Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Villain

Making pizza for Mr. Salvatore's proposal event.

I started with a light heart, but in the given situation I intended to do my best.

I'm a person who becomes infinitely close to sincerity when cooking.

However the ambitiously started plan hit an unexpected difficulty from the start.

"Mr. Salvatore, isn't there spring wheat in the kitchen? I don't see it?"

"Spring wheat? Why use such a thing? Sicilian bread has to be made with winter wheat for the proper taste?"

"Yes?!"

In this Sicily lover's kitchen there was absolutely no preparation to make pizza!

I'm not talented in baking but I know basic common sense.

That is the fact that bread or dough clearly changes taste and texture according to the ratio of strong flour and all-purpose flour.

Flour with high protein content is strong flour, if low all-purpose flour.

In baking strong flour was used when making chewy and elastic texture, all-purpose flour when making soft and moist texture.

But in 1901 London Britain they didn't classify flour into strong flour, all-purpose flour like modern times.

Then how on earth do they distinguish bread ingredients?

Basically they used the method of distinguishing according to the harvest time of wheat, and the production area.

Spring wheat harvested in spring generally has high protein content, winter wheat harvested in winter was the opposite.

And because spring wheat grew better in dry regions, winter wheat in humid regions so in islands like Britain or Sicily they mainly cultivated winter wheat, and in America or Canada, Russia they harvested hard red spring wheat.

In fact the development of sweet and soft dessert bread in Britain was also because the main harvest was winter wheat, right?

"Oh, I'll have to check the ingredients again from the start. By any chance pepperoni here... Ah, there's no way there's such a thing here now. Still salami (*Salami, Italian-style salted sausage) is of course there, right?"

"Salami? Of course! Salami is the center of Sicilian antipasto (*Antipasto, appetizer)! How much do you need?"

"I don't need a lot. Anyway I'll slice thinly and use."

Phew, that's fortunate.

Combination pizza without pepperoni is not pizza.

Pepperoni is American-style salami seasoned spicy with chili powder.

The problem was the fact that at this point pepperoni probably hasn't been developed in America yet.

But in the end that's also a kind of salami, so just grinding a little pepper or ginger into existing salami it was possible to reproduce a similar level of spiciness.

Why is pepperoni essential? Because pepperoni has to tightly catch the center of the taste.

Pizza fills the dough top full with greasy mozzarella cheese, this was a certain advantage and disadvantage.

As much as cheese is abundant even eating a few pieces one gets greasy and easily gets tired.

What catches this greasiness is the crisply grilled pepperoni and the spicy taste of other onion or bell pepper etc.

Felt excessively greasy or bland even after eating only one piece? That's already the balance of ingredients broken.

To say again the basic of good cooking was matching the balance of various tastes.

Spicy taste, salty taste, sour taste, savory taste, umami have to harmoniously blend in the recipe, and in my view the one that fulfills all these conditions in pizza was only combination.

"First please obtain all the ingredients I call. Not even one can be missing."

"What else is needed?"

"Black olive, bell pepper, paprika, onion, button mushroom, bacon, mozzarella, whole tomato... This isn't essential, but if there's basil or artichoke, peperoncino it would be good."

Don't use pineapple? That unlike my previous life was a luxury that absolutely couldn't be easily eaten in this era! At least 2 pounds each!

What could be obtained was only directly picked from tropical regions, or ones painstakingly grown after trial and error in London's low-quality greenhouses!

"Hmm... It seems all are there? Open the icebox once."

"Then only spring wheat needs to be obtained. Please send anyone quickly?"

"Shall I? If that's absolutely needed!"

There was a reason I carefully checked these ingredients.

Because how much and where and how one places which ingredient determines the taste of the entire pizza.

The triangular piece that comes out after cutting the pizza.

Most people don't eat from the hard crust edge. They take a big bite from the appetizing front part where greasy cheese flows.

In gourmet that first bite's impression was more important than anything.

Personally for me pepperoni coming up in the first bite was the best.

The charm of pepperoni that one can feel all salty yet crispy texture, savoriness, spicy taste, umami in one bite. There if sweet onion is added the harmony becomes perfect.

