SC1 18.1 – The Great Country of Taiwan
After checking the table of menu I gave him, dark lines suddenly appeared on Owner Tokuma’s forehead. “It’s not entirely wrong to put so many menus in one go, but I think it’s too many for a new store.”
I nodded and said, “Yeah.”
“I hope this table of menu is not the result of over excited rush.”
“It’s not,” I firmly said. “But I don’t mind if you want to detract some of the menus. It’s just that, I hope you taste it personally before doing so.”
“I see.” After a short ponder Owner Tokuma asked me another question, “What is your signature dish?”
“It’s called Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup, but I haven’t put it here yet.”
“Why?” Owner Tokuma asked as the dark lines in his forehead became darker.
“Right now, I’m in the middle of growing the key element herbs for it.”
After a long pause Owner Tokuma said, “This is the first time an eatery under my management try to start its operation without signature dish. I hope I don’t regret it.”
“So do I,” I calmly said.
Owner Tokuma then asked a servant to take me to tasting quarter. It was the same dining quarter I used to taste Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup back then. Yunno and Yui happily helped me arranged the sample dishes on the table, along with putting its name.
After that I sat in a corner enjoying a cup of tea servant brought me, while Yunno and Yui stood behind me. A moment later, a bunch of middle-aged men and one young man entered the tasting quarter. They gave me a glance before tasting the sample one by one.
The tasting went in swift manner. It took only about 20 minutes. However, before leaving the taster gave me hostile glance, especially the only young man in the group. Without second thought I ignored it. They were ordinary people, so I didn’t need to worry if they want to pick a fight.
Then, Owner Tokuma entered the tasting quarter and went straight to taste the sample. After tasting a few dishes, one bite each, and he then went over to me and sat next to me.
“When I checked the table of menu earlier, honestly, it made me pessimistic. You offer too many dishes in such a short time,” Owner Tokuma said. “But after I tasted the sample, I realized it. You are seasoned cook. Arranged such various menu overnight and even prepare the sample is trivial for you.”
“You are too generous with your flattery,” I casually said. “I have planned it for a while. Your offer comes just when the plan ripe.”
“I see.” After a short pause Owner Tokuma said, “If you don’t mind, the store will handle the warm water and ice water.”
“I don’t mind. Please handle the pickled-napa cabbage too. I buy it from Sotora after all. Just add a table spoon red chili flake for every kilogram napa cabbage to its recipe, and change the name to kimchi.”
“Got it.” As Owner Tokuma turned his gaze to me he continued, “The draft mentions that Minami will handle the cooperation between us, but I don’t mind if you want to change it and communicate with me directly.”
“Why do you think I want to change it?” I curiously asked.
After letting out a sigh Owner Tokuma explained, “I groom Minami as my successor, but the other cooks refuse to work with her until I officially appointed her. That’s why I presume you have similar stance like them.”
“Is there a possibility Minami won’t become your successor?”
“Every business I build in Rokube is my own and has no connection to my family in Kamakura, so it’s up to me to whom I will pass it down, but patriarch and elder from my family think differently,” Owner Tokuma dejectedly said. “They won’t let me appoint non-warrior as my successor, even if this person is legit member of the family.”
“I will not involve myself with infighting in your family. I just want to have business cooperation.” I firmly said. “And I don’t mind to run it with Minami, regardless she will become your successor or not.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you. Now I can give Minami a bigger responsibility and groom her further.” After a smile Owner Tokuma said, “And you won’t regret your decision to work with her.”
I nodded and changed the subject. “Who are the people who tasted the sample before you?”
“They are cooks I’m working with currently,” Owner Tokuma casually said. “Why do you ask? Do they bother you?”
“Before they left, they gave me a hostile glance.”
“It’s understandable.” After a small chuckle Owner Tokuma added, “Despite the numerous type, this is the first time those over proud cooks can’t find unacceptable aspect from sample dishes brought by an unknown cook.”
“Do I have to worry about them?”
“No, they have calmed down after I told them you have no interest to compete for the spot in Toba Mie.”
“I see.”
“One more thing,” Owner Tokuma’s expression became drop dead serious as he continued, “I believe your dishes will dominate local competition, but Rokube population is only five thousand people, and there are dozens other low-tier eatery.
