Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 38: Order in the Chaos - Part 1

Marlina nods in understanding, walking purposefully alongside the chef as they pass through the door next to Roland's office and down a long, windowless corridor lit by electric lights. After turning a couple of corners, it feels as though they are walking around the edges of a room before he leads her into the kitchen.

As they step in, the long room seems to be divided in half. On the left wall, several stoves showcase copper pans of various shapes and sizes hanging from the stone backsplashes, while the right wall features ovens and shelves stocked with ingredients and baking pans. Just in front of the cooking areas on either side are long wooden tables, where one cook butchers large cuts of meat on the left, while another works with dough, both appearing exhausted. 

The remaining cooks sit on stools in a circle, with a barrel of potatoes and bowls of water between them. Buckets filled with peels sit in front of them, and their peeling motions are sluggish, with at least 20 potatoes each already completed, with plenty more to go. One begins to gather the pile to start slicing them, while the others glance at the barrel disdainfully.

The chef leads Marlina to a sink and places a pair of gloves beside it. "Wash your hands, then get to work." He then whistles to the others, who are still peeling. "Drop the peelers. We're making cheese croustades and cucumber with shrimp bites. Make them flavorful and have them wanting more to fill up before dinner."

While the chef is distracted, Marlina keeps her hands hidden in the sink to avoid questions about them, as they appear to be covered with gloves. After donning the gloves, she grabs a peeler from one of the cooks and takes a potato. Dipping it in water, she first removes the skin from the top and bottom with just a few motions before peeling the rest in swift, long strokes, resulting in a wholly peeled potato in seconds. 

The chef raises an eyebrow and watches Marlina for a moment as she peels a few more potatoes with consistent precision in just a minute. Noticing the long, neat peels she produces compared to the scraps from the cooks, he gets an idea. He retrieves a baking sheet, sets a stool beside her, and places the tray down.

"Keep the short ones in the bucket and the long ones on the tray." He then looks back at his chefs, who scramble to work. "Take these peels once the tray is full. We'll use these for garnishes too. Don't let her stop to swap trays or bowls."

With a shout of confirmation from his cooks, the chef rolls up the sleeves of his coat to take over butchering, leaving the appetizers and other meal prep to the rest of the team. He cuts with speed and precision to create beautiful cuts of meat.

One after another, Marlina speeds through the potatoes, shifting to let the peels drop where she was instructed. Once the tray beside her is full, one of the cooks takes it away and replaces it with another, spreading the peels on the tray to season and placing them in the oven to bake into crispy strips. The chef watches Marlina, her speed unwavering even after peeling several dozen potatoes. He counts how many potatoes she finishes each minute; the number never changes.

With the barrel now empty, Marlina hands the last tray of peels to the chefs before setting the buckets of peels aside. After washing again, she proceeds to the dough-making station, where she forms large mounds of dough while the cooks cut them into smaller pieces and store them to rise. Next, she helps peel and devein shrimp and slices cucumber on the mandolin. One task after another, she shows no signs of tiring, and her concentration remains unwavering.

With the sound of deep-toned bells ringing, the chef pauses. "Guests are here. Final checks for tasting, keep plenty of water hot for tea, and don't let the servants touch the good wine until dinner!"

The cooks begin to assemble the appetizer platters; the croustades are positioned on a multi-tiered platter, neatly arranged in circles, with each tier featuring a specific topping or garnish for a touch of variety and organization. The shrimp and cucumber are displayed on large circular plates, encircling small, tightly stacked pyramids of individually served creamy dill sauces.