[ Dango 101 ] Making Dango ! LITERATURE

Imps running around wildly, a normal day for Eren Kasagi at least. Some loved to snuggle up in bed with him, some loved to watch over everyone like little proctors. Though, Shroomies was naughty and typically was up to no good during the sleep time hours. Today was an exciting day though, Eren was going to learn to make dango! Ever since Dan gave him that special three flavor dango for , well, buying out the whole store for his imps to all have snacks, he was excited to actually learn how to make them now! He could be a bit overbearing, asking Dan every few days if he had time to actually teach him, maybe a bit annoying but hey, Eren had the spirit!

Preparing everyone’s breakfast, Eren always made whatever each imps favorite foods were, making sure to always leave the room so they could actually ‘eat’ it.
“ Someday, I’ll figure how you eat, “ he teased the critters, all of them having their own little, unique reactions. As fate would have it though, that phone call he had been waiting on for well over a week now from Dan finally came.

“ Hello? Dan? “ Eren said, the excitement clear in his voice. Bulby had been waiting for this day too, running up at mach-imp speed on to his favorite spot on Eren’s shoulder. He tippy tapped his little legs, adamant on going with Eren to learn. He was a smart little bulbug after all !

“ Hello Eren. I know you’ve been …. persistent on learning to make mochi and dango, but first I need to know you’re dedicated. Can you come down in a few minutes? Today, we can learn the ways of dango. Mochi will come after I know you are dedicated. I’m sure you have the strength, but mochi is an art! “ Dan kept on, clearly passionate about his art form which Eren admired greatly. If he was going to learn , it was best to learn from the master! Eren couldn’t contain his excitement, making a silly noise, nodding his head as if Dan could see him over the phone.

“ Yes, yes! I’ll be there as soon as possible! Can I bring some of the imps? “ Eren said, knowing no matter what either of them did, some imps were going to join in on the fun, willingly or not.

“ Well … okay. Only a few, last time they overran the shop, “ Dan said with some reluctance. Bulby got very happy, skittering around in circles happily knowing he could go at least.

“ Thank you Dan! We will head right over! “ Eren said, quickly ending the call as he had a hard choice to make. His imps all loved traveling in a pack together, separating them was never an easy task. As he racked his brain for an answer, a few of his imps came up to him. Sniffy, Poofers, and Shroomies, along with Bulby seemed to most interested in going.

“ Shroomies, if you come, you NEED to behave! “ Eren said, playfully pointing a finger at Shroomies, who head-butted his hand. This is the closest thing Eren got to a promise, so it was best to take what he could get. Waving off as the others prepared to eat, Eren left. Imps either on him or by his side as he headed towards Dan’s Dango to do some learnin’, this was going to be a day to remember!

“ Morning! “ Eren cheered, letting the imps through the door first as they zoomed over to Dan. Shroomies jumped and down, wanting the dango in Dan’s hand, who quickly forfeited it as he ran in to the back room to chow down. It was probably for the best to keep that naughty inkap distracted, even if it was at a loss. Eren would make sure to pay Dan back later, of course.

“ Okay Eren, first, you need to tie your hair back out of your face and wash your hands, okay? “ Dan said, leaning down to pet Sniffy who was polite and pretty as always. What stroodle wasn’t? He would need to rewash his hands, but it was worth it. Bulby stayed on Eren’s shoulder, poking him with his little leg if he didn’t think Eren washed his hands well enough before they all gathered to make some dango finally.

The first step was to gather all of the ingredients needed, Eren’s favorite flavor that Dan made personally was the Ube flavor, so making the joshinko version wouldn’t be too hard thankfully. Dan tested Eren a bit, seeing if he would mix up the joshinko and the dangoko versions, but Eren did well to get them correct! As Bulby took the dango sticks, making sure they were nice and wet for later, he brought them back as Eren kicked up the water to a boil. Both men carefully mixing a bowl for each of themselves, using chopsticks as don’te traditionally, slowly mixing in water to get the right texture before hand kneading the dango gently by hand.

“ Okay, now you knead it in to one big ball, and then we will cut it, “ Dan instructed, showing Eren the hand movements he preferred to use. Sniffy was playing with one of the extra dango sticks, throwing it around playfully as Poofers hovered over the two men, watching intently and occasionally using their tail to grab something the dango duo might need. Bulby was given his own little ball of dough to roll, now on the table as he rolled it around the best he could. It was honestly pretty damn cute to see.

“ Now, you seperate them equally, like this ! “ Dan said, finally showing more enthusiasm as Eren did. Maybe his happy personality was just that infectious, or seeing someone this dedicated to learning along with his imps was too much fun. Bulby followed along, using a toothpick to cut his little dango pieces apart. Showing Eren the correct hand motions and arm position as to not get boiling water splashing, Eren did as instructed and while the first one got a bit of hot water splashing on him, the rest went smooth as butter!
“ Once they rise to the top, we will leave them for another minute or two, and then we let them cool, kind of like cupcakes before you ice them. “ Dan said, nodding his head in achievement. While this was everyday for Dan, it wasn’t everyday to find someone, as well as some imps, so dedicated. He always thought imps were a bit on the more stupid side, but especially Bulby, seemed incredibly smart little things. Though, Poofers had only gotten items, and Sniffy seemed content with playing with a literal piece of wood. Where had Shroomies been though?

“ Shroomies ! “ Eren said, seeing the inkap leave the kitchen with his already eaten dango stick, as well as a very fancy plate he found perched on top of his little head. Where he was so small compared to imps like Sniffy, he looked like an ant carrying a big piece of food. Dan and Eren couldn’t help but chuckle, Shroomies wanted to help after all! Well, sort of. Dan was going to go get this himself for when they began to glaze the sweet treats, but it seemed Shroomies had been listening from the sidelines. As the glaze was prepared and ready, the dango cooled just enough to make them perfect, it was time for the finishing touches!

“ Here Poofers, can you put the toppings on, Eren you and Bulby can put the glaze on, “ he said, handing off his precious tools to them as Sniffy became nosy, poking her nose over the table to watch as Eren and Bulby glazed as a little team, and Poofers , wrapping the toppings in their tails as they perfectly shaked toppings on. Everything looked amazing! So much that a certain someone couldn’t wait for another bite, Shroomies shoved a stick in one and ran off again, running as fast as he could on the three legs that he wasn’t using to hold the stolen treat. Dan could only laugh, this was definitely an interesting crew, that was for sure.

As the sticks were inserted, and everyone handed off their own dango, Eren was beyond excited. He felt he had learned so much today, and couldn’t wait to hone his skills to eventually learn mochi later on! Every imp ran off out of site to enjoy their dango, except for Bulby who held his own personal very tiny dango, proud as could be to show it off to Dan and Eren. Taking a selfie together, all of the imps running back just in time to join in, a nice group picture was a wonderful way to end such a big day of learning. Hopefully learning to make mochi would be easier than expected, but that would have to wait to be seen!