Chapter 022 Because of Vegetables
Halvir shook his head in disbelief, his face clearly showing an expression of dissatisfaction. Anindira took a breath and exhaled a little loudly, she smiled again and explained again.
''Kak Halvir,'' Anindira called softly, ''The vegetables I usually eat are cultivated vegetables.''
''What is cultivation?'' Halvir asked with a serious face.
''Hm...'' Anindira muttered in an unclear voice, thinking about an answer to Halvir's question, ''Well... cultivated vegetables are several types of plants that we plant ourselves. We take care of them until they are ready for harvest, more or less like that.''
''I think I know that... some herbivores do more or less what you said.''
''H-her... her?'' Anindira asked, trying to parrot Halvir's new words.
''Her-bi-vo-re...'' Halvir dictated to teach Anindira a new word.
''So some of you do it too?!'' Anindira exclaimed excitedly.
''Yes, herbivores do it. They don't like to hunt, so they plant. And, most of those plants are used for medicine, that's why Hans is quite familiar with them.''
''I see, so they are used more for medicine than for eating...''
''Not really. Herbivores eat them, we don't.''
Halvir firmly corrected Anindira's statement.
''What do you mean?'' Anindira asked in surprise.
''They plant them because they eat them. We will exchange them for skin or meat, if we need them for medicine...'' Halvir answered, explaining.
''So you don't eat vegetables at all?!'' Anindira exclaimed, asking and confirming.
''We will eat,'' Halvir replied while nodding, ''If there is something wrong with our bodies.''
''Ha, that habit is not good!'' Anindira exclaimed firmly. Making Halvir, who was previously indifferent to turning the meat on the fire, now seriously looked at Anindira, ''That kind of diet is wrong!'' Anindira exclaimed again, in a loud voice, ''Between meat, vegetables, and fruit, everything must be balanced. Don't eat food as medicine only when we are sick but eat before we get sick to prevent it!''
''Is it like your diet?'' Halvir asked, still with his serious face.
''Yes,'' Anindira answered firmly.
Anindira, who was used to Halvir's flat face or sharp eyes, was no longer surprised when Halvir was serious. Halvir looked at Anindira very seriously while looking back at Anindira's entire physique.
''Why does it have to be like that?'' Halvir asked again, but this time he was softer because he was starting to try to understand Anindira's mindset.
Halvir started to get enthusiastic because all of these things were related to Anindira.
''I told you before, to eat to prevent us from getting sick!'' Anindira exclaimed firmly in reply, ''Not eating only when we are sick!''
''Eating it when we are sick is okay, right?''
Both creatures from different worlds still don't understand each other's mindset and way of life. Halvir thinks, from his perspective, as a strong beatsmen. Halvir doesn't think about women in this world who often get sick, because it's hard to see women. Therefore, he doesn't bother about things related to women except those that are considered important by him or by most people in this world.
Women who are raised by two types of beatsmen will have different body conditions and this is still not realized by those who are used to living in this world with a way of life that has been passed down from generation to generation.
''Huft...'' Anindira sighed deeply, ''Okay, I won't argue any harder about this. Just stop it!''
Anindira still didn't know much about this world, so she didn't want an argument like this to worsen her relationship with Halvir. Anindira thought that she could talk about this again later, when she knew more.
''It's up to you... But, you still like eating those wild vegetables, right?!''
Halvir reiterated her statement so that Anindira wouldn't do anything she was forced to do.
''Yes. I still eat them, to balance my nutrition.''
Anindira didn't know that Halvir didn't understand the last word she said. But, because Halvir was too proud, as usual. Anindira liked to say things from her world and those words were not understood by Halvir. But, he was too lazy to ask her. As long as he still understood the other sentences, he didn't care if only one or two words from Anindira's sentence confused him.
''What's the difference between wild vegetables and the vegetables grown by your people?'' Halvir asked again, he still wanted to talk to Anindira, ''You said they taste different.''
''Yes... that's because where I come from, wild vegetables taste bitter and sour, and also leave a sharp smell of grass or dirt. Because of that too, many people leave it and no longer consume them,'' said Anindira, describing the vegetables in front of her, ''Look at that, like wild spinach and wild earrings!'' Anindira exclaimed pointing to several plants around her, ''This too...'' Anindira showed a bunch of poh-pohan leaves that Halvir had picked for her, ''In the rural, many still eat them. But, it's different with people in the city. Not many know about these wild vegetables... I was born and grew up in the city, but I also often go back to my parents' hometown, which is in rural areas. My mother and grandmother are health practitioners. From their upbringing, our family really likes to eat vegetables.''
Anindira paused for a moment, she took a little breath to continue.
''These... the wild vegetables here... maybe because of the clean air. There is no pollution and the quality of the groundwater is still unpolluted. Maybe that's what makes it taste good, not inferior to cultivated vegetables. I enjoy it, really...'' said Anindira, continuing her long lecture about vegetables.
''Do you only eat vegetables that are grown?'' Halvir asked probingly, he was worried that his way of eating would change Anindira's previous eating pattern, ''What about meat?''
''The meat you gave me is a lot of meat. The portion you give me a day, is enough to cover the portion of meat for a week for me,'' Anindira replied with an innocent smile, proud of Halvir's kindness to her.
Halvir and Anindira still had not finished their conversation. Halvir's face still showed his annoyance, because his self-esteem was disturbed because of wild vegetables.
''Why so little?'' Halvir asked, ''You eat quite a lot of meat, that means you are not a herbivore,'' Halvir said, expressing his thoughts, ''That means Hans is right, your clan is weak. Your father can't give you enough meat to eat...''
Finally, Halvir could calm down after being satisfied with expressing his opinion, then returned to twirling the meat. He didn't realize that now Anindira's face had turned sour because of his continuous words.
''Kak Halvir, I'm angry!'' Anindira exclaimed with a sharp gaze staring at Halvir, ''I don't like it when someone insults my father,'' Anindira exclaimed with a tense expression. Her eyes bulged slightly as she continued her words, ''Don't insult my father! He is the best man who educated and raised me. I don't like it when someone insults him, even if it's you!''
Anindira continued her words with an angry expression and eyes staring straight at Halvir.