Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

Since There’s No Ramen, It’s Soup Pasta

That day, only three people were at the hideout of Scarlet Links.

Basically, other than one supervisor staying behind, the number of people fluctuates. Recently, Yuuri, who is mainly in charge of household chores, is almost always staying behind. Occasionally, he goes shopping at familiar stores, but he mostly stays at the hideout. Today, the only ones at the hideout were Yuuri, who was in charge of meals, Camille, and the supervisor Tifaana.

With this in mind, Yuuri decided to be a bit adventurous with lunch. When there are few people, Yuuri likes to experiment with dishes he wants to try. When there are many people, the risk of failure is too high, so he avoids that. Also, since today’s members included the light-eating Tifaana and Camille, who don’t eat much for a boy, he thought a simple meal would suffice.

“I want ramen, but there isn’t any…”

While mixing the broth made from chicken bones and kombu, Yuuri muttered quietly. His muttering was lonely, and earnest, and carried a sense of nostalgia. …Well, the reason for longing for an unreachable hometown being ramen was very much like Yuuri. Normally, homesickness would have a different cause, but it was pointless to tell him that.

“Ramen?”

“It’s a type of noodle dish from my hometown. Noodles are in the soup, and you eat them together.”

“…Huh? Noodles and soup together? Why? Noodles are meant to be eaten separately.”

“Well, that might be true for pasta…”

Yuuri brushed off Camille’s question easily. Having only seen pasta, Camille’s reaction was expected. However, in Japan, there are three types of noodle dishes with soup: udon, soba, and somen. Ramen, rice vermicelli, and pho are also included. There is even a genre called soup pasta. The only noodle dish not eaten with soup might be yakisoba.

So, Yuuri wanted to eat ramen. He really wanted to eat ramen. He also craved udon and soba, but for some reason, ramen was what he wanted the most. It’s probably because, in Japan, there are ramen shops everywhere. …Well, in a certain udon-centric region, only udon noodles are found, but that’s an exception to forget.

But there was no ramen.

Even though Yuuri wanted it, Chinese noodles didn’t exist here. The only noodles available in the capital, Drahelne, were pasta. Since wheat flour existed, udon might be possible to make with effort. Soba required finding buckwheat flour, making it more challenging. And Yuuri didn’t know how to make Chinese noodles, so it was impossible. However, he wanted ramen.

Therefore, Yuuri decided to make a ramen-like dish. Or rather, he was trying to make soup pasta reminiscent of ramen. Don’t say he’s making an effort in the wrong direction. Japanese people often go to great lengths for the food they want. …Like how tuna, once deemed inedible, became a beloved fish.

“Onions and mushrooms will do for ingredients. There’s no way we have char siu.”

Peeling the onions quickly, Yuuri chopped them with practiced hands. Not too thick, not too thin, just the right balance, and threw them into the broth made from chicken bones and kombu. While they simmered, he chopped the mushrooms and added them in.

He seasoned the soup with salt, pepper, and soy sauce. …And then, he brought out his secret weapon. An item that could instantly turn the soup Chinese-style: sesame oil.

Pouring it in a circular motion into the pot, he tasted the soup. Somehow, it tasted like Chinese soup. Excitedly, Yuuri threw the pasta into the pot. …Don’t say he’s lazy for cooking it directly in the soup. He simmered it in the soup to let the flavors soak in. He’s not being lazy. His parents cooked it that way, so that’s how he learned.

“…Yuuri, why did you add sesame oil?”

“Huh? It adds a nice flavor. Don’t you use it?”

“Hmm. In soup, we use olive oil, right?”

“Olive oil is good too.”

“…Yeah, right.”

Since the conversation wasn’t going anywhere, Camille decided to ignore it. Conversations with Yuuri often went off on tangents. If you get caught up in that, you lose. You lose.

Maybe Chinese-style dishes aren’t common around here. Yuuri briefly considered that but quickly dismissed it. It had nothing to do with him. What mattered to Yuuri was whether the soup pasta with sesame oil tasted like ramen. That was the most important thing.

