| "I told you a restaurant would be safer than a cart, didn't I, my lovely—" |
| — The cabbage merchant talking to one of his cabbages.[1] |
Cabbage Delicacies Bistro was a restaurant owned by Cai, the cabbage merchant, located in Cranefish Town following the Hundred Year War's end in 100 AG.[1]
History[]
Cai and his family during the restaurant's opening.
While traveling as a roving salesman, Cai collected many different recipes related to cabbages from around the Earth Kingdom.[2] While staying in Ba Sing Se, he became inspired by a visit and dinner at the Jasmine Dragon, and decided to open his own restaurant.[3] As the Earth Kingdom capital ultimately proved to be also unsafe,[4] he and his family eventually relocated Cranefish Town after the Hundred Year War. There, the merchant opened his restaurant as he believed that it would be a safer place for his cabbages and his business rather than a cart.[3][1]
In 102 AG, Team Avatar visited the Earthen Fire Refinery in the town along with three Air Acolytes on the day of Yangchen's Festival. Before Aang decided to talk to the refinery's owners, he took the three acolytes away to teach them about how to perform a ceremonial meal. Since the tree that Aang and Monk Gyatso usually ate their meals under was cut down, the Avatar decided to take the acolytes to eat in the cabbage merchant's restaurant as it was in front of the tree's stump. Despite the acolytes' initial hesitation to enter the local due to the exclusive cabbage menu on the outside, the four of them and Momo came in, accidentally startling the owner.[1]
Cai openly expressed his surprise and panic at the sight of Aang, explaining how "bad things happened" to his cabbages whenever he is around. The airbender was confused about this statement and asked for permission to eat a meal with his friends in the place. The merchant reluctantly accepted since business was slow, but requested him to "keep all bad things far, far away" from his cabbages and, after Aang inquired about the possibility to eat the food they brought, he accepted only under the condition that they would also order at least one dish.[1]
When Aang ordered the house special, the cabbage merchant began baking a plate of cabbage cookies in the oven. The Avatar cleaned up the place with an airbending move and he sat down on the floor with the acolytes, setting up a circle with bento boxes, incense, and a picture of Avatar Yangchen.[1]
The cabbage merchant brought two plates of cabbage cookies to Aang, Momo, and the Air Acolytes.
When Cai brought the cabbage cookies to the group, they tried them with caution and ended up enjoying their "cabbagey" taste. They continued to celebrate the festival by expressing their gratefulness for a variety of things. As Aang spoke, he entered the Avatar State, being able to enter the Spirit World and talk to Yangchen, as the merchant watched in confusion, becoming fearful for the safety of his cabbages. As Aang meditated, a sudden explosion took places underneath the town, which caused the earth and the restaurant to start shaking. Bottles and jars fell from their shelves, chairs from the top of the tables, and cabbages from their boxes, causing the merchant to panic again and the group to hurriedly leave the place.[1]
As the town was attacked by General Old Iron, the villagers, including the merchant, needed to evacuate. He was forced by Katara to leave his restaurant, as he tearfully lamented the loss of his cabbages once more.[5]
Eventually, the cabbage cookies from his menu became really popular among his customers, allowing Cai to earn enough money to fund his next enterprise.[6]
Layout[]
The interior of Cabbage Delicacies Bistro.
Cabbage Delicacies Bistro was located in one of Cranefish Town's wide streets, right in front of a cut down tree under which Aang and Monk Gyatso used to share a ceremonial meal. The outside looked like any common house seen in the village with two windows at the front wall, two green lanterns hanging from the porch, a green curtain covering the entrance above a green doormat, and a large sign on the rooftop with the name of the restaurant. There was also a small sign standing next to the entrance that displayed the menu.[1]
The interior of the local was ample and undecorated, and its furniture consisted of a wooden counter that separated the kitchen from the tables. The kitchen was full of cooking pots, pans, plates, and ingredients, tidily placed on shelves and the counter next to an oven. On the opposite side, there were at least five wooden tables, each one with two stools. In a corner, the merchant stored his cabbages in wooden boxes.[1]
Menu[]
- Cabbage cookies — The cabbage merchant's signature dish. He traveled to the southern islands of the Earth Kingdom to perfect the technique for his cookies. They became so popular in his restaurant that, according to the merchant, even the queens of foreign lands had their servants make copycat versions of the cookies to enjoy during teatime.[6]
- Cabbage noodles — A dish that the cabbage merchant created when he was traveling through the northwestern lands of the Earth Kingdom.[6]
- Cabbage soup — The cabbage merchant traveled across the Earth Kingdom to find a soup that was worthy of his cabbages until he found his answer in the southwest: an iron-green broth with mouth-puckering sourness from mustard greens, ma la from green peppercorns, and creamy depth from the claws of ducks. The dish was offered to travelers who stopped into the restaurant for an early supper.[6]
- Cabbages with dips[3]
Trivia[]
- Real-world adaptations of the cabbage cookies, noodles, and soup are shown in recipes from Avatar: The Last Airbender Cookbook: Official Recipes from the Four Nations.[7]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan; Yang, Gene Luen (writer), Sasaki of Gurihiru (penciling, inking), Kawano of Gurihiru (colorist), Heisler, Michael; Comicraft (letterer). The Rift Part Two (July 2, 2014), Dark Horse Comics.
- ↑ Avatar Cookbook Q&A. Jenny Dorsey on Instagram. Retrieved on December 17, 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Gyllenhaal, Rebecca (writer); Yang, Jessica (writer), Bonnie, Pang (artist). Avatar: The Last Airbender: My Cabbages! (August 27, 2024), Penguin Random House.
- ↑ Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 275.
- ↑ DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan; Yang, Gene Luen (writer), Sasaki of Gurihiru (penciling, inking), Kawano of Gurihiru (colorist), Heisler, Michael; Comicraft (letterer). The Rift Part Three (November 5, 2014), Dark Horse Comics.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Avatar: The Last Airbender Cookbook: Official Recipes from the Four Nations, p. 69.
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender Cookbook: Official Recipes from the Four Nations.