So… Apparently… The guests aren't the main star of this dinner but it was the chef instead.

Because we had to wait for the time for dinner to start before the chef appeared to take their place behind the grill.

Also, the other grill was also occupied with a group of four people so it wasn't a full seating.

There were two chefs with the one on the other side being a guy while our group was served by a woman with blonde hair tied in a bun and striking blue eyes. She was dressed in a white chef's coat and had a rather tall chef's hat resting on her head as well.

She didn't say anything nor did she even look in our direction as she took her place behind the grill, picking up the apron from underneath to tie it around her waist.

Another waitress came along pushing a floating cart that had plates of ingredients on top of it and all of them were obviously organic.

Also, judging by the looks of the ingredients, it definitely looks like they didn't skimp on them and prepared the best ingredients possible.

The marbling on those pieces of beef looked especially rich so I was expecting to be tasting juicy pieces of steak here.

Not only that, those vegetables and fish also look fresh as well, like they were freshly harvested and caught just this morning or something.

Lea leaned over to whisper, "I believe they get their ingredients from the planet below, Mistress… It does have conditions to grow after all."

Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that. There's literally a planet below us so they can just grow their food there and then send it up to the station.

The woman then started preparing her tools while activating the grill using a holographic window that popped up above the counter, the air above the metal plate shimmering from the heat.

She brought out her knives and sharpened each one with the movement of someone that had done this plenty of times before she laid them out on the table beside her.

She then very deftly took out the spatulas and the other tools that looked similar to mine back in my kitchen on the ship.

Oh, this definitely looks promising~ I think we're going to eat well tonight!

I watched with anticipation as she started to sprinkle oil over the metal plate, the liquid sizzling as it heated up and letting a fragrant smell waft through the air.

The chef finally lifted her gaze to look in our direction, sweeping her gaze across us before returning her attention to the grill.

I believe she wasn't even looking at us but it was just that she was looking off into the distance and we just happened to be in the way while she waited for the oil to heat up.

Another window popped up above the grill and from where I was seated, I could see that it was showing the temperature of the grill as well as the distribution of heat over the surface.

That's pretty cool, does the one in my ship have that?

The grill then suddenly lit up with holographic projections dividing the metal plate into different sections while some symbols appeared on them.

I wasn't really sure what those symbols meant but it obviously was some kind of indicator since the chef turned to start putting the ingredients on top of the grill in each of the sections.

First was a bunch of green leafy stalks of vegetables that I believe were a mix of different vegetables before a bunch of mushrooms joined in, the hissing sound of the ingredients being cooked filled the air.

She then sprinkled some kind of clear liquid on top of them which I thought was water at first until a sweet scent wafted into the air, making me believe it's some kind of seasoning that was made into a liquid form.

Her spatulas clacked against the metal noisily as she mixed the pile together, bathing the vegetables evenly in the liquid and cooking them on the grill while also cutting them into pieces at the same time.

I quickly realised that this teppan cooking was not the performative kind like I had been doing in front of my girls but more focused on the cooking part instead.

So there were no flips or tricks involved in the cooking process and we were just watching her grill the food in front of us.

Honestly, I didn't mind that there wasn't a performance but I guess since my girls were already used to watching me do all sorts of tricks on the grill, they were also expecting it from her as well. So when they realised that she wasn't doing any tricks at all, I could see the disappointment clear on their faces.

Come on girls… The performance is just extra, ok? As long as the food is good!

Another indicator appeared above the pile of vegetables and I'm guessing that was meant to tell her that it was done cooking since she then went ahead to nudge them into seven separate piles at the edge of the grill inside the seven holographic squares that appeared on its surface.

She then picked up the next ingredient which I already knew was fish judging by the white colour of the meat and the texture on its surface.

I suppose the fact that Ries let out a cute squeal when she saw it also helped me confirm that it was definitely fish.

The blonde haired chef deftly laid all seven pieces on the grill, once again drizzling them with some seasoning before she started flipping the meat to sear them until a mouthwatering smell wafted from them.

Once again, another indicator appeared above the pile and she pushed each piece to the edge to join the vegetables before individually lifting them to place them on our plates.

I swallowed as I picked up my fork and knife, using them to cut out a small slice of the fish as well as some bits of the vegetables and mushrooms to bring a bite of them into my mouth.

The food hit my tongue and…

Hmm?

It's… Good.

I mean… Good in the sense that it does taste nice but… It's not excellent.

The meat and vegetables were cooked properly so there were no problems there but it's like they are just… Lacking something?

If I had to describe it, it feels like they were lacking taste.

I can't say that it's bland since there's definitely some seasoning on top of it and there's definitely some taste… But it's like there's not enough of it?

It's the same feeling where you taste test a soup and it wasn't salty enough.

If I had tasted this while I was cooking the meat, I would have added more seasoning on top of it because this was not enough.

I looked at the others to see if I was the only one that thought like this and judging by how my girls were also scrunching up their faces and making complicated expressions, it seems like they also felt like it was not adequate.

I tried to take another bite hoping that it might get better but… It still remained the same.

I shifted my gaze to the chef to see whether she was even watching our reactions and she was completely ignoring us and simply preparing the grill for her next ingredient instead.

Seeing that, I tried to ask her, "Umm… Sorry but… Do you think you can make the food a little bit more flavourful? It feels like you aren't using enough seasoning."

There was a gasp coming from one of the staff nearby and the blonde chef in front of us froze, her body going as still as a statue.

Very slowly, she lifted up her head and her eyes met mine.

Somehow, I get the feeling that this was the first time tonight that she actually registered our existence where before, we were probably just akin to the furniture in front of her.

"What… Did you just say?" She asked, her voice barely audible over the sizzling of the grill in front of her.

I cleared my throat, "Ahem… I was asking if you can use more seasoning to make the food more flavourful? It tastes a little too bland."

She just stared at me for a good few seconds like she needed the extra time to comprehend my words before she finally responded.

"Too… Bland? You think my cooking… Is too bland?"

"Kind of, yeah? The food is cooked well but there isn't really much taste to them."

Another gasp came from the side as more staff came by and overheard what I said.

Why are they acting like what I said is taboo or something?

The female chef in front of me picked up a knife and stabbed it on top of the counter before she screamed, "Who the fuck do you think you are?!!"

Woah woman… What the fuck is your problem?!

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