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 Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 8:11 pm
Lao Lang kept a sharp on the both children, only slicing up the occasional bean, though when he did it was so quick it was if he had barely even moved the knife. “Oh, you want to be a chef?” The man nodded, as if it was the most noble of professions one could aspire to. “Cooking is a process of creation. You put beautiful ingredients together and come out with something even better. A truly great meal can turn the tide of history.”
Song Tzue smiled back at Bai Mei. He looked so happy. She sharply cut down on the bean, splitting it in half with a great deal more force that was necessary and tossed it into her little pile.
Making his way around the table, Lao Lang studied their techniques. “Zhu Song Tzue, you cut as if you are removing a man’s fingers. Try being a little gentler.” He nodded at Bai Mei. “But you have a smoother motion. The movements will eventually become so familiar to you that you no longer need to think about it.”
Slipping around to the other side he offered them a capsicum each and demonstrated on his own. Cutting it in half, he removed the seeds inside and then cut each half again, scraping off any of the insides with the blade. “Once you are this far you just...” He sliced the capsicum quarters into smaller slivers.
“The key to a good chef is not just the ability to throw flavours together, but preparation and organisation. Know what you are to cook and what you need, having everything ready there before you begin.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 9:23 am
Bai Mei's eyes got wide as the man described cooking such beautiful words, something that seemed to only make him want to become a chef that much more. To be able to do something so wonderful, something so useful to others. To think that food could change the course of history, it wasn't something he'd ever considered, "I do hope that I can learn all I need to learn so that I can walk such a wonderful path." He murmured, giving a happy smile before he set to work cutting the beans next.
The yellow eyed boy turned to look over at Song Tzue, giving her a little smile when the chef scolded her about being to rough with her cuts. He found himself wondering a little if she had any real interest in cooking or if she were cooking because it was what he wanted to do... he sure hoped that wasn't it. He hoped that she was having fun as well. Once the beans were done they were moving on to another item, a capsicum, and he watched in a close and careful to learn how to go about preparing them. It was quite a process, wasn't it? It took him a bit longer to get it prepared in the manner that Lao Lang was showing them, finding it far more difficult then what they had dealt with before now. Once he had it cut in half and the seeds were removed, he set about cutting it in half once more. The next part he took slowly, careful not to cut him, and then gave a smile and sigh of relief when he was able to remove the insides of the capsicum without cutting himself or mangling it to badly.
"Phew." He murmured before he set to slicing up the pieces carefully. He listened to the man's words, filing it away for later. To he prepared and organized, he could do that he thought to himself, after all he did keep track of the lists at home of what they needed when they went shopping.
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Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:35 pm
The man smiled at Bai Mei and nodded approvingly. “You show great potential; if you throw your heart into it, I know you will become a fantastic chef.” He himself had found his true path in cooking. It had been a joy to cook for his family, making something delicious out of the few ingredients they were able to afford.
Truth be told, Song Tzue wouldn’t have done this on her own. The thought had come to mind simply because it was something Bai Mei was interested in. But she found herself enjoying it anyway, if only because she had her friend next to her. Surely she would have been happy even if they were digging potatoes out of the garden or fixing the roof in the cold. Of course she wasn’t too thrilled that her chopping style was hardly adequate and she frowned in concentration when the capsicums came around, trying to be more precise than before but mostly failing.
Next to be placed in front of them were the broccoli and the cabbage. Luo Lang explained how to prepare each one in turn; pulling apart the florets of broccoli and slicing thin pieces of the cabbage after cutting them in quarters. He let them finish those jobs before bringing over a bowl of marinating meat.
The sliced beef sat in a dark sauce with small white flecks and he dipped a hand in, swishing it gently around to show them the contents. “This is a very simple sauce. Can you guess some of the ingredients?”
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Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:59 pm
Bai Mei shifted closer to look at the sauce that the chef was showing them, head tilting to one side in a curious manner, then looked up at the man when he asked if they could guess what was in it. He turned to looking at it in a curious manner, looking thoughtful, "I would say... color wise it looks kind of like soy sauce... and the white bits..." He leaned in closer to smell the sauce, "Oh, that's garlic." It was a strong scent and rather easy to distinguish when it came to that. He wondered if there was more to it then that, "May I?" He asked, motioning to the bowl making it was alright before taking a small bit of it on his fingertip and tasted it.
