Chapter 184

While thinking that, Liche picked up her fork and knife, but she had no intention of rushing through the meal.

After all, as a fellow cook, Liche felt it would be a waste to hastily consume a meal of such high quality.

“It’s not like I’m considering your effort or anything. It’s just that the dish itself is too good to waste. The cooking itself has no fault, right?”

With that, Liche made a pointless excuse in her mind and scooped up a bite-sized portion of the Caprese Salad.

A simple dish made by layering tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, then drizzling olive oil over the top.

Thus, there was no flaw to be found in the dish’s execution.

After all, a salad is essentially just tossing ingredients together and adding dressing, so it’s only natural.

In fact, Caprese Salad is one of the simplest salads, even replacing dressing with just olive oil.

So, the Caprese Salad looked as clean and flawless as it appeared.

“But just because the appearance is neat and the cooking process is simple doesn’t mean the skill behind it isn’t evident.”

Yet, Liche believed that by tasting the Caprese Salad, she could judge Kurt’s cooking skills.

Since the process and composition of the dish were simple, what determined its quality was the freshness of the ingredients.

It wasn’t just about visually judging whether the ingredients looked fresh; the taste and aroma could also reveal the quality of the ingredients.

“Cooking is something even a Lizardman with dulled taste buds could do if they followed a set recipe. But cooking isn’t just about following a recipe. Even the most skilled Dwarf blacksmith can’t make a Mithril shield out of bronze. The simpler the dish, the more the quality of the ingredients determines its success.”

And unlike dishes that can be completed by following a recipe without tasting, selecting good ingredients is something that can’t be learned from a recipe.

That’s right.

No matter how skilled Kurt is, he’s still a Lizardman.

For a Lizardman who can’t fully taste, selecting fresh and high-quality ingredients would be difficult.

And that is most evident in a salad.

Even if it looks fine, if the mozzarella cheese is of poor quality or the tomatoes lack flavor, Liche wouldn’t hesitate to point out Kurt’s lack of skill.

With that in mind, Liche carefully placed the salad, layered with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, into her mouth.

Crunch.

Crunch.

“The crisp texture of the basil and the aroma that spreads with each chew. The rich flavor of the mozzarella cheese doesn’t suggest any flaws in the production process; rather, it feels like the work of a skilled artisan. And the tomatoes are neither too watery nor too firm, with just the right amount of umami—clearly high-grade tomatoes.”

Contrary to Liche’s expectations, the Caprese Salad made by Kurt was nothing short of excellent.

Cooking can be like that.

Even without a sense of taste, following the recipe and method would still result in a decent dish.

But distinguishing the quality of ingredients isn’t something that can be done through such quantitative methods…

“So? How’s the salad? The other three started with their favorite dishes and haven’t touched the salad much.”

“It’s… quite good.”

“Really? I’m glad it suits your taste.”

‘Ugh… It’s frustrating, but I have to admit it. But it’s fine. There are still three more dishes to go.’

With that, Liche, feeling a mix of frustration and slight satisfaction, reached for the next dish.

Having whetted her appetite with the salad, the next dish was fried potatoes, best eaten while crispy.

‘No, it’s not because they’re best eaten when crispy… It’s to prevent any excuses about them being soggy if I criticize their taste.’

What she picked up was a piece of fried potato, shining like lemon cream.

The salt grains on the surface of the fried potato glistened like morning dew, having absorbed the oil from the potato.

The savory aroma of the potato and the rich scent of the frying oil blended together to create a delightful flavor.

Crunch.

With one bite, the crispy outer layer of the fried potato shattered, offering a satisfying texture, while the soft, fluffy inside gently enveloped her tongue.

A perfect harmony of crispiness and softness.

‘And it’s not just that. If it were just fried potatoes, it would be a monotonous taste of oil and salt. But by adding the complex flavor of parsley powder, it elevates the dish to something that could grace a noble’s table. This is clearly the work of someone with a deep understanding of cooking…!’

“Kurt’s fried potatoes are the best, aren’t they? Don’t you think so, Liche?”

“Y-yes. They’re delicious.”

