Chapter 9 A Foodie's Paradise
I will readily admit that everything that I had experienced over the course of the first few hours of being split up from Morton's other traits was bizarre. I felt… well, I felt off. Extremely off, like I was some sort of freak of nature. Being a splinter of another person's soul, being completely and utterly detached from everything that you had ever known… it didn't feel good. That's a very simple way to describe the feeling, but in my opinion, it is also the easiest and clearest way to describe it.
So, naturally, trying to find out where I should go or what I should do while standing on the streets of Sparksville was quite difficult. I more or less just wandered around a little bit, without any clear direction or any idea of where I was supposed to be. Sure, it wasn't the most practical or even the most smart way to go about doing things, but could anybody really blame me? I was a fragment that had been chopped from the whole. I couldn't do much of anything while separated from my other pieces, so really, wandering was really the only thing I could do. It was the only thing that made sense.
This, I realized when I came to a stop on a corner, was also a good way for me to think and gather my bearings. Sure, while my recollection of what had happened while I was still the whole was fragmented and full of holes, I still remembered the last few moments that occurred before I was turned into what I currently was. I remembered the absolutely crazed look in my brother's eyes, his determination to do something that was definitely dangerous. With those thoughts in my mind, I knew that I should probably take the time to relax and recuperate. After all, just thinking about the wicked glint in Iggy's eyes made shivers run up and down my spine.
I ended up thinking for the next half and hour or so. And as I did, my mind kept wandering back to one subject in particular: food. Food was like my alcohol; I couldn't stop thinking about it and wanted to consume it pretty much immediately. My mind often thought about the different types of food that I preferred too. Pizza, with golden crust brushed with the tinges of butter and garlic, as well as the stringiest and most alluring type of mozzarella resting on said crust. Burgers, stacked high with veggies of all kinds as well as the most golden and most appetizing type of cheese. Grilled cheese, baked to perfection and having that perfect cheesy scent.
Man, I seemed to be really obsessed with cheese.
Well, either way, I actually managed to smile when thinking about all of these wonderful dishes. This wasn't just because I wanted to eat them either. I also wanted to make them. I wanted to stand in front of a stove, crafting the most delicious and delectable dishes ever known to Koopas. It just… it felt like the right thing to do. It felt like the very thing I was designed to do. Screw trying to fight Mario in a grudge match that always guaranteed he would emerge victorious; the culinary arts were what were really meant for me!
Unfortunately, I wasn't anywhere close to a stove. I was stranded in this town, and as beautiful as it appeared, it wasn't just going to magically conjure up a stove or oven for me to cook on. Realizing actually caused my face to fall considerably. Why did life have to be so cruel? Why couldn't I have just woken up in Bowser's Castle? At least there I knew where the kitchen was. At least, if I had woken up somewhere familiar, I wouldn't feel nearly as lost as I did now.
I shook my head, deciding to continue on with my wandering. I also tried my best to focus on other things; the vibrant colors that made up Sparksville, the happy people walking to and fro without a care in the world. Unfortunately, none of those things held my interest as much as I hoped that they would. Instead, my mind kept wandering back to food. It did it in the most bizarre ways too. For example, when I saw a woman with vibrant golden hair, I thought of honey. When I saw a soccer team walking down the streets in their muddied and dirty uniforms, I thought of orange slices. My brain just seemed desperate to make those connections, desperate to think about nothing more than the different treats I could stuff my gullet with.
And… well, I didn't really blame myself for that. I knew, both because of the way my mind worked as well because of my memories and instincts, that I was the "Foodie" side of Morton's personality. Of course I would think of nothing but food; it only made sense! It would be weird if I didn't continually think about this subject!
But… at the same time, I felt guilty while doing it. This was for multiple reasons, but one of the greatest was this memory I had involving Iggy. I remembered, when I was a little kid, a time I had snuck into the kitchen to make myself a late night snack (oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins). I had of course been caught by Iggy, and he had raked me across the coals. "Morty, this is totally inappropriate!" He said. When I responded that I was hungry, he just shook his head and said "That is inexcusable! It is the middle of the night! If you think with your stomach above everything else… well, that's going to cause quite a few problems!"
Yeah.
So, with that memory in my mind, I tried once again to think about other topics that could catch my interest. The birds flying through the air (chickens were birds, and they tasted good). The ashy black ground (kind of looked like this black velvet cake I always wanted to make, using this black cocoa that looked like soot when resting on your hands). I tried; I really did. But… but I couldn't. Nothing I focused on could prevent me from thinking with my stomach first.
As such, I sighed and took a seat, right there on the sidewalk. I was a pig, wasn't I? I bet Iggy thought I was a pig. I bet the others did too. Just thinking about that possibility made me sniffle. I didn't go out of my way to be a glutton! Food just… well, it was fascinating. On top of being delicious, it also served to be a real fun hobby. All the dishes one could concoct, all the different ways and methods one could try to improve their cooking… well, who wouldn't find that amazing? Who wouldn't find all the facets about food and its history amazing?
