Side Story 5: Cooking lesson – part 1

In the morning, Jack Cross woke up and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for him and his daughter, still thinking about last night's events.

Finding out he could communicate with his reflection if both of them were touching a mirror at the same time was mind-blowing.

For the time being, they decided not to tell anything to their respective daughters while he and his Demi-Cat version figured out what they could do with that discovery.

Sophia came out from the bathroom, still rubbing her eyes, and said, Morning, dad… I had a weird dream… I can't recall what it was, but it made me wake up in the middle of the night. So, what's for breakfast?"

As he put an egg and some slices of bacon on a plate next to a piece of bread, he answered, "This small egg and this, that I think, is pork. At least the smell is similar, and I have already tasted it. It is a bit different from what we are used to, but it is tasty. Did you already think about what you were going to make for lunch at your school?"

"Kind of. I need to check what ingredients they have, how the stove works, and how much food I need to prepare. Considering I saw a lot of kids in the cafeteria yesterday, I may need to prepare an enormous quantity."

"A stew is always a good idea, you know? Everyone likes stew."

With a shrug, Sophia ate her food in silence, with her father wondering if he should insist or let her be.

When they finished, they left home, with Sophia going down the stairs two steps at a time and finding Emma Pearson waiting for her in front of her building. "Morning, Sophia! Your eyes are kind of swallowed up! You didn't sleep?"

"I had a strange dream that I don't remember, but it made me wake up. So, bus again?"

"Good morning, Mister Cross! Bus, of course! No way I am going to run to get to school!"

With one last wave to her father, Sophia followed her smiling young friend, with Jack Cross walking in the other direction to get to the subway.

As he went down the stairs to the subway, Jack Cross was looking around at all the people who were like him, going for the subway.

Despite being his second day on Earth, he still found it strange to have so many people around, minding their own business, without even a greeting to him or anyone else. That never happened in his home City, Amberstar.

Because he grew up in the outer reaches of the City and was often there with his parents or alone when he was old enough, everyone in Amberstar knew him, and he knew everyone. But in that unfamiliar City and in that unfamiliar World, things were different. A lot more different.

As Jack sat on a bench in the underground station, he heard music resonating on the wall behind him. A quick look around, and he saw a man seated on a chair on his right, a few metres away, playing a guitar.

Some people would put coins inside the hat he had on the floor, but many others just passed by him without even looking. Again, another difference from Amberstar. Musicians, storytellers, and street entertainers always gathered curious people, and they easily got a crowd to clap for them, encourage them, or pay them a meal or a drink. But on Earth, it was because most people were busy, or street entertainers were common, and no one cared to pay them attention.

While still listening to the music, the metro arrived, and Jack followed the other people who were, like him, waiting in the station.

Another day of boring work was about to start as soon as he arrived at the gigantic office building and joined his co-worker at the entrance, looking at the people entering or leaving.

…

In school, as soon as the doorbell rang announcing the middle-morning break, Sophia and Emma Pearson rushed to the cafeteria.

Without hesitating, Sophia went straight to the lady who served her that disgusting food on the previous day, and as soon as the woman saw her, she grinned, "So, you actually came. Follow me to the back, where the kitchen is, and let's see what you miraculously cook for all our students."

When Sophia and Emma entered the kitchen, there were three other women, dressed in white uniforms and a white cap, similar to the woman that guided Sophia and Emma, and a middle-aged man in a grey suit, round glasses, and a small moustache.

The cafeteria lady introduced the man with a serious face: "Kids, in case you don't know, this is our Principal, Mister Dylan Stone. He heard about your bragging yesterday, and he came to check on what you were going to do. You don't mind, do you?"

While slightly raising her left eyebrow, Sophia asked, "Are you perhaps waiting to see if I fail, and if I do, come up with some sort of punishment to lower my head? Because in a few moments, this woman and the others that work with her will fall from their high pedestal."

The Principal caressed his moustache and answered, "Not exactly. I am genuinely curious. The punishment that you talked about could be because of another matter, but for now, I want to see you cook."

"I guess we need to talk about other things later, but for now, what do we have available in the pantry and the fridge?"

One woman went to a small room on her left, and the other opened the large fridge and said, "We have a lot of veal. We bought a huge batch of veal for a cheap price, together with cow stakes."

The other woman returned, pulling a bag, and said, "And we have a lot of bags of potatoes. We also have vegetables in the fridge, like peas, carrots, and turnips."

