| “ | Capitalism, ho! | „ |
| ~ Recette Lemongrass |
Recette Lemongrass is the main protagonist of the doujin game Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale. She lives alone in a house on top of a hill in Pensee after her father decided to become a hero, and went out on an "adventure" three months ago. Unbeknownst to Recette, he left her an outstanding debt so big that Tear won't even tell her the total amount!
The player takes control of Recette to buy and sell items to gather enough "Pix", the in-game currency, in her house-turned-item-store, Recettear (a portmanteau of the two partners' names, Recette and Tear), to make increasing weekly debt payments over the course of five weeks.
Background[]
Biography[]
Recette is a young girl who, up until now, had practically not a care in the world as her father took care of everything. He's run off to go "be a hero," however, leaving her alone... and apparently saddled with the debt of a massive loan he took out from Terme Finance! Now it falls to Recette to pay back the debt, using her house as an item store.
Recette can be a little "air-headed" at times, but she's also very sincere. Despite the hardship placed in front of her, she never seems to lose her sunny disposition, taking on the role of the mega-optimist. She can also be a quite a ditz.
Additional Information[]
Despite her young age and circumstances, Recette is very easy-going, positive, and trusting. Even with an "active" imagination (such as believing she would be sold off in parts to distant lands to pay off her father's loans, and wondering if it is possible to survive with two internal organs), she is able to easily make friends with people of different races.
She is fond of many different quotes, such as the one most-associated with her, "Capitalism, ho!"
Recette displays a number of unusual skills such as:
- Needlework - when she sewed a girl's doll back together.
- Either herbalism or wilderness survival skills - when she was able to safely determine which random plants growing in the Town Square was safe for Louie to eat.
- Advanced knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and nutrition - when she was able to tell a woman in the Town Square that sweets would make her feel better.
- Handiness - when she made the shop sign.
Recette means "recipe" in French.
Relationships[]
Tear[]
Even if they did not meet in the best of circumstances, Recette looks up to Tear like a big sister, or perhaps as a mother-figure. Recette trusts Tear immensely without question and relies on her help to run Recettear. Tear in turn, cannot help but admire Recette's optimism, but chastises her for her naiviete. After the five weeks of paying off her father's debts, Recette is sad to see Tear leave as her work is done, but is overjoyed when Tear is 'forced' to stay due to Recette's stark laziness at bookkeeping, requiring a permanent financial advisor to keep Recettear going.
Alouette[]
Alouette introduces herself to Recette after being caught while sneaking around Recettear Solid Snake-style (in a box that clearly came from Amazon). Despite their different social and financial backgrounds, the two girls appear to get along well, even if Recette is only confused by Alouette's boastings of her high class lifestyle.
Louie[]
As a new immigrant to Pensee, Louie is unable to find work, but with Tear's help and Recette's trust, the three take their first steps into a dungeon. When Louie gets his Adventurer's Guild Card, he offers his very first card to Recette as a token of appreciation and friendship. Though they don't have much in common, they become good friends.
Charme[]
Although Charme did initially try to murder and rob Recette, Recette forgives her, and Charme immediately takes a liking to the girl. Charme sees herself as a sort of big sister role, particularly since Tear isn't always completely honest with Recette.
Caillou[]
Initially, Caillou is just a customer who needs ingredients, but news of high-power arcane items showing up in the dungeons forces him to ask Recette to accompany him as he investigates. Though he himself has accomplished a lot despite his age, he refuses to believe Recette owns Recettear.
Tielle[]
Tielle and Recette first meet when Tielle is frightened and lost in a dungeon, which might explain why she attacks her adventurer. After being defeated, Recette heals Tielle's wounds with a very expensive elven medicine found in the dungeon. They become fast friends after that, and bond over their shared love of sweets.
Nagi[]
Recette's patience is a huge boon for Nagi's and her friendship. Though Nagi has an awful sense of direction, the better friends they become, the more times Nagi seems to 'wander' into Recettear. They bond quickly over their shared love of cooking, and Recette's fascination with Nagi's foreign mannerisms.
Elan[]
Both Recette and Tear first find Elan to be a bit of a suspicious character snooping around the Pensee Orphanage, but when he admits he's just ashamed he doesn't have the money to buy the children sweets like he usually does, Recette immediately takes him to heart. Being slightly inexperienced in the way of dungeons, he seems to consider Recette his equal despite her age.
Griff[]
While he considers her immensely stupid, Griff seems to have a soft spot for Recette. When he raises the Obsidian Tower, he takes into account that Recette might investigate, so he suggests she leave town before he goes ahead with his plan.
Arma[]
Arma is very terse, but shows many signs that she cares for Recette. Arma treats her almost like a scholar of human culture and society.
Trivia[]
- When Tear tells Recette to go out through the front door, what Recette tries to say (To eternity and beyond) could be a reference to Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story.