The porch of the wooden house on Mount Sagiri stood open, and the air carried the delicate fragrance of soba noodles and the rich aroma of frying pork belly.
"Slurp-slurp-"
"Whew-! Slurp!"
The Sapphire Star squatted without a shred of dignity on the wooden porch steps, cradling a huge, coarse pottery bowl as she chomped down on chewy, hand-rolled soba noodles. The toasted fragrance of pork belly, the savory saltiness of the broth, and the distinctive slight bitterness of handmade soba mingled in her mouth. She ate with utter satisfaction, her cheeks bulging like a squirrel stuffed with pinecones.
I didn't get to eat soba in Kyoto, but old man Kuwajima's cooking is amazing, too!
Old man Kuwajima came out carrying a small dish of freshly grated daikon and set it beside the Sapphire Star.
"Slow down, girl! There's plenty! Have some of this-freshly grated, cuts through the grease!" His voice boomed, and he thoroughly approved of her appetite.
Young people ought to eat hearty! A good appetite means a healthy body and plenty of strength. If that boy Zenitsu could eat like this, who knows how strong he'd be?
The Sapphire Star gave a muffled "Mm," scooped up a generous spoonful of snowy-white grated daikon, and dropped it into her noodle broth with a plop. After gulping down another mouthful of hot broth, she smacked her lips in satisfaction and gave the old man a greasy thumbs-up.
"Old man! Your cooking is incredible!"
"Hahaha! That little brat Zenitsu just can't learn to cook like this!" The old man laughed heartily, glancing toward the corner. Zenitsu sat against the wall with his own bowl of noodles, endlessly stirring the broth with his chopsticks. The noodles were nearly soggy, yet he had barely eaten any. The more heartily the Sapphire Star