Chapter 167

And so, I brought three servings of steak set meals from the kitchen and placed them on the table.

Clatter.

“Here. It’s done.”

“Hoh. Indeed, with this level of grilling, it’s a splendid Lizardman-style steak.”

As if.

The steak set meal I made might look like a Lizardman-style dish, but the actual contents are worlds apart.

Even putting the salad aside, the cooking method I used this time—preserving the texture of the raw meat while melting the fat at high heat—is something I’ve never tried, not even in my past life.

It’s on a completely different level from the half-cooked, blood-dripping meat Lizardmen make, paired with bitter grass that still has dirt on it, haphazardly served in a bowl.

Well, I am a Lizardman too, but…

Anyway.

“Wow! It looks really delicious!”

Indeed, my efforts paid off. Even Pey, who had been openly showing dislike for my cooking before I started, was now looking at the steak with an appetite-filled expression, as if they had never made a disgusted face.

“Alright. I kept you waiting, so let’s dig in.”

With that, I urged everyone to start the meal, and finally, the three of us, including myself, picked up our forks and knives.

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Pey held their fork and knife, staring at the steak set meal laid out before them.

When Kurt first offered to cook in place of the innkeeper, Pey hadn’t been too thrilled.

They couldn’t bring themselves to say it, but the idea of a Lizardman’s cooking…

It’s a well-known story that Lizardmen eat half-cooked meat dipped in blood and grass with dirt still clinging to the roots.

So, of course, they were worried and anxious.

If only the innkeeper had stopped Kurt…

Of course, the innkeeper is also a Lizardman, but Pey, still enchanted by their image of the innkeeper, vaguely believed their cooking would be different.

They had waited anxiously as Kurt cooked, but the dish he brought was completely different from what they had imagined.

Of course, that’s not to say Kurt’s dish was entirely unrelated to what was commonly known.

The meat was barely seared on the outside, with the inside almost completely raw…

No, it was practically raw meat.

The sauce on top of the meat had a red hue reminiscent of blood, and the salad was simply leafy greens cut into bite-sized pieces without any fancy dressing.

But upon closer inspection, while the meat’s sear was indeed minimal, it wasn’t haphazardly cooked. Instead, it was clear that a meticulous technique had been used to sear the outside while keeping the inside raw.

As evidence, cutting into the meat revealed that every part was evenly seared to a consistent thickness.

The sauce, while blood-like in color, carried a complex aroma, clearly different from the usual pungent, smelly blood.

Feeling a rising sense of anticipation, Pey carefully placed a piece of the meat into their mouth.

Chomp.

Chew chew.

Indeed, only the outside was cooked, while the inside was raw, giving it a texture completely different from the steak they were used to.

Squishy and several times chewier than regular grilled meat.

It was an alien texture that could easily be off-putting, but thankfully, having mentally prepared themselves, it wasn’t too unpleasant.

What was surprising, though, was the absence of the usual raw meat’s fishy or gamey smell.

In fact, the seared surface carried a savory, mild flavor, while the inside was infused with the soft aromas of pepper, salt, and herbs, making the meat’s taste incredibly refined.

For Pey, a country bumpkin who had just moved to the city, it was a luxurious taste they had never experienced before.

Chew chew.

Pey continued chewing the Lizardman-style steak, lost in thought.

And then, they realized something else unexpected.

While the raw meat was indeed chewier compared to fully cooked meat, it wasn’t as tough as they had initially thought.

This was because Kurt had tenderized the meat by pounding it with a fork, softening its texture.

Thanks to that, while the meat was somewhat chewy, it was only slightly so, and some might even enjoy the chewiness.

And Pey found themselves liking the texture.

Gulp.

After swallowing the first piece, Pey immediately picked up a second with their fork.

‘This is… delicious. They say Lizardman cooking isn’t fit for humans, but I guess that was just a rumor. I really don’t know much about Lizardmen, do I?’

The steak’s flavor was so outstanding that it made Pey realize how wrong the common perception of Lizardman cooking was.

If only the inside had been fully cooked while preserving the spices’ flavor, it would have been even more heavenly.

But that’s why Pey felt a sense of regret.

Chew chew.

‘The meat’s aroma and quality are excellent, making it more enjoyable than I thought. But still, the raw inside is a bit disappointing…’

Just as they thought that…

‘Hmm…?’

Pey noticed something strange.

‘It’s the same raw meat, but it tastes better than when I first tried it…’

In this world, there are foods that give an overwhelmingly strong first impression, and then there are those whose taste is hard to grasp at first.

Foods that divide opinions.

Fermented foods like cheonggukjang, or ingredients with unusual flavors like mint that aren’t commonly encountered in daily life.

And while many people give up on such foods after the first taste due to their unfamiliarity, others, once they overcome that initial strangeness, find themselves strongly drawn to them.

Among those are raw meats like sashimi or yukhoe.

At first, the aroma was pleasant, but the steak seemed merely squishy.

But with the second bite, the unique flavor of the raw meat became increasingly pronounced.

It’s true that grilling meat causes the Maillard reaction, enhancing its savory and umami flavors.

But that doesn’t mean cooked meat is always superior to raw.

If that were the case, dishes like yukhoe wouldn’t be popular, and everyone would only eat their steak well-done.

Raw meat has its own unique chewiness and the original flavor of the meat, unaltered by heat.

In fact, many who prefer rare steak do so because they enjoy the fresh meat’s aroma, which is lost in medium or well-done steaks.

If rare steak can already deliver the meat’s natural flavor, how much more so for raw meat?

Moreover, thanks to Kurt’s meticulous cooking, the gamey smell trapped in the fat had been pinpoint-melted away, minimizing the raw meat’s unpleasant odors while maximizing its appealing aroma.

No, it was even better—the chewy, meaty charm of raw meat, coated with the rich, savory fat that had melted from the heat, enhancing both the richness and umami.

It was like combining the best of raw and cooked meat.

As Pey ate the second piece and quickly moved on to the third, they began to truly appreciate the depth of the raw meat’s flavor.

‘What… what is this? How can something that’s practically raw meat taste this good!?’

The more they ate, the more the Lizardman-style steak’s flavor grew clearer.

While it’s natural for the first bite to be the most delicious when you’re the hungriest, somehow, this steak’s flavor and aroma seemed to grow with each bite.

Chew chew.

As Pey’s brain registered the deliciousness, their body responded, saliva glands working more actively, making the meat taste even better.

It was like a snowball rolling down a hill, gaining momentum and size—a compounding deliciousness.

And what about the blood-like sauce?

The red sauce carried a subtle, soft grape aroma, rich but not overpowering, perfectly complementing the steak’s somewhat plain flavor.

Even the salad, seemingly haphazardly cut into bite-sized pieces, served as a refreshing palate cleanser when scooped up with a fork, the saltiness and spiciness of the pepper blending with the leafy greens’ aroma, lightening the heavy meal of meat and sauce.

Before they knew it, Pey had forgotten their prejudice against Lizardman cooking and was mindlessly shoveling Kurt’s dish into their mouth.

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