50 Lets Get This Bread (2/2)
The youngest in the room, beside me, rips into the hot off the griddle roti without even a flinch. How? Monsters.
”The chewiness is really good. It's not the same but it is better than the 'pita' bread from before. I like this one a lot more.”
”Well get ready to taste more pita then because they are different.”
”Um okay, I guess.”
”Thank you very much.”
He gives a bashful little smile and it's not just me in the room blinking away the bright cuteness. With Amar's rating out of the way everyone can rip and try the finished unleavened roti bread. More 'roti' style flatbreads are already grilling while waiting for the ones in the oven.
”It's good but it's also really plain without anything to dip.” piped up Amar, mouth still half full of roti.
”I forgot the dip!”
That's right, plain flat breads like pita are meant to be eaten with things. Well, any carb should be eaten with other things otherwise it gets boring. Umm there's always olive oil and vinegar? And can we get some cheese and stuff?
”What else?”
”Umm...”
The boy looks around nervously. While I know he's not shy the sight of chefs and bakers surrounding a single kid notes out ready to write down his every word it a little intimidating. I mean I'm used to such behavior since that's what they do to me but right now Amar is center attention. He' the test taster and final judge of our flatbread experiments.
”No worries, just say anything you think.”
”Ummm, it really is delicious...and everyone did a great job.”
” Don't worry about hurting anyone's feelings Amar! We can't improve without an honest opinion!”
Even without me motioning everyone agrees though they don't back off from him any. Let's give the kid some breathing room.
”Just spit it out already, that's what I do.” half mumbles and grumbles Yuna, though that's more due to him stuffing his face with roti than anything.
Dipping in a sauce of any kind really does accentuate the taste of fresh bread. I can taste the difference already with some simple garlic and anchovies mix.
Huh, the roti is more popular than pita. I didn't expect thatIs it the oil the roti was grilled with to prevent sticking? Fried stuff does taste good.
”Okay then, if everyone is okay with that.”
”We are! Be brutally honest! It's an insult to every chef here if you lie!”
”Okay, umm for the 'roti' , when you get it up it's usually not...plain. People back home would sprinkle it with stuff like seeds or paste-like sauce. Or they brush it with more seasoned oil while flipping and cooking.”
”Do you brush and sprinkle seeds both sides?”
”Um sometimes, but not if you stuff it first. ”
”Wait wait wiat you can stuff the dough beforehand?”
”With the herbs or with filling? Like a meat pie?”
”Um..er ...both? I mean there's herbed bread alone but why does the meat filing have no herbs? I always wondered about that. Wait I forgot, herbs are expensive here, nevermind.”
”No no go on Amar, don't hold anything back. We can definetely use local herbs, no problem.” I encourage.
Whatever place he's from seems to have a better market on seasoning. I can smell is now, land of cinnamon and people actually flavoring their food. I wonder if they have chili?
Seeing his more reserved nature the cooks are much softer with Amar than with me. With his shyness, they're even more encouraging and patient as they react and write down noted and potential cooking tips. They're actually treating him more like the baby here when I'm the younger one.
Well, not really since I'm well...me. It all works out!
”The 4th and 5th ovens are ready.” shouts a kitchen hand a distance away.
”Great, bring a sample of each different type here. And start brushing more oil on the roti! Do we have roasted seeds?”
”Already on it my lady!”
It's a good thing Amar is a growing boy with an appetite because he's literally going to have to eat some of every bread. And this is a lot we have baking and grilling here.
The life of a taste tester sure is tough but I think he'll live.
”The white one is really weird but the shape is familiar. I think it's baked right?”
”The lavash? How about the taste?”
”It's too...white? But it's not fluffy enough and it bites wrong.”
”Hmmm needs a different flour then, everyone got that?”
”Um how many 'pitas' do I have to eat?”
The crowd of cooks and trainees continues their notes. Someone gets Amar another juice before he chokes on the sheer amount of bread that he's somehow downing. To be fair Yuna is thriving in the leftover carbs but he's a healthy preteen.
The tasting continues to the point I lose all track of time. I'm only shocked out of research and bread mode when I hear a familiar but out of place voice by the door.
”So this is where my mischievous little daughter has been missing her meals and running off to.”
”Huh? Father? What are you doing here.”
It's not unheard of for father to visit the Garrison grounds. He can wield a sword pretty decently and knows many of the older faces here. Though I know he prefers the expensive shotguns that seem absolutely primitive by my standards. He even showed up last Friday for pizza and enjoyed himself immensely.
It's just very odd for him to show up out of the blue, very out of character. Sure he's been taking a lot more time off from court but then shouldn't he be at home with mother? The funny thing is that he is dressed for court through his auburn hair and fancy clothes are slightly askew as if he rushed over here in a hurry.
”Can't a man check up on his darling little trouble making spawn?”
Well, that's one way of putting it.Rude but he's not wrong, I'm no Lilyanne. There's an odd bite to his words though. His mouth is smiling but his eyes sure aren't as he stares straight at ...slightly left of me?
It's just people tasting bread and taking notes around Amar though. Did father feel left out on the fun? He always did have a fascination for strange 'commoner' things. Is he interested in the flatbread? There's plenty to go around.
”Uh, sure? Is it time for me to go home or do you want some to try some flat bread too?”
I rip off a cooled down attempt at chapati bread and hold it out to him in a peace offering. I hope it's not really time to go yet.
With that, whatever strange tenseness seems to evaporate out of him. He perks up and when he makes his way over, takes over my seat and places me on his lap. He even eats the chapati directly from my hand like a petting zoo animal!
”Not bad, is that garlic baked on there? I still liked pizza better though.”
But he eats the bread and is otherwise well behaved. As long as I feed it to him he eats it without any issue, really very obedient. If only he was like this all the time.
My father is a confusing man, I have figured out over time. Much much very much more complicated and difficult to figure out than in the last life. The previous Rosalia was either afraid of him or desperate for his attention, meanwhile, I'm just always in some state of confusion about him.
Sometimes he seems mad, others time playful. This father has a whole range of emotions and expressions that makes him very human. Which shouldn't be as odd as it feels, dads are people too. Even if they're the father of a villainess.I suppose it's because I can judge from a better perspective and the fact we have an unintentionally closer relationship than the last time.
The strangest part is when he feels....like a dad? Like a plain old lame and very caring ...dad. It feels commonplace but it's not, not really. I'm far from home and this isn't 'my' dad, it's not even Rosalia's.
It's disorienting.
I can't ever recall him being like that, not in my memories, not even towards Lilyanne. It makes me wonder if maybe this father of mine is also a different soul. That or maybe the past Rosalia never really knew her parents, not as people at least...
Wait!
I said no more unpleasant thoughts, not in front of the bread! No no no this is my happy place outside of Gable's Hobbit house, none of that nonsense allowed.
Father isn't causing any fuss as long as I don't make to move out of his lap and the cooks have calmed down from his sudden appearance. Fresh flatbread is still coming, my taste tester isn't full just yet and the kitchenhands have brought more dippable condiments to avoid getting tired of the taste. There's no issue to be had here. Back to what's really important!
In the end, layered roti grilled bread remains most popular but a few recipes of the high temperature baked pitas got rave reviews. There's also the plus that no one got food poisoning! That's a successful round of experiments in my book. Though no one seems to need dinner any more either.
It's another strange but productive day in this otherwise peaceful little life of mine. A tasty one too.
-----