And according to how one overlaps and arranges various toppings including pepperoni, like a composer placing notes on a staff, the harmony of colorful and complex tastes coming out was exactly the charm of combination pizza.

Anyway Mr. Salvatore had a subordinate go to the general store.

Although Britain's main harvest is winter wheat, because imported spring wheat from America or Canada was also circulated a lot obtaining was easy.

In the meantime I tore my hair to revive the perfect taste in memory.

After pondering for a long time even drawing pictures on the recipe I barely found a solution. A quite okay design came out just imagining. To the point saliva gathers in the mouth.

But the real problem came after that.

"Salvatore de Luca!!!"

Ugh?! What? Who boiled a train chimney and ate?!

At the huge shout that suddenly rang downward, Mr. Salvatore froze like a mouse in front of a cat.

What followed was the unique sharp and piercing Italian accent. The voice was thick and heavy, but because it sounded in Italian it was somehow subtly funny too!

“Excuse me, who is shouting? I don't understand a single word. What did he say?”

Mr. Salvatore answered trembling.

“...It's father. He said come up to the upper floor right now.”

And as if resigned he tightly closed his eyes.

"Jean, sorry but today's conversation seems to end here. Father said don't do it."

"Yes?!"

What is that saying?

Mr. Salvatore let out a deep sigh.

"Cooking proposal. He said absolutely don't do it."

What?! Then what becomes of my hardship until just now? My pizza?

So I left behind Mr. Salvatore strongly stopping, and in the end followed his back trailing up.

It was to directly grasp the whole story of this incident.

###

Salvatore de Luca.

My acquaintance and the eldest son of the Luca Family boss.

As the action captain of the Luca Family he was handling all major crimes like usury or smuggling, but the actual boss leading the organization was separate.

Exactly Vito de Luca.

Mr. Salvatore's father, and the owner of that huge shout just now.

Intense facial lines, sharp gaze.

Thick grayish hair that seemed to have overcome hardships.

Thick mustache and thick eyebrows that covered all the eyelids.

Sturdy build, black one-button suit, shiny leather shoes.

A real Italian mafia as if just popped out from the movie 'The Godfather' was sitting in front of my eyes.

Wow, this Mr. Salvatore is just a baby compared to this person, a baby.

And this Mr. Vito de Luca, started pouring admonition to Mr. Salvatore in English full of southern Italian accent!

"Salvatore! How much more are you going to disgrace me? Are you now intending to even smear the name of our Luca family!"

"Father, please listen to my story a bit! I—"

"There's nothing to listen or not! Do you know who made your engagement succeed? Not you, not me! It's thanks to the honor passed down through generations of our family and the dedication of the ancestors! Even if we're in a foreign country, I repeatedly taught not to forget that history even for a day!"

Wow, look at the force. Even if it was me I'd be surprised and bite my tongue?

But Mr. Salvatore, to the point the appearance trembling on the 1st floor earlier was colorless, showed the courage to fight head-on with the scary father!

"Father! This time I also can't step back! I'll definitely make the coolest love confession in the world to Maria! I even promised by letter that I'll make her cool cooking!"

"This guy! Are you really intending to drop the family's honor! If you don't break your stubbornness, I'll revoke the qualification to succeed the family!"

"Do as you please! Then I'll go out of this house together with Maria!"

Fighting, Salvatore!

Isn't popcorn needed for this? To think I'd watch a scene that might be seen in a movie live!

Anyway listening quietly the rough inside story was seen.

I don't know up to the far Mediterranean noble family tree, but father Mr. Luca's family also seemed to have made quite a name near Sicily once.

And with that name power it seemed they made a marriage promise with the other party—Miss Maria's family—family. Marriage alliance, something like that?

But as the Two Sicilies fell and oppression on the vested interests started, they flew to Britain the center of the world here leading property and family.

The problem was there was no way the British government would recognize the title of a noble from a small Mediterranean island, and wouldn't believe either. In the end with only pride left they settled and lived in the East End.

Why does a noble family operate such a crime organization? How would I know up to that? There must be some circumstance they can't say.

