Qipao Marina Bond TLs

momotalk

M: Sensei.
S: Something wrong Marina?
M: I'm at the black tortoise company in Shanhaijing.
M: There's a bit of a problem going on
M: May I ask for your assistance?
S: Heading over as we speak.
M: Sensei! Right over here! Help!
S: Calm down Marina!/What happened?
M: Well....
M: I came here for a meal, but...
Manger: Welcome, are you two eating together? Please enjoy your meal!
M: ...I suppose you can see the problem.
S: Um... what exactly are you talking about?
M: Well...
M: I've heard very high praise for the food of this restaurant...
M: So I ordered without thinking too hard, but I ended up with quite a lot of food.
M: I wondered if I was breaching any sort of etiquette.
M: What exactly is that crunchy looking thing in the soup?
M: The stir-fried vegetables taste unusually rich too.
M: There's shrimp sandwiches over here... there's even tempura-esque dishes and golden fried rice.
M: What's more, it seems that all expenses in Shanhaijing will be covered by Genryumon.
M: ...Such gourmet. This is impossible to find in Red Winter.
M: I'm worried if we ask too much, we may tarnish Red Winter's name.
S: (She really does have a lot on her plate.)
S: (It's using everyday ingredients too?)
M: S-sensei? Could you say something instead of simply staring at me?
M: Surely, this amount of hospitality is a bit excessive?
S: This much is pretty normal.
M: Really? You sure? It's a little relieving if you think so, but...
Manager: Are you enjoying the food? For desert, here's some almond tofu!
M: A type of tofu? This shine and texture seem utterly foreign though...
M: Ah I see! It's a type of pudding! This amount is equivalent to two of Red Winter's puddings!
S: Good for you, Marina.
M: ...I think I ate too much.
M: Eh? In Shanhaijing, to overeat is to be polite? What an unusual culture.
M: Even so, such a dish must have exhausted many precious ingredients...
M: Chef, could you tell us of the ingredients used in today's dishes?
Manager: Haha, that's a trade secret.
M: T-that only make me more curious! By the way, what was that crunchy thing in the soup earlier?
M: Those stir-fried vegetables had astounding flavour to them too!
M: I'll keep it a secret, so can you tell me?
Manager: Well, fine.
Manager: The first dish was shark fin soup with wood ear mushrooms.
Manager: Some types of wood ear mushrooms have textures similar to that of shark fin.
Manager: We also use a special type of white fungus that we get from our own channels!
Manager: It's a masterpiece made from a 500 year old stump that was never exposed to sunlight!
M: I-is that so!?
S: (Ah, it's a typical joke in Shanhaijing.)/(But this is funny, so I'll keep watching.)
Manager: For that stir-fry, we use high quality bok choy, which only makes up a small percent of the total harvest!
Manager: And the shrimp are from areas where the water temperature remains constant the entire year!
Manager: The soya sauce was brewed for 1000 years, and it contains meat from a phoenix. We've also used plenty of ingredients that you wouldn't find in Kivotos!
M: I-is that so!?
M: uu... what should I do, Sensei.
M: Because of my thoughtlessness, I've caused an unbearable amount of trouble for Genryumon.
S: Don't worry./That was all just a joke.
M: Eh!? They weren't being serious?
M: I see, so it's a common joke here in Shanhaijing, and all ingredients used were just everyday foods?
M: That's certainly good to hear, but to think such sublime flavour could be constructed using ordinary ingredients...
M: No, I see now. Even the stories were jokes, the skill of their chef is undeniable.
M: Even if you have lies a hundredfold, the truth still shines through... it appears I've learned something yet again.
M: Alright.
M: Now that that's happened, let us enjoy some more exquisite foods!
M: Of course, you'll come alone too, right sensei?
S: Y-yeah.
M: Well then, let's head down the alley over there!

Starfish and scorpion.png

M: T-this is!?
Shanhaijing Merchant: Welcome to Tojo Street. As you can see, this is a spot famous for it's insect based dishes.
Shanhaijing Merchant: Since you're already here, may I assume you've mustered up the courage?
S: M-marina, you sure you'll be alright?
M: ...
M: Yeah, I've got this, Sensei.
M: This is too is probably just a joke.
M: It may look like an insect, but it must be hiding something delicious!
S: Are you sure about that...?
M: Believe in me, Sensei! Since we've gone this far, let us try out all it has to offer!
M: Let's do this. Charge!
M: This is... a grilled scorpion skewer? No, it must merely be an imitation of a scorpion.
M: Let's see...
M: Wha- It's an actual scorpion! Does that mean- all the skewers up until now have all been bugs...?
M: Hmm... but it's surprisingly not bad? The skin's a bit tough, but it's crispy and smells good.
M: Next, we have... grilled starfish skewers!? Where did they find that!?
M: No, let us take this as a test. Witness me, Sensei!
M: Hmm... a bit burnt, it tastes like fish inside?

After this, Marina continued tasting various skewers.
I decided to refrain from asking Marina about what she learned from this experience.
Momotalk

M: Maybe I ate a bit too much?
M: My stomache hurts a little...
S: Are you alright?
M: Don't worry, I most certainly learned something valuable from this.
M: And that is that the taste and appearence of food don't always match.
S: Actually... they only make those types of skewers for tourists...
M: Open your mouth a bit quicker next time!

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Pub: 21 Feb 2025 09:18 UTC

Views: 51