[Fan Fic Bento Bon Appetit!]
Shokugeki No Soma/ Food Wars Project.
I'd like to thank Zancrowe for allowing me to join in this project. I'd also give my thanks to other writers:
royaldragonSevgisi15, Leo, kishoto, the cozy writer, ice_cold_sea, Crow, radbutsafe, God Emperor Penguin, DD_Laruta
for their contributions and the support to make this happen.
Enjoy my first one-shot.
Vietnamese cuisine is known for five-spice, fresh ingredients, many dishes are rice-based and influenced by its neighboring countries as well as France, its former colonizer. For a thousand years in Vietnam, the long and brutal history has brought to the world many distinct recipes identified with the locals and has attracted many customers, both in and out of Vietnam. Today it has since been recognized by many travel magazines and social media as one of the best culinary destinations.
One of those praises comes from Tootsuki Group (or Conglomerate, if you want.), one of the biggest organizations that manages hotels, restaurants, and most importantly, Tootsuki Academy.
For all the praises however, Vietnamese cuisine is only known for one thing, street food. And we have plenty of them. And yes, Phở is street food too. And so is Bánh Mì.
It's the same reason why I am here. Or at least why I WAS here. In this academy. To prove my worth on the best academy as well as to integrate myself in this culinary world that I never imagined myself to be. I want to let the world know that Vietnamese cuisine is more than just street food.
It wasn't long for me to realize how small I am compared to the mountain I'm staring at now.
And how much I find some of the students to be irritatingly snobbish. But I digress.
I thought I was hot shit surviving the training camp, which in my opinion was or of a torture chamber. But I kept up with it thanks to my previous experience despite having nearly not a damn clue what I was doing. I even got chosen to be a participant for some big time event called Autumn Election.
I screwed up. Badly. In front of national TV.
By normal standards, I can make a decent meal that works in small restaurants. But compared to this academy? My curry didn't even qualify to be 50 points, despite being chosen to participate in the Autumn Election preliminary round.
The next one wasn't any better. Stagiaire (French for trainee) had me working in an establishment with another unfamiliar student for a week, which translates to four restaurants in a month. Not only that, you must leave "visible impact" to the place. Simple right? Well, it would have, if not for the fact I had to deal with a lazy moron while trying to make me do his work as well as mine in one place and to delay the inevitable closure in another. There have been times I thought I was going to be expelled despite my effort.
In the end, I'm still here and still in Tootsuki uniform. This should give me some confidence, right?
No.
Escaping expulsion didn't do much to cheer me up. I still don't feel special. I'm just a "normal" chef that didn't get kicked out and now just hanging by the threads worrying only about not screwing up rather than doing what I love. Cooking.
How is that Yukihira guy able to do all of this with a smile on his face?
How is Tadokoro able to find confidence in her?
How are any of them my age doing any of this?
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHH!
WHY DID I THINK I WAS GOING TO BE THE BEST CHEF IN THE WORLD?!
WHY IN THE FUCK DID I THINK I GOING TO BE SOMEONE SPECIAL!
…Why did I leave Saigon for Tokyo to begin with? Looking back, it was foolish of me to be here when the only thing I…my family have is just a small restaurant drowned in the road full of bigger restaurants. Yet I was still stupid enough to enroll on its website, got accepted, and with my parents' encouragement they allowed me to follow my dream and I passed its entrance exam with my own signature dish which in itself was a miracle since I pulled it out of my own ass. It was all I could hope for.
And now look at where I am right now. I can't even enjoy the festival that's going on right now. Only noises. Fucking noises.
The failure. The mockery. They still linger in my head. I feel like punching something right now. Maybe my face even. Anything to stop. Stop. STOP FUCKING MOCKING MEEEEEEE!
WHY DON'T YOU MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN CURRY AND SEE IF YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME THEN!
…I can't do this anymore. I want to go home. I want to end this. But…what would they say? I already screwed up badly. They saw it all on TV. And now…If I do…What…What should I do?
…
…
"Um…excuse me? Are you okay?"
That voice. I've heard it before.
"Tadokoro?"
"…Lam-san?"
In front of me is a girl with a soft look on her, bluish hair with two braided pigtails. No mistaking it.
Tadokoro Megumi. The quarter-finalist of the Autumn Election, graces my worthless existence with her gentle presence. What an honor. And an embarrassment for myself to let her see me like this.
While we recognize each other somewhat being the same class, we rarely talk to each other on account of her being closer to Soma.
Looking how sweaty is right now, she's probably busy helping him again.
"Why are you here?"
I thank myself for being at least able to understand and speak Japanese. I can only count like three people who definitely know English: Nakiri Erina, her cousin, that half-Italian guy.
