A New Beginning: Unexpectedly Public

Chapter 4: Manners

" Dinner is served, your majesty." Juan, a famous chef, said. " Good. We're entertaining company tonight so everyone must be on their best behavior." Mom said. " Yes. Make sure to wear your cleanest clothes and have your best manners in place." Dad said. " Yes, Mother. I hope my sisters don't embarrass me in front of the adults." James said. " James. You also need to dress formally and mind your manners. Don't act like you don't cause trouble." Mom said. At the Hotel 0Palace, the dining hall is filled to the brim with guests from different countries and different status levels.
" Good thing we have dishes from all over the world. The children are well-behaved and they haven't gotten into any trouble with the guests." Mom said, looking over at the kids who are mature enough to sit at the grown-up table and keep themselves entertained by mingling with the guests and eating exotic foods from different countries like Cuba and Mexico where they use homemade spices and spicy sauces and fresh vegetables to ensure that there are no nasty pathogens in the food that we have to eat, unless we wanna be sent to the doctor's for food illness. I'm not eating what they have. I want something from home." Gianna said.
" Gigi, please try some of the food. There's milk in front of you if it's too spicy." Dad said. " OK. Milk helps with spice so I guess I'll try these dishes. I'm really hungry so I'm desperate for anything delicious." Gianna said, dipping a hot dog in a red sauce with pepper flakes. " How is it?" Mom asked. " It's really good, but it's a little spicy. I think a bit of salt and less spice would help the flavor of the sauce." Gianna said. " Try the chips. There are 3 sources of dip: something spicy, something sweet, and something savory. This is the best lunch that we've ever had. Plus, everything is healthy and fresh." James said. " We have to do a lot of work when going to new restaurants in any country because we don't know how they prepare the food that people consume." Mom said. " Traveling to Mexico is supposed to be fun, but it's boring because there's nothing but sun, sand, and spicy food. I want to go home and have some shrimp platters with that fancy orange juice from the store." Gianna said. " Gianna, Mexico isn't supposed to be fun. We came here for a vacation, yes, and the 2024 Children's Fashion Week. You guys have to be dressed to the nines to impress these industry professionals. You're royalty and you need to act like it." Mom said. " I don't wanna do this. I wanna go home and eat cheesy chips on the sofa." Gianna said.