Production Column: Part 8

Steam post image3-Minute Tart

Tart Crust Ingredients: Whole wheat flour, leftover rice, rolled oats, salt, coconut oil, agar powder, cinnamon

Filling Ingredients: Persimmons, sake lees, leftover rice, coconut oil, agar powder, five-spice powder (Optional)

Just like the chestnut cake I introduced before, my wife makes all kinds of dishes and desserts. This time, she made a “3-Minute Tart” inspired by the “3-Minute Clock” that appears in the game. It certainly can’t be made in just 3 minutes, but I think it’s possible to finish eating it in 3 minutes (our staff enjoyed it very much).

In a previous column, I mentioned that when it comes to food in gamebooks, “dried meat” is the first thing that comes to mind, but the next thing that pops into my head is the “meat from the food storage room” that appears in S. Jackson’s *The Fortress of Balsa*. This meat is actually alive, and if a player eats it, it goes on a rampage inside their stomach, leading to unfortunate consequences—so it might not even qualify as food. This book also features a dish that can get you into trouble if you eat it. It’s an interesting experience, so please give it a try! (lol)

In my own work, *Witch of the Dark Castle*, meat dishes hardly ever appear. That’s because ever since my wife and I moved to Sonari Village, our diet has changed to a vegetable-centered lifestyle (we eat fish, eggs, and dairy products only very, very rarely), and our craving for meat has completely disappeared. Vegetables are easy to store, and if you save the seeds and plant them the following year, you can eat them again. Above all, freshly harvested vegetables are incredibly delicious!

On a personal note, we dream of eventually living a self-sufficient lifestyle, and we plan to become strict vegetarians someday.

I’m actually surprised to realize that when your diet changes, the things you express change as well (back when I was working on *13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim*, I used to happily draw illustrations of bento boxes filled with hamburger steaks and meatballs…).

The natural bounty of Soni Village is truly abundant. In spring, you can forage for wild greens like horsetail and bracken; from summer onward, wild herbs such as chickweed and mugwort are available.

In fall, there are plenty of delicious nuts and fruits to enjoy, such as persimmons, chestnuts, and kayanuts. I’m also very grateful that I sometimes receive freshly harvested vegetables and fruits as gifts. Just the other day, a neighbor gave me some green plums, which I pickled to make umeboshi. Being able to experience nature throughout the four seasons makes me realize just how fortunate I am to live in such a wonderful place. (I am deeply grateful to the owner who lets us use the house and land.) Why not try the rural lifestyle for yourself?

Digitalis Publishing Yoshio Nishimura