Page 31 of DATE
Once a calf aged and became heavy and clumsy, its price dropped significantly.
Right now, the shop smelled strongly of blood as the butcher weighed silver coins and haggled with a nearby customer.
Hedy, carrying a small basket, followed Da Vinci around for a while, noticing many strange things on display, including not just eyes and tongues, but also livers, intestines, and kidneys.
—Had people from this era lost their minds, actually eating beef organs?
"This is beef pancreas," Da Vinci said, completely unbothered, as he skillfully picked it out, "It tastes quite good. Want to try?"
No! I absolutely won't eat organs!
Barbarians!
Seeing her pale face, Da Vinci furrowed his brow slightly and, with a hint of regret, put the pancreas down. He pointed to the beef stomach next to it. "What about this?"
Hedy quickly shook her head. "Just some beef will do. We can go home and make a stew."
"Hmm," Da Vinci said noncommittally, but his eyes suddenly fixed on the beef gallbladder nearby.
He always felt that his painting pigments were missing something, even though he'd added egg whites and yolks to improve the binding quality.
...I wonder what would happen if I added bile to the mix?
While Da Vinci fell into deep thought, Hedy also drifted off into her own.
Suddenly, she remembered something from her twenties, when she was working in film. She had read reports related to the topic.
At the time, critics sarcastically criticized biologists who used large vats of beef broth for experiments, seemingly linked to penicillin.
So—what does beef broth have to do with biology?
Something flashed in her mind, and in an instant, everything seemed to connect.
Microbes need something to feed on to propagate, just like trees need soil.
Could it be that... beef broth is what penicillin "feeds" on?
Suddenly, in her mind, she imagined a little devilish cartoon character, like something out of a Disney film, devouring the meat broth jelly at the bottom of the bowl.
This is so bizarre—but totally worth a try.
Just like when the U.S. Navy first heard that she had connected automatic pianos with torpedo communications, they thought it was the ramblings of a madwoman.
And yet, it turned out to be completely accurate.
"Boss, I'll take this piece of beef," she said suddenly.
Da Vinci, who had already chosen several beef gallbladders, also inquired about their uses.
The two of them carried the meat back home, neither one thinking about the prospect of a satisfying meal.
—Lunch would just be a quick fix, and then on to studying beef gallbladders and penicillin!
However, the little cook's skills had clearly improved quite a bit.
During the days when she had time to spare, not only had she become familiar with the surrounding streets and made many friends, but she had also learned a lot of cooking tricks from the neighbors.
How to make wine, knead dough for pasta, and cook the dishes of this time.
