Quantum Leap - Vol. 1 The Leap That Starts It All

C019 Pig Out

"That wild boar was a male so I guessed in the next few days, we would be able to capture the female one."

"There should be more than a few offsprings that follow the female which we could tame and rear them once we had gotten rid of the female one."

"It's not going to be as easy as it seems since it would be left to fend for itself and it's offspring. Furthermore, the trail of blood from the male would alert the female, making it to be more cautious."

"For those who don't know me, let me introduce myself. My name is Gao and I am the great-grandson of the Chief here. Welcome to Stone Village, my dear brothers from the nearby village."

"A friend of Eun is also a friend of mine. It had been some time since I have been in this village as I was away to settle some affairs."

"So now, here I am and I would very much welcome you to taste our finest."

"Come...! Drink...! This bamboo liquor is our village speciality. We have many stored in the warehouse, so drink up as much as you want. This drink and the food that we had just prepared would be in us tonight."

"After the meal, all of you could go to our gathering place to rest. No rain tonight, so there would be no worries."

Cheng twisted the top of the bamboo tube, which also served as a cup and poured himself and the rest with the slightly milky liquid. I brought the bamboo cup close to my nose and found that it had a distinctive sweet and intoxicating smell.

Even the name called 'bamboo liquor' was not actually made from bamboo at all as the liquid was made from cooked glutinous rice, a type of yeast meant for fermentation along with the juices of young coconut.

It was then set to sit for several days for the fermentation process to complete before it was poured into the hollows of the bamboo tubes that had been cleaned and chipped away inside to give it a clean interior before it was being stored away.

This was a drink that originated from the Northwest Borneo Island and was as popular as moonshine from the East.

I am used to drinking back in my time and in my present world and as I sipped a little from the cup, the liquid was then slowly trickled down my throat.

The almost intoxicating smell nearly choked me as the fumes escaped through my nasal and slowly warmed my chest and stomach. It was as if I was drinking firewater that was at least 70% proof.

It was a perfect liquor named 'Tuak'. The men around the pit were questioning and interviewing us on how we managed to kill the wild boar since they noticed that none of us was carrying any kind of weapons except for an ordinary 12-inch keris.

When Eun narrated the story, the men and women around were sighing Oohs and Aahs as they listened intently.

Another round of bamboo tubes appeared and soon everyone was getting a bit tipsy on their drinks. A few young boys came and sat with their parents, I suppose to guide them back home so they would not end up with someone's wife or husband.

The young boys brought along with them some wooden drums with skin from some kind of animal for the batter head.

Some boys used their hands to beat the drums while another was used to beat with a stick instead and soon sounds of music began to drift in the air and gave us such a euphoric ride when one listened to it intently.

Two small hand cymbals were also present and soon thumps of music by the native original Blueman Group soon drifted into a slow melody before it erupted into a feverous tempo.

Some men and women who had too much of a drink, stood up and flailed their arms and stomped the ground with their feet in such a wildly fashion around the pit while letting out yelps of joy in a drunken stupor and moved their arms and legs with synchronized rhythm.

It was a sight to behold after the fortunate encounter with the wild boar earlier since the hunt was brought in by men, not from their tribe.

A lot of steam was emitting from the ground where Gao had poked a few holes to let the hit sit out. The wild boar's meat that was being pressure cooked in such a manner emitted a kind of wonderful scent that it would be ready to be consumed.

After another thirty minutes of dancing and drinking, the three brothers had earlier joined in their joyous occasion together with the tribe. By then, the meat was ready to be consumed...!

Gao took a stick and began clawing on the surface of the sand, clearing away the embers and flat stones before exposing the charred banana leaf.

He then carefully lifted the package where the charred banana leaves were stuck closely to the meat. He laid it on the flat ground and slowly peeled back the layers of the charred banana leaves the coated the meat, thus baking it to perfection.

I looked at the simplicity of the preparation of food and I was surprised that such simple and low tech could produce such an amazing result.

Underneath the charred banana leaves, the meat was of golden brown. Streams of hot steam rose from the perfectly cooked meat and the rich flavour and scent of seasoning permeated deep inside the meat through the cleavings made by the knife earlier.

Gao pinched a bit of the flesh and placed it in his mouth... "Aalee aleee aleee aleeeeee leee leee leeee leeee...!!!" A sort of satisfactory cry erupted from his lips that would put Gordon Ramsy to shame with this kind of simple outback cooking.

