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Fill: Challenge #120 (Orig)
Oct. 24th, 2022 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shivverKit took a tentative bite of the plain chunk of meat, chewed a few times, then stared up at Alex as he stood by. “This is excellent!” Stuffing the rest of the piece in her mouth, she worked on it as she selected a carrot from the vegetable medley and tasted it as well. “You’re a better cook than me, that’s for sure. What are these dishes?”
Alex grinned, proud that his lady approved of his work. “I don’t really know.”
She gestured at the meal with her fork. “You memorise the recipes?”
He shook his head. “I just used what you had in the kitchen.”
“You made this up? How?”
Bewildered by her incredulity, Alex took a step back, almost as if he was preparing to flee back to the kitchen. “I just did. I know a bit of what humans like with flavors, and then I just choose ones that’ll do that.” At her continued confusion, he continued, “I know what a lot of your foods are so the pictures on the boxes and cans help, and the things I don’t know, I can taste or smell them.”
Kit gaped at him. “You’re cooking by smell.”
“I suppose so.”
“That’s brilliant.” She started eating her dinner in earnest.
“No, no, it’s not.” His brow darkened and he glanced away. “My first master, I contracted with him as bodyguard and valet, and he tried to teach me to cook his meals, but I couldn’t do it. You see, I’m not clever. Kerors are not intelligent compared to you or even the otani or the fae, and even amongst them, I’m very dull. All the strange ingredients, and the numbers and the measures. I couldn’t remember the first of it, and I couldn’t read the recipes he showed me. But I could remember the tastes and smells he liked, so I used that. My master got reasonable food, but never what he wanted.”
Kit put down her fork and wiped her mouth before shaking her head at him in disbelief. “Inventing new meals based on the ingredients you have instead of following recipes? Alex, I think you’re plenty clever.”
Alex grinned, proud that his lady approved of his work. “I don’t really know.”
She gestured at the meal with her fork. “You memorise the recipes?”
He shook his head. “I just used what you had in the kitchen.”
“You made this up? How?”
Bewildered by her incredulity, Alex took a step back, almost as if he was preparing to flee back to the kitchen. “I just did. I know a bit of what humans like with flavors, and then I just choose ones that’ll do that.” At her continued confusion, he continued, “I know what a lot of your foods are so the pictures on the boxes and cans help, and the things I don’t know, I can taste or smell them.”
Kit gaped at him. “You’re cooking by smell.”
“I suppose so.”
“That’s brilliant.” She started eating her dinner in earnest.
“No, no, it’s not.” His brow darkened and he glanced away. “My first master, I contracted with him as bodyguard and valet, and he tried to teach me to cook his meals, but I couldn’t do it. You see, I’m not clever. Kerors are not intelligent compared to you or even the otani or the fae, and even amongst them, I’m very dull. All the strange ingredients, and the numbers and the measures. I couldn’t remember the first of it, and I couldn’t read the recipes he showed me. But I could remember the tastes and smells he liked, so I used that. My master got reasonable food, but never what he wanted.”
Kit put down her fork and wiped her mouth before shaking her head at him in disbelief. “Inventing new meals based on the ingredients you have instead of following recipes? Alex, I think you’re plenty clever.”