#1166 Seaweed Flashbacks

The trade fair has finally wrapped up, but there are still some leftovers.

Sure, there were the memories and the sense of accomplishment from finishing a major project… that’s definitely part of it.
But from the beginning, this whole plan also had a bit of a political angle in mind.

I think we successfully drove home our Farm Kingdom's presence, giving off the vibe of a future trade hub.

But besides all that, there’s something else, something more visibly tangible that remains.
Something that literally took shape in physical form…

And that something is… this mountain of wakame!!!

"Why is there so much of it...?!"

Before me is a towering heap of seaweed, so high it’s far taller than me. I’d estimate its volume is at least ten times my size.

So why is there such a mountain of wakame...?

Well, it’s because during the fair, Arowana, the Mermaid King, had brought a huge amount of wakame to sell.
Afterward, he... just left it behind.

He even left behind a cheerful message: "Please, enjoy everyone!"
That almost sounds like a polite way of saying, "Here’s your leftover stock—good luck with it."

Now, just to clarify, during the actual trade fair, the wakame was very popular. Lots of attendees bought and enjoyed it.

Even so, an insane amount still remains.

Just how much wakame did they bring?
...One ton?

"Wakame can multiply pretty easily, you know? Knowing my brother, he probably tried to farm it and just got a little... overzealous," Platy comments.

So, you're saying that the excessive stock has been dumped on us?

"He probably thought he'd sell it all at the fair, but even with the crowds, he couldn’t keep up. Did Puffer or Lampeye help with production, maybe?"

One way or another, we have to figure out how to deal with this mountain of wakame.
Food has a shelf life, so we can’t just slack off. At the same time, wakame can be preserved by drying it out, which is actually one of its traits.

It’s rich in minerals and great for long-term storage.
Wakame is the perfect food!

But still, this massive amount is a bit much.

"If we’re going to eat through all this, it’s going to take forever. We’ve got a few people here, but even with all of us, there’s no way we can finish this mountain of seaweed...!"

What’s even scarier is that there’s an equal, or possibly even greater, amount of wakame at the development site, too.
There are enough people there to manage it, but even so, that’s an insane amount.

"The bigger issue is probably getting sick of it, right? We could throw it in miso soup, but doing that every day is a bit much… I wonder how long it’ll take to get rid of all of it? Maybe by the time the Farm Kingdom is finished...?" Platy jokingly warns.

Please, no! I don’t want this to turn into a grand saga of just eating seaweed every day.

We have to come up with a plan.

Well, fundamentally, to use up the wakame, we have to eat it.
There’s no way to plant it in the soil and have it grow like a crop.
...Can wakame even be used as fertilizer?

Well, never mind that for now.

As Platy mentioned, eating the same thing over and over will inevitably lead to getting bored.
When people think of wakame, the first dish that comes to mind is probably miso soup, but having wakame miso soup every day is impossible.

Sometimes, you feel like having miso soup with tofu or green onions or even tomato, too.

So... what else can we do with all this wakame?!

"How about we make wakame rice...?"

Wakame rice is a dish that everyone likes but is somehow rarely mentioned as a favorite.
But, when you had it in school lunches, wasn’t it just the best?

Making wakame rice is incredibly easy. Just take a steaming bowl of freshly cooked rice and mix in some chopped wakame.
That’s it.

Well, to be precise, the wakame is seasoned a bit first.
You add a pinch of salt and soy sauce, mix it in with the wakame, and let it infuse into the rice.

The subtle saltiness gives the rice this hint of the sea, making it delicious.

"Oh wow, this is good... it’s really good!!!"

Platy’s excitement grew in stages.

"Rice and wakame, such different textures coming together in a delightful, fresh way! The seasoning is perfect, too. The salty taste fits so well with the wakame’s ocean flavor. It’s like the sea itself is in my mouth...!"

For Platy, being a mermaid, the taste of the sea must feel like second nature.
That’s probably why her initial reaction was more subdued, but as she savored it, nostalgia kicked in, and she got more and more hyped.

But the real magic of wakame rice isn’t just eating it straight from the bowl.
Its true potential is revealed when you make it into rice balls!!!

I scoop up some wakame rice, roll it into a ball in my hand…

And voilà! Wakame rice ball!!!

There’s no filling in the center, but instead, the wakame is evenly mixed throughout the rice.
It has just the right amount of salt, making it the perfect filling.

Wakame rice is the unsung hero of rice balls!

And once it’s made into a rice ball, there’s one thing left to do.
I place it as an offering at the altar dedicated to Hephaestus.

Hephaestus is the god I most revere—and who also happens to love rice balls.

The moment the rice ball touched the altar, it was bathed in divine light and ascended straight to the heavens.
It felt like some kind of cattle mutilation or something.

A few moments later, a divine message came down: "Most splendid." Looks like Hephaestus was pleased.

"We did it, Dear! The wakame rice ball passed the divine judgment!!!"
"Perfect! If we keep offering wakame rice ball every day, we’ll clear out all this wakame in no time!!!"

But just then, I received another message from above.
"Oh?"

Wakame’s always been tasty, it’s packed with nutrients, and who knows, it might even help my hair grow back.
So, it’s definitely top-notch as a food. I’m pretty sure at the rate we’re going, we’ll burn through our current supply in no time.

But just when I was feeling relieved about all that… some god busted through dimensions and descended right in front of me without any warning.

“Saint…! Saint, I call upon thee! I have beheld thy wakame rice balls!!!"

Oh, if it isn’t Sugawara no Michizane.

What’s this about all of a sudden? And how did you even find out about my wakame rice balls?
Even if you heard rumors, your response time seems a bit too quick, no?

"By a curious twist of fate, I am presently in the Olympian Divine Realm! And I espied the god Hephaestus voraciously devouring a rice ball that had been offered unto him! I surmised it to be crafted by thee, Saint, am I mistaken?!"

Er, yes, that’s mine.

D-Did something happen?
Is there some religious rule about your followers not eating wakame or something?

"Nay, nothing of the sort. I, too, find wakame delicious! ‘Tis merely that, being in the mood for seaweed, I wished to present unto thee a recommendation of mine own, an item I consider quite splendid!!!”

…Huh?

"And that item is this...! Plum Hijiki!"

Right...

"It hails from mine abode in Dazaifu, developed there, a dish mixing hijiki with crunchy pickled plums! Sprinkle it over steaming-hot rice, and thou hast a most excellent meal companion indeed!!!"

Hmm, interesting.
He gave me a sample, so I tried sprinkling it on a fresh bowl of hot rice.
Let’s see… Munch, munch…

Oh wow, this is plummy gooooooood!!!

The unique texture of the hijiki mixed with the crunchy plums is an amazing combo!
And that hint of sourness from the plum really amps up your appetite!!!

"Dost thou see how marvelous it is? Shouldst thou ever desire more, I shall send it from mine own stores at any time! Now that mine errand is complete, I must return to the heavens! Should I linger, those waiting for their own turns shall be apt to meddle in my affairs!!!"

With that, Lord Michizane takes off in a flurry.

…What was that all about?

Well, I guess I get it.
Once you’ve got an excuse, it’s only natural to show off your local specialties, right?

Seems like Lord Michizane jumped in the moment hijiki made its cameo, deciding that was his chance to sneak in a plug.

It’s nice to see he’s got so much pride in his hometown product.

==========

chapter title in jp, 海藻の回想　had some wordplay that doesnt translate well to english

海藻 (kaisou)-seaweed
回想(kaisou)-reflection/reminiscence/recollection