You would think that for my birthday I would choose a Stardew recipe as far to the edge of the Very Pleasant scale as possible, one of the two lovely cakes perhaps or a blueberry tart or even a nice stack of pancakes. But what you may not realize is that for me, the greatest, most prized and elusive feeling in this life is not enjoyment or satisfaction or indulgence, but rather relief. In this specific instance, the relief of crossing one of the most baffling/concerning items off of my to-do list, courtesy of my friend Alex, she of the insisting that I make every recipe, even Lucky Lunch and all the stuff with eels. (No eels yet, saving that as a Christmas gift to myself, probably.)
In-game, Lucky Lunch is one of the best dishes to have because it bestows a +3 luck buff, which is invaluable in endeavors such as mining. In real life, making a cohesive, edible dish out of a tortilla, a fictional flower, and a sea cucumber is a significant challenge.
I eyed the edible flowers at Central Market for a very long time, but 1) they looked nothing like the Blue Jazz of the game, and 2) they were not at all appealing as an element of a seafood dish. I decided the best solution was a pile of purplish micro greens, which give a sort of flowery effect and could be tossed with a vinaigrette to make a reasonable, salad-y base.
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| If you squint and back up very very vey very very very very far away this look essentially the same as the flower |
The next element was the tortilla, which is the only bit of Lucky Lunch that is very easy, especially when you have Alex there to draw a star pattern for you after you make a couple of clumsy attempts at it. Fry up that star tortilla and you're good to go.
The last hurdle is the sea cucumber, which at first blush seems like it might be impossible to obtain without significant expense and/or hassle, oh well, until you realize that you live in a city with a number of very well-stocked Asian markets, and that Alex is going to gift you with a package of frozen sea cucumbers as well as a tub of Filipino corn and cheese ice cream. My cup truly runneth over, or at least my freezer does.
Always exciting to receive a package of food that includes the instructions "Remove intestines." Here's what a small sea cucumber looks like when you cut into it:
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| Just chock full of...all sorts of stuff |
TA-DA!
The thing about sea cucumber is that it has a very gelatinous texture which is a a struggle if it isn't something you're used to. I decided to cut it into small bits, cover it with curry powder, and fry it to give it a little crispness.
And then I made Alex eat some, which honestly she should 100% have seen coming.
ASSESSMENT: Was this meal lucky? The fact that it turned out not only edible but kind of good? Feels pretty lucky to me.
PROJECT STATUS: Dragging itself into summer.
