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 Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 9:26 am
 
This is a private role play between Yuudai [decision lobster] and Kiran [Kazu-chan].
Setting:
The Koga Inn. Yuudai tries to teach Kiran how to cook. Will he succeed?
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 9:54 am
Kiran remembered the way to the Koga Inn after his first visit. He made his way through the crowd with practiced ease, avoiding another bumpy run-in with the people around him. When he reached the ryokan, Kiran ignored the front entrance. He wasn't here this time to check out the inn as he had on his prior visit. This time, he was here to meet with Yuudai and take him up on that cooking lesson offer.
Kiran slipped around to the back entrance of the inn. Nervousness began bubbling up inside him as he neared the back door. Cooking went a bit out of his comfort zone. Not because he thought it was a woman's job to do the cooking, but because it was something he never considered learning until Yuudai brought it up when they met at the docks. He didn't want to make a complete fool of himself by botching up his first attempt to cook. But he would never get anywhere if he let that kind of worry scare him off.
Steeling his nerves, Kiran hefted his small package under one arm. He reached out and knocked on the back door then waited for Yuudai.
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 2:22 pm
Luckily, Yuudai was already up to his elbows in work in the kitchen. It meant that he didn't have to be summoned from somewhere else in the house, so Kiran wouldn't have to wait very long. At the knock on the door he frowned, bringing his hands out of soapy water to flick the majority of the bubbles off him. He wasn't expecting anyone, which didn't necessarily mean no one would be coming to see him, simply that he didn't have any plans.
If it was a boy for one of his sisters, he was going to be seriously displeased.
Wiping his palms dry on his apron, he strode to the door and opened it, blinking a couple of times against the bright sunlight. Kiran stood there, rocking back on his heels as he waited to be acknowledged. Curiosity on his face, Yuudai rested one hand in the frame of the door, blue brows hiking.
"Kiran. Hello." It took him a moment, but he remembered that he'd offered to teach him to cook, and he stepped back. "Are you here for a lesson, then? I'm finishing the dishes, but we can make something simple afterward. Please, come in."
He gesture for Kiran to enter, gaze falling briefly to the package tucked under his arm. Though he was curious, he didn't ask what it was. He assumed that if Kiran wanted him to know, he would offer the information freely.
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 4:01 pm
Kiran grinned when Yuudai answered the door. He was glad that it was Yuudai rather than someone else from his family. For some reason, he thought it would be an awkward meeting to run into other member's of Yuudai's family. Did he really want to explain to them his reason for being here? But that didn't really matter since none of them had answered the door.
"Yuudai," he greeted with a nod of his head. "I had some time today. I hope this isn't too bad a time for you. If your too busy, I could always come back later." Some people might not think it with the way he could run his mouth, but Kiran did have a considerate side. Yuudai had been kind enough to offer to teach him to cook. But Kiran didn't want to inconvenience him by taking up his time when he had other work to do.
He stepped forward, entering through the back door. "I thought I should bring you something," he explained with a mild hint of awkwardness. He held the package out to Yuudai. "Just a couple of yellowtails I caught earlier. I didn't know if there was any other kind of fish you might like." He didn't often give gifts to people outside his family, which made this all the more awkward. But he didn't think he should enter into the cooking lesson without giving Yuudai something in return.
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Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 9:11 am
Most days were not, in fact, bad times for Yuudai. He had a variety of duties about the inn, of course, but he had become a competent enough worker that he could juggle his personal tasks as well as account for the unexpected. He didn't smile, because he rarely did, but he hardly looked displeased as he gave Kiran a quick nod and went back to the dishes.
"It's fine today. I'll finish these dishes, and then we can make something simple and tasty." He only had a few left, truth be told, and was making brisk work of them. Kiran stepped fully into the kitchen, and Yuudai instructed out of habit, "Close the door, please. We don't want flies getting in."
The mention of the gift pleased Yuudai, enough that he slanted Kiran a quick, brief smile. "Thank you. That was very considerate. We'll use it today; we can make..." He frowned, cast about in his mind for something simple and tasty.
He'd never taught anyone to cook before, and his father hadn't actually intended to teach him when it happened, but it couldn't be too difficult. Yuudai was confident he could manage it, anyway.
