I arrived at a certain country in the morning. I had found it by coincidence while flying over the plains on my broom, so I had absolutely no idea what kind of place it was.
In villages too small for a gate, an immigration inspection is unnecessary, but whenever you enter a country that has some territory to it, the gate guards always have questions for you. That said, unless something unusual is going on, they always ask the same
ones.
"Name?"
"Elaina."
"Country of origin?"
"The Peaceful Country of Robetta."
"Reason for entry?"
"Sightseeing."
"Length of stay?"
"Probably three days."
Usually the questions end there, you pay the entry fee if there is one, and the guard should say, "Welcome, and take care" as he steps back to let you in…
"For breakfast, do you take bread or rice?"
…However, the questions continued. And with a very odd question at that.
"…What?" I frowned and asked him in return.
Without so much as a twitch, the guard repeated himself. "With breakfast, do you eat bread? Or do you eat rice? This information is required upon entry, so please answer honestly."
There must be some kind of dispute going on in their culinary scene. Well, he says it's required information, so I should answer honestly. Though I think the question is a little out of place in an official procedure.
"I don't have a preference. I'm a traveler, so I intend to adapt to the tastes of the places that I visit."
I mean, I can't say "I only eat bread!" in a country where they always eat rice. And the opposite is also true, of course. I'll maintain a neutral stance.
"Hmm… How unusual," said the guard, stroking his beard before continuing. "I see. In that case, I'll put you down for both." Then he stepped back and said, "Please take care, Madam Witch."
After bowing to the guard, I passed through the gate.
I immediately understood the reason behind the strange question.
It looked like two different cultures met here.
When I came out of the gate, there was a large canal right in front of me. With the canal as the dividing line, the houses to the right were all built in the Eastern style, while the houses to the left were all built in the Western style.
Immediately in front of the gate, there were two roads. The sign to the right said EAST TOWN: RICE EATERS THIS WAY! while the other said WEST TOWN: BREAD EATERS THIS WAY!
It looks like the country is divided into two factions: rice and bread.
"…Hmm." I was stuck. I really didn't care either way.
But come to think of it, this might be my first time walking through an Eastern-style town. I'm always traveling through Western-style towns. All right then, it's decided.
I veered right.
The road was lined with neatly placed square stones, and dignified wooden houses formed neat rows. I could see the royal palace ahead and surmised that it was placed at the center of the divide, like the canal.
About halfway down the road to the palace, there was a bridge. The brand-new structure was somewhat at odds with the historical townscape. I could see a small boat passing through the middle of the circle formed by the bridge and its reflection on the water.
"...?"
I cocked my head in confusion at the strange figures on the boat.
There was a man sitting on the handrail eating breakfast. He was clad in Eastern clothes, so clearly, he was a resident of East Town. But even when I doubled-checked, he was definitely holding a piece of bread. A rice person is eating bread.
Next to the man, a woman was stuffing her cheeks with a delicious-looking rice ball. She appears to be a member of the rice faction, but she's wearing a Western-style dress.
I was intrigued. It was a very strange scene.
"Um, excuse me?" I called out to the two of them.
After sharing a glance with the woman, the man answered me. "Yes, what is it?"
You've got bread in your hand, but you're wearing Eastern clothes.
That's odd.
I asked a simple, clear question. "What kind of country is this anyway?"
"What kind of country? Hmm." The man crossed his arms, and then left the answering up to the woman next to him. "How would you answer that?"
"A great country."
"Yeah! It is a great country. Miss Traveler, you're here in a great country."
That's not what I meant to ask. I meant more like, well…
"The townscape is great, but you're even better."
"Nooo, you are."
"Oh-ho-ho."
"Ah-ha-ha."