"Hot damn. Such low tech cooking can produce such a magnificent result. I wonder what kind of cooking could be done in this way that would enhance the meat texture and taste after being cooked in such a manner."

"I had never seen such cooking before in my life and the only simplest cooking I had done during my time was smoking rabbit meat over a low bed of coals. The meat, once I had prepared in such a way could last at least for 2 days of consumption."

That's what I thought since the way of cooking interests me. It is not that I love to cook in the kitchen back in my time but I just love to hunt for good food and eats.

With that cry from Gao, the men and women which was fervently dancing in a euphoric way quickly stepped up and surrounded Gao with banana leaves in their hands waiting for the distribution of the feast.

The banana leaves were used to serve as a plate and had been prepared earlier for their consumption when the community made their daily meals.

I later learnt that the banana leaves could even be fashioned to make into a bowl and would even hold a substantial amount of gruel too...!

I was handed a rather large chunk of meat and from the earlier preparation and the manner of cooking, I could not stop my saliva from overflowing from the sides of my mouth and I began to pinch and peel a bit of the meat.

"Wow...! This piece of meat is really enticing. It smelled so wonderful...!"

From the flavourful scent alone, I could tell that it was perfectly done and the mixture of the seasonings and condiments made the meat tender and succulent without using any kind of meat tenderiser or even a hammer to pound the meat tender too.

"It looks so tender and I think its only been prepared for like under 2 hours, am I right? You really have a good host here, Eun."

My mouth watered as I pinched the meat and brought a small sliver of it into my mouth. The taste soon exploded in a multitude of wonderful tastes that even the famous barbeque and grill eatery in my time would be considered as a thing of the past.

"This is so farking delicious...! I have never tasted this kind of cuisine before...! And this meal, without any sauces or any other condiments, really exploded with the richness of fresh meat...!"

Especially when the meat was super fresh and the catch was free of charge...!

After shoving down a few mouthfuls of meat between cups of the bamboo liquor, I realised that it was a perfect accompaniment.

I could state that it was a high time to be alive, even in this type of era and dimension.

There was wonderful food that would always make the best solution to any situation and nearly make me forget where I had come from and what my aim was after taking someone's body, either it is temporary or permanent.

"Excuse me guys, the meal and drink are taking a toll on me right now. I could see 9 of you right now. *HIC*"

The guys laughed at me since they knew that even though I was known to abstain from alcohol, tonight was an exception as they watched me wine and dine like nobody's business.

I excused myself from the group as the heavy meal and bamboo liquor was taking over me and my eyelids were terribly heavy. I soon made my way to the platform; climbed on it and found that a straw mat had already been prepared.

Four large pillows with fillings were laid separated a few inches from each other, giving space for us to lie down beside each other with a small space to separate us.

Four pieces of the thin woollen blanket were prepared as well. I quickly laid my head on the pillow after I had picked the end for my own spot. I took the thin blanket and covered my body and legs for I am sure the damn mosquitoes would surely try to find a way to bite at exposed skin.

I tugged at the blanket and soon the zee monsters were after me and had successfully subdued me.

A few moments later, after all the food and cups of intoxicating and exotic Tuak, I soon drifted off into a deep uninterrupted sleep till the early morning... ZZZzzzzzzzz.

=*=

Night gave way to dawn as the morning began to peel over the horizon. I stirred around and rose from my sleeping mat. I looked around and found that the three brothers were lined up beside me like sardines in a can.

I nudged Eun who was beside me and he mumbled and slowly stirred up, as he rubbed his eyes which had black bags that were visible under his eyes.

Most probably, he and the rest of his brothers turned in late at night after the rowdy activities along with the rest of the tribe.

"Bo, are we going back now? My gosh...! I had too much drink and food last night and I can't re what actually had happened to me...!"

Eun highlighted to me since he was the last ro crawl up to the sleeping area and now had managed to sit up after much difficulty.

The Tuak he had consumed had given him a terrible hangover and his head seemed to be expanded several times the normal size and was heavier than his whole body.

The rest of his brothers were still half asleep when Eun tried to rouse them by vigorously shaking their shoulders and tickling their feet.

"Woi... Wake up la, woi...! We are going to clear out from here. Everyone in the villages had already started their activities. Paiseh* lah..."

Eun shook Ding's shoulder as the latter sat up bleary-eyed. Cheng also had awakened from the commotion that Eun had made, even he himself was having the hangover...!

Squinting at the sky and from the shadows around them, it roughly indicated that it was close to midday. Gao, who had emerged from the house, saw that we had woken up as he casually strode towards us.

=*=

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