Chapter 8

I had no thoughts.

People would imagine all sorts of things because of my stiff expression, somber atmosphere, and overly polite way of speaking.

That I must have lost someone I loved, or that I had done dangerous things in the past….

A misunderstanding.

‘What should I make today?’

I, Seo Jio, was simply a gluttonous potato.

“…Cheese fondue….”

A spring breeze blew gently over the bed.

I, who had been lazing about like a cat in my sleepiness, got up.

“Cheese fondue sounds good.”

Today’s content was fondue.

A pig does not hesitate in the face of food.

I went down to the ice storage and chose the cheese to use for this dish.

“How should I make it?”

Cheese fondue could be easily made by anyone as long as they had the ingredients.

Of course, some people with clumsy hands would argue with this, but I wasn't clumsy, so it didn't matter.

However, cheese fondue wasn't a dish that required such complex techniques, and as such, the recipes for cheese fondue were also varied.

“It would be good to have Brie cheese as the base.”

Brie cheese was the most conventional choice among the ingredients used to make cheese fondue.

“Is this Brie cheese?”

The Brie cheese wrapped in white paper had a white mold spreading over its surface like silk.

It was as if a thick layer of sweet sugar powder had been sprinkled on the sticky surface of the cheese.

There was no name written on it, but when I smelled it and cut it in half, it was certainly Brie cheese.

“It’s savory and good.”

Brie cheese is a cheese that does not have a strong aroma.

It is mild and has a subtle mushroom and nutty aroma, making it perfect for fondue cheese.

It was a very good combination when eaten with bread or fruit.

“If I only put this in, it might get a bit boring.”

The downside of Brie cheese was that it was rich and heavy if you ate a lot of it.

Brie cheese melted into a runny state shows a creamy quality that melts smoothly without elasticity and since the aroma is calm and the texture is as well, it had a side that one could easily get tired of.

“…….”

I blinked and then muttered.

“I’d like it to be a bit salty.”

I was craving a cheese that had a strong aroma, was salty, and had a sharp taste.

Since Brie cheese was on the savory side.

“Parmesan would be suitable.”

Its official name is Parmigiano Reggiano.

‘Parmesan cheese’ is generally known to Koreans as a seasoning sprinkled on top of pizza.

However, this is a degraded version of Parmigiano cheese, and the two have almost nothing in common.

“Here it was.”

I found the pre-portioned Parmesan cheese.

“It’s a bit much to cut a whole wheel….”

This cheese is an extra-hard cheese that requires more than a year of aging.

This means it is very hard, but nevertheless, the grain within it is distinct.

If it is not cut along this grain, it shatters into pieces.

In that sense, the fact that it was pre-portioned was very welcome.

A whole wheel of Parmesan cheese is larger than a tire and also very expensive, so I had never portioned it myself.

‘I’m glad I don’t have to waste precious cheese.’

I put the cheese, cut into a suitable size, into the basket.

“…….”

The aroma was already strong.

“Nice.”

Parmesan cheese, which emits a sharp aroma, has a correspondingly diverse taste.

First of all, it is very salty.

Even if you eat a piece the size of your pinky nail, your tongue tingles and the aroma rushes to your head, and its flavor is very intense.

At the same time, a deep sweetness like honey gently moistens the tongue like a ripe peach, then gives the pleasure of disappearing without a trace.

‘That’s why it’s delicious to eat raw, too.’

Unheated hard cheese retains a much more savory aroma.

For a cheese beginner, I would recommend eating it raw, and in that state, there exists a pinnacle of taste called crystals between the layers of Parmesan cheese.

“…….”

I liked that small but crispy texture.

‘It has a nutty aroma too.’

It would be overwhelming if I put in too much, but if added in a small amount, it is suitable for enhancing the flavor of the fondue.

“And….”

If I were to add one more.

“Gruyère.”

Gruyère cheese would be suitable.

This cheese is a hard cheese like Parmesan, but it is a bit more flexible than Parmesan which is aged for a year, has a stronger salty taste than Brie cheese and is much sweeter.

‘One of the interesting points is that it has a subtle walnut aroma.’

The fact that it had a deep nutty aroma was attractive in many ways.

This rich aroma would surely go well with the cheeses I had gathered so far.

“…Should I stop with the cheese here.”

If I put in too much, the aroma or taste would become strange.

I went up to the kitchen on the first floor.

