鬼銀しゃりしゃりしゃり
Ginsharisharishari
But, speaking of another such traveler...
Uzuki: Kei-san, is something wrong?
Kei: No, it's nothing.
Uzuki-san is the same, isn't she...
Kei: Actually, you're making a face like you're troubled by something, Uzuki-san... is something wrong?
Uzuki: No - nothing particular on my end, either.
Kei: Is that so?
Fufufu, you underestimate me, Uzuki-san.
This Kei-san's observing eye has discovered the reason behind your downcast face.
Kei: Uzuki-saan, could you be a nattou-hater? (TN: Nattou is an infamous Japanese food consisting of fermented soybeans. It is famous for its awful smell.)
The nattou upon her plate remains untouched.
I happen to like it, but many dislike it so much that they get goose bumps from the smell alone.
Also, I've heard that high-class people generally don't care for it much.
Uzuki: No - It's not that I don't like nattou...
Kei: So, why?
Uzuki: A certain degree of abstinence is required, you see.
Uzuki: Particularly after events like last night, I can't put these onions in my mouth. (TN: Mixing in onions is a popular way to suppress the smell.)
Kei: ?
I don't understand at all.
At any rate, isn't saying something like "I can't put these onions in my mouth," overdoing it a little?
Kei: It's so good, though......
I have the opinion that renouncing the delicious taste of nattou in rise is like letting slip the advantages of being born Japanese, right from under your nose. I can't help but be irritated at the thought.
Kei: Ah, I know.
Kei: For nattou, switching umeboshi for onions makes it delicious. It's a refreshing taste, and I'll bet it's perfect for summer. (Umeboshi = pickled plum, usually eaten with rice/onigiri)
Uzuki: ............
Kei: It's delicious. Really, it is.
Why in the world am I getting so desperate?
Here I am eating with the orthodox shredded onion. Where is the persuasive power?
Despite that, Uzuki-san (though with a bitter smile mixed in) takes my opinion to heart.
Uzuki: If you're going to put it that way, shall we try it once, then?
With exceeding skill and grace, she pinches an umeboshi with the ends of her chopsticks, drops it into her bowl, and stirs.
Though I'm sure it's something completely different, it gives me an impression of the gestures in tea ceremony.
Even if you searched all of Japan, I'd bet you could never find someone who mixes nattou with a more artful gesture.
Uzuki: ......You don't need to stare so intently...
Kei: Ah, sorry. I guess it's hard to eat like that.