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“I brought some with me,” I said. “I can give you some.”
“Thank you.” She set down the cup. “Elvish cuisine differs from Midarian cuisine. We use little in the way of spices or herbs in our food. And what we do use differs from what you’re used to.”
This proved my theory. Our taste receptors were different. A tea that most other species found too sweet was just right for Elves. The same went for the fish. It was probably too bland for Darith’s taste, but for me, it was just right.
“Would it be possible to visit the Royal Kitchens?”
∞∞∞
The Royal Kitchens were a bustle of activity, with Elves running around, chopping vegetables, kneading dough, and tending to the many pots and pans that were bubbling away on the stovetops.
As we walked in, the kitchen staff swarmed us. All of them were curious about what brought us to the kitchens.
“Would it be possible to speak to the person in charge of my meals?” I asked. “I have requests regarding my food.”
An Elf with bright red cheeks smiled at me.“Lord Caes has already retired for the night, but we can wake him up if you’d like.”
I glanced at the two cooks with a flying sack of vegetables behind them. “No, that’s alright. I’ll speak to whoever is in charge.”
“That would be cook Marek,” he answered. “Follow me and I’ll take you to her.”
We followed the Elf through the kitchen, dodging around people and pots until we stopped in front of a door. A small Elvish woman with flour on her hands and a no-nonsense expression on her face sat behind a desk, going over a stack of papers.
“Cook Marek.” The Elf entered the room and Darith and I waited outside of the room. “This is Princess Thimsal and her Second, the lady Darith. They need to speak with you about her menu.”
“How can I help?” Cook Marek stood up, and we entered the room. “Do you wish to add dishes from Midar to the menu? Lord Caes wished to approach you about this after you settled down.”
We took a seat on two chairs that were brought to the room. I smiled gratefully at the cooks.
“That’s very kind of him,” I said. “I can ask ambassador Bennani to send over some Midarian recipes. But I’m here for a different reason.” I looked down before looking at her. “I wondered if it was possible to request some changes to my meals.”
“Changes?” Her face fell. “What changes? Is something wrong with the food?”
“No, nothing’s wrong with the food.” I tried to soothe her. “I believe Midarians and Elves taste things differently. And I’m not used to the way your food is prepared.” I glanced at Darith and she placed the tray in front of cook Marek. “Would you mind tasting this for me?”
Cook Marek looked at the tray skeptically, but she picked up a carrot and tasted it. Her face changed as she chewed, and her eyes narrowed.
“What do you taste?” I asked.
“It’s... blander than I’m used to,” she said. “But it’s not bad. It misses something.”
“Exactly.” I clapped my hands. “I’m not used to the spices and herbs that you use in your cooking, so I was hoping you could tone them down. How does this compare to Elvish food?”
“It’s not as flavorful,” she said. “But I can see how it would be more to your taste. I’ll see what I can do. Magic can only do so much.”
It piqued my interest. In Midar, you could buy enchanted cooking utensils for a steep price. But we didn’t use magic to cook our meals. “You use magic during cooking?”
“Of course,” cook Marek said. “All professional cooks use magic in their cooking. It’s how we get the flavors just right. It’s our craft.”
“And how does that affect the flavors?”
“It’s hard to explain.” She bit her lip. “We use magic to enhance the natural flavors of the food. It’s how we make our dishes so delicious.”
“I appreciate your input. Right now, the food is inedible.” Cook Marek winced in response. “I hope it’s possible to change that.”
“I’ll see what I can do to adjust the flavors of the food. But it might take some time to get it just right. Did your Second prepare this for you?”
“No, lord Maeven’s staff did,” Darith answered. “Perhaps your staff could work with theirs to replicate the flavors?”
