The Bigshot's Superstar Wife

Chapter 2: A Taste of Independence

Chapter 2: A Taste of Independence

I hope the nutrient solution won't cause food poisoning. It tasted like an expired product to be honest.

Lines of text scrolled across the holographic display, listing the ingredients in clinical detail. One thing caught her attention, and her brow furrowed deeply.

Is this a neutralizer?

Wait... let me search it up.

Huh?

"Limestone?" Athena exclaimed, incredulous. "Who in their right mind puts limestone in something meant to be consumed by humans? Is this even legal?"

Do interstellar people possess such strong stomachs that they can drink stones unharmed?

She glared at the vial in her hand, as though it had personally offended her.

"Forget stardom," she muttered, tossing it into the trash with dramatic flair. "My first mission in this world is finding real food. Noble or not, no one deserves to live on... this."

No wonder the original Athena died of exhaustion, she must have been nutrient-deficient.

I think there are markets and shops near the area.

Determined, Athena grabbed her coat and headed for the door. If the past owner of this body had resigned herself to this bland existence, that didn't mean she would.

This was her life now, and she intended to live it on her own terms, starting with a proper meal.

-

Athena hailed a hover car, marveling at its sophisticated exterior as it approached her.

Silently, the car hovered a few inches above the ground, its metal chassis shining amid the city's artificial lights.

Compared to the noisy, crowded trains she had relied on back on Earth, this was an incredible luxury.

I can't believe I will experience something I only saw in movies.

She specifically chose a compact hovercar that accommodated only one passenger. The solitude suited her. She needed time to think.

Where should I go?

The car glided smoothly through the bustling streets as Athena set her destination to the city's public market.

Despite the advancements of the interstellar era, the existence of public markets persisted, a comforting reminder of simpler times.

"Cooking shouldn't feel like a chemistry experiment," she muttered.

Waiting for her supplies to come was her only option at this point. She decided to make this temporary house livable until then, beginning with a decent, home-cooked meal.

When the radiation tester arrived, Athena wasted no time.

She scanned each fruit, and vegetable, and cut the meat she had purchased, while meticulously noting the severity of radiation in each item.

The results weren't encouraging, nearly everything showed traces of radiation, some more than others.

Determined, she decided to clean the goods the same way she used to prepare food back on Earth. It was a straightforward process, rinsing, scrubbing, and peeling where necessary.

Her eyes lingered on the slab of meat she had bought, which closely resembled pork, except for the horns that the animal it came from seemed to have sported.

Did the apocalypse occur in this galaxy before? Then animals evolved peculiarly? She wondered with a bemused smile.

Inspired by the familiarity of the meat, Athena decided to make Pork Kaldereta, a hearty and flavorful stew she used to enjoy in her past life.

She began by cleaning the meat thoroughly, scrubbing away any debris, and peeling off the outer layer to ensure no trace of radiation lingered.

Afterward, she tested it again with the scanner, and to her surprise, the radiation had disappeared entirely.

"Huh," she muttered, inspecting the results. "So the radiation is only on the surface. That makes things easier."

With the meat prepared, Athena turned her attention to the other ingredients.

She chopped the vegetables she had bought, potatoes, carrots, and a few alien-looking peppers that closely resembled bell peppers from Earth.

She also diced onions and garlic, their familiar aroma filling the small kitchen.

Heating a pan, she added a splash of oil and sautéed the onions and garlic until they turned golden brown.

The sizzling sound brought a sense of nostalgia, grounding her in the moment. Next, she added the chunks of pork, searing them until they were browned on all sides.

Athena then deglazed the pan with a splash of water, scraping up the flavorful bits stuck to the bottom.

She added an alternative tomato paste and stirred until it coated the meat, giving it a vibrant red color.

I hope it's not too sour.

To build the stew's flavor, she poured in broth she had made earlier from boiling some of the vegetable scraps.

She added a few bay leaves and a sprinkle of crushed peppercorns, stirring the pot as the rich aroma began to waft through the kitchen.