Part 6: Osaka’s Auntie Meets Kyoto Lady
Chapter 25: Osaka Auntie Arrived at the Imperial Capital
Haruna and Natalia both got ready to set out for Imperial Capital. It was decided that they would travel via horse.
The horse Haruna rode on used to be a wild, rampaging beast, but…
“Neigh, neigh~”
Nobody would have believed this obedient beast used to sneer down its long face at Haruna.
“Hey, you! What? Watch where you’re kicking, nen! Horses are meant to be ridden and commanded. What’s this wild attitude, huh? You think I don’t know what you’re planning? I’m going to crush that pointless pride of yours!”
As Haruna glared, the air fairly crackled with her overwhelming aura. Though Haruna was a kind person, she absolutely could not tolerate outright hostility from others.
This was a trait shared by the people of Kansai. Another thing they shared was the Kansai Ben or the Kansai dialect. If a Kansai person worked in Tokyo city, they would adopt the standard Japanese language. However, when a Kansai person became angry or anxious, they would revert back to their original dialect.
The Kansai dialect is somehow more suitable for quarrelling. When threatening people, the Kansai dialect somehow sounded way scarier than the staid and polite Tokyo style. In areas where the number of Kansai people were few (Northern Japan for example), they might actually be frightened or shocked by Kansai speakers[2].
Naturally, Haruna, the former Osakan Auntie turned knight, the Kansai dialect fits her attitude perfectly.
“By the way, what’s the name of the Imperial Capital? I really can’t remember it, naa.”
“Eh, for real? Please remember it for goodness sake!”
Natalia began a short lecture on the place they were going.
The place they were heading towards was called The Royal Capital von Tidal, located within a country called Tidal.
The all-important imperial kingdom, or Capital is located on an island. The island capital was separated from the rest of the country by narrow straits. The island itself was split into regions governed by different feudal lords. It was kind of like Tokyo during the Edo Period. It was a land populated by aristocrats and servants, with barely any middle class commoners.
There were plenty of monsters around, enough to keep all the feudal lords cooperative with each other, allowing the commoners to live a fairly peaceful life. The last big battle against a Demon King was 50 years ago.
“I see. Well, I guess peace is good too…”
“You’re the only person I know who would see peace as a flaw… by the way, what’s with all that luggage?”
Haruna looked at the bulging bag strapped into the horse.
“Emergency supplies. We must be prepared for everything, you know? By the way, thank you for freezing all the fresh ingredients.”
“Can’t you just buy fresh ingredients once we get to the Capital? You know, support the local producers?”
“Ah, well, most of the stuff in there are things unrelated to Okonomiyaki, na. I’m worried they don’t have the things I want.”
And thus, they began their journey on their very robust steeds. In fact, the horses were so swift and powerful they hardly needed to rest in the middle of their travels, allowing the two ladies to reach Von Tidal in just four days.
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“Heee… this place looks really prosperous, na.”
The Royal Capital was actually located at the northern part of the island. The actual Capital itself was about half a day’s travel by fast horse from the port, making it more of an inland city accessible by land and river. It was far enough to be protected from sea monsters and extreme natural elements, but still close enough for the locals to easily get their hands on seafood products.
There were all sorts of amazing seafood here, they even have live crabs for sale!
“Oooh, it’s doraku[3], a fresh doraku, na~”
Haruna was understandably excited and nostalgic at once.
“Look! They even have puffer fish here, yan! Aaah, this is so nostalgic, wa!”
Why do Osakans like puffer fish?
“That’s the fish that will kill you if it wrongly prepared, maybe that’s why we like it… we, as the great merchants of Japan, have a reputation so scary that even a child would stop crying at the sight of us. We like nothing better than to stare death in the eye and risk it all in the name of good eating.”
In other words, it’s cool to eat puffer fish.
Meanwhile, Natalia remained unmoved. The ultimate image of coolness. So cool that not even being in a foreign country tickled her interest.
“Hey, hey, we’re on a trip, yan! You’ll lose out if you don’t have fun!”
They were scheduled to meet up with the Yakomai aristocrats the next day, so they could take it easy today.
“Yosh, I’ve been waiting for a chance like this for a long time. Let’s eat all the local food here. Natalia, go scout for a good restaurant.”
“Wait, don’t tell me to do something vague and walk off right away! Hey! Let’s at least settle where to meet up later.”
Natalia’s tail fluffed up in indignation as she ran after Haruna.
“If we get lost, I’ll just yell your name.”
“Absolutely not! That’s too embarrassing.”
That afternoon, Haruna entered every shop that caught her eye and ate, and ate, and ate…
“Fuuuhh~ well, initial investigation shows that majority of the dishes here favours chicken meat.”
“Yes, they also have a large variety of soups. That’s the most common thing we find here…”
Haruna had already feasted in her third proper restaurant. Moreover, it was not one recommended by Natalia.
“The flavour’s a bit weak, ya na. They use mostly local spices and herbs, but the taste is completely different from ours.”
“Now that you mention it, I think so, too. Perhaps the availability of fresh ingredients is the reason. There’s no need to salt or pickle fresh meat here and the herbs and spices used were mostly to enhance the flavours of one main ingredient.”
“That sounds a lot like Kyoto dishes, na.”
Haruna pondered over this for a moment. However, in her expert opinion, enhancing the characteristics of a single main ingredient was not the only way to enjoy food!
“Yosh, let’s visit the markets again.”
“Eh, wait, I…”
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Haruna was currently in the middle of a serious debate with herself as she studied the ingredients in front of her.
Natalia had assumed the role of a tour guide cum encyclopedia for her boss as she listed the merits and demerits of the ingredients in front of them.
Hmm… pork? Or chicken?
“Un, as expected of the Imperial Capital, the ingredients here are all top quality goods. As long as you have the money, there’s no problem in getting the good stuff.”
“Erm, by the way… why are you carrying your sword around in the open? We’re just here to make Okonomiyaki, surely we don’t need a sword to do it?”
“To satisfy the tongues of aristocrats, we must prepare our mind, spirit and body to cook our best! Fight on!”
“Are you… really treating this as a fight?”
Haruna ignored Natalia, her full attention was upon the ingredients in front of her.
“I want this pork, this chicken, and these bones too, please,” she pointed out some choice cuts, and several less choice parts and finally paid the butcher.
Haruna also bought cabbages, leeks and other Okonomiyaki related ingredients.
And so, their luggage increased.
On a side note, Natalia managed to stop Haruna from harassing the local vendors too badly for discounts.
“Natalia, use your ice magic to keep these cool, too.”
“That’s fine with me, but why do I get the feeling that you brought me here to be your personal ice-box…”
[Gumihou: I love markets and supermarkets. It’s kind of fun to translate this chapter.]
[1] I rearranged some sentences here, since it didn’t flow right [2] This is mostly due to cultural reason. The way a Japanese insults somebody is very subtle. Just by changing the way you address somebody could be an insult. Kansai dialect is particularly loud and casual, so it could actually sound insulting. [3] doraku – It’s the ‘Kani doraku’, a giant mechanical crab at Dotonbori.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kani_D%C5%8Draku#/media/File:Kani-Douraku_-_Head_Store.jpg