"Buri teriyaki," he decided, placing the last dish aside to dry. "It's simple and delicious."
Turning, he faced Kiran, wiping his hands on his apron again. "Does that sound amenable?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:31 pm
Kiran couldn't tell whether Yuudai was happy to see him stop by or not. Playing poker against him would certainly be a challenge since Yuudai seemed to have no tells about what he was thinking. As he closed the door, Kiran wondered if Yuudai ever showed any other emotions other than, perhaps, a frown.
Kiran walked farther into the kitchen to set the package of yellowtails down on the counter while Yuudai finished washing the dishes. He caught the smile that passed over Yuudai's face. Ah, so he can smile, Kiran thought, pleased. Despite how brief the smile was, it almost felt like catching a glimpse of a treasure that not many other people ever got to see.
"Simple and delicious, sounds like a good starting place," Kiran said, happy to try something new. He glanced around the kitchen, familiarizing himself a little with his surroundings. He didn't get to spend much time in the kitchen at his home because his mother ran that part of the house. Then he brought his gaze back to Yuudai. "Point me at what I should do first."
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Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 2:49 pm
Yuudai was already arranging ingredients on the counter, which lent the impression that even if Kiran hadn't agreed, they would have been making buri teriyaki anyway. Regardless, it was better that he had, because Yuudai was of the firm belief that the student followed the instructions of the teacher absolutely -- it would make everything go so much easier.
When everything was arranged, he began to point, saying in a serious tone, "Rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, mirin. Aside from the yellowtail, that's all we'll need, so I think this is a good place to begin."
He set a bowl on the counter, turning his serious gaze to Kiran. "First of all, we need to marinate the fish for a short time. Measure two tablespoons of sake and one tablespoon of soy sauce; we'll place the fillets in that and allow them to marinate for about ten minutes."
Ten minutes was a little generous, but he wanted to give Kiran time to prepare the teriyaki sauce, and to answer any questions he might have along the way. It was a very simple dish, but he was hardly a beginner, so who knew what kind of curious questions Kiran might have.
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 12:38 pm
Kiran watched as Yuudai set out various ingredients, waiting to be instructed. He made sure to identify each one as Yuudai named them. He didn't want to look like a complete moron by accidentally grabbing the wrong one and throwing it into the bowl. "Not too many ingredients, huh?" he asked somewhat surprised. But even with the small number of ingredients, that didn't mean this would be an easy dish to make, especially for a beginner. If he let his attention slip, he could mess this up.
"Right. That sounds simple enough." Kiran nodded and looked around the kitchen. "Uh, tablespoons? Where do you keep those?"
As he looked around, Kiran didn't see the usual spoons set out on the counters. There were weird scooper looking things, but not the kind of spoons that Kiran normally used when eating.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 2:54 pm
Yuudai blinked, then recalled that Kiran really didn't know anything about cooking. What should have been second-nature to anyone who had set foot in a kitchen before would be all new to him, so he would have to backtrack and take it from the top.
Well, that wasn't so bad. He had time today, anyhow.
"All right. I suppose we should do a tour of the kitchen first." He nudged Kiran's shoulder, getting him to back up to the entrance again. With one hand, he gestured, and added, "This is the smaller kitchen, used only by family. We have a much larger one for inn business, but I prefer this kitchen for most everything."
His expression was serious as he began to tour, pointing out the different cabinets and what held them, trying to keep his terms simple and highlight the important things. It was a bit much to take in at once, of course, but he kept the pace slow and made sure he explained what the utensils were actually used for as he held them up and showed them off.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 5:25 pm
Kiran scooted back toward the entrance when Yuudai nudged him. It felt pretty embarrassing to admit that he knew pretty much nothing about cooking or the tools needed for cooking. But he guessed anyone in his situation would have to admit to the same lack of knowledge.
As Yuudai went around giving him the tour of the kitchen, Kiran nodded along and tried to absorb as much as he could about what Yuudai was saying. But it was a lot to take in at once, and he doubted he would remember everything after the first time.
"Okay. I think I got most of that," he said, though he wasn't quite certain that he did. He at least tried to sound confident in his statement. "So I measure the sake and soy sauce with this spoon, right?" Kiran asked as he picked up the tablespoon. It looked rather strange in comparison to a normal spoon.
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