The dish that was brought out was a slender fish, grilled to a perfect golden brown.
For Johann-Gustav, who was accustomed to dried fish, this kind of fish looked rather unusual.
His uncle, on the other hand, seemed to have a different impression, as he picked up his fork with a grin.
“It’s grilled sardine marinated in soy sauce.”
Sardines were another unfamiliar fish, but they were well-seasoned with salt and also delicious. It might not be the best match for ale or lager, but it certainly stimulated the appetite.
“The nanbanzuke we had earlier was good, but I prefer this. It has a certain rustic quality, like something you’d eat in a fishing town.”
“Have you ever been to a fishing town, Uncle?”
“I grew up near the coast before I was adopted into my wife’s family.”
His uncle continued, explaining that food in fishing towns tends to be strongly flavored.
“When you work hard, you sweat. It’s not like the amount we sweat when hunting. You sweat so much that when it dries, it leaves salt crystals. When you sweat that much, you crave salty food.”
Johann-Gustav was amazed at his uncle’s hearty appetite as he ate the sardines, bones and all. It was a completely different culture from the meals served at court and noble banquets.
“Different places, different food. The Empire is vast. The bread we usually eat is made from wheat, but I hear that north of the Old Capital, they mix it with barley. The Empire has to negotiate with these kinds of people.”
“Do you think it’s impossible to understand people who eat different foods?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s only true up to the Kingdom. An Empire must have the breadth of mind to embrace people with different foods, clothes, and even different purposes in life. If you can’t do that, you shouldn’t call yourself an Empire.”
There were times when his uncle’s words were so lofty that even Johann-Gustav, a nobleman, couldn’t understand them. When he was in this mood, he had to be careful not to say anything careless, or he would get sulky.
“Next is fried horse mackerel. Please pour the sauce on it before you eat!”
The next dish was brought not by the previous waiter, but by the girl who had been washing dishes. She was quite a lovely girl, and unlike the other two staff members, she seemed to have Imperial blood.
“Making us pour the sauce ourselves? This is an interesting idea.”
His uncle poured the sauce liberally, staining the batter dark black. But the crispy fried fish still looked delicious.
“Should we cut this with a knife and fork?”
When Johann-Gustav asked the girl who had brought the dish, she replied with a smile.
“You shouldn’t eat fried horse mackerel politely. The secret to enjoying it best is to take a big, vulgar bite.”
Hearing this, his uncle put down his knife with amusement.
“Eating vulgarly, eh? It’s been a long time since I’ve done that.”
Sticking his fork into it, Johann-Gustav hesitantly brought the fried fish to his mouth. The crispy batter and the richly flavored, slightly tart sauce complemented the light taste of the horse mackerel perfectly.
“This goes well with lager, Uncle.”
“Yes, it’s delicious. Indeed, there’s a deliciousness that you can’t experience if you cut it up politely.”
They quickly devoured the two pieces of horse mackerel each, and his uncle ordered another lager.
“Johann-Gustav, I heard that in the Northern Three Provinces, they still eat with their hands.”
“Yes, I believe the Earl of Windelmark, one of the Three Provinces, was terribly angry after being disgraced at a dinner party in the Imperial Capital.”
“It’s probably an accumulation of such small things.”
The current Emperor seemed to be trying to suppress the independence of the Three Provinces with a heavy hand, but was that really the right approach? Talking to his uncle, Johann-Gustav strangely felt that this policy was wrong.
Of course, as an Imperial nobleman, he was opposed to recognizing their independence. If it was recognized in one place, there was a risk that secession would continue indefinitely. For the sake of the Empire’s prestige, it should not be overlooked.
As he was thinking about this, the next dish was brought out. It was carried by the same girl, but the plate seemed too large for her.
“This is simmered flounder… Oh!”
As expected, the plate was too large. The girl stumbled, and the magnificent fish on the plate fell to the floor. Fortunately, the plate didn’t break, but the dish was ruined. It was a truly magnificent-looking fish, so he felt a slight sense of loss.
“I-I’m terribly sorry! Are you hurt?”
