Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Market Survey

If the most famous and active markets in 1901 London can pick three places.

The first Smithfield Market in the center of the City of London.

The largest wholesale market in London, mainly trading meat.

Even at our restaurant procured most ingredients from here, so a familiar and friendly place.

The second Covent Garden Market in the West End visited last time.

A place mainly trading items like fruits, vegetables, flowers, good because just walking around the market the scent of flowers and fruits strongly wafts. Far so couldn't go often.

The third Borough Market near London Bridge.

If picking the oldest market in London exactly here.

Hearing the legend almost open from a thousand years ago so correct well.

Here no items not selling as much as the accumulated history.

Basic ingredients like meat, fish, vegetables and fruits of course side dishes like pickles or herring pickles, sweet snacks like jam, syrup, chocolate, biscuits, candy also sold.

There tin pots, wooden spatulas, bread molds, embroidered tablecloths, medicinal herbs, brooms, washboards, handcarts, interior props, amulets, even commemorative coins, oil lamps or rabbit traps.

If combining Dongmyo and Namdaemun markets this atmosphere?

Many visitors, and naturally many places selling street food.

The place I planned to visit today also exactly this Borough Market.

Fortunately thanks to the makeup working well no one recognizing me mixed in the crowds.

That very unfamiliar, yet gave a strange sense of liberation.

Coming to senses always the center of topics so lately wherever going gazes always concentrated.

Of course the people glancing at me now because even the disguised appearance quite okay, right?!

Want to believe so. At least now sufficient success with only the name 'Jean-Paul Durand' not directly heard in my ears.

"Selling Durand cups! Durand cups! With this one can successfully make all dishes! Buy Durand cups!"

"Feed children one glass of milk warmed with Durand cups a day! Then will grow tall like Sir Durand! Durand cups made of glass! One for 7 pence! Two for 1 shilling! If buying 4 this Durand spoon also free!"

"Give! Give 4!"

"Uncle, but this real Durand cup correct?!"

"Made exactly the same as real Durand cups! If later seems not will take responsibility and refund!"

"Then give only 6! But can't give two spoons too?! Buying 6!"

"Hey, mood! Here two spoons!"

...Shouldn't such things even if my name entered be exception processed humanely?

Not even walking a few steps into Borough Market, the scene of merchants openly selling items hanging my name unfolded clearly in front of the eyes.

The existence of Durand cups first revealed in the November issue of Strand Magazine created a tremendous wave more than thought.

Not even officially opening real Durand cups in the December issue yet, fake cups looking real wildly selling everywhere in the market.

Already heard the talk and roughly knew...

Actually seeing selling frighteningly well?!

Still a long time left until afternoon sets but, more than half the items the merchants brought already swept clean seeming.

Well half okay to see as fan heart degree?

Holmes fans just buying and collecting books or magazines enough, but Durand fans no items worth collecting yet, right.

So twisted affection exploded like this with mass purchase of Durand cups and Durand spoons seeming.

Of course the fact that I deliberately neglected this strange fake boom also fact.

From the start intended the spread of fakes to some degree, and whether people use genuine or not not particularly related to me.

My purpose one from the start.

Making London citizens abandon the inconvenient imperial unit system, and naturally use the Durand unit system based on the liter method.

Fortunately the sprout of the seed I sowed very faintly visible.

Thanks to people wildly buying fake Durand cups, quick-witted ingredient shops also quickly modified signs saying will see the benefit themselves.

[ Lentils / 1 pence per 1 Durand cup ]

[ Lard / 1.5 pence per 1 Durand cup ]

[ Brown sugar / 2 pence per 1 Durand cup * Exactly that sugar produced by the peanut butter company! ]

[ Raisins / 1 shilling per 1 Durand cup ** Price including Durand cup! ]

[ Indian Assam black tea leaves / 1 shilling per 1/2 Durand cup ]

Well don't know how much longer this flow will last.

Maybe if December comes and real Durand cups revealed a bigger ripple might occur.

The quantity that initially said will produce only 20,000 genuine, now greatly increased to 50,000.

Because Strand Magazine that directly saw the fake Durand cups booming in the market more than thought really bet the fortune.

Anyway Sir Ashford who saw such appearance from the market entrance made a very startled expression, but I turned steps without particular reaction.

The reason came here today not to watch how well Durand cups selling.

I as is the painter disguised attire, holding a sketchbook under the arm and slowly passed next to the market patrol officers.

As expected this side also no particular suspicion.

Unless Sir Ashford loses mind and shouts 'Jean-Paul Durand disguised and wandering!' loudly, for now my peace guaranteed to some degree with this.

If that degree no problem for me.

Anyway the place I was born and raised also London's ordinary lower class streets.

Even such noisy market streets familiar scenery from childhood.

Rather seeing a strange sense of relief and comfort felt in this noisiness, the body clearly properly remembering seeming.

And soon a familiar smell brushed the tip of my nose.

Grilled eel.

Early winter so eel catching not good, but whether thanks to the characteristic of warm grilling grilled eel still the market's steady seller.

Discovered five grilled eel sales places from the entrance. Lines well standing, good to see.

Conversely not even one place selling jellied eels visible, so jellied eels now can treat as definitely pushed out.

Grilled eel always delicious even just eating, or eating with sauce.

