Touta quickly took out the herbs, vegetables, and fruits that he had gathered from the forest, washed them to ensure their cleanliness, and began chopping the vegetables and fruits. He had already decided what he would do, in addition to grinding the herbs and making the spices to season the meat.
While Touta was working, many of the Applicants quickly returned with giant pigs.
"..." - Touta stared at the Applicants for a moment before going back to peeling the potatoes, as he was planning to serve fried potatoes as a side dish. That wasn't all; he intended to cook the meat in the oven along with potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and some other herbs.
As for the seasonings he was going to use for the meat, he had finished all of them, including the portion for Gon and the others.
After many Applicants arrived, Gon and the others also showed up, causing Touta to stop what he was doing and carry a few plates to them, as their kitchens were next to each other.
"Gon, take this and rub it on the meat," Touta said, handing one of the plates to Gon. "This is for you as well."
"Is this it?" Leorio asked, staring at the plate in his hands with confusion. There was a red liquid inside.
"It's a seasoning made from herbs and spices, used to enhance the flavor of meat," Touta replied, looking at Leorio as if he were foolish.
"I already know this!!" Leorio yelled in frustration, as he wanted to know the ingredients of the red liquid.
"By the way, if you don't know anything about cooking and just want to grill the meat without doing anything else, I recommend boiling it in hot water for 15 minutes first," Touta said, leaving them alone as Kuroumaru had already returned with the chopped meat, ready for cooking.
"Isn't it okay to let him help them like this?" Buhara asked, as, although he didn't care, he knew how much Menchi hated seeing someone belittle cooking by letting others do the cooking for them.
"It's fine. He hasn't done much other than giving some advice and spices," Menchi shook her head casually. "Obviously, Touta knows what he should and shouldn't do. The final taste depends on them. 70% of the flavor depends on the cook, not just the spices."
"That's true," Buhara nodded after hearing Menchi, not saying anything more. He was busy wiping his saliva, clearly excited to taste Touta's cooking.
_
"Touta-kun, here is the meat," Kuroumaru said, placing the bags of meat on Touta's counter. "I've already washed it in a nearby river."
"Thank you, Kuroumaru," Touta smiled as he took the meat. He had already taken off his suit and was wearing gloves, as, despite feeling disgusted by pork, he couldn't cook well while wearing the suit he had worn earlier. "The river water isn't as clean as this water, so it needs to be washed again. Also, use the contents of that plate to rub the meat before cooking it."
"Thank you, Touta-kun," Kuroumaru smiled as he took the meat and the plate with the spices and headed to the temporary kitchen next to Touta. "From here, I'll take care of it myself, as I know how to cook."
"Alright, but if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask," Touta said, returning his focus to his dish as many Applicants had already started presenting their dishes, despite them being poorly grilled meat.
_
"Delicious!!" Buhara shouted happily as he ate a roasted pig presented by one of the Applicants.
"It's bad," Menchi said indifferently as she stared at the roasted pig in disgust. "It's overcooked, causing the outer meat to burn. You need to prepare it better."
Seeing Menchi's grim face, no Applicant dared to say anything and returned to their place to try cooking again.
"It's disgusting, it's burnt on the outside and raw on the inside."
One by one, the dishes presented by the Applicants were rejected by Menchi without even tasting them.
"Next," Menchi said after rejecting almost 50 Applicants.
"Next is me," Touta said confidently as he presented his dishes in front of both of them. "What I've cooked is roasted pork with vegetables, in addition to fried potatoes as a side dish."
That wasn't all Touta had made; he also prepared some sauces for dipping the meat and fried potatoes, which should earn him a few extra points.
"The presentation isn't bad," Menchi nodded in approval as she saw how well the dish was arranged. "And the smell is wonderful, but I wonder about the taste."
After muttering a few things, Menchi picked up a fork, took a small piece of meat, and placed it in her mouth, closing her eyes.
But unlike Menchi, Buhara grabbed a whole thigh and started eating it without caring about appearance or presentation.
"Delicious!!" Buhara shouted happily, devouring the thigh in a second, then grabbing another piece and continuing to eat.
"Not bad," Menchi opened her eyes and nodded in approval, then cut more meat with her fork. "You succeeded."
"Thank you very much," Touta smiled and sighed in relief. Even though he was confident in his cooking skills, Menchi's evaluation was very strict, so he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
...
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