"I saw you looking distressed so I've come to see if you're okay."
I'm not getting her into my own problem. She's had enough of her own as it is.
"There's nothing to worry about Tadokoro. I was just…remembering something stupid."
"Really? Because it seems like you're crying now."
Looking at my hands now, snots and tears are all over my hands.
"I assure you that there's nothing. Wrong. With. Me."
I try to stare straight to her eyes hoping to convince her otherwise. I couldn't. She saw the reddened eyes with tears still on them. And then her eyes. They scare me. Not in a horror genre way, but more in a "She's going to judge me" kind of thing, I try to run away from them but she grabs my arm. Firmly. She has a decent grip despite her small stature.
"Please calm yourself down. I don't know what's going on, but I…I want to help you."
"I doubt you'll help me with anything Tadokoro."
"Nevertheless I'm still going to try. Please."
Trying to glare her eyes on, it's obvious she's never going to back down. She's so much different compared to the time she was shivering trying to look at chef Shinomiya (who by the way, is a bonafide asshole in my opinion.). I had no choice but to accept her quietly and tell her what's going on with me.
"Sorry. I'm sure you don't want to hear more than that."
"No, I understand Lam-san. I was once in the same feeling as you were since middle school here."
What?
"...you've been like this since middle school?"
The sentence hit me.
If she used to be in the same place as I am.
Then how many things did she have to endure before high school? In this forsaken place?
And yet…she's still here. Why?
"Umm. Before I met Soma-kun, I never had any confidence in myself. I messed up so many assignments, many lecturers didn't believe I could graduate to high school and…I didn't have many friends back then. Even within Polar Star, I didn't have the courage to talk to Ryoko-san or Yuki-san."
"But you survived, since you're…well here talking with me. Thanks to Soma."
" tendency to get carried away aside, he has been so kind and helpful to me even though there was no reason for him to. If not for him, I wouldn't have been able to find the confidence to be here, with everyone in Polar Star."
She has the skills to be here all along, but the "dog-eat-dog" mentality here means she rarely gets the respect she deserves.
At least she now finally has the support and her own small. Good for her, I suppose.
I look like a loser next to her, not even a full-year and I'm already crumbli…
"Don't give up."
"Huh?"
"I know that look. Please don't give up on yourself. You're better than you think you are. To still be here when many…aren't is already something to be proud of."
Proud? What is there to be proud of? That I'm another idiot who bit too hard to chew?
"Is it? I'm only still here because others did worse than me."
"That doesn't mean your work isn't worth anything!"
"Not to those morons who keep pestering me after the damn Election!
I made one of the lowest-score dishes in front of the crowd and suddenly I am now a joke!
No one wants anything to do with me!
Not even in my dorm! Or during Stagiaire!
I shouldn't have been here!"
"..."
After that, it was just silence. Two of us are now staring at the thinning crowd walking by. It feels awkward now thanks to my outburst. She stares quietly now after that. I look like a crazy person now.
This is my fault. It's nothing but my fault.
Yet Megumi does not give up.
"Um, Lam-san. How about we talk about something else?"
"...Like what?"
"Let's see…Not to be obvious but you're from Vietnam, right?"
"Yes, I am. I'm from Saigon to be exact. What of it?"
The conversation between us slowly went from simple where I am from to her talking about her times being in Vietnam with her dorm mates, Ryoko and Yuki. Apparently, one of them has relations so three of them took their junior high graduation trip together. Seems like they enjoyed the scenery in Saigon quite a lot, even got to enjoy some of my home country's recipes there.
There are also photos of them in áo dài in familiar spots that Megumi showed to me on her phone. They look quite beautiful. Megumi too, with her smile on in most of these photos.
As for me, I told her the story of my life before enrolling here. Mostly of how I saw how cool chefs are on television, how it grew from wanting to be on the same spot to bringing full Vietnamese cuisine to the world. I also showed her some of the recipes on the phone that she might have missed, should she ever visit Saigon again.
"And then he said the most vulgar advice possible; "Show the world how big your balls are, buddy." I swear everything with that idiot is always testicles jokes"
"This Long-san seems rather…energetic. Maybe a bit much."
"You have no idea. He's like Soma but ten times worse. If Soma has a chip on his shoulder, then he has an entire bag of chips on his back."
She nervously giggles hearing that.
"Still, he is very inspiring, in his own way. He was one of the reasons why I made my choice to enroll here. Now I'm dreaded to receive phone calls from him. He has nothing but high expectations of others. Even himself."
"I'm sure he'll understand."
"Yeah. I guess he will."
A tingle of nostalgia hit me. Tears are threatening to flow, but not as forceful as before. I remember helping mom and dad with cooking, walking with friends, talking shit with each other, playing games, not having a care about our future, just having fun. When did it become so different now?
