Theories of Relativity (NINJAGO JAYA)

Food Fight

Summary: It's a difference of opinion. 

A/N: Part 2 of 3 of the sick fic mini series. Each one-shot can be read on its own, but it is more enjoyable to read them in order. Sick Day - Jay is part one. In season 7, we saw Jay knock back the pickled beet juice like it was nothing, while everyone else discreetly dumped their cups. That was the inspiration for this fic.

"How can you eat that stuff?" Nya eyed him quizzically. Jay stopped mid chew, chopsticks sticking out of his mouth and shock ghosting his features.

"Excuse me?" he said, mouth full.

"That," Nya pointed with her chopsticks at a side dish of napa cabbage covered in a bright red sauce.

"Kimchi?" Jay asked, raising his eyebrow and wondering why she was feigning ignorance.

"It's so strong," she whined.

"And? What's your point?"

"It's gross."

Nya had successfully shocked the master of blabber into silence. He studied her features, looking for clues as to if she was being serious or just looking for a flirty play fight.

"This," Jay said, pointing his chopsticks at the offending dish, "is my mom's kimchi. My mom's kimchi is legendary. Everyone likes it."

Which was true. When Jay first joined the team, his mom would send food, something he was quite embarrassed of at first, but after the others showed appreciation for Edna's cooking, he accepted as part of the norm. Over time, the rest of the team would constantly ask him when he was going home again or when his mom was going to send more food, much to his annoyance.

Living in the Sea of Sands required one to be adaptable and clever. Due to the lack of water, fresh vegetables were a luxury. On their monthly trip to town for supplies, Edna would buy enough food to feed an army, and Jay would begrudgingly help. Then the real fun started once they got home. Edna would diligently prepare and preserve the fresh vegetables, only saving a few to be cooked for the week. Once Jay was old enough to help, he learned the techniques of pickling and semi-fermenting the vegetables and meat into various dishes.

Making kimchi was an operation in itself. Edna adhered to strict tradition in making the sauce and stuffing the cabbages. As Jay got older, his inventor side urged him to take shortcuts. He experimented with techniques and found that blending all the ingredients of the sauce sped up the process without sacrificing flavor. But nothing could substitute the meticulous process of covering every inch of every cabbage leaf in the delicious sauce. That had to be done by hand, with his mom, and there was no escaping cabbage stuffing time turning into Enda's gossip hour. And people wonder where his motormouth comes from.

Then there was stuffing the containers full of cabbage for the fermenting. It only took two days to ferment at room temperature before being put in the refrigerator - a time period that Jay was afraid to invite any friends over. While kimchi was delicious, it was strong, and had a distinct, undeniable smell. Something he did not enjoy being made fun of.

With his new family though, Edna's kimchi was adored. What had once been a source of embarrassment from his childhood now became a source of pride.

Jay deliberately picked up a piece of kimchi and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing slowly and dramatically.

"Ok Miss Stinky Tofu," he finally uttered. Nya paled and snapped her attention to him.

"Hey, don't disrespect the stinky tofu, it's delicious," she said smartly while delicately placing a vegetable in her mouth and mimicking his slow chew.