“Then now….”

Clatter.

I found a thick earthenware pot from the drawer.

“Let’s start cooking.”

The cooking method was simple.

First, prepare the ingredients you want to eat with the cheese.

Anything is good.

Cherry tomatoes, asparagus, sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, broccoli, zucchini…. Besides these, things like soft bread, crispy croutons, or chewy ciabatta.

It was even good to eat with fruit.

‘But I’ll pass on this.’

Since it was for a meal and not a snack, I was not craving anything sweet and sour.

“Should I just stir-fry them roughly.”

I put the ingredients, cut into bite-sized pieces, into a wok and heated them once, then I put all these ingredients into the furnace.

I was going to char the outside short and thick, with strong heat and then take them out.

The ingredients baked in the furnace would have a subtle smoky aroma.

It was worth preparing firewood with a good aroma in advance.

“This is ready.”

Next is the cheese.

The cheese I brought is cut into small pieces.

All the cheese must melt at the same time so that it mixes well without separating, but if the chunks are too big, the melting times will differ, and the oil and fat layers will separate.

‘When I first made it, I melted it whole, and the cheese oil formed a river. It was a disaster even thinking about it now.’

In the heated earthenware pot, I drizzled olive oil once and added a clove of garlic to release its aroma.

“And wine.”

It is a cheat key that catches the pungent smell of cheese and enhances its flavor.

In my underground cellar, there were also wines that were only in bottles without labels.

Among them, I used the white wine with the cleanest taste and it blended well with the aroma of garlic and olive, creating a pleasant fragrance.

“…….”

Squeeze.

I thought as I closed the wine stopper.

‘I should try making alcohol sometime.’

Time was all I had, so a troublesome process was no big deal.

I resolved to try making everything from wine to distilled spirits, flower wine, and fruit wine.

An unemployed person has the right to waste time.

Around the time all the alcohol had evaporated, I brought the cheese I had cut.

“Put it all in….”

I put all the crumbly cheese on top of the earthenware pot heated over low heat.

“And after stirring.”

When it melts moderately and the cheese oil rises to the top, that's when I add a little bit of the starch water I prepared in advance.

It plays the role of emulsifying the oil and fat layers of the cheese that separate no matter how well you melt it.

“A spoonful of liquor.”

A liquor with a high alcohol content and a deep flavor, like whiskey or brandy, was good.

“…….”

And so, the cheese fondue, which was soft like porridge or soup yet somehow chewy, was completed.

“Tada.”

I liked it.

I brought the cheese and various ingredients and sat down at the table.

To keep the cheese in a constantly warm and runny state, a small candle is lit underneath.

‘This part is a bit cumbersome.’

If the cheese is left cold, it returns to a hard state, so it has to be continuously heated like this.

Therefore, to eat cheese fondue, a fondue set is essential.

“Good thing I made it in advance.”

Anyway, the meal began.

“First….”

I picked up the well-cooked asparagus first.

“…….”

When I dipped it fully in the cheese and pulled it out, the cheese, softened with wine and starch, stretched out.

The asparagus, which had been scorched in the furnace, still maintained its deep green color.

The unique aroma of fresh vegetables and the soft and subtle aroma of asparagus itself rose up.

In particular, the fresh flavor of asparagus, which goes well with fat, was something to look forward to.

“Mm….”

Crunch.

The stalk was chewed with elasticity.

‘Delicious.’

The sweet juice of the asparagus, flowing out like the juices of a well-grilled meat, contained a subtle bitterness.

To the extent that it didn't grate on the nerves, just like the astringent taste of citron tea, the bitterness of asparagus showed an excellent harmony with the other ingredients.

The surface that had been scorched once was like a thin, crumbling leaf.

The stalk just below it was heated in the pan and furnace, making it soft yet juicy and mushy, and below that, the still-vividly alive plant stem crunched as I chewed.

‘It goes well with the cheese too.’

The creamy, soft Brie cheese provides the foundation.

It could have been boring, but the sharp aroma of the Parmesan caught it, and the deep walnut aroma of the Gruyère connected the gaps in between.

The delicate flavor of asparagus goes particularly well with fat.

I'm talking about things like cheese, fresh cream, and butter, and it matched perfectly without any sense of disharmony with this fondue, which had its aroma captured once with garlic.

Moreover, thanks to its juicy and crunchy texture, it was like eating well-ripened spring greens.

