Gio had no thoughts at all.
“Mmm…”
He took a hearty mouthful of stew, and warmth spread throughout his body.
‘This is it.’
Gio nodded.
Thinking about anything but food at the dining table was an insult to the meal and no different from a declaration of war against pigs. More than anything, while eating a meal this spectacular, he simply could not think of anything else.
‘It is such a wonderful dish to eat when the body feels cold or empty.’
Even a Priest of the Sun who lived with warmth constantly at his side was not immune to colds or fever. At such times, Giovanni would cook and eat a stew like this.
The appeal of stew, a warm dish, grew especially powerful when one was ill.
“Delicious.”
“Kkuu.”
Of course, it was delicious when one was healthy too.
‘This is why one eats stew.’
The tomato’s natural acidity developed a deeper flavor when infused with warmth. It produced a complex aroma like the sticky, mildly sweet broth left by simmering chicken feet for hours, while the flesh, slowly collapsing beneath the tongue alone, offered a somehow elegant sweetness.
“It pairs nicely with the carrots as well.”
“That is the virtue of Edlen stew. Anything you put in it works well.”
“Though that is also a characteristic of tomato…