This thought was the thing that ultimately allowed me to stand back up. I wandered a little bit more through Sparksville until my eyes fell on one thing in particular. That being, Mixie's Kitchen. It rested there, with all sorts of spicy smells pouring out of its doors and windows. The interior looked like Heaven, the door to take me into the restaurant like the Pearly Gates. I took a step forward while licking my lips, telling myself that maybe it wouldn't hurt if I tried their food. It's not ike anybody was stopping me; the restaurant was literally right in front of me…
I came to a stop. No, no, I shouldn't. I should be figuring out what I could do from here, not going into restaurants and blowing all my money on food. I needed to stop, think, and come up with some sort of plan…
*Growl.*
I blinked. I hadn't noticed it before, but once my stomach growled, I felt the familiar and horrible sensation of hunger. I realized that I hadn't eaten for a while. And that was when I was still a part of Morton; as a fragment, I haven't eaten anything at all. I quite literally have spent my entire life not eating anything. So… well, wouldn't it be right to eat something? Not just for enjoyment's sake, but also nourishment's?
I actually nodded when I had that thought. Yes, yes, it made perfect sense. So, pushing all feelings of guilt to the side, I made my way. I smiled at the sight; everything from the decor to the lighting made this place look welcoming and warm. Coupled with the aroma from the kitchen, it was an absolute feast for the eyes and nose.
Which begged the question… was it also a feast for the taste buds?
Well, I was about to find out. After the hostess situated me at the table, I got right into reading the menu. My mouth couldn't not water as I browsed through the options. Six-ounce sirloin steaks with loaded mashed potatoes. Chicken fingers with french fries. A bacon and avocado burger with the option of adding a second patty to turn it into a double. Oh, this was impossible? How was I supposed to decide what I wanted to eat when every last one of my options looked tantalizing?
"Have you made your choice?" the smiling waitress asked after coming back with a cup of soda.
I sucked some air through my teeth. "Uh…" I looked up at her. "What would you recommend?"
The waitress's smile grew bigger. "Well, I'm always an advocate for the bacon and avocado burger. It's to die for."
I smiled as I looked back at that dish. "Yeah, it does look good." I handed over the menu. "I'll get that with french fries, please!"
The waitress nodded, taking the menu as she went to the kitchen. This left me alone at the table, alone to listen to the hustling and bustling life that this restaurant was full of. The sounds that the patrons made, from their laughter to their conversations… it really scratched a specific itch with me. It reminded me of when I was back with my siblings, and when we would just hang out and have fun with one another.
But that sight was nothing in comparison to watching the patrons eat. That really made my heart leap. They looked so happy as they took bites of their lunch. Really, their joy was a true testament to the type of power food possessed. Good food always brings people together. It always makes people happy, and it alway provides those who eat it with an experience unlike any other. Forget just providing nourishment; food provided so much more than that. It was incredible. If the only joy in this world was just the joy of having to eat, then it would certainly be a joy worth living for. In my humble opinion, of course.
Anyway, the waitress came back with the food within not time at all. I licked my lips; it somehow looked even better than the picture on the menu. This was amazing to me, as food almost never looked as amazing as it does in advertisements. I guess Mixie's Kitchen was a place that cared about the look as much as the taste. Or at least the look, as I couldn't quite say for certain how the food tasted without actually trying it.
So, I did. I took a big bite, letting the flavors of bacon, avocado, patty, bun, and other components of the dish blend together. Now, maybe this was just because I was separated from Morton's other traits, and therefore all of his reservations, but… oh man, what could I even say? Saying that this burger was good would be an understatement. Saying that this burger was amazing would be an understatement. Heck, even saying this burger was PERFECT would be an understatement. Nothing I could properly say could do all these amazing flavors justice. I guess it's appropriate that I compared this place to Heaven earlier, as this tasted like food that the angels would eat.
I smiled. In that moment as I took my second bite, all my worries melted away. I didn't care about my siblings seeing me as a pig. All I cared about was this amazing dish. Part of me thought about possibly trying to recreate it, as I wanted to share this joy with my family. I wanted them to have the same experience that I was having right now, the experience of tasting the indescribable burger (hehe, that would be the perfect name to call it on the menu). I wanted to share this incredible experience, because I knew that that was what food was supposed to do. It was supposed to provide people with a joy unlike any other. It was supposed to make people happy, similar to what it was doing for me right now. Yeah, I would definitely try to recreate this masterpiece when I got reunited with Morton's other traits.
That thought actually caused a negative emotion to sprout within me. My face fell as I lowered the burger and wiped my mouth. Would… would I be able to reunite with the other traits? Would that even be possible? Or would I spend the rest of my life stuck in this state?
I thought about those questions for quite a while. I didn't know the answers, and it scared me that I didn't. I took another bite of the burger, hoping to bury my worry. Surely, the worry was unfounded. Surely, I would be put back to normal eventually.
Right?
