound of rustling wheat.

"Amazing." she says. "All these ingredients have truly taken me to another world! The taste of the sea from the salt and pepper from a marine animal, the hint of a mountain spring hidden deep in its vast caverns, the deliciousness of the wheat from the batter, and the delicious rose echoing on my taste buds. It feels like I've been taken to a natural utopia!"

Rindo is also there as she sees this new vast open environment. She just stands there speechless before fading back into reality.

"What is this?!" Rindo says as she is unable to process what she just tasted. "I... I can't describe it. Is this really the taste of the Special Region?"

"Hmm?" Saiba notices her. "Who are you?"

"Oh! Hey there!" Rindo speaks to Saiba with her usual cheerful personality. "I'm Rindo Kobayashi, a second-year. And... Uh..."

She notices that Erina is crying. Not of sadness (or anything spicy), but of joy.

"Holy crap, Erina!" Rindo is surprised. "Are you okay?!"

"I want more!" she pulls out a tissue.

Izami Aldini appears and is skinny. "Wow, that smells good. What're you cooking, Saiba?"

Saiba gives a confused look on his face. "Uh... Who are you?"

"Oh right. It's me, Izami Aldini. The reason I look like this is because of the summer heat. But don't worry, I'll return to my plump self when fall comes around."

"...EEEEEEHHHHH!?" And looks like Saiba gets another lesson. This time, about Izami.

AN: Okay, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Good news is that we're gonna do the Fall Selection Arc in the next chapter. Also, check out some of my other stories, including the new one. However, one of the videos that I'm using as a prequel to that series got deleted but can be found here:

nicovideo.
jp/watch
/sm40932604

But I recommend watching the first two first before going onto this site. Here's the list

RED Video (1st):

youtube.
com/
watch?v=G8khPPwA_RI

BLU Video (2nd):

youtube.
com/
watch?v=nqDx5SN53ME

I know the way I posted the website addresses is strange, but it is the best way to get the addresses to sites.