“…….”

This is life.

“…A life where I feel sleepy even while eating… it can’t get any more desirable than this.”

As I ate the fondue that gently soothed my stomach while feeling the soft spring breeze coming in through the wide-open window, this was heaven right here.

“After I finish eating, I should go out and take a nap. Where should I try sleeping today.”

The next thing I chose was ciabatta.

“It’s well-baked.”

Ciabatta was a bread famous for its fluffiness and chewiness.

The surface, lightly dusted with flour, had been swept with butter, giving it a flavor like a roux in a soup.

Thanks to being baked in the furnace, the outside was very crispy, and the side with a strong coating of butter boasted a crispy yet soft texture like a crouton in soup.

“Then now for the cheese….”

Dipping it deep.

“…….”

Munch.

I put it in my mouth.

“…….”

It was very good.

‘This is it.’

I placed a well-cooked potato on top of the cheese-covered bread.

“Uuummm….”

As expected, fondue was good because there was the joy of eating it in combination.

Crispy and chewy bread, cheese with a diverse texture, and fluffy potatoes boasting a strong flavor from being cooked in butter.

From texture to taste, it was a composition with nothing to complain about.

‘Cleanse my palate with a tomato once….’

Snap!

“…Ah, this is delicious too.”

The cherry tomato, heated briefly and strongly so that the inside wouldn't overcook, was still crunchy with a subtly warm broth inside.

Its surface had a delicate snap like a well-cooked sausage.

“It would go well with the cheese too.”

After eating it with cheese like that, I became happy with the diverse flavors.

“Should I try adding a crouton this time?”

I ate whatever I could grab.

Dipping a crispy crouton deep into the chewy cheese for one bite, soft broccoli that was well-cooked to not be too mushy with the cream-like spreading cheese for another, sweet and fluffy sweet potato with salty and savory cheese for another….

It was quite a large amount, enough to fill a basin, but I ate it all up quickly.

“…….”

I was amazed at the miracle performed by my stomach.

At this rate, it couldn't be Noah's Ark, but it could probably be Jio's Ark.

“Did my capacity increase?”

I was certainly a big eater, but I didn't think it was this much before I came into the picture.

“…….”

My ultimate positive mindset activated.

‘It’s fun, so it’s fine.’

Tada.

My rationalization was successful.

Even after eating this much, my stomach didn't feel bloated.

For me, a gourmet and a big eater who truly finds joy in eating, this was a welcome event.

“These days, people even breathe fire from their mouths, so I’m pretty tame.”

When people live, they can evolve and all that, can't they?

“Now I should grab some snacks and go out for a nap….”

I put well-dried Mangdung Fruit, Baibamunil tea leaves, and a glass bottle filled with warm water into a cleanly washed basket.

The Mangdung Fruit, with its deep golden color, had shrunk to the size of a raisin, becoming a useful snack.

‘The ones I dried outside have become completely hard.

I should be able to make Mangdung Fruit medicine soon.’

I put on my black cloak.

‘I want to try upgrading this later too.’

The cloak I made when I first woke up in the picture was still usable.

It was made to avoid being spotted by any scary beasts, and also to prevent my body from being scraped by poisonous plants or my clothes from getting worn out.

For something I had clumsily sewn together from the cloth in the cabin, it was decent.

‘It’s light, thick, and well-ventilated.’

My body doesn't get very hot or cold, but I couldn't help my back from hurting when I lay on the bare ground.

In such a situation, the cloak would serve as a pretty good blanket.

After adjusting my clothes, I headed to the spring.

As I walked slowly, I soon arrived at the spring, which was still beautiful, quiet, and yet diverse with the murmuring sounds of all kinds of creatures.

So what does that mean?

“…….”

Time to sleep.

“Nice.”

I was sleepy.

After chewing on some chewier dried Mangdung Fruit, I fell asleep without even taking a single sip of tea.

The cloak, large enough to cover my whole body, became an excellent blanket as expected.

“…….”

Hweee― Hweee―….

Soon, upon my sleeping form, butterflies resembling sunlight landed.

“Peep.”

“Flutt-rr….”

“K-heung.”

Five or six round-bodied rabbits.

A deer with long legs.

Plump cats resembling leopard cats and a few small and large birds that had been chirping.

They gathered together like that and fell into a deep sleep.

“…….”

“…….”

It was a peaceful nap time.

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