HA3 5.3 – BBQ Dinner
While Aizawa gave him curious gaze, Hide used the short machete to make thin and long wood shavings, and then shaped it into a bird nest as big as apples. After that, he put the blunt part of the matched on the small slit on the machete’s hard sheath and when he made a quick draw, it created a fire spark that rained down the bird nest.
This was the first time he tried to make a fire starter without matches in this life, but it didn’t change the fact that he was not a beginner. So, it took only two consecutive quick draws before the spark turned the bird nest into a faint ember.
Then, he put the bird nest into his palms and gave it a blow a few times. With ease the ember turned into a small flame. Without delay Hide put it into fire pit and arranged dried twigs around it. A moment later, a small but beautiful bonfire bloomed to this world.
After that, he put a 25x25 cm grill mesh above the bonfire, and topped it dead in the center with 800 ml aluminum nesting pan he filled with water up to two-third. Then, Hide turned his gaze to Aizawa.
“Aizawa, arrange the barbeque next to the nesting pan,” Hide gently said. “The BBQ skewer on one side, while the Shitake mushroom and sweet baby corn on the other side.”
“Mhm,” Aizawa replied before taking out the BBQ package from her rucksack, along with a bag of sweet baby corn and Shitake mushroom.
The BBQ skewer was the assorted type. The meats were pork, chicken, peeled shrimp, and squid rings, with green and red bell pepper in between. It was already grilled and could be eaten right away, but it would be nice to warm it first.
As for the sweet baby corn and the Shitake mushroom, it was pretty much the ordinary type. It was cleaned, ready to be used right away, and being packed into plastic bag.
After opening the package, Aizawa immediately put everything on the grill, started with the skewer. This was the first time she arranged BBQ on top of a grill, and turned out it was more fun than she thought. So, she did it while having sparkling eyes and then used her smartphone to take picture of her work.
A moment later, a fragrant BBQ smell filled the air and Aizawa immediately swallowed her saliva. Hide couldn’t help but smiled as he saw it.
‘It’s windier and colder than usual, and she must be starving, but she didn’t utter any complain. What a tough kid,’ Hide muttered before saying. “The skewer is ready.”
“Can we eat it?” Aizawa expectantly asked.
“Mhm,” Hide cheerfully replied. “But be careful, it’s hot, and don’t skip the paprika.”
Aizawa firmly nodded. “Mhm.”
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Aizawa then took a piece of pork skewer and after blowing it a few times she took a bite, happily chewed it, and gulped it down.
“It’s delicious,” Aizawa happily said before taking another bite.
“Glad you like it,” Hide said before taking an octopus skewer and enjoyed it.
Then, the water in the nesting pan came into boiled. Hide immediately took two pieces of bouillon cubes and showed it to Aizawa.
“Do you know what it is?”
“Bouillon cubes,” Aizawa confidently replied.
“Yeah, this is the outdoor version. You can enjoy it without additional ingredient and it has additional spice to warm our body,” Hide explained as he put both bouillon cubes into boiling water in the nesting pan and stirred it using a spoon fork.
With ease the boiling water dissolve the bouillon cubes. Hide then divided the soup into two aluminum cups and handed over a cup to Aizawa.
“It matches grilled food well.”
“Mhm.” Aizawa happily received the cup, blew it a few times, and then took a sip. “It’s tasty.”
“Yeah,” Hide smiled before happily taking a sip from his cup. “
A moment later, the Shitake mushroom and the sweet baby corn were also ready. Wasting no time, Hide and Aizawa enjoyed it too. The Shitake mushroom was savory while the sweet baby corn was sweet and tasty, but it was not the end of it.
Hide taught Aizawa to dip the baby corn and Shitake mushroom in their soup before grilling it one more time, and this simple trick managed to elevate the flavor greatly. The saltiness, sweetness, and savory came together very well. It was easy to tell Aizawa like it so much, and it made Hide had another big smile in his.
“Big Bro,” Aizawa put a piece of sweet baby corn on her mouth and chewed it before curiously asking, “Did someone make El Hola?”
“It seems so, and this person definitely a camping expert with excellent field craft.”
“How so?” Aizawa curiously asked.
“El Hola is a really good camping spot. It’s located near good water source. It has good night few to downtown. The ground is solid so the risk of landslide is low. It’s far from hiking trail and the terrain will lightly conceal below surface small bonfire,” Hide casually explained. “People have to be at least 200 meter away from El Hola to notice the radiant from the bonfire we make in this hole.
Most of all, there is no direct trail to approach El Hola if you come from lower ground. You have to reach the other side of the hill before you can walk your way this place, but not many people know about it as this area is not hiking spot. Therefore, most people will try to approach El Hola directly from below because they think it’s the fastest route, but then they will stuck at the dead trail while we spot them and have ample of time to escape.
And so, we can conclude only an expert camping will build a campsite in this place.”
“Mhm,” Aizawa nodded before enjoying another sweet baby corn.
Hide was sure Aizawa didn’t fully grasp his explanation, but he didn’t push it further and let her to enjoy the BBQ to her fullest. A moment later the BBQ gone without a trace and more than half of it ended up in Aizawa’s belly.
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After the dinner, Hide taught Aizawa how to wash the grill mesh and their eating utensil using environmentally friendly soap. First, he dug a 30x30x30 cm hole. This hole would prevent the waste water from spread over uncontrollably. Later they could also re-use it when they brushed their teeth or washed their feet before sleeping.
Then, while Aizawa did the dish, Hide made a small hanger using the fresh oak branches. It was simple hanger. He made a pair of x-shape stand, with the lower part embedded 20 deep to the ground, and connected the upper part with one meter long straight branch.
After that he hung the remaining canned food and firewood bundle on it and made sure it was about 30 cm above the ground. After Aizawa finished washing the dishes and the grill mesh, Hide also asked her to hang everything on the hanger using a small rope.
“Before we sleep, we will also hang our jacket, shoes, socks, cap, and gloves here,” Hide said as Aizawa hanged the grill mesh. “And then cover it with raincoat with enough ventilation on the lower part.”
“If we take off our jacket, shoes, socks, and gloves before we sleep, isn’t it will be very cold?” Aizawa curiously asked.
Hide smiled before explaining, “Our sleeping bag is made of heat insulation sheet. Cold night air won’t be a problem, and it’s very important to take off our shoes and shock and switch to rubber sandal so while we sleep our feet can breathe freely.”
“Okay, but will we sleep without a tent?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it really okay to sleep without a tent?” Aizawa worriedly asked. “What if rain suddenly pours down when we sleep?”
“Our sleeping bag is also waterproof, and it’s big enough for us and our rucksack.”
After a moment of silence Aizawa said, “Okay.”
Actually, Aizawa was still a bit worry about sleeping without a tent, but after remembering that her worry so far was not as bad as she thought, she managed to calm herself. Then, Hide took Aizawa to pick up the trash they make in El Hola, put it in a bag, and hang it in the hanger.
After that the two brush their teeth, and wash their face and feet. The water was very cold, but the two did the wash properly and didn’t cut a corner. And finally, it’s sleeping time.
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