"Would you like a takeout or eat in the restaurant, sir?" the waiter asked.
"Um..."
"Eat in the restaurant?"
"Oh yeah, eat in the restaurant."
"Is this amount of rice enough for you, sir?"
"Um..."
"So should I add a little more?"
"Yes, just a little more."
"What side dish would you like, sir?"
This was a difficult matter, and he was sweating. In front of him was a restaurant that humans of this world called the "curry rice restaurant".
This restaurant was not very big and the amount of side dishes wasn't much either only five choices.
In his mind, most curry rice shops would have more choices than this, but he didn't want to make the wrong choice, so it was better to have not too many choices.
His brain processed the whole scene in front of him because he knew this was the only opportunity to try the local food of this world.
This was his first and last meal in this world, so he wanted to eat the most delicious food.
However, the problem was that he could only look, and he only got a faint smell. It didn't give him any clue about what to choose.
"Um, could I have everything?" he answered.
"No, sir," but he was rejected by the shopkeeper.
"Oh..."
"Mixing all the side dishes together won't taste good, you have to choose," the shopkeeper explained.
"How do I choose?" he asked, like an innocent child.
"Just choose what goes well with the rice, sir."
"Oh...I...I can't choose well."
Fortunately, it wasn't crowded yet, and the shop had just opened. So there was no one waiting in line. The shop owner, who had been waiting for an answer, looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Are you a foreigner?" he asked.
"Um... I'm not Thai, but I can speak Thai," Chunn replied, trying to avoid lying.
"Oh, I see. Okay, I'll pick for you," he said.
"Sounds good. Choose for me, please," Chunn said.
"I think it's better to eat something that's not too spicy, like Khai-Luke-Khey. Sweet and tasty," he said, scooping two portions of boiled egg onto the plate, then pouring a spicy-sweet syrup on top.
"And fresh vegetables with Lhon-Kathi, I think," he added, taking out a bowl of chilled vegetables and a bowl of Lhon-Kathi (sweet paste, made by boiling the coconut milk and chili).
Then he put everything on a tray and handed it to Chunn.
"Enjoy your meal."
"Thanks," Chunn said, taking the tray.
"We also have roselle juice today, in the container over there. Self-service," he said.
"How much was everything?" Chunn asked.
"50 baht for two side dishes and rice," he replied.
"I'll pay in a minute."
Chunn took the tray to a table, back to pay the bill, and then pressed the red drink dispenser until the cup was full of ice-cold red liquid. He hoped the taste wouldn't be too much like blood.
Then he got back to the table.
Looking at the food on his plate, Chunn realized that they didn't care much about the presentation here. The rice and eggs were just piled together. It was much simpler than he had expected.
He wondered if the food would taste good or not. He hoped it wouldn't be poisonous to an alien, like him, given this world's condition. At first, he was curious about trying it, but now he was starting to feel a little scared.
"Is there something wrong?"
The shop owner asked.
"No, nothing. I'm just undecided on how to start eating," Chunn replied.
"Well, why not start with some Khai-Luke-Khey and rice? Just eat both the white and red egg together, it tastes better that way," he suggested.
Chun nodded his head in thanks, then turned back to the plate of rice in front of him.
After a moment of consideration, he gathered the courage to scoop up something called "Khai-Luke-Khey" and brought it to his mouth.
Arghhhh ….
After the first wave of the taste exploded in his mouth, Chunn fell on his back, and stayed on the floor stunned, while the shop owner rushed over to see what was wrong.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Delicious," Chunn replied.
"What? What's wrong?" he asked again.
"It's really delicious!" Chun exclaimed, jumping up and shaking the shop owner's shoulders. "The food you made is so delicious!"
"Oh... thank you, but it's nothing really. It's not a big deal that you were surprised like that. Your head didn't hit the floor, did it?" The owner, who was also the chef, replied.
"It hit a little, but it's okay," Chunn said.
"Well, if you like it, then that's great. Keep eating and enjoy it," the owner said, patting Chunn's shoulder before pulling his hand away.
"Of course, I will," Chunn replied with a big smile on his face.
The young man from another planet scooped up a second mouthful of rice, shedding tears of wonder and delight.
Delicious, delicious, delicious!
He couldn't believe that such unadorned food could taste so heavenly. He had eaten at top-notch restaurants in the heart of the Galaxy, but none of them had tasted as good as this.
This is a gem among gems, the pinnacle of all dishes. The chef's skill is truly terrifying, incredibly terrifying.
Chunn swallowed the last bite of Khai-Luke-Khey, still with one bubble left. However, his eyes were now fixed on the bowl of fresh vegetables and Lhon-Kathi, another type of food he had yet to try.
"Uh, how do you eat this?" he asked the owner of the restaurant, who was lucky enough to have no customers yet. The owner walked out of the shop and sat next to him.
"You can dip the fresh vegetables in the Lhon-Kathi, or you can put the vegetables on the side and pour the Lhon-Kathi over them, then scoop them up and eat with rice," the owner explained.
"Which way is tastier?" Chunn asked.
"I don't know, it depends on your preference. You can try both and see which one you like better," the owner replied.
The owner got up from the table, but then seemed to have thought of something and turned to warn Chunn, "Uh, be careful not to choke on the vegetables, sir."
Chunn took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to the food on his plate. This time, the hesitation he had shown earlier when eating the previous bite was gone, replaced only by excitement.
He picked up a thin slice of white turmeric and placed it on the rice, then scooped up some Lhon-Kathi with some vegetables and put them in his mouth, taking one bite.
Silence.
And then he fell backward, again.
The owner rushed out to check on Chunn's condition, again.
"What's up with you? I already told you to be careful not to slump."
"No problem, it's delicious, very delicious."
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, but please be careful," the owner said, helping Chunn up to sit on the chair again. "If you eat and slump like this, other people will be startled. I myself was startled."
"Sorry, but it was so delicious that I forgot myself."
Then Chunn asked, "Excuse me, is today a special day?"
The owner asked back in confusion, "Special day? Why do you ask?"
Chunn explained, "Yes, because you made such a delicious dish, it must be a special occasion, right?"
Chunn's question made the owner chuckle.
"No, it's just an ordinary day. This is just an ordinary dish. You're confusing me, sir."
But the information Chunn received only left him more bewildered.
"So... you're saying today is an ordinary day and this is an ordinary dish?"
"Yes, it's just an ordinary dish. I sell it every day."
"So... you're saying that people around here eat this kind of food every day?"
"Yes, if they come to my restaurant."
"Wow, why is this so fancy?" Chunn almost couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Is this the normal food that people eat on this planet? This delicious food is what you call normal? Then what would you eat on a special day?"
"Um... sir, are you sure you didn't hit your head hard when you fell? Do you need to see a doctor?"
"No, no need," Chunn quickly refused. "I'm perfectly fine. Can I finish this dish, please?"
"Sure, of course. If you feel strange or uncomfortable, just let me know."
Meanwhile, customers started coming into the shop, and the owner had to attend to them. But while serving the meal, he kept stealing glances at Chunn, afraid that this young guy in the office worker outfit would collapse again.
This last meal should be worth it before the world is truly destroyed. Chunn gathered his senses and slowly savored every bite of the dish, alternating between Khai-Luke-Khey and Lhon-Kathi with fresh vegetables. He wanted every part of his mouth to experience the taste of this dish.
This experience was truly invaluable. Chunn never thought that there would be such delicious things hidden on faraway planets that would make him regret it...
Hold on a second... regret?