("Mom, dad, friends...I miss home. I miss everyone.")
I can only hope she doesn't understand Vietnamese to know what I'm whispering about.
We have stopped talking, just staring at the sky. Silence lingers for a while, though Megumi immediately asks.
"How do you feel now?"
"Um…A bit better I suppose. Not really thinking much about failures. Though now I just feel embarrassed thinking of the shit I said."
"There's nothing shameful about feeling inadequate, Lam-san. It's how we get back up that matters."
No doubt those words are from Soma himself. Something that Megumi would have never been able to confidently say herself, knowing how she was before.
"...Yeah, I suppose. Thanks, Megumi."
"You're welcome, Lam-san. Oh, I almost forgot."
She gives me a paper bag with food inside. A hint of the smell of bánh tiêu comes out, but it's more savory. I check inside the bag to see what it is.
It looks like bánh tiêu at first, but then at closer glance I recognize the bun, Hu Jiao Bing or Taiwanese Black Pepper Meat Bun. It smells so good I almost drool.
"Um, you really don't have to give me this, Megumi."
"No, please take it. I'm sure that you need something to eat after a long day."
Such generosity hits something in me. I don't know how to respond properly but I quietly accept her offer.
"Ah! I have to get back to help Soma-kun with the stand. Take care of yourself, Lam-san."
She waves at me just as she's about to leave. I wave back and shout
"Good luck! And tell Soma I give my thanks!"
So here I am again, sitting and looking at the crowd passing by myself, though it's much quieter compared to the bustling lines of people. Still holding the black pepper bun in my hand, I take a bite.
How do I describe the meat bun? Well the one back in my home is more of a sweet bun with sesame seeds and sometimes sandwiching between it is honeycomb cake (bánh bò). The one I'm eating is more savory, with the bun being crustier. And the inside…pork stuffing, green onions, juice that bursts out of the bun. And most importantly, the five-spice. I taste a hint of it within the stuffing inside the bun. It's like eating a better version of deep fried baozi (bánh bao).
I don't have any fancy words like those Shokugeki judges to describe this bun. But I know one word: Delicious.
Before I know it, the tears that I've held slowly flow down my cheek again while biting it and the emotions are all over the place.
Why did she show kindness for a no-name like me?
No, no. No. I'm better than this, she said that. I've got to be better than being in self-pity.
…
As I am savoring each bite, I decided to focus on the stupidly simple question that I couldn't answer:
How is Soma able to do all of this with a smile on his face?
How is Megumi able to find confidence in herself?
I still don't have a complete answer now but I get a glimpse of it:
Yukihira Soma. He comes from a humble eatery much like me, Yet he never lets that deter him. If anything, he comes out even stronger. Wait, let me try that again.
He comes head to head against many of those of rich places or deep connections with simple but creative and well-thought dishes. Better than high-priced and pretentious ones.
Tadokoro Megumi. She's also from a small place, but her starting point was much worse than mine, so many times she could have been kicked out of Tootsuki. No one has any belief in her. Thanks to Soma, she has found her own ground to stand on and while she might not have a strong focus on a style like that weird…split personality bandana guy, her comfort style has captivated many people. Even haters couldn't say shit at all.
Which leads me to a series of questions. To myself
Have I really tried my best?
Have I truly done everything I can?
Have I used every tool, places that Tootsuki offers to help me grow?
Have I actually asked anyone for help?
So many, many questions. But the most important of all:
Does that failed curry really determine who I am?
Taking the last bite for myself, I decide to go back to my dorm, thinking some more. About what I could have done. Anything really to keep me focused. While this school may be hell disguised as heaven, it's also been generous to students who wish to improve. Libraries, internet, lecturers, research societies, everything here is available for me. I know that in order to survive this place, I have to be more than just a cook. I can't be the same kid working in my family's restaurant anymore. I have to grow. I must grow. And then I'm going to graduate. Out of spite if I have to. I no longer give a shit about the "one-percent" crap the Headmaster spewed anymore.
But first, I have a debt to pay. To Megumi. And to Soma.
Next day I'm offering myself as an extra hand for Yukihira's Chinese stand in the Moon Banquet Festival.
But for now? It's time to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a new day.
Author Note: This is first time writing so I apologize if there is anything off with the work.
Megumi has always been one of my favorites so it's damn shame that they didn't do enough justice to her. I hope I did my best with her.
I originally planned to write full piece of my OC working along side with Soma and Megumi, but it got too damn long so I had to reduce my work to a smaller part.
Hope you enjoy reading my one-shot. Any feedback and/or review is welcome.
The next submission of the [Fan Fic Bento Bon Appetit!] is by kishoto. Look forward to it.