Food Is Love!

Recipe 60: Flavors

Roadtrip Day 22
Location: Butuan City

Azmina's POV:

I ca-can't decide with this pressure around me! Wha-what should I do?!

"Hey, don't worry. That's what they just do everytime they argue about the best dish." Quickly, Claire steps in and whispers. "Go on, eat whatever you like."

Phew...that's a relief. Let's try this right now! Hmm...based from the looks...best looking dish last...I'll take the cheeseburger first.

"Thanks for the food...munch...munch..."

Mmm...tasty...juicy...well, it's just like some ordinary burgers that everybody can make...except...Alex added something...something that makes this burger a little bit tangy. Is it like...oyster sauce? Worcestershire sauce? I can't tell. Anyways, this cheesy burger from Alex is very delicious!

Let's see about Alice's seafood paella...

"Thanks for the food, again...munch...munch..."

Whoa! The taste...it so delicious! Kyaaa!!! The prefect combination...she got the perfect combination! Hehehe! The taste of seafood and spices blended together with the rice. So even you hate eating mussels and lobsters...you can taste the essence of seafood on it! Mmm!!! This so great!

"So...Azmina, could you tell me who's the winner?" Tasting the two dishes, Alice asks me.

"Nope! I won't tell you!"

"EEEH!!! WHA-WHY NOT?!"

"Well, I hear you saying that you will decide the winner of today's competition by the number of customers who orders a specific dish."

My short explanation stops the two from asking any more questions and returns from cooking and selling dishes to customers.

Claire's POV:

Wow, Azmina is on fire today...by the judgement she has said, she looks like she can control Alex and Alice's cooking rivalry!

"Two orders of seafood paella, please?"

"Three cheeseburger to go, please?"

"Two orders of chicken, burger and fries combo, please?"

"I would have to order three servings of your finest seafood paella...yep, just take your time, milady."

And as the competition continues, Azmina approaches Danica, the one who lists all the orders for the day, and whispered something. Danica was startled on what she just heard...

"Wa-wait! Do yo-you think that idea will work?"

"Of course, it will." Azmina smiles and winked. "Just trust me, okay?"

Danica then relays the message to the competitors for today. They are also shocked by it...but she told them that if they wanted to get more money and more customers...there's nothing they could do.

Moments later, I noticed some changes in the way they prepare and cook food...for Alice, she tosses the wok, where her seafood paella is being cooked, more often than usual. Previously, Alice cannot used with this style and actually, food always spills out when she tosses.

For Alex, he flips the patties fly high and catch it with a bottom bun with lettuce on it...and sprinkling it fast with cheese, ketchup and mustard before finishing off with the sesame bun. Hmm...it doesn't make any sense...I mean, what Alice and Alex is doing right now can be done even for a simple cook like me...unless...

Whoa! Do they see what I see?!?! They're a tons of people piling out in front of the store!!! It's jam packed...I mean I never seen such many people since the first time since Alice and Alex opened this food truck business back in Dasmariñas!

"Hmm! Just as I expected!"

"Huh? What do you mean, Azmina?" I wondered and ask her. "What plan you just did to them, may I ask?"

"Well...you see, if you give a little creative touch in cooking food, you will make the customers wonders 'Oh, they're great at cooking! I wonder what will their foods tastes like when they did this and that'" Azmina explains to me. "To know who is the best cook, one should show more than just the taste of their dishes, but also the talent on how they cook."

Okay, I get it now. Showing up your cooking skills simply attracts more customers...it's more than just the taste. But I wonder if that's alright with them...especially Alice...Azmina doesn't know that she's just came from a flu after overworking so much...sigh...let's hope for the best.

Alice Flonne's POV:

Phew! This is great, really! Hehehe! I've never done this style in days! In fact, I'm getting a hang of it!

"Wow! You're so cool, sis!" A little girl comments. "How in the world you are able to do such a trick like that?!"

Tossing your wok is easy...even you can do it! Hehehe!" I giggled and encourage the little girl. "Tossing your cooking makes it more scrumptious...just toss it at the right timing."

"Oh, okie. If you have time, please teach me."

"Sure, sis!" I assure my assistance to her by a bright smile.

In the mean time, I am having a tough battle against Lexi. Although I mastered the art of wok tossing, that doesn't mean that I can finally beat Lexi in my cooking rivalry...I'm still behind a lot from him since more people prefer fried chicken, cheeseburger and fries than mine...sigh...I gave up...I lost...

"The last customer had just left...so let's go to the results." Danica then glances to the record book. "And the winner is...Alex by a landslide!"

"Yehey!" Danica, Azmina and Claire claps as I accepted my defeat and offers my hand to him.

"Congrats, Lexi. What a great match out there." We shake hands at the conclusion of our match. "You really beat me out to the pulp, huh?"

"Hehehe! I was just lucky." Lexi simply replies to me. "I mean by the look of Azmina's face when she tasted your seafood paella, I knew that I'm gonna lose the match."

"Oh, really? Ehehehe!" I grin at him and giggles. "Alright, let's close shop so we could take a rest tonight."

Together, we go out of the food truck to ensure that nobody is around to catch up and make a last minute order...since we're ran out of ingredients...as well as the food we just served. We have lots of profit that we collected...and so many people that we have served so we're satisfied for our work for today.

And as Lexi helps me to close the windows of the food truck...

"PLEEEASE....WAAAIT!!!"

I looked back and saw a little girl running towards us...holding a plastic bag. I was about to wonder what are the contents of that bag is...when the girl trips in random stone and falls face flat.

"HUHUHUHU!!!" And she cries in pain.

"He-hey! Please don't cry!" We quickly come to her aid and help her to get up.

"Huhuhu!!! I'm too late...sniff...I thought...sniff...you promised to help me...sniff...to cook!"

Before reply on her question, I try to look on the little girl's face...hey! This is the girl I met earlier! The one who wants to be taught how to toss the cooking in the wok.

"Umm...sis, I didn't say that I won't teach you after we close store." I smile and try to cheer the girl up. "Look, how about you come with us in our hotel room so you could learn my skill very easily?"

"Yaay!!! Ehehehe!!! Thank...you..."

And just as we are settled, suddenly...the little girl lost consciousness...

"WAAAAAH!!!"