Once the pasta and ingredients were cooked, Yuuri divided the pot’s contents into three deep soup bowls. He knew from experience that this group wouldn’t ask for seconds. …If Ulgs and Mugg, the oldest apprentices, were here, they’d likely ask for more. Ulgs was big, but Mugg, the smallest apprentice, had a surprisingly large appetite, one of Scarlet Links’ seven wonders.

“Today’s lunch is Chinese-style soup pasta.”

“What’s Chinese style?”

“A type of cuisine.”

“I see.”

Knowing the name China wouldn’t make sense here, Yuuri evaded the explanation. Rather, he wanted to eat the ramen-like soup pasta quickly. Driven by his craving for ramen, he had made this. He wanted to eat it right away.

“Oh, today’s menu is a bit unusual.”

“It’s called soup pasta, Tifaana.”

“Pasta in soup? That’s an odd dish.”

Despite her gentle smile, Tifaana didn’t reject the unfamiliar soup pasta. The aroma of sesame oil might have stimulated her appetite. Plus, she trusted Yuuri’s cooking, as it was always delicious.

Yuuri’s dishes were all home-cooked meals. They didn’t require difficult techniques, complex skills, or special ingredients. They were simple dishes that any housewife could make. Yet, for some reason, they were delicious. In a clan full of treasure hunters, who weren’t good at cooking, Yuuri’s meals stood out.

“Let’s eat.”

“”Let’s eat.””

Following Tifaana’s lead, Yuuri and Camille clasped their hands together. Yuuri immediately picked up the pasta with chopsticks and slurped it. It might be bad manners with pasta, but he felt like eating it as if it were ramen. The sesame oil-enhanced soy sauce soup and pasta went well together and tasted good. …Well, it wasn’t exactly ramen, but still.

It wasn’t a bad match.

With the recent trend of Japanese-style pasta, Yuuri knew pasta and soy sauce could go well together. The flavors of mushrooms and onions added depth to the soup, making it delicious. As a ramen substitute, it was decent, and it somewhat satisfied his ramen craving. Someday, Yuuri vowed to get Chinese noodles and make real ramen.

…Why didn’t he think of returning home for that? Instead, he focused on getting the noodles. He had become quite accustomed to this place.

While Yuuri was eating contentedly, Tifaana and Camille struggled with the soup pasta.

They weren’t used to dishes combining noodles and soup. It’s a common misconception among Japanese, but apparently, slurping noodles is quite difficult. Japanese people, familiar with udon, soba, and ramen from childhood, might not understand, but foreigners find it hard to slurp noodles. Even some Japanese can’t slurp noodles.

So, while Yuuri ate his pasta normally, Camille tried to lift the pasta and somehow put it in his mouth. Tifaana used a spoon and fork to skillfully twirl and eat it. …As a result, they weren’t eating the noodles with the soup. Yuuri noticed this but didn’t mind and continued eating. He just wanted to eat.

Watching Yuuri eat quietly, the other two couldn’t help but be curious. Using chopsticks to grab the noodles and slurp them up, then chew. It was a familiar sight for Japanese people but strange for the others. They stared at Yuuri in amazement.

Noticing their gaze, Yuuri tilted his head and looked at them.

“What’s wrong?”

“Yuuri, is that how you’re supposed to eat this dish?”

“Huh? No, there’s no specific way to eat it. I just find this way easier.”

Slurping the noodles with the soup made him feel like he was getting the full flavor. However, he knew this wasn’t the proper way to eat. It was ramen-like soup pasta, not actual ramen. But for Yuuri, this was the only way to enjoy it.

Relieved by Yuuri’s words, Tifaana and Camille returned to their meal. The dish was delicious but hard to eat. Camille tried using chopsticks to mimic Yuuri but couldn’t do it well and resorted to lifting and eating. Tifaana didn’t attempt it, sensing she couldn’t manage. However, they both thought Yuuri’s way looked tastier. Knowing Yuuri would likely make this dish again, they decided to practice little by little.

Later, some members, hearing about the new lunch menu, made a fuss, saying it was unfair, leading to a pleasant commotion.