第１５５４堀：食べ物は意外と大事 (Part1)
Chapter 1554: Food is Surprisingly Important
Food is Surprisingly Important
Side: Dressa
I, along with Ria, Mikos, Kagura, Deryu, Ryushi, and Canaria, began preparing for lunch with Yuki in a dining hall that was larger than I had anticipated.
"Though, to be honest, we're really just laying out the bento boxes."
"Preparation" might have been an exaggeration; all we were doing was taking the pre-arranged bento boxes out of our item boxes. Of course, Sister Magnolia and the other sisters who had guided us were helping as well. Or rather, they were staring with wide, astonished eyes. Well, the sheer volume was abnormal, and it was certainly strange to have such a massive quantity of bento boxes that wouldn't normally keep.
The bento boxes in front of us were cold, but they were packed with stir-fried meat and vegetables—not just hardtack or dry rations. Ordinary item bags don't have time-dilation properties, after all. You wouldn't carry such things around because they’d spoil.
Hearing my mutterings, Ria chimed in...
"This is fine. If we started cooking from scratch now, who knows when we’d actually get to eat?"
She made a fair point. According to Sister Magnolia, there were nearly 160 people in the church right now. Nearly 100 were patients, and the rest were sisters. Most of them were exhausted from the healing efforts. If it fell to us to cook, and we took our time doing it with such a small group, we really wouldn't know when the meal would be ready. This decision was the right one.
"Indeed, that is true. Though, it would be nice to have something warm... Tell me, Yuki, do you have anything?"
"Hm? I do."
" " "You do?" " "
It was so casual that it caught us off guard.
"Well, I knew that bento boxes alone wouldn't be enough. I brought along meals for the patients from the start. And we’ve prepared warm food for ourselves in advance, too. Though, the question is what to serve."
" " "There are different kinds?" " "
"There are. With this type of food, you should stock up whenever you can. Though, the unfortunate part is that these aren't homemade by my wives; they’re things I made, or things made during cooking practice with Steve and the others in the army."
Hmm, that wasn't quite what I meant, but there was something I couldn't let slide, so I asked for clarification.
"Um, it goes without saying that I don't remember us making them, but what’s this about the army making them? I mean, I can understand you cooking, Yuki."
Yuki loves to cook, so that part was fine. But the idea of the army cooking was a mystery.
"Hm? No, surely you and the others eat during marches, right, Dressa?"
"We eat, but unless we have a lot of spare time, we don't usually 'cook.' And I assume the 'cooking' you're talking about isn't just roasting lizards, snakes, or frogs whole, right?"
Yuki manages his army so that he doesn't make the mistake of relying on local foraging. Of course, they probably practice, but calling that "cooking" seemed like a stretch. Especially since he said it would be warm.
"Well, that's true. It's also about support, like providing soup kitchens. Food is directly linked to morale. If you have the leeway, it's better to make warm food and eat it, right?"
"That... is true."
Deryu thought about it for a moment and nodded. It went without saying which would boost morale more: bad food or delicious food.
"Yeah. On Earth, you’d eat it on the spot, but here, you can stock it. We regularly make food during practice, eat some, and store the surplus. That way, we can use it later. Making it on-site is an effective performance, but that’s only for when you have the leeway. You can't fight, defend, cook, and distribute food all at the same time."
"Ahaha, I suppose that's true."
Ria understood the logic, but she seemed to want to say that wasn't the point. I understood her feelings well. But it was so incredibly rational that I had no choice but to nod.
"Haa, so, Yuki. What kind of food do you have?"
"Yeah, yeah. Since we have bento, I think something soup-based would be good."
Kagura and Mikos cut the conversation short and asked about the menu. Right, discussing army logistics here wouldn't help us get the preparations done.
"Ah, there are all sorts of soups. Curry, vegetable soup, tomato soup, minestrone, corn soup, onion soup, miso soup, pork miso soup, and so on."
Yeah, that’s way too many varieties.
"How much stock do you have of those? Is there enough for everyone in this church?"
"Ah, don't worry about that. The flavors vary, but I have 5,000 servings of each."
" " "..." " "
Did that mean there were 40,000 servings just from what he listed?
"Um, Yuki-sensei. Is that just what you have on your person?"
"No, of course not. This is just what I brought for this march. Steve and Kirue have brought the same amount of stock as well."
"Is that much really necessary?"
I asked the question out of genuine curiosity. But the moment I said it, I realized the answer: he brought it because it was necessary.
"It is necessary, isn't it? Sister Magnolia, you’ve been running soup kitchens, haven't you?"
"Y-yes. We have been doing so as much as we possibly can."
"Then, if we can provide that portion, Sister Magnolia and the others can rest. It’s only natural to provide it."
"Ah, I see. That is certainly important."
That was all I could reply. Soup kitchens aren't something you can just set up on a whim. Before you even start cooking, you have to gather ingredients and find a place to make it. You need fuel, of course, and cooking utensils. There was no way that wasn't a burden on the sisters who were already busy with medical treatment.
And that burden wouldn't change even if Steve or Kirue—whom Yuki brought along—did it instead. No, they might have the supplies and the strength to increase efficiency, but in the end, it would still take time. That means manpower would be diverted. For an army, that would be counterproductive.
Food is certainly necessary, but if you can reduce or eliminate the hassle of preparation, then stocking pre-made food and transporting it is extremely important. Actually, considering the power of Weed, it would even be possible to cook in the rear and deliver it to the front lines. Well, that’s beside the point.
"Now that we're all in agreement, what should we serve? And will 5,000 servings be enough? What’s the schedule for the soup kitchen? Sister Magnolia, may we have your opinion?"