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 (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“花と火.” she said with a smile. “Ha-na… to… hi.” she said slower. “It means flower and fire. There is a great deal of heat to the dish, but I think you will like it. If it is too much, eat the plain rice on the side.” She picked up a pair of chopcsticks and looked at Cort. “Do you know how to use these?”

Dorma Fen

He picked up the chopsticks and held them between his fingers, tapping them together. “Now, there might be a correct way to use them, but I can get them to work and it doesn’t require stabbing my food which would probably get me expelled from the table,” Cort said with a smirk.

~Cort Belanger

She laughed and said “Trust me, I’ve seen worse. You haven’t lived until you watch a Klingon try to eat sushi with chopsticks.” and she laughed harder at the memory. “Gods above… it was like watching a toddler throw a tantrum… but with really big knives and such.” and she laughed some more before calming down and picking up a bite. “Bon Appetit.” she said and popped the bite in her mouth.

As she chewed, she couldn’t help but be remined of home. She closed her eyes and let the flavors and the heat mover senses back to the kitchen… her father showing her how to make the flowers. Her mother arguing in Japanese with tourists. The smell of the garden behind the restaurant. It was so lovely. She opened her eyes and smiled. “Tastes like home.” she said around the bite with a grin.

Dorma Fen

The tastes washed over him as he scooped some of the dish into his mouth, and indeed there was heat. It hit rather strongly at first and caused him to pause but as he took another bite, it settled as he adjusted to it. Beyond that though was a medley of all the other ingredients. “This is… this is really great, Dorma. Thank you for making it for me,” he said with utter sincerity before coughing a little and going for the plain rice. “Spicy though it is,” he said with a chuckle, not at all bothered by that fact.

~Cort Belanger

She chuckled and said “Told you.” She took a drink and then said “And I am glad you like it. Now, if you ever get to Japan and my family’s town, you can go in and order the special and tell them to make it ‘家族のスタイル’.” She then slowed down the pronunciation. “Kazoku no sutairu. Family-style, the way me make it for ourselves. We tend to lower the heat for the visitors.”

Dorma Fen

He smirked before repeating the words as best he could. And then again before nodding, feeling he had a fairly faithful pronunciation.

“I have to say I watched you carving the flowers and all I could think was if I had tried that, there would have been blood everywhere. Very messy,” Cort said with a grin before snagging a prawn.

~Cort Belanger

She chuckled and said “It takes a lot of practice. To learn, my father sat me on a stool, handed me the cleaver and tofu, and showed me exactly three times what he expected. So I did just that until I could do it the same way every time.” She took a bite and looked at him for a moment while she chewed. “Ten hours a day, everyday, for three weeks. But I learned.”

Dorma Fen