Posted by Civilian Cort Belanger (Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.) in You Won, But Did You Really?

Posted by Civilian Dorma Fen (Governor’s Assistant) in You Won, But Did You Really?

Posted by Civilian Cort Belanger (Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.) in You Won, But Did You Really?
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Dorma wrote a few notes and said “Grant is an exceptional talent. But unlike a lot of new chef’s, he isn’t arrogant. And he prefers his art to be a collaborative effort, which means he will do truly amazing things I think. This dish is not representative of his work, but I imagine he lowered the level to better sell us… me… on the creator.” She sipped her wine and then said “When he lands somewhere and is working on his own, we should get all of us together and go to dinner. I think both offices would really enjoy that.”

Dorma Fen

Cort smiled at her. “You know, I think that’s a great idea. It sure beats trying to schedule things otherwise. If were all going, it’s easy,” he said with a chuckle.

“So, anything else you do for fun, when you’re not cooking? And yes, I realize how silly that might sounds given we’ve both been talking about having little down time,” he said with a grin.

~Cort Belanger

She shook her head. “Not really, no. I read the occasional holonovel, a vid here and there. Bot other than that? Work. Cook. Sleep. And not necessarily in that order or frequency.” and she chuckled. “What about you?”

Dorma Fen

“Mostly training at the gym. It’s honestly how I keep myself sane most days. But I used to do triathlons. Been awhile since I’ve done one since Oed doesn’t have the surface water to make the longer ones doable. But there’s a sprint and shorter super sprint coming up. Someone I met at the gym was trying to convince me to go for it, but the amount of training time, even for these shorter ones is pretty intense.” Cort shrugged. “I’m undecided at this point. I think I want to see how things are after the gala so I can gauge what is doable.”

~Cort Belanger

“Good idea.” Dorma said. “My siblings were supposed to visit in a few weeks. I managed to reschedule that for two months from now. By that time, I figured I would either have the time to spend with them; or I would be so busy I wouldn’t even know they are here.” and she laughed.

Cort laughed too. “A common refrain lately. I guess it’s fortunate that my family wouldn’t make the trip out. I won’t have to worry about scheduling in being a tour guide.”

A student came out and said “Chef? Kitchen is ready for you. We are all out.” Dorma smiled and said “Thank you. Have a good evening.” and the student turned and left.

Dorma looked at Cort and said “So? Are you hungry? Bite-sized plates always made me more hungry for some reason.”

Dorma Fen

“Because we’ve been teased with food. I could definitely use a proper meal at this point,” he said as he got up from the table and gestured to the kitchen. “Lead the way.”

Dorma stood and walked towards the kitchen doors.

“So how many siblings do you have?” Cort asked curiously.

~Cort Belanger

“Six. Four brothers, two sisters. And three cousins live with my parents.” she said as they entered the kitchen.

“Wow, busy!” Cort remarked, taking in the scene as he followed her in.

The kitchen was eerily quiet compared to the bustle if activity it had been. It was still bright, but now metal shone under the bright lights. On the center table was laid out vegetables, rice, spices, and some of the most beautiful prawns available on Oed. Dorma took a chef’s coat off a hook and looked at Cort. “So I am cooking for you tonight. But I will let you choose… watch me or help me?” she asked with a wicked smile.

Dorma Fen

He chuckled. “This feels like a dangerous question, but I’m not usually one to sit back while others are doing the work. If I can help, I’m happy to,” Cort said as he undid the button on tuxedo jacket he had just done up again after getting up from the table and slipped off the jacket. He hung it gently on the hook Dorma took her coat from. “I’ll take an apron too, if there’s one about. Not used to cooking in formal wear,” he added with a another laugh.

~Cort Belanger

“Cabinet to your left are smocks.” she said and went and retrieved two cutting boards and one knife and one chef’s cleaver. She set knife and board across from her and pushed the vegetables- consisting of peppers, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, bok choy, Japanese eggplant- in front of him. “Start chopping if yiu would. Deseed the bell peppers, first though.” With the cleaver she began to quickly and deftly shell, split, clean, and rinse the prawns; moving with a practice of ease and grave that made the cleaver seem like an extension of her hand. “The cleaver is a Chinese instrument, but my family has always used it. Far, far back in our history someone married a Chinese person. It is unclear who or when, but their influence was felt in the restaurant and found its way I to our food. That influence is very slight now, but it is there. It also sets my family’s recipes apart from the other old restaurants in Japan.”

Dorma Fen