Or from the start the crime business itself might have been the family business. Thinking about it half of the guys who made money in the Mediterranean now were originally pirate origin.

For immigrant mafia somehow the people were orderly. Usually crime organizations are only real psychopaths gathered.

Anyway the conclusion was, father Mr. Luca was displeased with the idea itself of proposing to the daughter of the other party noble family (?) with lowly cooking that commoners might do with the bloodline of the great Mediterranean noble family.

No, still it must have been a conclusion Mr. Salvatore also pondered and brought out, just pressing with patriarchal authority? Now saying not even a real noble?

Nobles can do usury but can't do cooking?

Generational conflict between the father clinging to past glory, and the son of immigrant 2nd generation origin trying to adapt to the new society.

Like this Mr. Salvatore was too pitiful. Not interfering with Italian people's romance is the national rule, right!

I briefly checked the mood, then entered as reinforcement into this admonition scene disguised as a word fight.

"Ahem, hello, Mr. Luca? Is it okay if I raise one word?"

"...Come to think of it who on earth are you?"

"Me? That, I'm Jean-Paul Durand. A person engaged in the lowly cooking business you mentioned."

"...Jean-Paul Durand? Durand Barbecue? Chicken and Chips?"

"Ah, well. It seems such a lowly nickname is also attached."

He does recognize.

It was fortunate. Because my name was heard one step away in the East End, I wondered if he might recognize.

If he didn't know me? I intended to leave the back to Mr. Salvatore and immediately flee.

Mr. Vito de Luca, quickly lowered his voice to the point one wonders if he was the person full of anger until just now.

No, he does a posture change that fast? Is the anger real? At this point it seemed he might have been acting somehow.

It's severely suspicious?

"Jean-Paul Durand! I'm eating the samgyeopsal you made very deliciously! Haha! Excellent cooking that couldn't even be tasted in Sicily! But why did a famous person like you come even to the Luca Family of the East End? By any chance what relation with my son...?"

"We're close friends. Before starting the business I received a lot of help from your son. So occasionally we meet like this with friendship."

"Close friends? You? With my son? Hehe."

To do newspaper selling well in London, one has to be sensitive to rumors. Only then one can bring good information to reporters, and receive even one more 6 pence silver coin.

So while going around this alley that alley, there were also times of unexpectedly encountering crime scenes.

I moved my mouth well even then, and built quite a decent friendship with Mr. Salvatore like this that story.

In fact Mr. Salvatore also has some debt to me. I came to collect that debt this time.

I once saved his life when he almost died. Well, that talk isn't important so let's pass.

"In fact your son's cooking proposal was my idea. So if scolding please scold me."

"Jean! It's not! Father! I just begged because we met after a long time. Sorry."

"Salvatore this guy! Didn't I tell you to shut your mouth! So you're close friends with my son? Then did you also know the proposal talk?"

"Father! In fact Jean is my benefactor I mentioned last time—"

"Salvatore! Didn't I tell you to be quiet!!"

Ugh, the sound of the chimney bursting again!

I pushed Mr. Salvatore back and stepped to the front.

Certainly, when I blocked the view with my body Mr. Luca's expression was seen slightly softening.

But I didn't miss the sorrow that briefly passed in that softened expression.

Thanks to observing people's emotions for a long time with the status window, I roughly guessed what that expression meant.

Sorry. And the contradiction of trying to hide it.

If that becomes excessive, people often forcibly get angry or show exaggerated reactions to hide their true feelings. And now Mr. Luca was exactly that case.

Lastly the message that floated on the status window further solidified that guess.

Mr. Salvatore's engagement, it broke a while ago!

And father Mr. Luca already knew that fact!

Miss Maria's family coming to London is already a confirmed matter, but the reason was not to confirm the marriage, but to end it.

So the father worried about the mental wound the child would receive personally stepped out and volunteered for the villain role befitting the head of a crime organization.

Wow, I'm going crazy! How on earth do I untie this complicatedly intertwined twist?!

I tightly closed my eyes. It was time to somehow display my specialty of improvisation.

Even for my pizza!