fandomhigh | Wine & Dine: Pairing Fine Food with Fine Wine in Fine Countries; Thursday, 4th Period [07/25].

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Wine & Dine: Pairing Fine Food with Fine Wine in Fine Countries; Thursday, 4th Period [07/25].

"This week," Ignis announced as everyone gathered outside of Portalocity as usual, "we'll be doing something a little bit different. Not so much in structure, but in type. So far, we've focused on classic wines that derive from grapes, but today, we'll be exploring wines made from something a little different: rice and plums. Now, those of you more familiar with Earth may already know that I'm speaking of sake and umeshu, which means you have already guessed that we wil be heading to Japan. Specifically, the Ozawa Brewery in Ome City, in the western part of Tokyo.

"Once we've arrived, we will settle in for a small overview on the proper ways to drink sake and preferred methods for enjoying umeshu, along, of course, with foods to compliment them both, and then you'll have the rest of the class to enjoy the gardens, museum, or brewery further if you so choose."

And so, without any further to add at the moment and the portal ready, let them be off to their destination.

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Ready for Japan!

Liliana Vess

Gladiolus Amicitia

Summer Smith

Nell Ingram

Stark

Now would be an excellent time to point out any fish allergies that have somehow yet to come up.

The brewery offers several sakes that the students can sample and compare, but the focus will be on the food pairings. There is an emphasis, of course, on sushi pairings, but also a look at a few sweet, chocolate-based pairings. As for the plum wine, the exploration will involve how the pairings may shift based on how the beverage is served and the reasons for why.

As usual, Nell took just the smallest sip of the drinks and then focused on the food.

Edited 2024-07-25 12:51 (UTC)

Summer had to admit that working under Shunsui for as long as she had (not dirty, ohemgee), she'd developed sort of a distaste for sake, and she didn't really like the plum wine much, either. But she did love sushi and chocolate, and the traditions behind sake were much more palatable when they weren't being pushed on you by your pervy thousands-year-old death god boss.

She might look irritated in the icon, but don't let that fool you, she thought this was pretty great this week, and not just because it meant she was going to be clubbing in Tokyo tonight.

Between the massage and her office hours, Liliana had managed to work up quite the appetite, so she was tucking into everything with gusto. But as much as she was enjoying the pairings, learning about the changes to the presentation of the umeshu was her favorite.

Stark was, naturally, very excited for the chocolate pairings but the sushi was good too.

And it was fun to be back in Japan.

With the small slice of time left after the tasting, one can avail themselves to exploring the garden along the river where they pull their fresh water from, or to peek into the museum of over 4000 historical artifacts of mostly hair accessories as well as clothing, accessories and livingware of various periods in history.

Three guesses to where Nell was going. Gardens. Couldn't get enough of them!

Well, then, if Nell was going to the gardens, there was a pretty good chance that Gladio would be joining her.

The only thing that might have swayed him away was if the museum had a little more in the way of weapons, but it clearly wasn't that kind of museum, and so...

"Pretty nice out here, huh?"

Funny how lucky they'd been to always have great weather for every one of these excusions in this class so far!

"You'd think I'd be gardened out," Nell said with a grin, "but I'm not sure that's possible. And the river...there's something beautiful about the way the Japanese combine all aspects together to create something so harmonious."

Even the tiny sips of the sake she'd had before offering the rest to Gladio had made her ever so slightly on the tipsy side.

And it would probably take a river of sake for Gladio to even feel much more than a faint buzz. He did sort of like how that faint bit of tipsy always opened her up just that little bit more, helped her relax, although he was pretty used to her being like that around him regardless.

"Yeah, I'd be pretty worried," he said with a faint chuckle, "if you said you were gardened out. I'd have to take you straight to the clinic to see what might be wrong. But, yeah, this is nice. Good view of the mountains, and yet we're not even that far from the city. Perfect balance between the two."

"We'll have to come here some time for a vacation," Nell said dreamily. "Tons of amazing gardens, tons of places to learn about historical weapons and warfare.

Her smile turned a little teasing and whimsical. "Besides, I understand that somewhere in Japan there is a place where you can soak in a ramen hot tub."

Well, that just stopped Gladio right in his tracks.

He looked at Nell with a speculative eyebrow lifted.

"Did you know about that before or after we went hot tub shopping yesterday?"

Nell laughed. "After, obviously. I didn't even know we were going hot tub shopping, but then while we were there you made that comment and I just... wondered. So I googled it and what do you know?"

SHe quirked her own eyebrow at him. 'Think you might want to visit?"

"I think," Gladio lifted his other brow now in response to her own brow quirk, and laughed, "I'd like to see you just try and stop me from visiting! You got anything important going on after this?"

"Other than the massage I promised you?" She shook her head with a smile. "Not a thing."

