chapter 114

The two blonds wandered along the streets of Konoha, arm in arm. Naruto was happy to be in the company of such a lovely young woman, while Erina could scarcely believe that she was actually going on a date.

Kushina meanwhile was stalk- uh, chaperoning the couple, hiding in the crowds as they walked side by side happily.

"Ne, how does that place look?" asked Naruto. He pointed to a small, quaint-looking cafe that had a few people sitting there.

"The food is mediocre and feels like a- UH…s-sure." Erina cut off awkwardly, smiling as Naruto led her to a table, where she hurriedly used the menu to hide her face.

"What? Do you not like it?" he asked.

"Th-that's not…um, w-well, to tell the truth I'm a bit of a…a picky eater," she admitted, glancing at the menu.

"Really? Even though you cook such great ramen?" asked Naruto.

"Well that's because I'm just a good cook; I have no fault in my cooking," she said with more than a hint of pride, "I go above and beyond…but most see it as a living, rather than an art. So, more than likely, you will find less than than satisfactory food, and people just buy it because it feeds them." She sighed heavily. "I wish there was some form of job that lets people test and critique foods, that way people would know if they're getting their money's worth, and chefs would be more motivated to make better food because of it."

"Hm," hummed Naruto, thinking over her words, "You make it sound like people don't enjoy that sort of food. But if that were true, those sorts of places probably wouldn't get any business at all; no one would want to pay money for food that doesn't taste better than what they eat already, right?"

"No-no, that's not what I mean…look, order the Chicken ramen."

"Uh… why?"

"Please, I want to make a point."

With that, a waiter came by, and took their orders…but glared daggers at Erina as she walked away. "A story behind this I presume?"

"Uh…Suffice to say, I took it upon myself when I was younger to tell them all what I thought of their food… it, kind of got me blacklisted from most restaurants in the area."

Naruto blinked. "That's kinda harsh, don't you think?"

"Well, I might have said some rather harsh things myself… such as 'did you mistake this dishwater as soup or was it always this thin?' Or, 'the aftertaste of this cucumber tastes like you cut it with a rubber knife…'"

"I-is that so…?" Naruto mumbled, sweatdropping.

"Yes…I admit I might have…been a little difficult with my words."

"Well, we haven't been kicked out of here yet," he pointed out, trying to see the bright side of things… before a chief sharpened her knife threateningly in their direction.

"They don't turn down business…doesn't mean they have to like it however…"

"Geez...you'd think they'd get over some criticism, dattebayo!"

"Yeah, I suppose they never really had a challenge, or someone to question it, so they must take up some pride for it…" The waitress then put the bowls in front of them, a little more than necessary on Erina's side causing it to spill, and then walked off.

Erina then paused, and then looked off in a certain direction, "Well…there was an exception: a little run-down place a little way around the village. Despite it being some of the worst food I ever tasted, and saying as such, the girl there just smiled and said she'd do better next time…I never did get around to going back because of the negative retaliation from the others."

Naruto watched her regretful expression, drinking in his soup. To his mind, it honestly didn't taste all that bad; then again, he wasn't a picky eater. "Why don't we go there for dessert?" he suggested, "Then you can see whether she improved or not."

"...I'd like that, now, let me get back to explaining here." She pointed at the bowl, "Drink a little of the broth, go ahead."

Naruto did so smacking his lips, and shrugged, "Tastes alright to me."

"Well that's just it: did you ever want to just eat it all, quick and full of vigor like you do with our dishes?"

"...Well, no, actually."

"That's because it's just that, 'good', most people make the way they eat food only a general type of taste, 'good', 'bad', 'tasteless', and so on. They also distinguish 'spicy', 'mild', 'sweet' and so on, but when a picky eater tastes it, they look into every aspect of the flavor itself, instead of having an overview, they say all of the things they found good and bad about it, arriving at a conclusion."

She waved her hands at the dish itself, "It's obvious they haven't changed it much from when I was last here, the chicken was put into the dish too early; that's causing it to go soggy. Then they lack effort in the proper mixing of spices and thus make clumps, or water that is not flavored. Then the noodles are overcooked, causing them to bloat before they properly absorb the flavor thus making it bland. I take cooking very seriously, and make sure every aspect of a dish is perfect before I send it to a customer."

"You really love it, don't you?" Naruto observed, smiling slightly, "Do your sisters like it as much as you?"