Chapter 41: Tasting Culture

Chapter 41: Tasting Culture Borin and his fellow Goatfolk sat at a clean stone table, waiting for their food. It felt like only a few seconds later when a female kobold appeared. She moved quickly and quietly. She carried a large tray. The food was placed on the table in front of them. She took their wooden number tag. Everything was exactly what they ordered. The smell of the food hit them, making their stomachs growl even louder. They were surprised. The food arrived so fast. Normal inns took a long time to reheat food, and the quality often dropped. High-rated restaurants cooked new food, but customers usually got soup or appetizers first while they waited for the main dish. This was different. Not only was it fast, but the smell was also delicious, fresh, and inviting. Borin grabbed his burger. He held it in his hooves, looking at it closely, wondering. Skall, however, didn’t wait. He just bit into his burger right away. Borin watched Skall, waiting for his reaction. Skall chewed, his eyes wide. He nearly cried. "This... this is food," he said, his voice loud, like he had just found something amazing. "This is the most delicious food I ever tasted." The other Goatfolk quickly started eating their own burgers. They wanted to see if Skall was right. Borin watched them. They all reacted the same way, their eyes widening, their chewing slowing as they savored the taste. Then Borin smiled. He didn’t hesitate. He bit into his own food, munching slowly, waiting for that taste to hit his tongue. His eyes widened too. The flavors of the meat and seasoning mixed perfectly. They danced on his tongue. He felt truly happy. Ahhhhh... he thought. I could eat this all day, every day. Skall, still chewing, nodded. "I feel like I can eat this everyday!" Another Goatfolk agreed, "Yeah, I feel you. This stuff is incredible." A third added, "Yeah, and it’s super cheap too." Borin chuckled, still eating. "I think we should order more." "Yeah, me too," Skall said, taking another bite. "One isn’t enough for this." Another Goatfolk, Brum, tasted his iced juice. He nudged Skall and urged him to try his. Skall then drank from his own wooden mug. His eyes widened again. "Ooohh," he said, pointing at his mug. "Guys, this..." The others drank from their own mugs. Everyone was surprised by the taste. "This is incredible!" one said. "I feel like we’re robbing this restaurant with the price," another added, laughing. "Hahaha, yeah," Skall said. Borin tasted it after seeing their reactions. He too was surprised. The taste was very good, sweet and refreshing. It went perfectly with the delicious ’burger.’ It was the perfect pair of food and drink. Just then, Griz arrived at the canteen. He walked up to their table. "Hey, how’s the food here?" he asked them. "I hope it isn’t terrible." He sounded a bit skeptical. Borin smirked at him. "You’d be surprised by the taste and the price," he said. The others didn’t say anything. They just kept eating, wanting Griz to taste the food himself. Griz still looked unsure. "Well, since I’m hungry, any food is good for me," he said, walking towards the counter. Borin called out to him. "Hey, Griz, uhh... order two family meals of burger and iced juice!" Griz looked confused but didn’t say anything. He saw the wooden plaque menu above the counter. A kobold smiled at him. "Good day, sir, can I get your order?" she asked. Griz expected some kind of menu, but he was surprised to see the menu was just carved on the board above. He quickly understood this strange food ordering system and the meal sets. He smiled to himself. Smart, he thought. No one else thought of anything like this. He also noticed the very low prices. High-rated restaurant meals usually cost around 50 silver to 1 gold, but this was extremely cheap. As he read the meal sets, he remembered Borin’s "suggestion." "Uhh... can I get two family meals of that burger with iced juice?" he asked the kobold. The kobold smiled as she wrote his order. She gave him another wooden number tag. "Please wait at the table for your food to be served, sir," she said. Griz looked at the tag, still a bit confused about the number, but he nodded. He knew he was about to experience something new. Griz then joined the table with Borin, waiting for his ordered food. "What’s so special about this food anyway?" he asked them, raising an eyebrow. He watched them eat, their faces showing pure enjoyment. The others, including Borin, just looked at him, their mouths full and their eyes sparkling. Griz noticed their stares. "What?" he asked, a hint of impatience in his voice. "Is it really that good?" Borin swallowed his bite, a satisfied grin on his face. "It’s better if you try it," he said, shaking his head slowly. "We might have different opinions, but for us, the price is definitely too low for this quality. It’s almost unbelievable." "Yeah," Skall agreed, nodding vigorously, crumbs clinging to his beard. "You won’t believe it until you taste it." Griz thought about it, analyzing their reactions. "It’s that good, huh?" he said, his skepticism slowly giving way to curiosity. "Well, if it’s that good, the price is definitely intentional. I can guess what they’re trying to do." He figured they were trying to draw in customers, build a reputation, and make people talk about this place. It was a classic business strategy, but rarely seen executed with such bold pricing. A short time later, their food arrived. A waiter, another kobold, carefully put down two large trays on the table. The smell alone was enough to make Griz’s stomach growl. "Enjoy your meal, sir," she said, a polite smile on her face, and walked away quietly. As soon as the food was on display, the Goatfolk quickly took one burger and juice each. Griz was still skeptical. He took one burger and held it up. It was bigger than he expected, the bread soft and golden, the meat thick and perfectly grilled. "Well, let’s see what’s up with this," he said, turning it over in his hooves. "This just looks like bread stacked with toppings and meat. Nothing special." He smelled it, deeply. The rich, savory aroma hit him, making his mouth water. He smiled, a genuine smile this time. "I see... even the smell does not lie. It promises something good." The other Goatfolk nodded, their eyes gleaming with amusement as they watched him. Griz took a bite. The soft bread gave way to the juicy meat and crisp vegetables. After a few chews, the taste finally hit him. The flavors exploded in his mouth. He tasted rich, savory meat, a combination of spice, tangy flavor, and the juicy crunch of fresh vegetables from the toppings. It was a perfect mix. Griz closed his eyes, savoring the bite, letting the flavors wash over him. "Ohh... how is this so good?" he mumbled, almost to himself. "The meat is perfectly cooked, not overcooked, not raw. It’s just right. It’s also so juicy, so tender." He said it out loud, a soft moan of satisfaction escaping him, his usual tough demeanor completely gone. The Goatfolk cheered at his reaction, laughing loudly, enjoying his surprise. Griz then opened his eyes, a wide smile spreading across his face, a feeling of pure joy from this new food washing over him. He noticed the wooden cup with orange liquid and ice cubes floating in it. He didn’t think twice. He drank it down in a few big gulps. His eyes widened even further. The different flavors of fruit mixed together, complementing each other perfectly, sweet and tangy. He smiled, feeling like he was experiencing a burst of fresh fruit flavors, cold and invigorating. "It’s cold and refreshing," he said, his voice filled with wonder. "It’s the perfect match for this food called burger." He said out loud, still caught in his happy feeling, "I can now die without regrets. This is truly remarkable." Borin, Skall, and the other Goatfolk laughed when they saw his dramatic reaction. "He even reacts more dramatically than you, Brum," Borin joked to Brum, nudging him. "Hahaha, yeah, look at his face," Brum said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "He looks like he’s seen a ghost, a delicious ghost!" Skall smiled, shaking his head. "Can you blame him though? It really is that good." Griz’s eyes opened, snapping back to reality. His hand hovered over the tray, looking for more. But he was disappointed. The two family meal, meant for ten, had been quickly devoured by them. He snapped back to reality when he saw the food was gone. "Where’s the rest?" he asked, looking around the table, then at the empty trays. A frown creased his brow. Skall leaned back, smiling, and picked at his teeth with a satisfied look. "I thought you didn’t like the food."