Homecooked Food

"And I'm guessing most of the dishes served to you are still unknown in your head as well," I replied, taking a sip of my drink.

The first thing that came to my mind was the time spent in secondary school. I used to sit at coffee shops and order the same drink, reading some books. I would then call...

"Kaya Butter Toast with two eggs on the side! Enjoy!" greeted the woman once more, placing a tray on the table.

She took out a plate filled with two toasted sandwiches, cut into four. Another thing she brought out was a giant cup of water with a saucer covering the top.

"Do you have soy sauce?" I asked without thinking.

She nodded and quickly went behind the counter to get some. While she did so, I took off the saucer and was greeted with hot water vapor. Bryan wanted to stop me but halted when I used a spoon to scoop out the eggs. I placed them on a few napkins, allowing them to cool and dry.

When they were at a suitable temperature for a few minutes, I held an egg by its side and broke open the shell using a teaspoon. I then turned it and fully opened the egg, allowing the goodness to drop onto the saucer.

"Wait! You haven't boiled the eggs fully. So you can't eat those!" argued Bryan as I did the same to the second egg.

I looked at him and blinked rapidly. Don't tell me...

"This is the normal order you regularly eat. And you are telling me, you wait for the eggs to boil?! Fully?!" I yelled back, nearly dropping the soy sauce.

"Yes, because if eggs aren't cooked properly, it will make you sick!"

"You're not proper in the upper story either, dear Slayer. It's alright to eat half-boiled eggs! Hell, I'll even eat a raw egg in front of you if I can!" I scolded, looking at him with utter disgust.

Bryan pouted like some kid that got scolded after cooking fried rice with freshly cooked rice. I was more shocked than pissed as the dude had been eating this traditional breakfast wrong.

"But... But... Won't your stomach start to hurt? Like, you'd keep throwing up and..."

"Yes, yes... I know the concept of food poisoning, and you don't have to list down all the symptoms. Besides, in my past realm, I ate this breakfast for years straight, and I haven't gotten sick from it," I said, taking a piece of toast to try.

I pried open the toasted sandwich to find a rectangular cut of butter covered with pandan Kaya. My favorite... It reminds me of when I had to share with my baby brother. He'd love to take it from my plate. Whatever I ate, he would want to try.

I then dipped a piece of toast into the eggs and soy sauce mix. Bryan still had the look of shock and terror as I did so.

"What? Kinda difficult to eat when you are staring at me like some rat in the street," I spat out, annoyed that he was looking at me that way.

It was one of the pet peeves I had. I'm picky when it comes to food. First, I must show two hands on the table. They cannot be hiding underneath the table. Next, no talk about dirty stuff during meals. Like, about vomiting or things you do in the loo.

And lastly, no staring at others when they are eating. It's a call for trouble, and that's how people start fights during dinner. I learn that daily, even lost one of my mates from that. Don't stare at people, or you'll get a bottle smashed onto your head.

"No... It's just that you're still eating half-cooked eggs... If it were me, I would've been sick by now."

"So weak... Too weak, you can't even take half-boiled eggs..."

Before Bryan could open his mouth to protest again, the older woman returned with a tray filled with homecooked food. And I cursed inwardly for not ordering what Bryan was having. But, then again, I'd prefer to have that meal slightly later in the day.

The woman gingerly unwrapped the triangular green package as she laid it down. And the dish opened like a blooming flower. The fragrance of cooked pandan leaves, which was the packaging of the meal, wafted through the air along with the aroma of freshly cooked coconut rice.

I peered at the dish, trying to confirm what my senses were telling me. It wasn't smoking hot, as it should be consumed warm. As I got a good look, I had thought for a second that I was back home and this realm that I was in was just a tale in a book.