Chapter 281

Kurt’s words.

Kurt’s actions.

Everything pointed to something so obvious.

Yet, despite that, Rosemary couldn’t help but ask again.

Hadn’t she already finished her meal satisfactorily?

She had already emptied three bowls of Abnormal Bird Dish.

And wasn’t the atmosphere at the table one of wrapping up the meal with casual chatter?

But now, noodles?

“What is this…?”

“Well, as a noble, wouldn’t it feel lacking if the meal was just soup and salad? So, I prepared Chicken Noodle Soup as a dessert. You could call it a kind of course meal.”

“But I’m already full…”

“Don’t worry. There’s always room for dessert.”

Dessert?

How can noodles be a dessert?

Noodles are clearly a main dish, aren’t they?

And yet, he wants to eat them as dessert?

But Kurt, oblivious to her thoughts, calmly took out the dough from the bowl.

What appeared to be a large lump of dough was actually a flattened dough, dusted with flour to prevent sticking and folded several times.

Just like folding paper in half repeatedly, the dough appeared thick due to the layers.

Soon, Kurt skillfully took out a knife and sliced the dough thinly.

The sliced dough, though slightly unusual in shape, resembled noodles and immediately plopped into the pot containing the Abnormal Bird Dish.

Using a magic stone grill like an induction stove, the pot quickly heated up.

Originally, the broth for the Chicken Noodle Soup was already prepared, and the noodles were ready to be cooked in the broth, making the dish almost like fast food.

The Chicken Noodle Soup was completed in an instant.

Clatter.

“Try the taste first.”

Kurt swiftly placed the completed Chicken Noodle Soup in front of everyone.

Including Rosemary, who had said she was too full to eat more.

He acted as if he didn’t remember or hear her words, calmly placing the steaming Chicken Noodle Soup in front of her.

“I, I’m really full…”

She reflexively accepted it, but Rosemary was in a dilemma, not particularly wanting to eat the Chicken Noodle Soup.

She felt bad refusing after Kurt had gone through the trouble of cooking, but she was also full.

Rosemary looked at the Chicken Noodle Soup in front of her with a troubled expression.

“It’s troublesome to be given so much…”

While Kurt meant it as a kind gesture, Rosemary was at a loss.

“I’m too full to eat more…”

With a look of not knowing what to do, Rosemary picked up a fork and took a bite of the Chicken Noodle Soup.

Slurp.

Yes.

Rosemary ate the Chicken Noodle Soup.

Despite saying she couldn’t eat anymore, she unconsciously moved her hand and ate the Chicken Noodle Soup.

“…!?”

The action was so natural.

Only after eating did Rosemary realize what she had done, looking surprised.

“Huh, why did I eat the Chicken Noodle Soup…?”

Muttering with a look of not understanding why she did it, Rosemary.

Yet, even as she questioned, she continued to move her hand and eat the Chicken Noodle Soup.

Slurp.

Slurp.

“I, I was so full just a moment ago… Why does this Chicken Noodle Soup keep going down!?”

The Abnormal Bird Dish is a stew rich with vegetables and meat, but as a meal, it has one flaw.

The absence of carbohydrates.

While the bird meat provides protein and fat, and the leeks, onions, and accompanying cabbage salad offer vitamins and dietary fiber, one thing is missing.

The dish lacks the presence of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates, in the form of rice in the East and bread in the West, have been an essential part of meals since ancient times.

Thus, while enjoying the Abnormal Bird Dish, Rosemary unconsciously craved carbohydrates.

So, when she saw the ‘noodles,’ her body prepared to intake nutrients again.

In other words, despite being full, her appetite returned.

As Kurt said, there’s always room for dessert.

Or, in this case, a separate stomach for carbohydrates.

Indeed, the saying that there’s always room for dessert has been scientifically proven.

When shown a snack and offered to eat it, even when full, the brain signals the stomach to make room for the snack.

Rosemary’s body was doing just that.

Though she had been melting in fullness moments before, facing the Chicken Noodle Soup and seeing the carbohydrates, she unconsciously imagined the taste of the Abnormal Bird Dish broth mixed with the noodles, and her stomach made room for the Chicken Noodle Soup.

Thus, despite feeling full just moments ago, Rosemary kept eating the Chicken Noodle Soup without understanding why.

Slurp.

Slurp.

“Why do I keep eating this!?”

If the initial bite was due to the magic of carbohydrates, the continued eating was due to the taste of the Chicken Noodle Soup itself.

Chicken Noodle Soup isn’t just noodles in chicken broth.

The broth of the Chicken Noodle Soup was richer than when they first started eating the Abnormal Bird Dish.

It wasn’t just a trick of the tongue.

The broth, naturally reduced over time, was further reduced when the noodles were added and boiled.

Thus, the broth of the Chicken Noodle Soup became significantly richer than that of the Abnormal Bird Dish.

It was almost a different broth.

Moreover, the wide, flat noodles acted like small ladles, drawing more broth into the mouth than regular noodles.

And as the broth entered the mouth, the condensed chicken broth’s savory and rich flavor spread, transforming from a mild to a salty taste.

If the noodles had been added immediately when the Abnormal Bird Dish was first boiled, the mild, lightly seasoned broth wouldn’t have produced such a violent flavor.

But the broth, naturally transformed during the meal, became the perfect state for adding noodles.

It was truly magical.

Not shocking at first bite, but a taste that made one unconsciously move their mouth and hands without thought.

That’s how you eat Chicken Dish.

First, enjoy the mild taste of meat and vegetables, then pair the meat with stronger sauces and salads.

Gradually moving from mild to strong flavors, finish by adding noodles to the remaining meat and broth to make Chicken Noodle Soup.

Thus, the final Chicken Noodle Soup, made from the reduced broth, has a rich flavor and aroma, satisfying even a palate accustomed to strong flavors.

Though it’s just a simple pot dish of chicken and vegetables, Chicken Dish has the charm of changing flavors in various ways while eating.

And so, Rosemary emptied her fourth bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup.

…

…

…

And as time passed, the meal finally ended…

“I, I can’t eat anymore…”

“I’m full…”

“I overate for the first time in a while…”

“I’ve really reached my limit…”

“Me too.”

The people in the restaurant, unable to eat another bite, expressed a mix of happiness and the pain of fullness.

Though the brain stimulates the stomach to make room when appetite is aroused, there’s a limit.

When the stomach is truly full, even that doesn’t work.

Having pushed Chicken Noodle Soup to the limit, the people in the restaurant were now genuinely unable to eat anything more.

“…I see.”

Kurt, who had been closely watching the people in the restaurant, realized they were truly full and regretfully put the sack of rice back into his bag.