Bambus Village (2)
“Bailey, right? Please, go ahead.”
“This tea… don’t you froth the milk and powder separately?”
“Separately?”
“Yes, if you froth them separately and then mix, wouldn’t the taste change?”
“There’s no more milk, so could I get some hot milk and hot water?”
“In that case, I’ll quickly make it at home,” Dino said, leaving the room again.
“Bailey, did you notice anything else?”
“I think it would be better to drink from a regular teacup rather than this wide bowl. But since frothing improves taste, you could make a dedicated frothing vessel and pour the finished drink into a teacup.”
True, some women might dislike using such a large bowl.
From a manners perspective, drinking outside might feel awkward, so Bailey’s suggestion made sense.
“Bailey, if you were to make a dedicated frothing vessel, how would you do it?”
“I’d shape one side of a wide bowl like a teapot spout.”
“That would make it easier to pour into a teacup. Would you like to try making one?”
“Really?” Bailey sounded pleased.
“Work together with Dino and try making it.”
“Thank you. I’ll make something you’ll definitely like,” he said confidently.
I could already tell Bailey had a clear idea in his head of the shape he wanted to make.
“Sorry for the wait.”
Dino returned with a pot of hot milk and water, so we got to work immediately.
First, we frosted the matcha with hot water, then frothed the milk.
Milk alone froths well.
Dino asked me to show him how to use the tea whisk, so I made the portions for myself and Brother Chris, and Dino made the portions for himself and Bailey.
When we all tried it, the milk had a nice fluffy texture.
This is almost like a matcha latte, isn’t it?
“Hardt, I prefer this version,” Brother Chris said.
“Brother Chris, I also like this one better. But it seems we should use separate whisks.”
“That’s true. Since we frothed the matcha first, some green got mixed into the milk. Using separate whisks would solve that.”
“Dino, sorry, but I’d like more whisks, so could you continue making them?”
“How many?”
“Ten for now. I’ll contact you later for additional ones.”
“If you like, I have five ready, would you like to take them home?”
“If you have them, I’d like to take them.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare them and give them to you tomorrow. What would you like to do for the rest of today?”
“Well, could you show me around the village?”
“There’s nothing much, but I can show you.”
“Is Dino the only one making bamboo crafts?”
“No, we get orders from surrounding towns and villages, or merchants buy them, so many people make them when free from farm work.”
Since there was a bamboo craft workshop, I decided to check it out.
“This workshop is free for villagers to use. You use your own knives, but bamboo splitting tools are shared,” Dino explained.
Two people were currently working on bamboo crafts in the workshop.
“Everyone has their own fields and homes, so on rainy days or in winter, more people come here,” he added.
A corner of the workshop had many pieces of bamboo, presumably drying.
Noticing me looking at the bamboo, Dino explained, “These are prepped and ready.”
It seemed bamboo couldn’t immediately be used for crafts.
Looking at the finished works, most were baskets, though sizes varied. Dino’s vase looked like an unusual piece. Nothing particularly caught my attention, so we left the workshop.
Until dinner, we decided to relax in the room. Dinner was served on the first floor of the village hall.
Two steam baskets were placed in front of Brother Chris and me.
The village chief explained, “It’s not much, but this is a common dish in our village.”
Opening the lids, there were steamed vegetables—tomato, pumpkin, and corn—and a mix of steamed orc meat and cabbage.
The orc meat and cabbage were seasoned with salt and pepper, with lemon provided for extra flavor. It was tasty enough with just salt and pepper, but the lemon made it even more refreshing.
The vegetables were soft and sweet, very easy to eat.
I thought the portion might be too much, but I ended up finishing everything.
Could we replicate this with the steam from the hot springs in the new town?
In my previous life, there were places in hot spring towns where you could steam your own food.
Since this isn’t a new dish, maybe that’s why it wasn’t submitted to the exhibition. Should I have focused on dishes using the village’s specialty ingredients?
No point in dwelling on what’s already done.
I’ll try steamed dishes in the new town and then recommend selling them.
What do you think about this chapter?
