Chapter 357: Hiro's Opinion
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Hiro looked at Alice and pointed to her bento, saying "Firstly! Your Bento is very good! The sushi is perfectly place and organized for specific ingestion that will lead to a better eating experience. Every single Sushi is a priceless gem that makes other's mouths water."
He smiled at Alice's happy smile before chuckling "Unfortunately, I don't particularly like sushi. I can't appreciate the sushi the way you want me too. Nevertheless, I'm a chef, so I have to eat it. My opinion of your dish is from someone that doesn't really like sushi and I can tell you that, I ate it because it was you. If it was someone else, I wouldn't have. You exceeded my expectations of you, Alice. It was very well put together and the taste was very good... But!"
Alice stiffened and Hiro smiled softly "The point of the bento is that people of all ages and social status can enjoy it together. Let's move to Soma's bento for a moment. Taking out the fact that he had more dishes and is more geared towards a 'common bento' you can buy at the convenience store, his bento is more of a bento than yours."
Hiro shook his head and continued "You and Erina have the same problem and that is that you are too focused on the elegance and prestigiousness of your dishes. Food is for everyone to have, no matter the race, gender, social standing, age, etc. Your elegant sushi bento is amazing, extremely beautiful, smart, tasty, but it lacks what a Bento should have and that is 'warmth'. I'm not saying that it needs to be warm, I'm talking about a warmth that soothes your soul and makes you happy. Something that will bring a smile to your face and can be shared with anyone."
He looked at Alice and smiled "Your taste and smarts in this dish are excellently showcased. But watch this." he grabbed her Bento box and ripped out the dividers, leaving just a box with a bunch of sushi in it. He looked at Alice and smiled "What's the difference between this and your bento? The diver isn't the bento, the dish should be the Bento as well. You overthought the simpleness of the theme. This dish is like a rich woman, dressing as a poor person to get pity from a handsome average man. It's good on the inside, beautiful on the outside, but in the end it's not what it's advertised as."
Alice just blinked at Hiro with her mouth wide open, she understood everything that he said! It was so easy to understand! The crowd was stunned too, Hiro's words were vulgar and straightforward but they were so easy to understand, even they felt like they could make such a bento now.
Senzaemon cracked a grin at Hiro's explanation and stroked his beard, muttering "It's all according to Keikaku, heh heh..."
Hiro didn't hear him and looked at Soma, saying "As for your Bento... What did I tell you the other day?" he poked the Nori flavor bombs and continued "Don't copy others, you will hit a dead end eventually. This is a very good way to create surprise in the dish and it works very well, but don't do it again, understand?"
Soma nodded seriously and Hiro nodded before continuing "Your bento is very good, but it's not without it's problems. You and Alice happen to be opposites in this case. Your 4 layered Nori Rice was very well done and the sauce that coats the rice afterwards is very good at enhancing the flavor but you focused too much on the surprises. The food suffers because of it."
He smiled and added "Though, it's not very much. But in terms of taste, Alice has you beat. Appearance beats you as well. Fortunately for you, her Bento wasn't really bento and there's no warmth, only coldness and elegance. Your dish has warmth and happiness mixed in as you always cook with your heart. The soup is very good, I would've added a pinch of pepper to the bacon and rub it in before adding it to the soup for an extra kick, but without it, it is doing fine."
He looked around at the other and continued "The cod is delicious and fluffy but I would've fried it a few seconds more for that extra crunch. Another idea for you is to seal the fish in a very very very light honey glaze before putting it into the batter, it will make the fish cook on the inside and steam itself almost. In addition to adding an extra hint of honey, the fish will be fluffier and more juicy."
He looked back at the dumbfounded Alice and the note-taking Soma, before saying "That's just my opinion and evaluations, in short Alice had the better taste while Soma had the soul of the dish." he grinned and looked at Senzaemon while leaning back and humming to himself.
Senzaemon grinned and announced "The victor is! Soma Yukihira!"
Hiro yawned and patted Alice's head, smiling "Don't worry little girl, I really did like it!" Alice pouted "But you were so mean!" Hiro's mouth twitched and he said "I really don't like sushi, what do you want from me..." she turned away and sniffed "Boo hoo! I'll never come back from this!" Hiro was helpless and took out a bag of candies, saying "I guess I'll just eat these candies by myse-"
Alice snatched the candies and said "Don't you dare! Bad uncle!" as she held the bag to her chest as if someone would steal it the next second. Hiro laughed happily and patted her head, saying "Tell your dad, I said 'Hi'. Also, share with your mom." before yawning and walking out of the arena, waving over his shoulder.
He was done for the day, what a hassle!
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