Tales From New Jump City

5. Gustavo And Marcus Contemplate The Matter At Hand

Ronaldo hurtled through the air, blood spurting out of his cheek, the pain and wind in his face caused his eyes to water. With his free hand, Ronaldo grabbed onto the line and started to bring his umbrella up to slash the line.

"Looks like I caught a big one!" Cynthia shouted. "You're not getting away that easy!'' As she said this, she jerked the fishing pole down, whipping Ronaldo into the arena, sending dust and debris flying. The crowd gasped at this sudden turn of events.

Marcus and Gustavo gave each other worried looks as they stared at the giant dust cloud where Ronaldo made his impact. Gustavo got up from the handcrafted Italian leather couch that overlooked the glass wall of the velvet room, that overlooked the arena and started pacing back and forth.

"This isn't good!" Gustavo exclaimed. "I've heard rumors from the other gangs about this one." As he was pacing back and forth the chef, the best student chef in the entire culinary class at the school with a surprisingly mature looking handlebar mustache for a baby faced teenager, approached them carrying a platter with a dome-shaped metal lid covering it. He placed the platter on a table on a table in front of the couch and removed the lid. A decedent aroma filled the room as steam billowed out from underneath the lid revealing a ribeye steak that was left to tenderize in a dark beer and diced up onions for half an hour, taken out and coated in freshly crushed garlic and rock salt, and broiled until medium-rare, served with a side of mashed potatoes and asparagus, drizzled in a buttery wine sauce.

"Le diner est servi." The chef said while bowing. "Enjoy."

"Dammit, Jacque!" Marcus yelled. "We don't have time for one of your meals right now. We have a situation going on right now and we can't afford to..." A confused look spread of Marcus's face as he heard the sound of munching grow on volume, cutting into his speech. Marcus turned away from Jacque to see Gustavo shoveling food into his mouth with tears streaming down his face.

"What are you doing Gustavo?! Can't you see what's going on down there?! You were just as worried as I am if not more!" Marcus was fuming, yet Gustavo continued to eat.

"I'm sowwy macus," Gustavo said through a mouthful of food.

"Swallow first!" Gustavo stopped eating and slowly chewed and swallowed before speaking again.

"You know I always eat when I get nervous," Gustavo began, "besides, Jacque is an amazing chef and this food is so divine. To not eat it is a waste."

Marcus paused for a second and looked down at the platter. Gustavo already cut into the meat, which allowed him to appreciate the light pink inside of the meat, the juices of the meat not leaking out, but staying tightly packed in the meat to allow a burst of flavor to be released in each bite. This was possible from Jacque allowing the meat to rest for ten minutes before serving. The smell alone had made Marcus's mouth water, but the sight left him yearning to eat it.

"I suppose it would be sinful to let this food go to waste," Marcus said as he sat down and grabbed his utensils. He cut a small slice, shocked that his knife had managed to slide so easily through the meat, as if there was no resistance between the knife and the meat. It was as if cutting through butter. Jacque smiled when he saw Marcus's expression.

"The meat is already fairly tender cut of meat," Jacque began to explain, "but when exposed to the enzymes in the onions and beer, it breaks down the meat to make it even more tender." Jacque smiled and started twisting his mustache, which still looked very out of place on his face. "You'll barely even have to chew."

Marcus lifted a slice of steak and placed it into his mouth. His eyes widened and his nostrils flared. Jacque was right. The meat was so tender it felt like it was melting with each bite. The dark beer and onions added a layer of complexity throughout the whole cut of meat, the garlic adding an extra layer of flavor, while the rock salt managed to bring out the natural flavors of the meat without, and due to the thickness of the rock salt, it didn't seep into the entire cut of the meat and overpower the dish by making it too salty.

"Please pair it with my homemade cola." Jacque lifted his tall chef hat to reveal two glass bottles of a chilled dark cola, that had a label with a cartoony depiction of Jacque's face, mustache and all with a thumbs up and a wink. In one swift movement, Jacque took the bottles off the top of his head and popped the caps off with his thumb and presented it to Marcus and Gustavo. "It has a hint of citrus in the sweetness, and pairs amazingly well with the meal. Bon appetit." Jacque bowed and placed his chef hat back on and walked towards the kitchen area. Gustavo continued to eat with tears of pure joy streaming down his face as he ate the meal. Marcus also continued to eat with a clenched fist. Not even the meal could take his mind off the matter at hand.