Little by Little Until You Get it Right

“So then they walked in with these amazing shoes for me. Can you believe it?” Ui’s words trailed with excitement as she finished her Doroberry parfait while leaning on Odoe’s cart. The cart was pretty busy and crowded that day.

“Shouldn’t you be practicing for your concert in a few days?” Odoe leaned close to Ui. “And are you sure you should be seen around here?”

Ui scoffed. “Without the dress, the lights, and the music, nobody can really tell who I am.”

Ui finished her dessert and noticed Odoe tired, and barely able to hold a conversation with her, scrambling to manage a long line of customers.

“Fine…” Ui cleaned up after herself and walked to the back of the cart. Odoe, too focused on her customers, didn’t notice until she was right next to her. “Do you still keep your spare apron and cap here?” Ui was opening every door and compartment in the back of the cart.

“Ui stop… what are you—”

By the time Odoe managed to grab Ui’s shoulder, she was already wearing an apron and had trapped her hair in a hairnet. “Throw some flour on me,” she commanded.

“What?”

“Would you trust someone making mussas if they don’t have an apron full of flour?”

Odoe’s confusion turned into a grin and she sprinkled the flour directly on Ui’s face. “Do you still remember how to make the dough?”

“How could I forget?” Ui confidently pulled out the containers of flour, dried spices and mushrooms.

She wasn’t lying. While Odoe managed the cooking and the customers, Ui recalled every summer day she had spent with her, and the experiences that it brought her.

The first batches of dough Ui made back then were too dry, or too moist. At times the dough was also too chewy, and too salty. But worst of all, the flavor was never right. But she kept trying every day, doing something different.

Odoe had tried to stop her, but she couldn’t because it just wasn’t right, or didn’t taste like it did in Aure. That was important to her, so Odoe let it go.

And despite not having the right ingredients, Ui finally found a dough mix she was proud of, and years later, she still remembered every step. How could she forget?

“Hello. I’ve never had Udari food before, what would you recommend?” A familiar voice intruded in Ui’s reminiscence as she mixed and kneaded the dough.

“Let’s see, our specialty is the mussa here… Pick your dough and the toppings and I’ll prepare one for you.” Odoe answered casually. A small glimpse was enough for Ui to reflexively panic and hide her face away. It was the Duke, in disguise, standing around the commoners gathered around the food cart.

Ui’s vision blanked out for an instant and she felt her hands slowly consumed by the weight of the dough she was kneading as she desperately tried to scrape it off her hands. Ui, already breaking into a cold sweat, lowered herself behind the counter and pulled Odoe downward. “It’s the Duke!” she whispered, with an expression full of dread.

“Nothing changes, you understand?” Odoe replied quietly, smiling but with a stern look. Odoe rose first, and afterwards Ui went back to work on the dough.

“What is the ‘special dough’?” asked the Duke-in-disguise. His question made Ui stop for a moment in shock.

Odoe laughed immediately. “It’s a long story…” Odoe discreetly prodded Ui with her elbow, which made Ui resume her work.

“I’d love to hear it if you have the time,” said the Duke.

At this point Ui’s face was red and she was desperately trying to not heat the dough too much with her hands. Making that dough had never been trickier.

“There was a girl long ago that worked for me sometimes. She kept insisting the mussas didn't taste like they did in Aure. I understood her complaint, but we couldn’t do much because we don’t have the same ingredients, tools, or even the moisture here…” Odoe took turns interacting with other customers.

“And what happened?” asked the supposedly incognito Duke.

Odoe laughed again. “She kept trying everyday until she got it right, and that’s the ‘special dough’.”

“How did she fix it?”

“Well, I wouldn’t be having a business if I shared my secrets, would I?” Odoe winked. “But the short answer is that she used some Uman ingredients to not only fix the flavor but improve it somewhat.”

“So… she combined our cultures.”

“You could say that.” Odoe laughed. She was laughing a little too much. Ui looked at the disguised Duke from the corner of her eyes. That interaction was taking too long for Ui’s liking.

“I’ll have a special dough with Aure mushrooms then.”

“You’re in luck, mister. The girl over there just finished a fresh batch of dough. It tastes better that way,” said Odoe. Ui froze. Odoe had been teasing her nonstop, but she remained quiet to avoid being exposed. “Fire up a mushroom mussa please.” Ui nodded without looking back.

“Anything else you recommend?” The Duke was still looking over the menu, unfortunately.

Odoe likely just pretended to give it some thought. “Well, it isn’t technically Udari, but…” Ui knew what Odoe was about to say. “The Doroberry parfait is the most requested dessert.”

Ui’s mind went blank as she prepared the mussa. Time seemed to go by painfully slowly as she put the Duke’s mussa in the oven. Time was going so slow, that she regularly checked the doneness of the mussa, not trusting the oven timer that Odoe had.

Eventually, Odoe managed to put some food in front of the Duke. “Since it’s your first time, you have to tell me what you think, alright?” Odoe smiled warmly to the Duke, just like she did for every customer. She was just attentive like that. “Don’t burn yourself though, you need to let it rest for a bit to cool down and soak the sauce. Some people just take in the aroma for a little.”

The Duke followed Odoe’s instructions. The warmth and the flavor combination didn’t seem to scare him. On the contrary, Ui noticed, from the corner of her eyes, that he seemed more and more interested. She tried to distract herself by meticulously sectioning pieces of dough, yet her eyes would always end up drawn to his reactions.

After a few bites, the Duke stopped eating for a moment. “It’s amazing…”

Odoe smiled, while Ui, with her side facing them, breathed a small but victorious sigh of relief. It was getting harder and harder to not show her emotions, and the Duke’s words and Odoe’s questions were not helping.

“The somewhat crispy exterior of the dough with the soft inside makes a great texture. The slightly sweet sauce balances out the saltier ingredients, too. And these mushrooms have an amazing flavor. The cone shape is convenient to carry, too.” The Duke finished eating the rest of his mussa in silence. Ui could feel Odoe’s pride, and while Ui had relaxed somewhat, she never was fully herself around the Duke, even if they were both in disguise.

“How about the dessert?” asked Odoe.

The Duke ate a few spoonfuls of parfait before replying. “It’s amazing, these berries…” He ate a little more. “Usually these parfaits are too sweet for my taste, but the tart flavor of these berries make them perfect for this…”

Odoe smiled. “I’m glad you liked it. These are flavors from my home.”

The Duke smiled back, “They’re wonderful.” The Duke then pulled a fistful of coins, a lot more than was required, and discreetly paid Odoe, who didn’t protest the amount. Odoe must’ve been used to nobles doing so, after all. Ui, still agitated, barely breathing properly, witnessed the exchange until the Duke was completely out of sight. Only then could Ui finally close her eyes, breathe normally, and calm down.

Odoe walked towards her and grabbed her hand. “You did great. Go rest now… you need your strength for your concert.” Odoe winked as Ui stiffly took off her apron, cap, and walked back home incredulously.