Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 24. What is the difference between carrots?
I asked Martha to cook the vegetables I brought. I asked her to prepare two separate dishes: one using only the vegetables I had brought, and another using different vegetables.
Martha-san looked at the unfamiliar vegetable—likely a sweet potato. I explained that although it’s a tuber, It’s more like a pumpkin than a potato, it’s sweet and delicious when cooked. Sweet potatoes are delicious when steamed or fried. I also like adding them to miso soup.
She skillfully chopped onions, carrots, potatoes, and pumpkin. After adding spices and sautéing them thoroughly, she simmered the mixture. The aroma was like curry—cumin laced through the air, making my mouth water.
The sweet potato and pumpkin were simply steamed, then lightly grilled before being added to the stew.
Another dish was a warm vegetable salad. The green of broccoli and the orange of the carrots add a nice color to the dish. Finally, she tossed the cabbage and daikon radish in some dressing and she’s done.
I put a little bit on the plate to see if Luna could eat them.
Luna reached out her hand toward the stew while Martha-san watched.
“Not bitter!”
She said, her face lighting up as she took a bite. She also munched happily on the pumpkin and sweet potato, which looked delicious. Her cheeks puffed out adorably.
However, she didn’t even glance at the steamed vegetables salad.
“Luna, can you eat this one too?”
Luna looked at the plate briefly and shook her head.
“No!”
I compared the two plates again. Could it be that she refuses because of the type of vegetable or the way it’s prepared? Maybe I should have tested both under the same conditions.
I noticed, What both these dishes have in common was they both contained carrots.
“Can you eat this orange one?”
I ask, pointing to the carrots in the stew.
“Yeah!”
Luna eagerly took a bite of the carrot.
“And what about this one?”
I pointed to the carrots in the salad.
“I don’t want to eat that,” she said, her eyebrows drooping and her ears flattening sadly. Sorry, sorry. I gently pet her to cheer her up.
It’s strange—both are carrots, yet she refuses the salad carrot but eats the stew carrot.
I had Martha-san serve me the same dishes to taste. Her seasoning was exquisite, and both were delicious—restaurant-quality flavors.
But, upon closer inspection, the carrots I got from the farm did have a faint smell—an unpleasant aroma that’s noticeable if you really pay attention, especially if you roll the carrot on your tongue thoroughly. Still, the 18-yen bargain ones I got on sale also had that slight carrot scent too.
They were pretty much the same, I think. Neither was bitter, and mine weren’t particularly sweet either.
I tilted my head, pondering.
Yes, I only bought bargain carrots before. I mostly ate homegrown carrots, so I never bought expensive, sweet carrots. The ones I grew myself were naturally sweet, and I never bought those at the store.
Similarly, I bought the onions and potatoes from the supermarket’s discount shelves—they weren’t particularly special or flavorful, just ordinary vegetables.
Honestly, the main sweet vegetables I had were pumpkin and sweet potato. I didn’t expect Luna to eat carrots or onions at all.
Although it was only a small amount, Luna had eaten some vegetables, so I carefully observed her afterward. She didn’t seem to feel unwell, which was good.
Martha-san’s eyes looked a little red. She told me it was the first time she had seen Luna eat something she’d made so happily. She had always been forcing Luna to eat the bare minimum because she thought she wouldn’t last otherwise.
For now, I was glad to see that Luna could eat the vegetables I brought. I promised Martha-san I’d bring more next time.
Both the carrots looked and tasted almost identical. The only difference was the place where they came from—so what is going on?
It seemed she didn’t like them even before trying the vegetables. The problem doesn’t seem to be the taste. The smell?
I sniffed both carrots, but I couldn’t tell the difference. I wonder if there’s a canine beastman with a sharper nose nearby? Right, even cats have a better sense of smell than humans. Perhaps I should ask Jude-san to take a look at them when he gets back?
But, even though they’re siblings, Jude-san eats the vegetables, doesn’t he? Hmm… Something flashed across my mind briefly, but I couldn’t quite grasp it.
Hmm. The only other possibility is that maybe there’s something coming from these vegetables?
Something like an allergen or some other substance that causes a reaction?
Allergies differ from person to person, so even siblings might react differently.
I’ve been thinking about it but I don’t really understand, so I decided it would be best to check with Jude-san when he’s around next time.
For now, I handed Luna the mini tomato and strawberry seedlings I had brought.
“I want you to grow these,” I told her.
“Wow! The flowers are already blooming!”
Cherry tomato seedlings are less likely to fail if you plant them after they have bloomed. Well, these seedlings were on sale, so they have already had flowers and the lower leaves are a little yellow.
“The pots are in the courtyard,”
Martha-san tells me that the pots that Jude had prepared are placed in the courtyard and guides me to where they are.
I thought of planting them right away, but Luna insisted,
“I want to plant them!”
so I decided to let her.
As for the sweet potato, it’s probably better to plant it a little later, considering the weather. The same goes for the cherry tomatoes—they’re usually planted a bit later, but indoors, the temperature probably won’t drop too much.
Instead, I’ll have her sow additional seeds of Japanese spinach and baby leaf greens, which grow quickly.
Since these are Japanese vegetables, even if they aren’t particularly sweet, Luna might still be able to eat them. Seeds are inexpensive—about ten yen each—so we can plant enough for a good amount.
Fortunately, Jude-san seemed to have more pots than I asked for, probably because he was unsure which were best.
Luna was so enthusiastic she pointed to an enormous pot and beamed happily, “This one’s perfect!”
Luna, since we’re growing these indoors, let’s use a smaller pot, okay? I can’t even lift that big one…