The content in the sack is RICE!
Although its color is brownish white not pure white, it's no doubt this is rice.
For you that live in the country that uses wheat as the main staple food would not understand what the feeling of Japanese likes me who eat rice every day. If there's no cart driver in front of me, I already cry for happiness. I ask the cart driver where he gets this rice from
"Where this thing cultivated?"
The cart driver smiling before answering my question
"It's not cultivated master Henry, it grows wild in grassland. Because the horse likes it, people harvest it and use it as horse food"
Oh my God! After I return to the castle I must ask my father to make this paddy field to get some rice for me. If they know how delicious rice is, they will not use it as horse food.
"Leave this sack here. Get the horses grazing grass for their food. If there's another sack like this, move it here in supply cart"
The cart driver dumbfounded hearing my order. I know he must be thinking I'm weird because want to eat horse food.
"Do you hear me? If there's still another sack like this, move to supply cart"
"Ah? Yes yes, there is still two others sack in there. I will move it here right away"
"Good"
I leave the cart bringing the sack and ingredient I take before to my tent. Inside my tent, I scoop a handful of rice and sniff the smell. Aaahhh….this is indeed rice, no doubt. Now I have all ingredient in my hand. I rinse the rice in the water basin in my tent to remove the dirt and bugs that may be inserted in the sack. After the rice is clean I took some of them with other ingredients to the stove.
"Guys, can you help me peel this potato and carrot while I do the pot?"
I ask the firewatcher crew to help me prepare the dish.
"Master Henry wants to do the cooking?" Jesper look at me with glimmering eyes
"Yes, it would be faster if there's anyone can help me peel the potato"
"Let us do that master Henry" this time all firewatcher crew offers their help.
Ah, I understand now what that indescribable look before. It seems Claude's shift bragging about the tempura taste that we eat together last night to this shift crews.
"Sure, thanks for the help"
I handed the potato and carrot to them while I take care of the pot. I remove the fish head that now mostly only left its bones because the leftover meat in the head already turn into broth after half night simmering. I scoop the bonehead and put it in a basin, although only bones, there's still something most delicious left there and I don't want to share this most delicious part with the crew.
When I'm done removing the fish head from the pot, leaving fish-free broth in the pot, the crew also finished their job peeling potato and carrot. I take chopping board and dice the potato and slice the carrot, celery, parsley, and tomato. After this slice and dice finish, I put them in the broth and simmer them for 15 minutes while adding a bit salt there. After 15 minutes passed, I put the rice that already rinsed into the broth, and continue to simmer the broth for 20 minutes while stirring it slowly once in a while.
Since I intended to share this soup with the firewatcher crew, I told them to take their eating bowl here, and within a minute, they already hold their bowl with eyes full of expectation. While waiting for the soup done, I slice some lime to add more flavors to the soup. Finally, 20 minutes passed, I check the rice in the soup, and it's already soft and ready to eat. The potato also already becomes soft and crunchy, easy to melt in the mouth. I call the crews and pour their potion in their bowl. For my own bowl, I dig the fish eye from the bone and put in my bowl. The crew staring me takes the fisheye with befuddled eyes. Maybe they never heard that fish eyes can be eaten. When they look at the bowl they also surprised seeing the rice there. Maybe they not expecting they will eat 'the horse food' here. So I understand when they look at me with confused eyes.
"You can eat now, guys," I said that after pouring lime slices essence into my bowl and digging the content with the spoon.
Hmmm…delicious, it's the taste I haven't eaten for a few days. Although the rice different from what my grandpa plant in his field, but this is still rice. Looking at me eating the rice without hesitating, the crew start to taste the food. This time the crew not busy commenting but after one gulp, they quickly put spoonful rice in their mouth, again and again until their bowl empty.
I calmly eat my portion while watching them eat. The fish eyes in my bowl really taste delicious. Not many people know that fish eyes are the most nutritious part of the fish. When I finish my bowl, the crew already finished their own. They looked at me with shy eyes
"How about the taste guys?"
"Forgive us, master Henry. To tell the truth, at first we doubt about the taste, but after we take a bite, it was us who wrong. The taste is incredible! I never eat food so delicious like this" Jesper frankly admit what they thought before. Ah, uncle Jason people really interesting and trustworthy.
"That's right master Henry, we were wrong when seeing what this food made from. It's amazing to taste" another crew said his opinion.
"I never know that rice that usually for horse food can be eaten and the taste is good. Master Henry is really an eye-opener for us"
"From leftover and something that never eaten before to become such delicious food, I really admire master Henry from the bottom of my heart. This taste of food will never be forgotten by me"
I smile hearing that praise from the crew. There's nothing more pleased for a cook but happiness from the people when eating his cooking.
"That's okay guys. The ingredient, in fact, is just leftover from last night and something that used to feed the horse. I'm not blaming you to feel doubt about the taste"
"Master Henry is magnanimous! Please leave the rest to us for cleaning. This is all we can do to repay master Henry kindness"
"Alright, I leave the rest for you guys. Thanks"
After that, I leave the stove to find Claude to accompany me exploring the area. Many years later, when this area become prosperous, fish eye dish become the most expensive dish in this town beside the fish egg.