‘B-but fried potatoes are inherently simple to make, just with expensive ingredients…! Just like the Caprese Salad! Adding parsley powder might just mean he got his hands on a good recipe…!’

Trying to hide her inner turmoil, Liche denied Kurt’s cooking skills and reached for the third dish.

It was the tomato soup made by Kurt.

Having eaten the oily fried potatoes, it was clear that eating the oily steak next would dull her palate.

So, having some soup to cleanse her palate would allow her to better appreciate the steak’s flavor.

‘Huh…! What am I thinking…! No! This is just to more accurately taste Kurt’s cooking and give a sharp critique! To accurately evaluate, I must accurately taste the dish!’

With that, Liche continued to deny her growing interest in Kurt’s cooking and took a spoonful of the tomato soup.

Whoosh.

At the same time, a strong aroma spread.

It was the deep umami of tomatoes, which intensifies the more they are heated.

The soup had no unpleasant chewiness from tomato skins, suggesting they were meticulously peeled, and the rich flavor indicated the tomatoes were patiently simmered.

Just one spoonful filled her mouth with a flavor as if she had eaten an entire tomato.

Moreover, the vegetable juices from the other ingredients added depth to the tomato soup’s flavor.

‘And not just that. The meat in this soup… It’s not ordinary meat!’

Then, suddenly, the meat in the soup made its presence known.

It wasn’t just beef or pork—it was a type of meat Liche had never tasted before.

Yet, its foreignness didn’t create a sense of rejection or imbalance in the soup.

Rather, it was foreign yet harmonious.

It was an illogical expression by common sense, but Liche couldn’t describe it any other way.

Soup is a dish where the flavors and aromas of all the ingredients blend together into one.

Thus, if you cook soup with meat that has a strong odor, the soup itself will carry that odor, ruining not just the meat’s flavor but the soup’s as well.

But what if you cook soup with a special, luxurious meat that can’t be found elsewhere?

The result was the tomato soup Liche was eating.

The flavor of the Steel Armored Bison, a luxurious ingredient, had completely melted into the soup, giving the sensation of eating melted meat.

“Ah… Kurt’s tomato soup always feels like it seeps into your body. What do you think, Clarice?”

At that moment, Karina, who was also eating the tomato soup, looked at Liche with sparkling eyes, curious about her evaluation of Kurt’s cooking.

‘N-now’s the time…! Even now, if I can find a flaw in this tomato soup…! The dish’s execution is excellent, but… it’s still just tomato soup! Compared to the luxurious dishes I’ve served at the mansion, this is too cheap!’

Liche saw this as a good opportunity to somehow find a flaw in Kurt’s cooking and bring it down.

“It’s good. The tomato skins were carefully removed to avoid any chewiness, and the meticulous preparation of the other vegetables shows consideration for the eater.”

But what came out of Liche’s mouth was praise for Kurt’s cooking.

‘I-I can’t do it! No matter how cheap the dish, a well-made dish is a well-made dish…! Trying to force a flaw to bring it down…!’

It was the pride of a cook still within Liche.

That pride put a brake on Liche’s desire to belittle Kurt’s cooking by forcing a flaw.

“Oh? You noticed? I guess you’re quite good at cooking.”

The one who responded to her words was none other than Kurt.

He smiled, pleased that she had noticed the effort he put into his cooking.

While he didn’t cook expecting others to recognize his effort, it still brought him a small joy when someone did.

Isn’t that what being a cook is all about?

But Liche, who received that smile, felt her hostility towards him reignite.

‘What’s with that smile? Are you mocking me? Are you laughing at me for being unable to do anything but praise despite my determination to critique?’

It was clearly a victim complex.

Though it was just a distorted perception born from a sense of victimhood, Liche, who had lived a lonely and somewhat twisted life in the mansion since childhood, didn’t realize this and instead solidified her hostility towards him.

“The last dish is the steak.”

“Yeah. That steak is my masterpiece. Enjoy it to the fullest.”

‘Hmph. How long will that confident demeanor last? Even if I have to set aside my pride as a cook, I will definitely leave a critique of this steak.’

With that, Kurt smiled brightly and urged her to try the steak, while Liche inwardly scoffed and cut a piece of the steak.