He thought over it for a moment, seeming to be concentrating on it really hard, "I... think... honey maybe, since its a sweet nad there is something else but I am not quite sure." He knew that he'd tasted the mystery flavor before but what was it... he struggled for a moment, then looked up at Luo Lang, hoping for a hint or for the man to share the mystery ingredient with them.
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:10 pm
When the first two ingredients correctly, Luo Lang nodded approvingly at Bai Mei and slide the bowl closer to the boy so he could taste it. He was pleased when honey was then quickly identified. A little smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t offer a single hint, expecting that sooner or later Bai Mei would figure out the last one.
As Bai Mei pondered over the last mystery ingredient, the answer came from an unexpected source. Song Tzue, who had just licked a bit of the sauce off her finger and had otherwise been silent during the little test, spoke, “its ginger.”
“Oh, well done! Ginger is a marvelous addition to any dish and is very healthy.” Luo Lang moved the bowl back to his side. “Now come around here, we’ll start putting this meal together.” Grabbing a wok he slid it over the flames of the stove. “Bring the bowls of vegetables with you.”
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Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:22 am
Bai Mei looked over at Song Tzue then gave a clap of his hands when she was right at guessing the last ingredient, "Wonderful job, Song Tzue." He said, ever impressed with her. In his mind his friend was ever so wonderful and perfect, someone he'd found he was just so happy to be around ever since they first crossed paths. It was like Fate!
He turned to look up at Luo Lang when the man told them that it was time to put the meal together. He reached over to pick up the bowl of veggies that he'd cut up, waiting for Song Tzue to get hers, then followed along after the head cook, ever eager to see the next step in the process, what they would need to do to turn all the raw, separate parts into a whole, cooked, and delicious dish. He looked up at the man who was his teacher, looking quite eager to go on, "What next? Will we be cooking or watching you cook this time around?" He asked, sounding quite curious upon if this part would be observation only or if they would get a hands on lesson here as well.
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 5:34 pm
“I like ginger, that’s all.” Song Tzue replied with a shrug and a little smirk. She probably wouldn’t have been able to pick the other ingredients, but ginger was easily one of her favorites. She basked in the praise from the chef and her friend as she grabbed up her bowl of vegetables and moved around the desk to join Luo Lang.
“This time I will only show you as the wok is quite heavy. You can study my technique.” Luo Lang dipped his fingers into a bowl of water nearby and casually flicked it at the wok; the water instantly fizzled away to nothing, dancing across the surface for half of a second before becoming steam. “Now that the wok is hot enough, we start putting our ingredients. It should only take a few minutes due to the heat.”
He tipped the bowl of marinated meat in; shifting the wok so that the now rapidly cooking meat spread out. Luo Lang to move the meat around to cook evenly with an expert flick now and then. “Alright then, both of you empty your vegetables in, except the cabbage. Try and hold that back; as it cooks faster then the others and we’ll put it in at the last minute.”
Song Tzue stepped forward, one hand tipping the bowl and the other holding the cut cabbage steady on the side.
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:29 pm
Bai Mei listened closely to what was being said, taking note that due to cooking fast, that the cabbage would need to go in last. He waited for Song Tzue to take care of her bowl of vegetables and pour it into the wok before he did the same, holding the cabbage back and then waited, bowl in hand, for the cook to call for it.
"Wow! It smells really good, doesn't it Song Tzue?" He said, letting his eyes close for a moment, breathing in the scent deeply, and felt his mouth watering just a little. It was a rather tasty scent wasn't it? It made his stomach rumble just listening to it much to his embarrassment. He lowered one hand to rest it over his stomach, flushing slightly, then gave a little chuckle, "Ahhh hahaha." It just showed how good the food was, to be able to make someone's stomach react in such a manner he thought to himself before giving a little smile. He was pretty sure it was a good sign, it meant that the meal was going to be really good if just the smell alone was able to get such a reaction out of his hungry belly he thought to himself.
