Book 5: Chapter 11-2: Cannabis Cuisine |
「I wish I could say I had, but I have two names in mind and can’t decide between them.」 Before departing for the Empire, Kuu and I promised that she would decide on the boy’s name and I would decide on the girl’s. I’ve been thinking about it the entire time I was away from Erucy, but I haven't decided yet. 「First, can you tell me what you've decided, Kuu?」 「Yes, I've decided to name the boy Ryna.」 「That sounds nice. It's an unfamiliar word to me; does it have a meaning?」 「Yes, in the fire fox language, it means "courage" and "resistance." I decided to name him that, hoping he would grow up with those qualities.」 「That's a very Kuu-like way to choose a name. I like it.」 The strength to face any despair and never give up. If he grew up to have strength like that, he would surely protect Erucy. 「I thought of two names for the girl: Sora and Kuuna. I'm considering one of these. Sora, like the clear blue sky. I thought of this name because I wish for her to grow up bright, straightforward, and loved by everyone. Kuuna, on the other hand, combines "Ku" meaning air, and "na" meaning enveloping gently. While Sora symbolizes being loved and admired by everyone, Kuuna represents being a close presence that envelops and cares for everyone.」 Sora and Kuna. Names that meant being loved by people and loving people. I was struggling to decide which one to wish for our daughter. 「Both are beautiful names, Cyril-kun. In that case, let's name the first one Sora. And if she gets a sister, we'll name her Kuuna.」 「…」 I was momentarily stunned, then laughed. 「Right, if I like both, I can use both. That's quite a luxurious solution.」 「I believe that Cyril-kun will make us happy enough to afford such luxury.」 「I'm trusted quite a bit, aren't I?」 「Yes, because you're my wonderful husband.」 Kuu and I laughed together. Could we really create such a future? 「Kuu, our children will be named Ryna for the boy, and Sora for the girl.」 「Yes! I'm even more excited for their birth now!」 Thus, the names of our children were decided. ◇ 「 It's quite a repetitive task, isn’t it?.」 「The effort will be worth it, so just have a little patience.」 Kuu and I silently continued with the preparation of the cannabis dish. First, we cut the flowers from the cannabis stalks. Then, we extracted the seeds wrapped in the flowers, breaking the outer shell to remove the contents. 「Phew, we got quite a lot, didn't we?」 「With this much, we can manage something for everyone…yeah, at least a piece each.」 In front of us was a pile of cannabis seeds with their shells broken. This amount should be enough to let everyone try the dishes. 「But we have a lot of leftover stems and leaves. Are we throwing these away?」 「Of course not, the leaves and stems of cannabis are great for making high-quality fibers. They can be used for durable ropes, bags, and even clothes. We can make paper too.」 「That's amazing! We were struggling a bit with materials for clothes and ropes.」 At Erucy, we got most of our textiles by buying them from other cities, so cannabis was a great help. We could make clothes out of fur, but they were heavy and too warm for anything other than winter. hemp, on the other hand, was durable, breathable, and light. 「What are we going to do with the extracted seeds?」 「They need to be crushed first.」 I put the cannabis seeds into a mortar. Then I grounded them, and a greenish-white emulsion started oozing out. Once a fair amount of emulsion accumulated, I wrapped it in a coarse cloth and squeezed it over a pot. The crushed seeds remained in the cloth, and the emulsion flowed into the pot. 「Kuu, try tasting it a bit.」 「Yes!」 Kuu dipped her finger into the cannabis emulsion and tasted it. 「This is really delicious. Sweet and rich, it’s addictive.」 「I'll have a little, too.」 I did the same, tasting the cannabis emulsion. A gentle flavor filled my mouth. If I had to compare, it was similar to soy milk but even richer. This was not surprising, given the high nutritional value of cannabis emulsion. It contained more proteins and vitamins than soy milk, and while rich in fats, they were the kind that were good for the body. It was rich and had a strong sweetness, yet not overwhelming. Truly an ideal ingredient, both nutritious and delicious. 「I'd like to gulp down a full cup of this.」 「Yeah, if we get more cannabis, let's try doing that.」 I chuckled at the thought. Then, as I continued to crush the remaining seeds, I extracted more emulsion until the pot was filled with cannabis emulsion. 「Okay, let's finish it up. Kuu, could you heat this pot? Heat it to near boiling temperature.」 「Like this?」 「Yeah, that's perfect.」 With Kuu's help, the cannabis emulsion reached the optimum temperature. Then, I added salt to the warmed pot for flavor and started pouring in potato starch. The emulsion gradually thickened. I slowly added more potato starch until it reached the desired consistency. 「Kuu, thank you. You can turn off the heat now.」 「Okay, Cyril-kun.」 After making sure the starch was well mixed and the mixture had thickened, we turned off the heat. Then, I poured the contents of the pot into a wooden box I had prepared earlier. 「Kuu, can you cool down the water in that bucket?」 「Understood.」 The final step involved Kuu cooling the water and then submerging the wooden box into it. All that was left to do was wait. 「Cyril-kun, what did we make?」 「That's a secret for now. We just need to let it cool and it'll be ready. No taste tests either. Save the surprise for the feast.」 「Cyril-kun, keeping me in suspense like this is just cruel! I wonder how it will taste.」 Kuu looked at me with a slightly resentful expression, too cute to ignore. I decided to give in a little. 「Okay, I'll reveal just the name of the dish. What we made today is called cannabis tofu.」 「That's a name I've never heard before. I'm looking forward to tonight.」 「Yes, it won't disappoint.」 After all, even though it was tofu, it wasn’t made with nigari but solidified with potato starch, giving it a more resilient texture akin to sesame tofu. Plus, it was made with cannabis emulsion, which had far more flavor than soy milk. It couldn't possibly taste bad. I would also make a special sauce. I was really looking forward to seeing Kuu and Lucy's reactions when they taste this dish.