=== Chloé & Bunet ===
--- C ---



[Chloé]
Please, Bunet?
[Bunet]
Apologies, Chloé, but no. I cannot. I will not.
[Chloé]
Pretty please? There's no one else here who
could do it.
[Bunet]
You have my answer.
[Chloé]
Aww...
[Bunet]
Chloé, I live by certain principles.
[Bunet]
Chief among them? That the ingredients of this
world deserve to be treated with dignity.
[Bunet]
I refuse to twist and corrupt them in order to
make that...side-street dreck!
[Chloé]
Hey! I'm not taking that lying down. Folk food
is an art form.
[Chloé]
Unique dishes, cooked without fuss, using
ingredients that are unusual, cheap, or both.
[Chloé]
Imagine how amazing it would be if a world-
class chef like you prepared some!
[Bunet]
No. You will have to ask someone else.
[Chloé]
But you have to!
[Chloé]
I'll do you a favor in return if I can try some
gourmet-quality folk food, just once.
[Bunet]
Chloé... You know an artist when you see one.
I appreciate that.
[Bunet]
But I cannot do as you ask.
[Bunet]
The ingredients tell me how they want to
be prepared. I will not violate their wishes.
[Bunet]
Now, if you'll excuse me.
[Chloé]
Oooh... This isn't over. I'll find a way to
convince him. Guaranteed!
--- B ---



[Bunet]
Chloé. Here to beg me some more, I take it.
[Chloé]
Sure am!
[Bunet]
From where did this bizarre love of folk food
spring? You grew up in a noble family.
[Chloé]
Yeah, and all they served me back home was
high cuisine.
[Chloé]
For most people, that would be great. But me,
I went to this Firenese festival one day.
[Chloé]
I caught this salty-sweet scent from a back
alley, so I followed it to find out what it was.
[Bunet]
That was how you discovered folk food.
[Chloé]
Yep. Without even thinking, I bought some food
from the stall and tried it.
[Chloé]
It was mind-blowing! The flavor, the smell, the
texture... I'd never had anything like it in my life.
[Bunet]
To the child of a rich family, I see how it could
offer some...perverse sense of thrill.
[Chloé]
Sadly, there was no chance my family would
let me dine out.
[Chloé]
And I could forget about folk food! They'd be
horrified to know I ever even tasted it.
[Bunet]
Oh, I see. You couldn't eat it while you lived
at home.
[Chloé]
Not necessarily. Once I'd had my first taste,
I started going out behind my parents' backs.
[Chloé]
I'd eat the folk food on my pegasus and get
rid of any evidence by tossing the wrappers.
[Bunet]
Littering, you mean.
[Chloé]
Yeah, I feel bad about that now. I always take
care to toss my trash properly these days.
[Chloé]
But that's my story in a nutshell.
[Bunet]
Your passion for food...I recognize it. I hesitate
to admit, it is much like my own.
[Bunet]
You have persuaded me. For you─and only
you─I will try my hand at making folk food.
[Chloé]
You mean it?!
[Bunet]
But what I cook will be of the highest quality.
[Bunet]
I cannot cut corners on purpose, so do not
complain if it differs from your expectations.
[Chloé]
No complaints, I promise! Thanks, Bunet!
You've made me a very happy lady.
[Chloé]
Ooh, I can't wait to try your first batch of
folk food!
--- A ---



[Bunet]
As I have told you before, ingredients tell me
how to cook them.
[Chloé]
Yeah, so you've said.
[Bunet]
I never disregard their voices.
[Bunet]
Thus I have been searching high and low.
[Bunet]
I have sought out ingredients that ask─indeed,
beg─to be made into folk food.
[Chloé]
Does that mean you found some?
[Bunet]
Yes. Look.
[Bunet]
A shellfish from the ponds of Solm and some
mushrooms unique to the queendom's forests.
[Chloé]
Wow! What a weird color.
[Bunet]
And this? A numbing spice. It will stamp out all
sensation as soon as it hits your tongue.
[Chloé]
A spice...that numbs?
[Bunet]
Heh, you're not scared, are you?
[Chloé]
Who, me? I want to try this so bad that I can
hardly stand it.
[Bunet]
I knew your culinary courage would not falter.
[Bunet]
Now, behold. The ultimate folk food.
[Chloé]
Incredible! That's exactly the kind of careless
presentation folk food oughta have!
[Bunet]
The splendor does not stop at its presentation.
Please, have a taste.
[Chloé]
Oh boy, oh boy...
[Chloé]
Oh my goodness! That spice sure did a number
on my tongue.
[Chloé]
But the sauce brings it right back to life, and
the texture is just...indescribable!
[Chloé]
This is what made me fall in love with folk food.
If a stall sold it, I'd eat there every day!
[Bunet]
It's strange... At first, I was simply moved by
your passion for food.
[Bunet]
But now I see that this was a necessary step on
the road to gastronomic expertise.
[Bunet]
Whether it is served on a porcelain plate or in an
unassuming wrapper, good food is good food.
[Bunet]
Street fare and gourmet food alike can bring joy
to their eaters.
[Chloé]
Exactly! Thanks, Bunet.
[Bunet]
Now, what would you like to eat next?
[Chloé]
You mean you'll fix me something else?!
[Bunet]
I am always happy to take requests from a true
food lover.
[Chloé]
No kidding? More gourmet-quality folk food...
I'm so happy I might cry.
[Bunet]
Please don't do that. My food and I are not
going anywhere.
[Chloé]
Yeah. Good point. I'll take my time and
think carefully.
[Chloé]
The next folk food I get from you is going to
be the stuff of legend!
--- S ---