All he had to do now was become so good a cook that his meals caused others to drool in such a manner he thought to himself, a bit of a smile appear on his lips at just the thought of reaching that skill level.
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 3:31 pm
“Yeah, it does.” Song Tzue hadn’t realized quite how hungry she was, but the meat and vegetables now sizzling in the wok were looking really good right now.
Luo Lang gave a broad grin at the very audible rumble of Bai Mei’s stomach. “That’s a good sign!” He chuckled and refocused on the food; watching as he made the vegetables dance across the wok and the sauce infused through everything. He liked his vegetables to have a bit of crunch to them so he wasn’t going to leave them for long.
Another quick minute went past and then he indicated for the children to dump the cabbage in. Song Tzue complied and then put her now empty bowl aside. It was quite impressive the way the chef was working the food and she realized that this was quite the art; up at the same level of painting or dancing. Though perhaps my enjoyable since it was edible.
“Alright! We’re done. Careful, step back please…” Luo Lang waited for one or the other to move and then, grabbing the handle of the wok took it straight off the heat and plopped it down on a wooden bench. “We need a plates. Bai Mei, if you please, the cupboard to your right at the bottom.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:28 pm
Bai Mei's cheeks colored a bit when it seemed that his rumbling belly had been heard by the book and likely Song Tzue as well... at least it seemed as though Luo Lang had been amused though, seeing it as a good sign he thought to himself. He watched the manner in which the vegetables were moved to make sure that they were all cooked evenly, it would seem that to keep things even it was important to keep them moving. Allowing things to just sit would likely result in that stuff getting burnt which wouldn't be terribly appetizing. It would probably take a bit of practice but he really thought that he could do what he was being shown with time.
When told to do so Bai Mei dumped the cabbage into the wok along with the various other ingredients before he set it aside with the bowl that Song Tzue had been holding. His attention then went back to the last bit of cooking and then the wk was take off the heat and set aside. As Luo Lang asked him to get the plates and where they could be located he moved off quickly to do as he was told, opening up the cupboard, got out some plates, one of each of them, and brought it over to set them down on the counter near to where Luo Lang placed the wok full of food.
Once the bowls had been fetched he looked around for a moment and then back to the chef, "Should I get some utensils?" He asked of the man, not sure where they were located but was more then willing to fetch them.
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 7:21 pm
Luo Lang grabbed one of the large spoons hanging just above him and began to efficiently serve out the stir fry, putting equal portions into each of the bowls that Bai Mei had just put down. There was a little left in the wok as he placed in lightly on the bench to be dealt with after. “Ah, utensils. I’ll grab them…” Fetching three pairs of chopsticks from a nearby cupboard he placed them down besides the bowls. “There we go, a simply beef and vegetable mix. I hope you enjoy it.”
Song Tzue had been leaning somewhat lazily, watching the final process and now she straightened, taking up the bowl and chopsticks. After smiling at Bai Mei, she snagged one of the pieces of beef and gave it an experimental taste. “It’s delicious!” She pronounced and proceeded to stuff a piece of broccoli in her mouth as fast as she could. “But you know Bai Mei, I bet you’re going to be an even better cook that Luo Lang is.”
The man only laughed. “I would be pleased for that to be so.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 7:52 pm
Bai Mei took note of where the utensils were kept though he had no idea if or when he would be back here before so the information might not be important to him. Still, it was information that might one day be needed, one never knew. He gave a smile as the chopsticks were set down near the bowls that were filled with the beef and vegetable mix that they had a hand in creating, he looked for a moment at the different veggies that he and Song Tzue had aided Luo Lang in preparing, "It looks so good." He murmured, you could tell by the look of the veggies who cut up what, it made it more special, that they had all had a hand in the creation of this dish.
He pulled his bowl closer to himself, picking up the chopsticks alongside his bowl before he set to eating from his bowl, a bright and happy smile appearing on his face after the first few bites. It tasted as good as he had hoped from how good it smelled he thought to himself, a blissful sort of look on his face as he continued to eat... that was until Song Tzue commented that he was going to be an even better cook then Luo Lang. He gave a little cough, nearly choking on the food he was swallowing before his cheeks set to flushing rather darkly. Such a nice comment, unexpected but very sweet.
