Chapter 6 Chapter 2, The Seventh Porcelain Puppet

It's time to enjoy the flowers again. The izakaya in Kitashinchi is always full of guests. When you ask the clerk, you have to wait at least one or two hours for a vacancy. We had no choice but to find another location, wandering along Sonezaki Nakasu Avenue and Hatsutenjin Avenue in the bustling business district in the north for 30 minutes before entering a small restaurant on the second floor. The seats have no sliding doors, and are lined with cheap tables and thin red bean-colored cushions.Looking around, I can't see any young guests who are about our age. They are all middle-aged Ojisan and overturned wine bottles, but at least it is not as noisy as a fellowship venue. For my tired nerves, It's a good place to relax.

We sat on the tatami mats, stretched our feet, took turns looking at the menu, ordered beer and a few dishes. Soon, the clerk brought wine and dishes, we toasted first, and began to feast on the food.Unexpectedly, the food in this old shop is quite delicious, it seems to be a good place to drink and eat. Qingmei, Hiiragisuke, Shogo, Hitoko, and Tetsuya are meeting for dinner tonight.Everyone drank beer and mixed drinks, chatting about the things that had been decided before. "I think it's better to send daily necessities," Tetsuya said first. "My favorite wedding gift is tableware or food that can be used immediately. Although artificial flowers and decorations are beautiful, if they get dirty Even if it is broken, I don’t want to throw it away, I always think it’s best to avoid sending such things..."

"If the gift is not special, it will be very boring!" Zhuizi said. "We're not discussing whether something is interesting or not." Hiiragisuke proposed to give a clock with a sense of design, "I usually don't buy this kind of thing by myself, so I'd be very happy if someone gave it to me! Give me a clock with antique style, it's quite peachy!" "Shouldn't it be cheap?" "Anyway, everyone shares it equally, so it's ok if it's a little more expensive!" "Any other suggestions?" "You can go to a department store to buy it, or go online to find a store that specializes in high-end clocks. It shouldn't be difficult to find."

After a lot of discussion, the options left were a high-end table clock and a brand-name tea set, and I decided to choose one from them. "It's done!" Zhao Wu picked up the menu and added some cold tofu and Japanese sake. We also ordered potato stew and chicken wings.The waiter took away the empty cups and plates, and filled the table with additional drinks and dishes. Zhaowu raised the jug and said, "I didn't expect Tao Xiang to really get married!" "That's right! Her luck with men is really bad," Tongzi also echoed, "I don't know why she keeps getting dumped."

"Because she loves to dig into corners too much!" Hiiragi said sarcastically. "It's always worrying about nothing, which makes the man very annoying. The other party just says a few words about her to make her unhappy. No matter which man is with her, he will be tired." "That's right, that's right." Zhao Wu nodded: "What a man wants is to feel comfortable and at ease together. This is the first condition for choosing a partner." "You two should be less self-righteous," Tongzi laughed and said, "Speaking of which, why does Taoxiang's boyfriend want to marry her this time?"

"Probably aroused the mentality of being a hero and protecting the beauty! Some men are so indifferent to lovely and pitiful women and like to protect them." We are a group of friends who have been together since we were students, as well as friends we met through the Internet. Although some people have quit in recent years, and new faces have joined, at least those who are sitting here are regular members.We meet once a month in Osaka or Kobe to chat about movies, books, or topics spread on the Internet. We will also joke with each other, talk and drink, and the meeting will not end until around ten o'clock. It is a small group with no rules and a very free spirit .

Qingmei interrupted: "I think it's good to send a clock or a tea set, how about a dessert? Isn't Tao Xiang the favorite cake?" "Oh, that's a good idea!" Zhao Wu picked up the small plate containing fried sweets and said with a smile, "I'm going to ask Ayabe about the desserts!" "Does Fuyingtang also make red and white steamed buns?" I put down the plum wine in my hand and replied: "If it is a dessert for congratulations, steamed buns are really good, but I think 金平糖 (金平糖: a star-shaped candy in Japan. After dissolving sugar in water, roll it into a ball shape, There are little sugar bumps around like stars.) It's better, but it's labor-intensive to make, and we also order from others in the store."

"That's right! Isn't Kopeito a common sweet? It shouldn't be difficult to make, right?" "No way……" "Good quality Jinpingtang can be stored for 20 to 30 years without any problem, and it will not fade or deform. Even the royal family uses Jinpeitang as a gift." "There's no need to send such labor-intensive things!" Qingmei said, "Doesn't Taoxiang collect feves? Then make a Galence des Rois! Fire feves according to the number of gift-givers, and then When cutting pies, little porcelain dolls will pop up one after another, isn't that interesting?"

"It's already April. Where can I find King's Pie?" "Special order is fine! It's not a difficult dessert to make." "What is a little porcelain puppet?" Zhao Wu interrupted. "It's a doll made of porcelain. Generally, there is only one doll in the king's pie. The king's pie is like a Christmas cake. It is a kind of dessert that the whole family cuts and eats together. If anyone eats this little porcelain doll, it will be a day." king'." King's Pie is an occasional dessert for "Epiphany" in January every year.

Epiphany is a Christian holiday, which originated from an anecdote that when Jesus was born in the stable, the Three Magi of the East went to congratulate him.December 25th is the birthday of Jesus, and it is also Christmas. When the doctors who heard the news arrived in Mafei, it was already January 6th of the following year, so this day was designated as the Epiphany.In that era when there were neither cars nor planes, it was a full twelve days. The method of King Pie is actually very simple. Use almond cream instead of apple pie filling, and then engrave various patterns on the pie crust with a diameter of about 20 cm to 30 cm. It is a major feature, especially with hemp and clover, etc. Grass leaf patterns are the most popular, and the beautiful curves carved clockwise from the center of the pie, showing a sun-like pattern are also famous.

Of course, you can also come up with various patterns.The pattern design on the pie skin is also a major focus of the king's pie competition review and scoring. In addition, there is also a method of directly baking two pie wallets with cream filling on a baking sheet. No matter which method you choose, you can make a king pie with a crispy skin. The creamy filling is like a sweet potato that has been properly dehydrated, and the taste is simple and not greasy.But also because the method is simple, it can better demonstrate the strength of the producer. The small porcelain puppets hidden in the pies in advance are also put in some with artistic value or rare porcelain puppets, because the auction price is not low, and some people specially collect them.Some well-known brands will also produce small porcelain dolls for a limited time, which are often sold out as soon as they are launched. Just like Christmas cake is not available until Christmas Eve or on the same day, King's Pie is not available until around Epiphany. However, there is a French dessert called "Almond Melaleuca Pie" (Almond Melaleuca Pie: Pithiviers, also known as "Almond King Pie".) that is similar to the King's Pie, which can be eaten all year round. Having said that, there are very few shops in Japan that sell these sweets.Unless there is a master who knows French desserts very well in the shop, it is possible to make this kind of dessert.Or the store is willing to accept special order. "I have already found a store willing to help." Qingmei said. "There is a French dessert shop called 'Goldfinch' (L'Oiseau do'r); their food is delicious, and they accept special orders. How about going to ask about it next time you are on vacation?"