1. Introduction

How shall a man derive the sweetness of life? With what shall he enhance his living, so that he might appreciate the days of his fleeting, short life? To that he shall respond, no more or less, with a bite of a pepper and a shake of his fist. Food is joy's fruit and, indeed, a heavenly gift!

I will sing of the sweet joys of food and cooking! With taste after taste, each newly discovered flavor another, a part of your soul awakens! New cultures, pleasures, and life are born.

I will tell you, my friend, of life's greatest pleasures, derived through the art and skill of cooking.

2. The Cooking Skill

What dictates a fine meal? As with beauty to the eye, excellence is in the tongue of the beholder. A basic dish will sustain you and increase your HP and Stamina, that much is for certain.

But a fine meal, an excellent meal--oh, it will make your soul sing.

Yet, before one can sing one must first learn how to speak. Before you ever consider becoming a chef worthy of praise, you must learn the Cooking skill. As your skill and rank improve, you can attempt greater cooking methods.

3. Cooking 101 (Mixing)

Very well, shall we get to it? After all, only the strokes of training and practice can perfect this art.
Let's say we've been given something simple, like strawberries and milk. The natural man says to eat the strawberries and drink the milk. But the cook in you must not think this way. You must think not what it is, but rather what it can become.

In thie case, the formula is fairly simple: mix them together and produce a Strawberry Milk? What goes into a delicious-tasting Strawberry Milk, you ask? Besides delicious-tasting strawberries and milk? Sugar. Let us explore each one of these ingredients in detail.

Ingredients :
Strawberry, Milk, Sugar


Strawberry : Pay a visit to that Grocery Shop to get some fresh strawberries. Some Restaurants might have them too, mind you.

Milk : There is perhaps no better way to get milk than by milking it directly from a cow! But first, before you touch any of those udders, you'll need to get an empty bottle from the General Shop. Then, feel free to pursue that lucky Milk Cow.

Sugar : Strawberries and milk are a given. If the strawberries aren't fresh, you might have a drink that's a little too sour. But you should add some sugar to get delicious Strawberry Milk. You can find Sugar at the Grocery Shop or the Restaurant as well.

And of course, what is a chef without proper cooking utensils? Like a bird without wings, he is useless! Making Strawberry Milk uses the Mixing method, so you will need the right tools. Please check twice to make sure all your tools are there.

Cooking Tools :
Kitchen Knife, Table


Once you have both the ingredients and tools, my friend, you are ready to cook.
So, are you ready to begin? Once you've read this book, press [S] to obtain the Cooking skill.

Equip the Cooking Toolsin your hands, and use the Cooking skill. A window, for your convenience's sake, will appear to show where you can choose the ingredients and the cooking method.

After choosing "Mixing" as your cooking method, place the ingredients in the window one at a time. Set the Ratio of Strawberries to Milkas 40 to 50. And any remaining space, remains to be filled with sugar.

After you have placed all the ingredients, click on Begin Cooking and you will have begun the cooking process! Of course, sometimes you might change your mind. Perhaps you want to make a zucchini smoothie instead of strawberry milk. Why anybody would want to do that, I don't know, but ey--that's the life of a chef. With romance you follow your heart, but with food you follow your stomach. No worries, my friend, because if you change your mind you can always cancel and re-insert ingredients.

Thus I have given you a ratio to follow above. Indeed, the right amount is important. But let not the winds of ratio dictate the rudder of your taste. We are made with tongues, and it'd be good that we use them. The joy of cooking is that you can always add more or less to suit your proclivities. Just be sure that there is no one flavor that is too overpowering!

This process should yield a fine glass of Strawberry Milk. Look to your Inventory to behold the finished product.

This is just the beginning, my friend. To become a great chef, you need to be forged through training, preparation, and practice. And of course, let the Muse within you improvise and create previously unimaginable recipes.

So, it would behoove you to apply what you've learned here with any other meal you create in the future and advance your Cooking skill.

4. Seasoning

Certainly, as with all other things in life, sometimes your finished product might still be missing that one thing. That special flavor or crowning jewel. It needs more salt or sweet or flavor or kick... Well, good thing is, there are seasonings like Salt, Pepper and Sugar. Get to know them, they will come to your rescues on many a meal. Use your common sense and add your own special touch!

5. Conclusion

So, we just went over the Cooking skill and made a simple drink together. As I say to all my little composers of mouth's joyous symphonies, keep practicing and exploring, and open yourself to the world of cooking! Life will sound a little more melodious with every delicious discovery.