Chapter 26: Tofu Threads

Despite Farfetch'd carrying the negative "Alchemy" debuff on its culinary path, its knife skills were still impressive. Heath discovered a block of tofu in Giovanni's fridge, which reminded him of a challenging dish from his past life: Tofu Threads.

Heath first saw this dish on TV shows and he became fascinated by the high knife skill required. He tried making it himself several times, but it always turned into tofu soup. After a lot of practice, he managed to create a decent Tofu Threads, though it was far from the perfection shown on TV, where the tofu would blossom like a chrysanthemum in water.

However, Farfetch'd had the talent. Heath admired its knife skills and decided to let it try cutting the tofu for Tofu Threads. If it succeeded, Heath could tackle other knife-skill-intensive recipes in the future.

"Farfetch'd?" Farfetch'd looked at Heath in confusion, not understanding why it was called out.

"Farfetch'd, look, this is a piece of bamboo. Can you carve it into the shape of a knife?" Heath handed a bamboo tube from the kitchen to Farfetch'd, although he wasn't sure why there was bamboo in the kitchen. He was still pleased.

"Farfetch'd!" Farfetch'd confidently nodded, quickly carving the bamboo into a knife shape with its leek, making it look sharp.

"Farfetch'd, can you use the bamboo knife to cut this block of tofu into very fine threads without destroying its integrity?" Heath asked seriously. If Farfetch'd could do this, it would be fantastic. Otherwise, Heath would have to do it himself.

"Farfetch'd?" Farfetch'd looked at the tofu, then extended its wing to test the softness of the tofu.

Heath swiftly tapped Farfetch'd's wing with chopsticks, glaring at it. He had reminded Farfetch'd that chefs should avoid touching ingredients directly, especially since Farfetch'd's wings were covered in feathers.

Heath remembered many videos on TikTok showing so-called "fly restaurants" or "internet-famous" eateries where hygiene was neglected, yet the food was claimed to be exceptionally delicious, even better than five-star restaurants. Heath believed some chefs could indeed cook at a high level, but promoting poor hygiene was nonsense. To him, a chef's basic duty was to ensure kitchen and restaurant cleanliness. A chef who couldn't maintain hygiene had no place in his kitchen.

Farfetch'd, feeling wronged, retracted its wing, then cut a small piece of tofu to the side and tested its softness with its wing before confidently nodding.

"Alright, try cutting this tofu. Keep it intact and remember to use the bamboo knife," Heath instructed. With Tofu Threads prepared, Heath began gathering the necessary ingredients.

Normally, Tofu Threads required cured ham, but since this world had no ham and Heath's own attempts at curing meat weren't ready, he had to use other ingredients. Once Farfetch'd finished cutting, Heath carefully lifted the tofu with a kitchen knife and set it aside.

Farfetch'd's knife skills were indeed impressive, speeding up Heath's cooking process significantly. Before long, Heath had prepared a sumptuous dinner and served it to Giovanni and Sabrina.

"Oh, this looks quite nice. What dishes are these?" Giovanni asked curiously, looking at the dishes Heath had made.

"This is Tofu Threads, this is Peking Roast Duck, this is Sweet and Sour Lotus Root, and finally, this is Curry Chicken," Heath introduced each dish briefly.

Farfetch'd stood by Heath's side, drooling, which amused Giovanni. He looked at Farfetch'd curiously and asked why Heath had brought it out.

Heath quickly explained that Farfetch'd had helped in preparing the food, so he brought it along to meet the guests. Giovanni laughed heartily, clearly in a good mood.

"Heath, others travel with their Pokémon to collect badges and challenge the Indigo League, aiming to become great trainers. But you've turned it into something different," Giovanni laughed until tears came to his eyes, wiping them as he looked at Heath.

"Well, I guess it's because cooking is my true passion," Heath replied with a smile. He could travel too, but instead of collecting badges, he chose to gather ingredients and enjoy the scenery with his Pokémon. To Heath, this was a way of life.

Giovanni generously paid Heath a thousand league coins for the meal, and Heath gladly accepted, taking another step toward funding his travels.

After leaving Giovanni's house, Heath patted Farfetch'd's head, but it still looked unhappy, feeling wronged about not being allowed to help with the roast duck.

"When cooking for guests, we must be at our best. If you're not skilled enough, you can't participate," Heath explained with a smile.

Farfetch'd turned away, still upset.

"Alright, let's go buy ingredients. I'll get you a duck to practice on!" Heath gritted his teeth. A duck cost quite a bit, and it pained him.

Farfetch'd still didn't look back but raised its wing, showing two fingers.

"Alright, alright, two ducks it is," Heath agreed, clutching his wallet in distress.

*(End of the chapter)*