Leblouche's diary

18. A restaurant to save (1)

In the neighborhood where I live, there is a restaurant called "Le Dragon Gourmand" which had existed for years or even decades. It was run by the father of a friend that I knew, unfortunately, he left to manage a franchise in another city with his son, which means that I no longer see him often, if ever.

But that doesn't stop me from spending time in this childhood restaurant if of course I have the time...

*The door opens and a bell rings*

"Hello Marianne! How are you? I hope you didn't miss me too much." I said, giving her a hug.

"Oh Thierry! It's been a long time since we last saw each other, it must be said that your work takes over your days." Marianne said to me, giving me a return hug. "I hope your routine isn't too tiring..."

The lady I greeted is Marianne, she is the new manager of the restaurant and the sister of the former manager, she is very kind and has the aura of a grandmother, in fact almost everyone in the neighborhood nicknames her either "Granny" or "Grandma".

"Don't worry, I'm going home totally tired, but if I have time (and energy) I could still come here!" I reassured her as I sat down at the counter.

"Hi Leblouche, it's been a while!" Chun greeted me while cleaning the plates.

"But it's 'Miss dishwasher', are you still there?" I teased her.

"Stop with that nickname! It's been months since you've been here and you still remember that stupid name?" she got annoyed while laughing.

The woman I kept annoying is Sandrine, she's Marianne's daughter, she's the one who takes care of the diving (which is why I call her 'Miss Diving'), she's also nice but often she tends to be a little mischievous.

"Well, that's kind of your job, isn't it? I'm sure we're diving and you feel like Commander Cousteau." Math blabbered while cooking a customer's dish while everyone laughed at his joke.

The cook who has just driven home the point of Sandrine's embarrassment is Math, her cousin and childhood friend, he is a cook and makes good dishes, but sometimes he gets too excited about his cooking and becomes megalomaniac if Roland (who is the chef) doesn't reframe it often.

"Yeah that's it, just cook your meal otherwise you'll be cooking coal." Chun replied.

"Last time it was an accident! And after the soap that Roland gave me..." he sighed, remembering his reprimand.

"But where is Roland, he must have already been there?" I asked a little confused.

"The poor thing is ill, a very nasty cold has kept him bedridden, he hasn't come for three days, in the meantime, I'm replacing him." Marianne explained.

"Ah, I see... Good recovery to him then."

What I like at 'Dragon Gourmand' is the almost family atmosphere, everyone knows each other, it's a bit like a social network, but in real life. Almost everyone who lives in the neighborhood comes here to chat, watch a match, eat... In short, to have a good time.

At home...

"*Sigh* I missed Math's meals, I think I'll come back next week..." I smiled as I sat down on the couch after coming home from the restaurant.

While I took the time to digest, I took the diary to help me with my digestion, it must be said that it has been a long time since I read it.

Dear Diary,

I wonder what Laurent, Mariam and I are going to do. It was something we decided to do and we volunteered.

I have a friend, Mathéo, who has a father who runs a restaurant called 'Le Dragon Gourmand', he had the reputation of being the only Sino-French restaurant in the neighborhood and also because he lived for years, It's a family business that is passed down from generation to generation.