Last night, the venison hamburger I had for dinner was delicious, but it felt a bit lacking.
The meat itself was very tasty. It was tender, and of the finest lean meat. Among all the monster meats I’ve eaten so far, it ranked near the top in terms of flavor.
“What could it be…? It didn’t quite feel like a hamburger…”
Maybe it was because it was mostly lean meat with very little fat, but the lack of the typical juiciness that you expect from a hamburger bothered me.
“Now that I think about it, even expensive brand-name beef hamburgers were like that. I have this image that cheaper hamburgers had more juice and sauce, which made them tastier…”
I might have a simple taste, but there’s something irresistibly delicious about that cheapness.
“Maybe I should have eaten the venison as a steak instead. It would probably go well with stew or other braised dishes.”
But, while absentmindedly staring at the wild boar meat, I realized something. Almost all of the hamburgers I liked in the past were made with a mix of meats.
“Beef and pork mix… In this case, I should make it with venison and wild boar meat, right?”
Once the idea struck me, I decided to make a venison and wild boar hamburger for lunch as a redemption.
I added the ground meat mix to a bowl I bought from the 100 yen shop, along with the pre-made hamburger mix, and put on plastic gloves to knead it thoroughly.
“Since I’m at it, I’ll make a large batch. I can cook half and store it, so it’ll be ready when I feel lazy.”
I alternately slapped the meatball between my palms to release the air and shaped them a little larger, then started frying them in a pan.
The olive oil heated up and sizzled. It smelled wonderful. I flipped them over and cooked them thoroughly.
After checking the doneness with a skewer, I laid the cooked hamburgers on a large plate.
Along the way, I also made smaller round hamburgers for a potential hamburger.
Though they didn’t have hamburger buns, there were similar round breads available, so I decided to use them to make a burger. The mini-sized hamburgers would also be delicious in sandwiches, or sandwiched in croissants or butter rolls.
“Alright, this looks good. I’ll leave two and put the rest in the [Item Box].”
It’s such a luxury to be able to eat freshly cooked hamburgers anytime.
Since I made the effort, I also topped the plate with a salad and a fried egg to complete my hamburger plate.
I’ve gotten so used to taking photos with my phone, I think I’ve been taking more pictures than when I was in Japan.
“Well, I do get to see rare plants and sceneries here in the great forest.”
Of course, there are colorful mushrooms, and at night, the flowers glow pale blue. I sometimes see fairy-like creatures too.
The fairy-like creatures are so quick that it’s hard to capture them in a photo, but watching them is beautiful and I never tire of it.
From a distance, the appearance of magical beasts is majestic.
The wild deer’s grandeur, in particular, is beyond words.
“The meat’s delicious too. It’s the best, that one.”
The hamburger made from the impressive wild deer and wild boar mix had an incredible amount of meat juice that flowed out while cooking. Thanks to the juice, I was able to make a generous amount of sauce, which was a pleasant surprise.
The tempting aroma tickled my nose, and I couldn’t resist folding my hands and saying, “Let’s eat!”
I cut into the hot, steaming hamburger with a fork and knife and immediately put a piece in my mouth.
“Mmm… Hmm! The meat is sweet. The tenderness is just perfect.”
It was completely different in texture and flavor from the venison I had the day before.
Most importantly, with every bite, the meat juice flooded my mouth, and I couldn’t help but smile.
The lean venison and the soft, marbled wild boar meat blended perfectly to create the ultimate hamburger.
“It’s so delicious. This could steal away all the rice. The sauce is also superb, so I could keep eating and eating.”
The sauce made with the meat juices was also amazing. I could easily finish a bowl of rice just with that sauce.
“I’ll definitely hunt more wild deer and wild boar if I see them. I’ll make hamburgers again, of course, but I want to try other cooking methods too.”
The fine lean meat would be great roasted like roast beef. It would also make an amazing beef stew.
Boar meat, too, seems like it could be used for anything.
It has a texture more like a cross between boar and pig. It’s not gamey at all, the meat is tender, sweet, and has a pork-like flavor.
“Of course, ginger pork, tonkatsu, roasted pork, and braised pork would all be delicious. I can’t leave out hot pot either…”
Though I can no longer access the recipe sites I bookmarked on my phone, I had taken screenshots of some recipes I saw on SNS that looked delicious.
Most were quick and easy recipes using the microwave, but I remembered there were a few methods I could use.
“Well, I have all the time in the world, and as long as I can eat delicious food, I’ll give it a try.”
After all, the ingredients are top-notch, so as long as I don’t mess up too badly, I should be able to make something delicious.
Just grilling and eating the meat with steak sauce alone is enough to make it mouth-wateringly good.
“Now, I’ve had my delicious lunch, so it’s time to get to work on earning points and gathering ingredients for today.”
Today’s campsite is near a fig tree. I’ve already harvested some delicious, ripe figs, and as thanks, I’ve been thinning out the surrounding trees.
The tent and tarp are already set up, and the weather is nice, so I went hunting and gathering.
Today’s harvest: four wild deer, three wild boars, and five Cocco birds. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any Cocco bird eggs.
I ran into a pack of wild wolves, so I took down about eight of them. I also got twelve goblins and four orcs. I shouldn’t be running out of food for a while.
“It’s a shame I couldn’t focus on gathering. I got some mushrooms, yam, leek-like leaves, celery-like vegetables, and wild strawberries. They’re small and sour, but they smell great.”
They’d probably make a nice jam.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to gather more.
“The yam would be delicious stir-fried with butter and soy sauce. It would be so fluffy. I don’t mind eating it grated either.”
For just a few hours’ work, I think I did well.
Lately, I’ve been earning consistently, and it’s easy to accumulate over 100,000 points in one day.
Even with requests from my cousins, I manage to save at least 100,000 points every day.
“I guess I should aim for a container house rather than a tiny house. If I keep going at this pace, I’ll be able to meet the rainy season deadline.”
It’s frustrating that I can’t summon buildings yet unless the summoning magic for online shopping levels up.
“Well, I’ll just keep working hard.”
I don’t mind working hard. This world suits me because my effort directly reflects in my levels and stats.
“And besides, I get to eat great meat.”
Tonight, I’ll make a brown stew with venison. I’ll use a beef stew roux I summoned from the 100 yen shop, so it’ll be simple but delicious.
“I feel like I’m living a more luxurious food life than I did in Japan…”
It’s definitely more delicious than the staff meals at the izakaya I worked at.
When it comes to delicious meat, I think I’ll thank the god of creation, Kesaran Pasaran, who created this world.
