Heath, Lily, Luca and I set off toward the closest town, Carleone. Luca's wagon isn't covered, so we watch the beautiful sunrise and listen to the birds sing. After several minutes, I break the silence.
"Hey Luca, can you tell us a bit more about Carleone? I'm not very familiar with the area and I'd like to know what to expect." I ask Luca, who is sitting in the front of the wagon holding the reins.
"Carleone... Let's see... It has a population a little over 5000, to compare, the village has two to three hundred." Luca scratches his head and begins his explanation. "It's ruled over by Baron Philip McClure and is known for supplying high quality grain throughout the country. This grain comes from the farming villages surrounding Carleone, like the one we just left."
"I see, is there anything else it's known for?" I question as I stroke my chin.
"Hmmm, not just grain, other food as well. Carleone is famous for its diversity of foods, but many of them aren't exported. So, nobles and tourists visit for the food and country air." Luca stares off into the distance, then turns toward me and grins. "Make sure you try lots of food while you're there! It's delicious!"
'Food? The inn's food has been getting old, so I look forward to that. Ugg, I've been craving the food from my old world for a month! I can try making some myself, but I don't have all the ingredients... Awww, if only I had some... Wait! What if Carleone has it!'
My pleasant smile disappears and my face becomes stern and serious. My eyes narrow and I stare at Luca.
"Luca, I have an important question to ask you..." I wait till Luca looks me in the eyes and nods for me to continue. "Does, Carleone, have, rice?"
"Hahaha, rice? I thought you had something important to ask me! Of course there's rice! Carleone is a grain distributor, how could it not have rice?!" Luca laughs at my serious tone and returns his gaze to the road.
'All right, understandable, I would laugh too. But, I've waited a month now, I need to satisfy my craving, and without rice that's impossible! All the other ingredients I've seen, I'm only missing rice. Rice is important! With it, I can recreate the greatest culinary achievement in the history of mankind! But first, I should ask if Luca knows about it.'
"Luca..." My eyes gleam as I stare at Luca, for some reason goosebumps appear on his arms. "Do you know what a burrito is?"
"Hehehe..." Luca keeps facing forward and chuckles. "No, what's a burrito?"
'He doesn't know what it is! They must not have them! Calm down, it's fine, I was planning on making it myself anyway! How depressing though, these people don't know what a burrito is! I should educate them!'
"Ahem, Burritos are food, meals and works of art!" I stand up in the back of the wagon to give my speech. "They perfectly combine most of what the body needs to function! The beans and rice make a complete protein, giving your body the 9 amino acids it needs to function! The romaine lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and beans give you all the vitamins you need, excluding a few B vitamins! All these ingredients contain minerals and the carbohydrates the body needs. The meat gives extra fat and vitamins and minerals depending on which kind you choose! All of it combined, wrapped up in a tortilla to create a delicious masterpiece, that is a burrito!"
I pause and look around. Everyone's staring at me blankly.
"Ummm, I don't understand most of the words you used." Lily raises her hand and tilts her head.
"Oh, right..." I sit down to explain. "All our cells contain protein, so we can't make more cells if we don't have enough protein. Proteins are chains of amino acids, and the human body doesn't produce 9 of the amino acids it needs. So, we have to eat food containing those 9 essential amino acids to survive. Minerals are substances that appear in nature and aren't from a living organism, typically in a crystalline form. The body needs small amounts of many minerals to function. For example, your blood's hemoglobin requires iron. Fat has the main purpose of storing energy, but it also has other uses. For example, fat makes up part of our brains. Vitamins are organic molecules required by the body, that aren't fats, proteins or minerals. Finally, Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy in the body. Sorry if I'm bad at explaining, I understand very little myself. But, does that make more sense?"
**Silence**
"Nuh uh," Heath shakes his head and turns his eyes away.
"Ummmm..." I droop my head in shame, then try to simplify it. "Food is made of a mixture of things, and our bodies need those things to survive. Burritos have a variety of those things in a small package, and they're delectable."
"Burritos sound superb, you should try making some when we get to Carleone." Lily encourages me with a sympathetic frown.
'I know that look! They're being polite but they don't believe me! I'll prove them all wrong once I get the ingredients! Mwahahaha! Wait, I triggered my evil laugh... That wasn't intentional, I guess food brings out the worst in me...'
"Ahem, anyway it doesn't end there! By the year 1900 burritos had been popularized! Not for their taste, but because their functionality. They're delicious, cheap, healthy and functional, the god of all foods!" I try to finish strong, I probably overdid it.
"Hehehe, so you made that all up! The year 1900? It's only 813 AGC! I fell for it!" Luca's shoulders shake from his chuckling, but he never turns away from the road.
'Oh no! I've made a terrible mistake! What if they don't have tortillas in Carleone! Oh, and I should clear up this dating system confusion, to prevent people from getting suspicious...'