The Three Sauces

Astra was hungry, and glad to turn from conversation to eating. The meat had three types of sauces: one red, one yellow, and one clear with black flakes. The villagers gave her a wooden fork, and she delicately took some of the shredded meat with the red sauce. The pleasing smell of well-cooked pork filled the air. She lifted the fork into her mouth, and the meat slid off onto her tongue.

The texture and the flavour of the meat filled her with a sense of well-being. The sauce was rich, hearty, and thick. She could not quite describe the taste, but it was a little sweet, quite tangy, and with just a hint of delightful bitterness. There had to be some fresh chopped greens in it. The sauce complemented the smoky smell of the meat. She ate slowly in order to enjoy the wonderful dish. She congratulated herself for stopping at this village. She could easily eat nothing but this dish. There could hardly be anything better!

With Astra having finished off the third of her meat that was covered with the red sauce, one of the villagers suggested to Astra that she eat a little ball of batter fried in a sunflower oil to cleanse the tongue for the next part of the meal. Astra could not see why that would be needed, but she followed her suggestion. The batter ball was also good, with dill providing most of the taste.

She then tasted the pork with the yellow sauce. It was different from the red sauce, but it was wonderful in a different way. It was less sweet - instead, it was delightfully spicy, with a tangy taste. There was a hint of a spicy, hot taste made by some spice that was unknown in Aqualaria. She smiled, and thanked the heavens for the favour that they showed her. Two wonderful sauces, better than anything else that she had ever had, at the same fair! If Allaria could free itself of the mysterious curse, she could see this place becoming a thriving centre of trade, just on the cooking alone. She hoped that the cooking was something that was not entirely created and preserved by Reaibn's strange power.

The meat with the yellow sauce lasted too short a time. Astra cleansed her palatte with a batter ball, and nibbled on the meat in the clear sauce. It was very different from the other two. The sauce was not sweet at all. The base of the sauce was a vinegar, or something very close to it, so it was decidedly sour. In addition, the black flakes made her mouth feel hot, even more so than the yellow sauce. She did not care for it as much, but ate a little more anyway. She thought of a nickname for the dish - "dragon sauce", as she felt that she could breathe a low fire. But she surprised herself by eating more and more. She liked the hot feeling that the sauce gave her, and the strong flavour. In fact, if she had to choose a favourite, it would be the last sauce.

Astra gobbled a half dozen of the batter balls in order to dilute the last sauce and tame some of the spicy heat.

The villagers were laughing good-naturedly as Astra wolfed down the last of the batter balls. One of asked her, "So, Astra, which of the sauces did you like best?"

1. Astra is aware of a myth similar to that of the judgment of Paris. She tries not to commit herself.
2. Astra has not caught on to the fact that she is judging a contest. Besides, they were all good sauces and nobody should be offended. Without a further thought, she gives her honest opinion.

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