"I think we can postpone that massage a little bit," Gladio held up his fingers, even, to emphasize the minute amount of delay it would have, "if there's an ultimate Cup Noodle^TM hot tub experience on the table..."

Did you want a Cup Noodle^TM themed hot tub on your roof, Nell? Because this was definitely how you got aCup Noodle^TM themed hot tub on your roof.

"Then I'm all in," Nell said. "Can we just get a portal from here?"

No, Gladio. There could be some subtle nods to Cup Noodle, but she was not soaking in a giant Cup Noodle on her own roof.

Okay, okay, okay, so don't @ her or anything, but Summer actually thought a lot of the things in the museum were really interesting? And she was wondering if incorporating some of this fashion history into her fit this evening was just a little too cultural appropriation-y, or if it was just that right balance between fun and homage...

Liliana was also wandering through the museum, her expression alight with interest and curiosity as she looked through the various items. "Hello, Summer," she said when their paths crossed, though her eyes remained on the combs ahead them. "Enjoying the trip, darling?"

Summer followed Liliana's eyes to the artifacts in front of her a moment before they shifted more to the woman herself, with maybe a thoughtful sort of tilt to her head, absolutely not fueled by any conversations that had been happening elsewhere in a disgustingly handwavey fashion in the last few weeks or anything, really, how dare.

"I mean," she said, "hard not to enjoy free sushi and sake, even if sake does kinda always put a bad taste in my mouth." Her nose wrinkled a little. "But this is pretty cool. This class was an awesome idea. Are you having a good time, too?"

"Oh yes," Liliana said. "I've never been anywhere like this but more than that..." She drifted to another display. "I love beautiful things, but I have a special appreciation for art that is meant to be used. Artifacts, not just art." She smiled at the accidental pun, though the care that most people took creating artifacts was something she admitted as well. "I love the details and decorations that take something normal and elevate it. I find the dichotomy of your plane fascinating; fast fashion and assembly-line furniture mean that more people can afford nicer things; whole wardrobes of clothing or furniture for multiple rooms in a house is the provenance of the wealthy in most places I've been. But, in return, you've lost things like this," she says, pointing to an intricately carved and decorated hair stick. "Where people spent time turning ordinary items into works of true beauty. And I love that. I mean, statues and paintings are gorgeous, but what I truly enjoy are things that people didn't have to make lovely, but chose to anyway."

"Well, I mean," Summer offered, "there's always Etsy."

Yes, she knew Etsy was mostly bullshit these days. She was being facetious.

But she was also getting a small seed of a thought that she might not be exactly planting and cultivating right now, but it was, like, existant.

"But, yeah, no, I get that. Something made by hand are definitely going to have more oomph than factory-churned Temu dropship slop. And probably lasts better, too. Although now you've got me wondering how much of that might end up in a museum like this in, like, a couple kindred years..."

Liliana also had no idea what Etsy or Temu was; listen, the first thing she'd learned was that most of the internet wasn't safe if she didn't want to slag her phone.

Don't ask her about the day she'd discovered Reddit, Summer. Just know that she had also learned she could not cast death spells over the internet and that was a real problem. For the world.

"I don't think much of it will last," Liliana said frankly. "It doesn't seem like it's meant to. The images of the things will almost certainly outlast the things themselves." Something about that made her seem a little melancholy. Or maybe that was just her museum face.

Ah, yes. A classic case of resting museum face.

"I don't know, man," Summer said, shaking her head. "Do you know how long it takes plastic and shit to disintegrate?"

Yes, she knew that wasn't really what Liliana meant, but now she was thinking of something else that would be hilarious....

To her. She wasn't so sure the other parties involved would find it so funny.

And she wasn't really sure, if she was honest, what to do with a melancholy Liliana. And Summer wasn't exactly known for being sentimental over thr impermanence of things.

But she did have a third idea incoming, and she tilted her head thoughtfully for a moment before jutting a chin toward a case.

"Anything in here really catching your eye, though?"

One of the few perils of being immortal. The occasional bout of impermanence-melancholy.

"Oh yes, darling. I do love pretty things," Liliana said, perking up slightly. She looked over to a different case and pointed to an ornament resting on a cushion. "Isn't it lovely?"

Who is definitely feeling he's been neglecting sake in the cellar terribly, and will likely set to fix that while they're here.

Everyone appreciate that this fandom feels it necessary to produce visual evidence that Ignis Scientia does, in fact, smile:

Tch. No problems with treaties and production over here.

Also if there was ever a time to upload the Amano...

There are still times where I wonder if I actually should have bought that card instead of a house. LIFE IS LINED WITH REGRETS.

THE BANK WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD

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Wine & Dine: Pairing Fine Food with Fine Wine in Fine Countries; Thursday, 4th Period [07/25].

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