Sophia went to the large basin on the wall on her right and said, "Bring enough potatoes to make a big stew for all the students. And all those vegetables. You can peel the potatoes with the other three women while Emma and I take care of the vegetables and the meat. Why are you still looking at me? We don't have all day! Where are the salt, pepper, and all the other seasonings? Put everything on that counter, because I need to smell and taste everything to figure out what to use."

With a grin, the cafeteria lady asked, "You don't know much about spices, do you?"

"Lady, what I already forgot is far more than what you know! Go take care of the potatoes and stop looking at me with that dumb face!"

While the women went to a counter to do what Sophia said, complaining about her lack of respect, Emma put on another counter the vegetables she found in the fridge, while Sophia was filling an enormous pot with water that she had put on top of the stove. She was carrying water to the stove with a small basin because she was not strong enough to carry the immense pot full of water.

Without Sophia asking, the Principal grabbed another basin and helped her fill the pot, making the four women wonder why he was helping that rude girl who was all talk and not old enough to act like a professional cook.

While the Principal lit the fire on the stove, Sophia grabbed a small coffee spoon and called the four women to meet her near the stove.

When they joined her, she said, "To make things easier for the newbies, I am going to explain everything slowly and very easily. If I talk too fast or if I use words you don't understand, ask. I would rather explain again than have you say later that you didn't learn anything. For this amount of water and the size of this pot, I am going to put this tiny spoon full of salt in it, three times, and taste it. I am pretty sure it will only need three spoons."

One woman asked, sounding puzzled, Why are you so sure you will only need three spoons?"

"This is not my first time cooking for a lot of people. And I used to cook in a pot as big as this one. Emma, cut the vegetables, but make sure to cut them into cubes of the same size. Wait, let me taste them first."

In a flash, Sophia cut a slice of carrot, a turnip, and a small green pea. She looked puzzled by the texture and taste of the carrot and the pea, but she grimaced as soon as she tasted the turnip and complained, "Sour. I don't want this in my stew. Cut the carrots into circles of the same size. We will put the peas in later because, with their texture and size, they will cook faster than the meat. After doing that, help me cut the meat into cubes."

"I… never used a knife to cut vegetables or meat. I might cut myself."

"Okay, look at the water and tell me when it boils, and I will take care of the vegetables and the meat. Then I will give you everything, and you will carefully put it inside the pot without spilling boiling water. Use a basin for that."

"It is probably better if I do that, just to be safe." The Principal interrupted, making Sophia wonder why he seemed to be so helpful. Noticing her look, he continued, "I suppose the potatoes should go first because they usually take longer to cook."

A woman arrived with a pot already full of potatoes that she placed over the counter next to Sophia, going to join the other women on the potato peeling right after.

In a flash, Sophia cut the potatoes into cubes, which she then put in an empty basin and delivered to the Principal. Emma announced the water inside the pot over the stove was boiling, but there were not enough potatoes ready to enter the pot.

More peeled potatoes arrived, and Sophia quickly and skillfully cut them, surprising the women and the Principal with her speed and knife dexterity.

When the basin was full of potato cubes, the Principal carefully put the potatoes inside the boiling pot. More potatoes arrived, Sophia cut them, and the Principal put them inside the pot.

Following Sophia's instructions, a woman put another pot over the stove to make rice. Sophia tasted one rice, nodded, and the woman took care of cooking it, with Sophia tasting the boiling water and adding salt in the right amount — two small coffee spoons for that pot size.

Next, it was time for the meat to join the potatoes. Everyone was astonished when they saw Sophia using two knives, one in each hand, which she used in turns to slice the meat with such speed that the knives were blurring before their eyes.

The basin was now full of cubes of veal that the Principal carefully put inside the pot, with Sophia cutting more meat without even stopping. Right after, slices of carrot and bags of peas joined the boiling water.

One spoon of black pepper and another spoon of garlic powder joined the stew. While grabbing a small metal cup, Sophia said, "Let me taste this." She then collected some water with a wooden spoon from the boiling pot, grabbed a small metal cup, and tasted the water after blowing it a couple of times to lower the temperature.

She gave the metal cup with a bit of the water for the women to try, and after the cafeteria lady tried it, Sophia asked, "So, what do you think it misses?"

"Nothing. Nothing special, and it seems bland."

"Bland, you say? And what about you two? What do you say?"

While glancing at the other woman as if she were their boss, one of them said, "I think it needs more salt and a bit of pepper. I can taste the veal, but it is not quite right."

With a nod, Sophia announced while adding another small spoon of salt and just a tiny bit of black pepper, "You are correct. But it also asks for alcohol. Do we have wine here? White wine would be perfect."