Leblouche's diary

19. A restaurant to save (2)

Today was Sunday, and like every week, it was the day when I cooked a menu worthy of the traditions of my region! And that Sunday, I prepared a favorite dish of my grandparents, veal sauté with olives, a classic!

"So, white wine, check. Olives, check. Bacon, check. Okay, I have everything I need!" I said as I got ready to cook.

Thanks to my cooking skills passed down from my mother, I prepared my dish with class and patience too because, although it sounds like a simple dish, it takes time to prepare it, around two hours!

But despite the time it took, it was worth it, I was rewarded with a delicious frittu (stir-fried in Corsica), and I didn't have to wait for the sun to explode before I sat down to eat.

"Ah~ How I like them, it brings back a lot of memories..." I sighed while tasting the dish.

After enjoying my lunch, I digested by picking up where I left off yesterday by reading the diary.

Dear Diary,

I spent a hard day at Mr. Huang's restaurant, after he took the school's order for the buffet, we got to work, as we had to prepare a good amount of food.

"So, I just got the order from the school, and it's a big one." Mr. Huang announced. "It will take at least 15 dishes." he continued.

"15! That's a lot, right?" Mariam wondered.

"15 for him is as if he prepared two, you'll see, just let him cook," said Marianne.

"Okay, we're going to divide up the tasks, Laurent and Chun you will take care of the fruits and vegetables, Thierry and Mariam you will season the ingredients and prepare the sauces, and Marianne and I will take care of the slightly more difficult processes and the cooking, does it work?" communicated the manager while preparing for the big kitchen.

"Yes boss, we're ready!" we confirmed.

"Okay, let's get to work!"

We had 15 dishes to prepare and we divided up the tasks, this number seemed large and I admit, I too was amazed by the number of dishes the school had ordered from Mr. Huang. I don't know if the school is aware that he has a reduced enrollment, or if he himself is the one who gave himself this challenge. This is where Mr. Huang reminded us through his culinary skills why he was the manager.

"Marianne, could you pass me the rice please?" asked Mr. Huang.

"Are you making mom's golden rice?" she noticed.

"Yes, with a few small modifications, I would like to add a 'spicy' touch to the dish," he says.

"It's good that you want to add a little spice to your dish, but remember that we're serving this to children Jules. To children," she insisted, knowing how much her brother loves chili .

"Yes yes, of course... But a little 'Shuan Shuan La' won't hurt, right?" he said, looking for the spice in question.

"Don't you dare take that spice damn it! You know very well that no one but you can resist that!" Ms. Huang exclaimed, grabbing her brother's arm.

"Ha ha ha ha! I'm just kidding! Do you really think I'll add the hottest pepper in China?!" he defended himself. "Okay children, admire the art of fried rice, you need a wok to do this kind of action otherwise the rice will fall to the ground," he explained.

We had fun watching the manager's cooking skills. It is true that he is an experienced cook, and I have seen what he is capable of before, but he had more than one trick up his sleeve, or should I say his spatula.