The girl apologized frantically, and his uncle smiled gently, took out his handkerchief, and personally wiped the girl’s face.
“I’m fine. My clothes don’t seem to be stained either. More importantly, are you alright, young lady?”
“Y-yes!”
“It wouldn’t be good if you were burned. I’ll give you this handkerchief, so go and cool it down with water immediately.”
“Thank you very much!”
The owner and the previous waiter also came out and bowed their heads. The waiter immediately joined the girl in cleaning the floor. It was a blunder, but the handling of it didn’t leave a bad feeling. It was the kind of response one would not normally expect in this kind of pub.
“However, it’s a shame about that flounder.”
His uncle’s muttering sounded truly regretful. It was probably understandable, since it was a fish that would be almost impossible to obtain in the place where his uncle usually lived.
“I am terribly sorry.”
The owner bowed his head and apologized respectfully. It was such a fine fish. He must have been planning it as the main dish.
“No, it’s fine. I’m satisfied just knowing that there’s a restaurant in the Old Capital that serves this kind of fish.”
“Ah, no, I’m sorry. I only meant there might be a slight delay for one of your flounders.”
“What do you mean?”
He didn’t quite understand what he was saying, but his question was answered by the plate the waiter brought. It had a flounder on it that was just as large as the one that had fallen.
“We’ll have the other one ready in a moment.”
“Ah, no, no. It’s fine. Johann-Gustav and I will share this flounder.”
“Is that so? Very well.”
They had another one of those large fish prepared. It was unbelievable, but the flounder was right there in front of him. Johann-Gustav had even more respect for this pub, Nobu. However, his uncle, who was putting the flounder in his mouth next to him, seemed to be thinking about something else. He had the look of someone deep in thought, reminiscent of his sharp mind before he retired.
“Today’s final dish is salmon chazuke.”
Translator’s Note
Chazuke is a Japanese dish made by pouring green tea, dashi, or hot water over cooked rice.
The dish that was brought out was rice with soup poured over it, topped with a reddish fish.
“This fish is… salmon?”
“Uncle, do you know it?”
“Yes, north of the Northern Three Provinces, this fish runs up the rivers in winter. The salted version is widely distributed. I ate a lot of it when I was young.”
Saying this, his uncle inserted a wooden spoon into the chazuke and looked a little disappointed.
“Ah, as expected, it doesn’t have the skin on it.”
Perhaps noticing that his soliloquy was so utterly despairing, the waiter hurriedly responded.
“It’s okay! We saved the skin instead of throwing it away! We’ll grill it a little!”
Hearing those words, the owner started grilling the salmon skin on a net. An indescribable savory aroma tickled his nostrils.
“So you like salmon skin too, sir?”
“Oh yes. Do you like it too, young lady?”
“Yes, it’s my favorite.”
Johann-Gustav, who had no idea what salmon skin tasted like, was completely left behind, but it seemed to be something incredibly delicious.
“When I was young, I once said that I would give any reward to anyone who brought me a piece of salmon skin as thick as my thumb.”
“That was a bold thing to say.”
“Fortunately, no one showed up with salmon skin, so I’ll consider it a good thing. Or perhaps, unfortunately.”
After eating the salmon chazuke and watching his uncle drink sake with the grilled salmon skin as a snack, a pleasant drowsiness washed over him. He had been so busy lately that he hadn’t been sleeping well.
“Johann-Gustav looks sleepy too, so I think it’s time to go.”
“Thank you very much for coming today. We look forward to your next visit.”
His uncle beamed happily at the waiter’s greeting.
“That’s a kind offer, but I live a bit far away. However, I’ll definitely stop by again if I have the chance.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Well, I got to eat some delicious salmon skin.”
It was dusk when they entered the restaurant, but the stars were already twinkling in the sky of the Old Capital. On the way to the inn they had reserved after leaving the restaurant, his uncle quickly gave instructions to the assembled guards and stewards.
“We’re going to change the menu for the meeting the day after tomorrow. It’s urgent, but make sure you arrange it.”