落とし穴外伝：元同僚たちの嗜好 (Part2)
With those words, she produced a cup of pork kimchi ramen.
"?" I tilted my head, completely at a loss. "What about it?"
"Have you ever eaten this?"
"No, I haven't. It looks rather spicy, doesn't it?"
I wasn't particularly averse to spice, but I didn't crave it either. I was content with standard ramen, so I’d never had a reason to reach for something like this.
"Hmm. I’m surprised you haven't tried it. It’s delicious, you know."
"Is that so?"
"Indeed. I happen to like it, which is why I suggested we stock up on it for our marches."
"I hardly think it’s necessary to go out of our way to eat spicy food while on the march. It only increases our water consumption."
Ah, I see. I finally understood the situation. Marly wanted to introduce new rations for their marches, and Hivia was pushing back against the idea.
Still...
"Hivia, even if it’s labeled as spicy, it’s not exactly extreme."
"Is that true? What about those 'curry challenges' I’ve heard about?"
"Those are designed to push human limits. Standard food products aren't like that at all."
In truth, there were products specifically for spice lovers, and yes, that included cup ramen. But those were clearly marked as intensely spicy, so there was no risk of someone accidentally eating one.
"Of course, everyone has their preferences, but if we’re going to be that selective, we’d have to consider that some people might dislike ramen altogether. Are there any such soldiers in your unit?"
"None. Everyone loves ramen."
"Exactly. Even the new recruits who joined after Jessica went to Weed love it. Still, just adding things based on Marly’s personal tastes is..."
"In that case, why doesn't Hivia choose some based on your own tastes? Or better yet, why not introduce a variety instead of just one?"
"Oh, that’s a brilliant idea."
"What are you saying? We don't have the budget—well, it’s not that we don't have the budget, but morale plummets when soldiers are forced to eat food they dislike."
Hivia was right. If the quality of the meals wasn't up to par, the soldiers' morale would suffer. It would plummet, and sharply at that. That was precisely why the introduction of cup ramen had been such a hit with the troops. Being forced to eat something you loathe, however, had the exact opposite effect.
But...
"Why not let them choose? You could simply stop ordering the ones that aren't popular."
"Huh?"
"That’s a nice idea."
Ignoring Marly for the moment, I continued. "Hivia, we were always used to making do with what we had. Buying in bulk was cheaper, after all."
"Yes. So why let them choose... oh."
Hivia seemed to realize it then.
"Since the supplier is the same, the bulk discount won't change much regardless of the variety. In fact, since this is a chance to gather opinions from a large group, buying a diverse selection might even lower the costs further."
Ratz often imported items for personal consumption, but she was always hesitant to sell them to others. After all, personal taste is subjective. She had her subordinates try them, but that was limited to her inner circle. If they wanted honest, unfiltered feedback, Marly and her unit were the perfect test subjects.
"Understood. In that case, let’s include udon and soba as well."
"Eh? Those aren't ramen, are they?"
"They aren't ramen, but they are cup noodles. I happen to love that dashi broth flavor. Marly, you like them too, don't you?"
"Hm? Ah, well, I do get a craving for them from time to time."
"Then, if we’re buying them and letting the soldiers choose, wouldn't that be fine?"
"I suppose so. While we're at it, let's buy a whole assortment."
"Yes, let's do that."
And so, it is said that the quality of the meals in Marly’s unit saw a significant improvement.
Sometimes, you just get an irresistible craving for a cup of udon or soba, don't you?