"Ahh... T-Thank you, Song Tzue." He said, ducking his head shyly and his blush seemed to spread when Luo Lang said that he would be pleased if that were so. It was so nice of them both, "Thank you." He said again, giving a smile before he continued to eat from the bowl that was sitting before him.
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:05 pm
Song Tzue looked mighty pleased with the reaction her compliment gained and she stuffed another piece of meat in her mouth while smirking happily. It was lucky that Luo Lang had such a good temperament as the words could easily have been taken as being rude; however they were intended only to inspire her friend to greatness! She was certain that Bai Mei was going to be famous throughout the country for his wonderful meals. It made her wonder what she could do alongside him. Something that wasn’t cooking of course. While she loved the results, the idea of spending all day cooking wasn’t a fun one.
Luo Lang was eating from his own bowl; a small smile on his face. He finished first and quickly and he put his chopsticks down across the rim of his bowl. “Normally I would insist that apprentice clean up the mess we just made… and I will also suggest it now. Once you are finished eating of course.” He was fairly sure Song Tzue would protest, which she did on cue.
“What? No, we’ve got things to do.”
“If one wishes to be a chef they need to be responsible and take care of their equipment. A kitchen needs to be clean.” Luo Lang replied simply; his expression stern. “Then you may play. But I have a lot of work to do once you are gone and the help you will give will allow me to get to it much faster.” He arched an eyebrow at the girl. “Or am I not worthy of the small time it would take to clean our mess together, despite having taken time out of my busy day teach you and your friend?”
Song Tzue was effectively silenced after polishing off the last of the food in her bowl, got to work with a frown; snatching a cloth up to clean down the benches with.
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:21 pm
Bai Mei looked up at Luo Lang when the man told them that they were to help out with the cleaning up that they had just made. He opened his mouth to respond but Song Tzue responded first, saying that they had things to do which caused him to look a little uncertain. Maybe he was to used to doing the cleaning at home that he really didn't mind? He glanced back over at Luo Lang when the man spoke, saying that ever chef had to be responsible and take care of their things, that a kitchen needed to be clean. That made sense, if it were a mess then it would be harder to produce such delicious food.
Shifting in place the yellow eyed boy seemed to be uncomfortable with the thought that Luo Lang might think even for a moment that despite his kindness in helping to teach him that Bai Mei would leave without doing what was needed. He turned to look at Song Tzue as she finished up and went to fetch a cloth to clean with. Well... it seemed that even though she didn't want to do it that she was going to regardless, that was good of her.
The boy quickly finished up his own food before he set to gathered up the dishes that they had used, bringing them over so that he could see about cleaning them. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd done dishes but this time around he was very careful, the dishes here in Song Tzue's place seemed to be so much nicer then those they used at home. He would be careful with them so as not to risk breaking or chipping them he thought to himself as he went through the dishes, cleaning them off thoroughly and carefully.
Once that was done he got a cloth and moved to wipe down the counters as well, smiling all the while. They might be boring chores but it didn't mean that he was terribly bothered by doing them. The sooner they were done the sooner he and his friend could go and play once more!
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:56 pm
Luo Lang smiled slightly at Bai Mei as if to reassure him that his words had merely been intended to put Song Tzue in her place. Then he turned back to the wok, putting the left over food away to share with one the servants, a friend who was sure to be hungry, and set about washing the large wok in warm water.
While Bai Mei was busy doing the dishes, Song Tzue got rid of the vegetable scraps and continued to clean all the benches down where they had worked. She worked efficiently and in silence, not exactly thrilled to be doing it, but Luo Lang had been right, and the least she could do was help clean up. MeiLin would have been mortified to think her daughter would try to get out of such a simple task when it would help make some persons day easier.
When the counters had been done, Luo Lang waved them away. “That’s enough. Thank you.” He picked up the knives they had used, wiping them clean on a cloth and then setting them aside for later. “You can go now. It’s been a pleasure.” Nodding to the both of them, he simply turned aside and went to move off down the kitchen to begin his next task for the day; not one for chitchat or goodbyes.
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