So street stalls also only selling original grilled eel, or applying Worcestershire sauce and selling, or separately putting improved Durand dip sauce from ranch and selling etc. very diversified forms state.

Good, good. This very rewarding.

Because the first I set my mind and uprightly exerted my influence in London grilled eel, in fact I quite liked this grilled eel trend.

Besides that dishes derived using Durand Fish Ball as MSG substitute, or mutated Edward Sandwich cousins, naturally Durand Barbecue also wildly selling.

Up to here good...

"...Any matter?"

"No, not particularly."

I hesitated and glanced at the stall's sign.

[ Durand Hot Pie / 1 pence per 1 piece ]

[ Durand Spicy Cucumber Pickle / Selling only 1 bottle each ]

Swear to heaven, that absolutely no relation to me.

Good that after safely finishing the investiture, and recognized as a chef who succeeded life reversal with cooking for the first time in history my past actions rediscovered in the meantime.

But in the meantime didn't even imagine things like 'spicy taste masked gourmet meeting' would be rediscovered.

From the start that proceeded non-public, no reporters, participants composed only of upper class so rumors thickly spread only in social circles, thought general citizens no particular interest...

But Durandists who suddenly appeared like Sherlockians overturned everything.

They tracked the chili powder transaction records mass purchased at my restaurant, and succeeded in inferring up to the identity of 'spicy taste' being Spanish chili powder.

Of course the real base of my spicy taste course dishes gochujang, but gochujang factory not even established yet, and manufacturing secret managed as top secret of the Department of Food Innovation so didn't reach there.

Anyway Durandists curious what 'Jean-Paul Durand's spicy taste' really started creating new 'monster dishes' themselves unable to control that curiosity the real problem.

And the result?

Pies with plenty of chili powder, soups with plenty of chili powder, pickled foods with chili powder, even rum mixed with chili powder and drinking... crazy dishes!

I really seemed going crazy.

Effortfully expelled jellied eels, sardine pies from the British table and adding new monster dishes there?!

And that attaching my name?!

On earth how far have to fix these Britons?

Moreover London citizens also already having the record of eating existing monster dishes without care, started accepting even 'Durand-style' chili series foods without particular complaints!

"Water! Hehehe! Owner, give water a bit! On earth how much chili powder put in this pie?!"

"Warned, right! That food only true men like Jean-Paul Durand can eat! And only put 1/4 Durand cup! If that spicy not a man!"

"Wait, then I'm not a man that words?!"

"So! Real men don't shed tears and snot even eating spicy food!"

"Damn! Bring one more piece of pie! This time really will eat indifferently!"

Damn!

On earth why competing that?! Here some 21st century Korea?!

This really a scene not reported to me, truly unfamiliar.

Somehow might have to press Sir Samuel and advance the gochujang release much faster.

Before Durand spicy fake dishes completely smash London citizens' tastes.

Still if chili powder expensive like existing this degree wouldn't spread so fast, but the influence of the Persian oil field incident reaching even here.

As chili powder prices sharply dropped, merchants when making pies instead of pepper plenty, and that very openly able to scoop!

Still yielding a hundred times up to here understandable.

The fact I advertised spicy taste dishes, and even if not proper recipe when putting chili powder the flavor of dishes somewhat comes alive fact.

The addictiveness of capsaicin unique to chili also can't ignore.

Even people who never ate spicy taste dishes in life, depending on constitution can accept without particular problem spicy taste.

The curry trendy in British society also ultimately spicy taste dish, right. Not much different from that.

But the change that really surprised me elsewhere.

Conditions sufficient.

Existence of street food culture, there demand of laborers wanting cheap fast simple food.

Cold winter so natural looking for warm soup dishes, and with the full appearance of Durand Fish Ball and chili powder merchants able to brew somewhat spicy yet sweet broth to some degree.

Moreover Britain fundamentally wheat culture sphere.

Basic pastas like spaghetti, ravioli, tagliatelle consumed without problem even in ordinary households, naturally no resistance to noodle dishes.

Moreover even going only to the dock district easily see Chinese laborers diligently carrying loads.

In the situation Chinatown-like communities formed in London, even if someone slightly leaked the home cooking secrets from there nothing strange at all.

If all these conditions amazingly match, the sound that inventions transcending the era like my refrigerator or computer can be made as much as one wants even from ordinary general people's hands.

I encountered a dish that absolutely can't exist in 1901, the current era.

And that guests waiting in tremendously long lines.

That chewy noodle strands. Clearly fried noodles. And that pouring spicy broth and boiling.

What I discovered in the market of London Britain the world's first ramen.

* * *

How is this possible?

Instant ramen the soul food of Koreans, so I first hung the history of ramen as my YouTube content.

Almost okay to see as early material. At that time subscribers not that many.

So clearly remembering, even going to Tokyo Japan now no ramen.

The predecessor of ramen 'Nanjing soba' Chinese laborers brought to Tokyo.

Even that food only sold inside the closed communities of Chinese laborers in a few port cities.

Time-wise same grade as now.

But the contents at that time completely different from modern ramen.

The fried noodle method itself the same, but the broth all chicken broth with a bit of salt.

Spicy taste? No way such now. Doenjang? Soy sauce? Such also expensive so naturally not put.

But with this spicy smell, seeing people lining up a lot clearly something selling no matter what.

Surely the butterfly effect I made summoned even ramen?!

Ultimately I also no choice but to line up out of curiosity.