#1146 What to Put on Karaage

It’d be a shame to wrap up this karaage talk so soon.

So, I went ahead and served karaage for tonight’s dinner on the farm.

Junior and Norito’s reactions when they saw the karaage:

“HOKKYO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
“WHOOOAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Their excitement was way beyond my expectations.
I guess karaage really lights a fire in a kid’s heart.

Kids’ favorite dishes usually include hamburger steak, curry, omelet rice, noodles…

And now karaage is right up there, too!

“So that’s what you and Veil were secretly working on earlier?”

Platy comments, bouncing our third son, Shotaro, at her chest.
Of course, he’s still too young to dig into karaage, so he’s just staring at the plate in wide-eyed wonder.
Give it time, little guy. You’ll get your turn.

“GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE!”
“CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP!”

And just like that, our two little munchkins are already pigging out.
Both our firstborn Junior and his younger brother Norito devour their share at lightning speed.

It never fails that karaage is a must-have not just for grown-ups but for kids, too.
Seeing Junior, who normally acts beyond his age, going to town on that chicken actually makes me happy as a dad.

If I ever need to bring out his childish side, I guess all I have to do is wave around karaage or maybe a scary syringe.

“Okay, my turn…chomp.”

A satisfying crunch rings out as Platy takes a bite.

“SHOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!”

Her reaction is intense.
Even though she’s a mom of three now, she never did become some posh madam. She’s always had a bit of a wild streak.

“This is incredible! The flavor’s soaked all the way through the meat, so it’s delicious even without sauce! Juicy chicken, flour-based batter, and hot oil… That’s basically meat, oil, and carbs, the trifecta of guaranteed tastiness!”

The “high calories equals high flavor” argument.
It’s so spot-on that people keep agonizing in the “I want to lose weight…but I also want to eat” dilemma.

“Hmm, but it’s a little too greasy for me, I think. Might be just right for younger people, though.”

So, Platy’s finally at the point of saying she’s “not that young anymore,” huh?

“Hold on, I’ve got an idea!”

And with that, Platy pulls a whole lemon out from…
Her chest?

Then she crushes it in her hand, sending juice spraying in every direction.
Seriously, you too?

“Greasy stuff can be offset by something fresh and light! Just drizzle some tangy lemon juice, and voila, no more oily aftertaste. You can keep shoveling this in forever!”

Please don’t literally eat it forever, though.

Still, leave it to Platy to figure out the lemon trick all on her own.
She’s sampled a ton of otherworldly dishes by now, so she’s definitely got some solid food-experience under her belt.

“Mommy, no lemonnnn.”
“Wemon’s for fancy wookssss.”

Naturally, the kids protested.
With their young stomachs, they can handle grease just fine, so of course they prefer it extra-rich.
That’s how you get the classic generation gap argument!

“No, Dear!”

Whoa, now I’m catching flak from my wife.

“This is about gender, not generations! You boys can never get enough of that heavy, greasy stuff! Meanwhile, we girls are into sweet things or something light and refreshing. It’s impossible to reconcile that difference!”

…No, I’m pretty sure it’s actually an age thing.
Let’s just admit we’re well past our prime, okay?
And maybe stop dumping lemon extract on every single piece of chicken indiscriminately?

All that does is start fights.

And so, the timeless debate of “to lemon or not to lemon” on karaage rages on, even in this other world.

If it can spark an argument in a single household, imagine the chaos once you open it up to everyone else.

“Huh?! What’s all that commotion?”

When I step outside, the whole place is abuzz.
Orcs, goblins, elves—all of them are in a lively crowd.

And at the center stands Veil.
She’s cradling something in her arms…

“Veil, what exactly are you doing?”
“Ah! I’m handing out karaage to the lowly masses! Acts of charity are the duty of the mighty! Gahaha!”

At some point, Veil decided she was the one dishing it out.
She’s holding a gigantic platter piled high with karaage.

Actually, “piled high” doesn’t even cover it; it’s practically a mountain.
Like she’s catering to an entire boys’ dorm.

“All right, come and get it, everyone, line up for this bounty from the great Veil!”

Thus, the farm residents all stood in a nice, orderly line, waiting for their piece of karaage.
...Kinda looks like a food distribution campaign.

Since Veil’s learned some cooking skills, she can whip up her own batches as soon as she picks up the recipe.
That means she’s free to do as she pleases, for better or worse...
Not sure if I should be proud of her progress or worried.

And the all-important verdict on how everyone likes the karaage?

“THIS IS AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!”
“Another brilliant new recipe from Lord Saint! IT’S SOOO TASTY!!”
“Oil, oil, and more oil! It’s like the perfect harmony of crispy batter oil and chicken meat oil!!!”

Looks like a total hit.

Of course, not everyone’s a fan of the oil overload, so some people tried to cut through it with lemon.

“Hey! The whole point of karaage is the greasy punch! Using lemon to wipe that out is heresy!”
“Oh, come on, let people eat it however they want! Some of us can’t handle all that grease!”

Yeah, exactly...everyone’s got their own style.
Still, right after I say that…

“Mayo…on!”

There they are.
People who slather their karaage with mayonnaise.

I figured it was only a matter of time.

Grease-wrapped chicken in more grease, now topped with a final helping of mayonnaise.

The ultimate trifecta of oil.

Great for hardcore foodies, but talk about overkill.

“Stop! If you do that, you’ll go way over your daily calorie limit! It’s gonna overload you!”
“I know, but I can’t help it!”

All around me, people are practically weeping over their choices.

Others are sprinkling salt, pepper, herbs, or even curry powder.

Why go so far with karaage add-ons?
It’s already flavored to begin with!

And yet here we are, with flavor fanatics determined to take an already tasty dish to the next level.
Who knows what sort of madness drives them?

Karaage might just be that kind of devilish food that messes with your mind.

Now, here’s a story.
About a banquet of gods where someone brought in karaage.

One god insisted on lemon, another on mayo, and another just ate it plain.

Their dispute supposedly escalated into a full-on war among the deities.
Obviously made up, but you get what I mean.

Karaage is that sort of irresistible dish that leads people astray.
And when you add a side of french fries—meat and oil plus carbs and oil—you’ve got yourself the ultimate greasy party platter!

With this, our next group mixers are gonna be even more perfect!!!
Dare we hope for a King’s Game next?!

Huh? We’ve already had one mixer, so why are we still doing them?

Well, duh, because we’re not stopping until every last person in our Farm Kingdom is happily paired up!!!