[Holly] Mochi Master

Even if Holly was not part of the chefs or food staff, he was one of the few free buns at the time who could make the trip to Dan’s Dango and learn about mochi making, which was something that he kind of also wanted to learn, anyway. It would also motivate him to try making some things at home for Poppy, perhaps, as he knew that the other bun enjoyed sweets.

Such was why he found himself in front of a traditional looking shop on a fine February morning, still a bit chilly but notably starting to turn towards spring. The place exuded a rather regal aura, he should say, but of a different kind than the hotels he was so familiar working with. Regal in a sense that it felt more authentic, perhaps? He would have to see what the inside looked like.

A little chime on the door would signal his presence, and Holly was immediately greeted by pleasant sweet smells coming from the dango and mochi on display. There were others packed in pretty boxes with plastic windows, and other notably different packaging that looked more preserved. There were also fake versions of the dango and mochi on another shelf, so that customers can see how they look without ever having to replace them. It was a shop well-put together, and Holly couldn’t imagine only one or two people running it. Then again, he had heard that there were many buns that came and went, providing assistance and also learning about the trade from the master. Even if there were no other permanent staff around, it seemed like help was abundant.

As he was admiring a box of blueberry dango, Dan entered from the back door and greeted him coolly. “Holly, right?”

The wintry bun would nod. He was, frankly, not much of a talker, and so was Dan, apparently, but he seemed more than happy to talk about his handiwork. The dango maker gestured to the other bun to follow him to the back, to which when Holly did so, he would pass by another bun snoozing away behind the counter. He wanted to ask about him, but it seemed rude, so he decided that a curious glance was enough before continuing.

The workshop at the back revealed plenty more materials and ingredients and a little bit more mess. Dan brought Holly first to the mortar where they pound the mochi. The dango maker had already prepared the rice the previous evening, and he actually had plenty more batches to work throughout the day. He then showed Holly the technique on how to pound with the mallet before kneading the mochi. Most of the time, he worked on this alone and used a contraption for the hammer with him doing the kneading, but since Holly was there, they could work together. The wintry bun had to be careful to stay in rhythm so that he did not accidentally hit Dan’s hands.

While it was a slow process due to Holly’s inexperience, Dan eventually seemed satisfied and took the dough to the work table. It was light green, because it turned out that they were making Floral Mochi in preparation for spring. From here, the dango maker instructed Holly to slice the mixture into smaller pieces and roll them up into balls. This had to be done quickly since if it cools off too much, then it would become too difficult to shape. Presentation was also important once he had rolled them, so there were a number of leaves and flowers in plastic containers nearby to put the mochi together.

Well, it took a while to finish one batch, and Holly’s food presentation skills were not great, but it didn’t turn out all too bad. Dan allowed him to try at least one and take home a few others (he had a feeling that those were the ugliest ones and shouldn’t be sold), and well, it was good! Not that Holly could claim he did much about this, since it was Dan who premade the dough. Nonetheless, it was a good experience in learning about how to make it, and he figured that he had some ideas he could tell the staff (such as what he saw around the shop). It appeared that the recipe itself would remain a secret, but he at least now knew how to swing a hammer, and that seemed just as important (not really).