To maximize the profit, if you agree, I will also sell some of your dishes through my store in Kamakura. This city population is about eight hundred thousand people and your dishes more than qualified to fight the best low-tier dishes over there.”
I happily nodded. “I will do my best to keep up with the demand from Kamakura, but for Rokube let’s limit the sales 50 portion a day, each dish. In return, I will add more dishes.”
“Okay,” Owner Tokuma happily replied.
Wasting no time Owner Tokuma legalized our cooperation. He also increased the amount of the first order significantly. For The Great Country of Taiwan he ordered 800 portions each of every dish and beverage, while for Kamakura he ordered 1200 portions each of main dish and drinking snack.
After that, I took Yunno and Yui to trade some wild game with ingredients before returning to the hut.
---
It took almost two weeks before I could deliver the first order from Owner Tokuma. The next day, The Great Country of Taiwan started its journey to culinary world. There was no grand opening, special discount, or promotional package to attract first customer. The store just calmly started its operation, like a simple street stall opened its first day of business.
Minami asked me to come and supervised the store for the first week with her, but I declined. I had too many things I had to do right now. I would only check the first few hours of its operation, from the edge of rooftop across the street, in peregrine owl form.
Peregrine owl had eagle eyesight and owl hearing, so with ease I saw and heard the activities inside the store. Minami was a clearly nervous. It was natural as this was the first time she became a manager of a store. Fortunately, she knew her job well.
Along with one cashier and four waitresses, she carried out the preparation to receive customer. Then, The Great Country of Taiwan opened exactly at 07:15 am. A moment later, the first prospective customer arrived. He was a middle-aged man with neat and nice clothes.
The man looked at the board sign and red lantern on top of the entry door before entering the store, and Minami went to serve him personally.
After a smile Minami said, “Tailor Koenji, welcome.”
“Minami, is the cook really as good as Cook Shougo?” The man curiously asked. “I hate to eat breakfast too far from my shop, but I have no choice if the new menu is not good enough to satisfy my fussy palate.”
“Tailor Koenji, please have no worry,” Minami cheerfully said. “Personally, I think the new menu is better than the previous one.”
“Really?” Tailor Koenji asked as he gave Minami a skeptical gaze.
But Minami just confidently smiled while handed over the menu, “For a breakfast, I recommend sardine and tomato bowl, it’s delicious and very friendly to empty stomach in the morning.
But if you want something heavier, I recommend the noodle dish and finish it with a cup of warm lemon and ginger.”
“Let me try the sardine and tomato bowl and finish it with warm lemon and ginger.”
“Right away.”
Without delay Minami went to the counter and a waitress immediately handed over to her a tray with a bowl of sardine and tomato and a cup of warm lemon and ginger. Minami then skillfully carried the tray to the table and put the order before Tailor Koenji.
After telling Tailor Koenji that the sardine’s bone was very soft and could be eaten, she left him to enjoy his breakfast peacefully.
Then, while having a super serious expression in his face, Tailor Koenji split apart the sardines in the bowl one by one, and examined them like a forensic carrying an autopsy. Throughout two lives, this was the first time I saw a man so meticulous about his breakfast. It made me nervous honestly. I even started to think my dish would not be able to satisfy him.
Fortunately, after tasting a piece of the sardine, Tailor Koenji ate everything heartily and finished the whole bowl in less than three minutes. After that he asked Minami if the drinking snack was as good as the main dish.
Without second thought Minami suggested Chili & Garlic Shrimp. After tasting it, Tailor Koenji ordered a bottle of warm sake right away, but Minami turned him down because alcohol could only be served after sunset.
And so, after wiped out clean the first portion, Tailor Koenji ordered Chili & Garlic Shrimp take-out. I got feeling he would warm up a bottle of sake as soon as he arrived at his store. My Chili & Garlic Shrimp was too good to be enjoyed without warm sake.
Then, another customer entered the store and once again Minami served him personally. Like Tailor Koenji, this customer was also owner of nearby store and came by to have breakfast. And before long, the store was already full of customers and the waitresses were busy serving them.
From the conversation in the store, I found that the customer mostly were the patron of the previous cook. Fortunately, they were satisfied with my menu. They also said that my menu was more delicious than the previous menu even though it was slightly cheaper.
‘I guess The Great Country of Taiwan will thrive,’ I muttered before flapping my wing, climb to the sky, and flew back to the hut.
*****