Chapter 176. [Working Couples And Homemade Meals]

“All right, it’s finally my turn! Savor it well!”

With these words, Angu Ogu revealed her homemade dish.

She had just criticized my curry rice so severely.

It was supposed to be one of his masterpieces…

“Wha… What is this?”

“Don’t you know? That’s a classic American home-cooked dish – Mac ‘n’ Cheese!”

“Well, I know that, but that’s not what I meant!”

Mac ‘n’ Cheese is a dish where macaroni is mixed with cheese sauce, as the name suggests.

The preparation is quite simple. But I still asked Angu Ogu for confirmation.

“How did you make this?”

“Eh? Like this.”

With that, Angougou showed me an empty box.

Inside it, there were instructions on how to make the product.

“Wait, you used a pre-packaged product, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about!? It’s not like that!”

“Well, Mac ‘n’ Cheese itself isn’t bad, but you criticized my cooking so harshly for this!?”

“If you’re going to say that, then try it! The one from this brand is actually pretty good!”

“You even called it ‘from a brand’!?”

With hesitation, I brought the fork to my mouth and took a bite.

Chewing it, I could taste the rich cheese and the unique, somewhat chewy texture.

“How is it? Delicious, right? Ah, as expected of me. A masterpiece!”

Angu Ogu said this, and her actions were like a chef’s kiss – a gesture American chefs make when they praise their cooking.

“Well, it’s certainly tasty, but… I can’t accept it! You can’t compare pre-packaged food to homemade cooking!”

“What!? This is also a proper homemade dish!”

“Proper, huh? I don’t think…”

As I started to deny it, I was surprised to see that the chats got divided into two very different reactions.

The Japanese and American viewers had opposite opinions.

>Claiming that’s homemade is a bit much, isn’t it?

>No, it’s definitely homemade (U.S.)

>That’s what my “homemade taste” is too (U.S.)

“Oh, really?”

I heard that in Japan and America, the perspectives on cooking differ significantly. In America, even making something simple is considered “cooking”.

“We don’t have such a negative impression of takeout, ready-made meals, or frozen food.”

“Huh? I still think homemade is better.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, when you ask why, it’s hard to explain, but it’s about love and nutritional value.”

“Do you think ‘taking it easy’ is ‘bad’? Just because it takes less time and effort doesn’t mean it lacks love.”

I learned that in America, there is a much higher prevalence of both partners in a marriage working outside the home.

In that context, it does make sense.

When both spouses work and then still make homemade meals, it can be quite challenging.

Children seem to have a sense that “it’s okay if it reduces the burden on the parents.”, whether that burden is earning money or cooking.

The vectors are different, but there is no hierarchy to either form of love. Therefore, there’s no strong cultural emphasis like in Japan on “homemade cooking as the default.”.

Homemade and pre-packaged meals are both considered equally valid choices.

“But hey, like Iroha pointed out earlier, you can’t say much about the nutritional value, right?”

“It’s still not right!”

I understood Angu Ogu’s reasoning.

However…

“Even if that’s the case, how can you criticize my curry rice like that!?”

“Then let me ask you, how did Iroha season it?”

“…I used store-bought curry roux.”

“That’s the same, right?”

“That hits me right where it hurts! But it’s not the same as this!”

“It’s the same! What’s different about it?”

“I can’t really explain it when you put it that way!”

Sharing values can be challenging.

Nonetheless, I can’t help but wonder where this person, who’s perfectly fine with ready-made meals, finds the gourmet aspect in all of this.

“Anyway, Iroha’s curry is nothing like it. Even the curry rice from Coco Ichibanya or the convenience store is better…”

“…Huh?”

“Oh.”

>Ah (U.S.)

>Comparing someone’s homemade meal to chain restaurants or store-bought products is something you shouldn’t do

>Did she make a thoughtless remark?

“Oh, I see. I get it now, Ogu.”

“N-no, Iroha. That’s not what I meant.”

“Yeah, professional cooking is always delicious, isn’t it?”

I finally understood. This person isn’t a gourmet.

She’s just fallen into the trap of trying to enforce her ideas on Japanese cuisine.

You could even call her the “Japanese Cuisine Police”.

She seems to have a fixed notion that curry rice has to be a certain way.

Well, it’s the kind of thing that occasionally happens to returnees or people who’ve just come back from traveling abroad.

In Japan, there are probably people who come back saying. “In America, they do it like this, you know?”.

Angu Ogu also seemed to have realized that she had fallen into this trap, but it was too late.

“I see, I’m sorry. It’s just that it can’t compare to the real thing.”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant! I… I tried it properly, and this curry isn’t bad at all! More than anything, I’m happy that you made it.”

“Good, good. It seems my curry is delicious, too.”

“Ugh!?”

>Piling one blunder on top of another www

>This is all Ougu’s fault

>Failed homemade and successful ready-made… Well, they both have their merits

Upon further reflection, it was clear that Angu Ogu was never really a gourmet.

Her palate was more inclined to enjoy things like chain restaurant beef bowls.

“Iroha… I want to eat your homemade dishes again.”

“Let’s have all our meals from pre-made options.”

“Was it my fault, huh?”

Angu Ogu cried out and clung to me.

It was inevitable… I chuckled.

“Iroha, maybe I can forgive…”

“If it’s not pre-made, can Angu Ogu cook? I was worried that Ogu might fail with homemade dishes, but there’s no need to worry with ready-made or frozen food!”

“Irohaaa!?”

Angu Ogu fell apart.

Well, this should be enough for now.

Hopefully, she won’t complain excessively about my homemade cooking in the future.

But I’m just as soft on her, but what can I say?

After all, she holds the biggest trump card as my number 1 oshi.