Pasta does exist in this world.
However, it isn’t the long, slender spaghetti I’m used to; instead, it’s shaped into small, square pieces. It’s almost like small boards of dough. You can find long pasta as well, but most of it resembles flat noodles.
The reason is simple: there are no machines to cut the dough into thin strands. Since the dough is flattened and then cut by hand with a kitchen knife, it naturally ends up as squares or wide ribbons. It’s not bad, really. It has its own charm. But every once in a while, I find myself craving real spaghetti.
I’d managed to make udon before, so I figured this wouldn’t be much harder. I decided to give it a shot, fueled by that naive optimism.
First, I tried stretching the dough by hand to thin it out, but it just kept snapping. Then I tried hanging it and letting gravity do the work, but that was a bust too.
...Wait. Is this actually hard?
I couldn't let the failed dough go to waste, so I boiled it, seasoned it, and ate it myself.
The next day, I tried cutting it with a kitchen knife, just like I did with the udon. I thought it was just a matter of precision, but it turned out to be incredibly difficult. It wasn’t impossible, but it required a level of skill I simply didn't possess.
I eventually gave up and asked one of the High Ogre maids—who is far more skilled with a blade than I am—to handle it. The strands were still a bit thick, but they would do.
I kept the seasoning simple, making a sort of faux-peperoncino with olive oil, garlic, and chili peppers. It was delicious. I offered a sample to the maid who had helped me.
She seemed happy with the taste, but a shadow crossed her face.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"Making enough for one person is fine," she replied, "but if we need to serve it in large quantities, I fear it will be quite a struggle..."
That was a fair point. So, what now? Magic?
I turned to Lu for help. On her first try, her adjustment was off and she accidentally blasted the dough away, but eventually, she managed to slice it into thin strands. She really is impressive.
I asked if it was a technique anyone could use.
"The power adjustment is... tricky," she panted. "It might be too difficult for most."
Lu was surprisingly drained after cutting just a single serving. To be honest, she was actually out of breath.
"You have to adjust the power enough to cut the dough without damaging the cutting board, all while maintaining a perfectly parallel movement," Tia noted. "You're using a lot of magic power unnecessarily, but the result is beautiful. Truly impressive, Big Sister."
Flora added, "Focusing magical power like that is highly advanced. Your control is masterful, Big Sister."
While the two of them praised Lu, they explained to me that if we were going to use magic for this regularly, we’d need to research specialized spells for it. I see.
Also, I was currently boiling the pasta Lu had cut, but I wondered if she’d be annoyed that the other two were eating it. I didn't think it was just about the portions. They even asked me to make a miso-flavored version... well, I decided to give it a try.
"Actually, using raw magic like that is a waste," the High Ogre maid remarked while watching from the side. "It would be much easier to just use magic to manipulate the kitchen knife itself."
Lu looked like she'd been struck by lightning. Once she recovered, she tried using magic to guide the knife instead. It was far smoother and much less exhausting, allowing her to mass-produce the pasta with ease.
"Just let me know whenever you want thin pasta," Lu said, looking quite proud of herself.
I told her I’d be counting on her.
"Eh? Um, excuse me... but we have a tool for that," Gatto said.
When I talked to him about spaghetti, he brought a device over from his house. It looked like several small kitchen knives layered together.
"You use it on the dough like this..."
Thin pasta was being produced with zero effort.
"Um, is this tool common?" I asked.
"We only get orders for them once or twice a year in Howlin Village," Gatto replied, "but they aren't exactly rare."
I see.
...If Lu was going to find out eventually, I figured I should tell her now. I looked around for her, only to realize she had been watching the entire exchange.
"Hahaha... sorry about that!"
And so, I decided we would invent a proper tool to make thin pasta. When I explained the idea to the Mountain Elves, one of them raised her hand.
"Um, I don't really see the point if the tool already exists."
That was a fair question. I decided to be honest.
"Look, if Lu sees me using that manual tool after she worked so hard, she's going to be in a terrible mood. We need something new."
The Mountain Elves immediately nodded in understanding. I appreciated that.
"Since we're only using it in the village, one should be enough. Let's take the concept of Gatto's layered knives and evolve it."
"Understood," they said.
The result was the Spaghetti Maker. You just fed the dough in, turned a handle, and the machine automatically cut it into thin strands, one after another.
It was a huge hit with the children, who found it fun and convenient for helping out in the kitchen. We ended up eating various spaghetti dishes for several days straight. The flavors were great, but eventually, I found myself wanting to eat something else.
Later on, the Spaghetti Maker caught the attention of the staff at Big Roof Shashato in Shashato City.
"Village Head, you said we only needed one, so I really pushed myself to finish it... but now you want five?"
"I'm sorry," I apologized to the Mountain Elf. "Paula saw it, and she immediately contacted Marcos."
The Mountain Elves and I rolled up our sleeves and got back to work.