Something exciting happened to me last night during my kitchen job.
I was frantically washing dishes during the busy Saturday restaurant shift when the Uncle suddenly asked me to helped him grill two pancakes. So he passed the turner to my stunned self and left me with two pancakes sizzling on the grill.
I was ecstatic. My first cooking duty! Lives were at stake here! From dishwashing, I have graduated to Pancake Grilling. Soon I might move up to Soups, and perhaps a week or two, Starters. Or even *gasp* a simple Chicken Rice or Curry Noodle. In time, why, I could almost envision myself as a master chef of Chinese cuisine! My father would beam with pride.
I was so excited, in fact, that I burned the pancakes. Ooops. Quickly I flipped them over and hoped no one noticed. It’s not too bad. Just some charred bits over here. Surely the customers won’t notice if one side is nicely fluffed and perfect? Argh! The fire is too hot! What? More pancakes? Coming! *Plop* *Plop*
The Uncle finally took the turner away from me and I shamefully banished myself back to the sink after he couldn’t help noticing how crispified his pancakes were getting. At least he was kind about it.
I suppose those master chef ambitions will have to wait.
Afterwards I asked the restaurant manager if I could buy eggs from him, because I’d been so busy making my NaNoWriMo word count (I was quite proud of hitting the minimum before work!) that I had no time to rush to the grocery store.
I needed the eggs for the brownies I planned to bring to a friend’s clothes and books swap event, and it just so happened I baked these same brownies for the restaurant people last week!
But when my shift was done, the manager passed me eight beautiful eggs, when I asked for six.
“Don’t worry, just take it,” he said when I asked him how much.
It’s humbling moments like these – just when I think I can never be a part of their world – when I wonder if I’ve deeply misunderstood these people, or if my heart is too small.
Huzzah!
Brownies are done, and I’m ready to run to my friend’s house. And after that, my second tabletop roleplaying session with another group of friends! The RPG game is called Anima, and I play an “insufferable” thief named Sevren Gale – I had to buy a Disadvantage to get some perks for my character, and so ‘Insufferable’ was it.
Didn’t have time to write more of my Malaysian novel after I came home aching from work last night, but I feel I deserve a bit of relaxation today.
For the first time in weeks though, I’m feeling so ready to write. I am in the ZONE. I can’t wait to get back and write!
31739 / 50000 words. 63% done!
Chris Kouju 
I love your style when you write about the restaurant. I think it could make a really good creative non-fiction work! See you later on today at Ever’s!
Oh no! I decided to impose on them earlier in the morning, sorry. I had another engagement at 1pm! Sorry I missed you 🙂
And thank you for the lovely words *^_^*
Yum pancakes! Haha. Keep on going with the NaNo, you can do it!
Thanks! 😀
(Actually, the point of this whole month was to work on two novels at the same time 😉
Hope you get another shot at grilling pancakes: I’m sure you can do it, when you bake so well. Never give up. Just reading your post made me hungry, hungry, HUNGRY!
Thank you! And so lovely to see you here *^_^* I am not sure if they will give me another chance, but we’ll see!