Cooking 101, Tuesday, Period 1

[glacial_queen]

Karla was absolutely devastated that the first day of classes was devoted to introductions and that she wouldn't be cooking. She'd been planning to get to the school early and whip something up for the class to nibble on while they did introductions, but Cook had kept her late with questions about an upcoming banquet and then Warren had needed her help choosing a suit and then Nyles had pestered her about a trip he wanted to take with her friends and by the time her family was done with her, she was barely making it to class on time to begin with.

Weird that.

Cook, at least, had handed her a basket of nutcakes to hand out, so at least no one had to starve during her class.

"Hello, students," she said as the class filed in. "Welcome to Cooking 101. This being our first week, we're doing introductions as per Fandom custom. Those of you who are new to the island, yes, you will do this every day this week and for every semester you're here. I'm Karla, graduate of FH Class of 2013, and we were doing introductions then, too."

She grinned at them. "So, today, I'm going to ask you the basics: names, grades, favorite foods, anything specific you're looking to learn in class. I've been cooking for years now - got started in the dorms in fact - so I'm pretty sure that we'll be able to handle anything you're looking to learn."

That was very optimistic of you Karla. As was the idea that you could cook in the first place.

"And, in the last half-hour of class, you're gonna make your favorite fast, go-to meal. Whatever you make when you need to eat, but you don't have much time. Eggs, cereal, a sandwich, whatever! But at the end of the class, I want you to have prepared something you can show to the class." She held up her basket. "Feel free to have a nutcake while you make your introductions!"

See, naysayers! One class down and no disasters! She was so good at this!

Comments

Introductions

[glacial_queen]

Grab a nutcake and share about yourself.

Re: Introductions

[white_oleander]

"I'm Astrid," she offered when it came to be her turn, shifting with all the discomfort that introductions usually brought to her, "I'm a freshman. And I don't really have a favorite food, but I guess I like street foods a lot, you know, like churros or elote, tamales, crepes, kebabs...anything you can just grab and take with you. And I guess I'd just like to learn more things. I do a little bit of cooking," she was pretty sure she'd starve if she didn't, "but I'd like to learn more."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Street food is delicious," Karla agreed, nodding. "The best part of festivals. It's the only reason my husband convinces me to go and make all the stupid speeches."

Speeches were only acceptable when they were immediately followed by spicy sausages and meat on sticks.

"So, when you say 'a little bit of cooking', what does that entail?" she continued. "Just certain meals, or...?"

Re: Introductions

[that_oldsaying]

Ohhh, the nutcakes were tasty, Alluka decided as she nibbled on one while waiting for her turn to introduce herself.

"I'm Alluka, and I'm a senior," she said happily. She looked nothing like a senior. "I love, love, love chocolate! But I like cakes and pastries and all sorts of other sweets too. And I like lots of teas."

Did tea count as a food? She was counting tea as a food.

"Can we learn how to make these nutcakes?" she added. "And, um, a dessert from your home!"

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

Kathy was both saddened and completely unsurprised at the lack of vegetables here.

"Chocolate is delicious," Karla said, nodding emphatically. "And important. We're definitely going to have a day where we focus on making desserts. With chocolate."

Karla was going to try to temper chocolates and it was going to be an unmitigated disaster.

"Sadly, I won't be able to teach you how to make these nutcakes," she added. "They're my Cook's recipe and she refuses to share." While mumbling something about 'not being party to abominations.' Go figure. "But I'll see about some other Kaeleeran dessert instead!"

Maybe Gabrielle would tell her what the Dea al Mon ate, hmm.

Re: Introductions

[that_oldsaying]

At least she ate vegetables, Kathy. At least she ate them!

You know, sometimes.

"Dessert day is going to be so great," Alluka said happily. "And if we can't make these, can you tell the cook that we enjoyed them, at least?"

It was only polite.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"I'll be happy to let her know," Karla said. "Cook is always happy to know when her desserts are enjoyed on the island. I tried to convince her they'd be better with pickleberries, but I was overruled."

She was only the Queen when it was convenient, apparently.

Re: Introductions

[reicicled]

Look, Karla! There was a familiar face amongst your students.

Sort of.

He looked a good number of years younger than the one you'd gone to school with, but there was very much a Bobby Drake sitting in your class.

"Bobby Drake," he introduced himself. "I'm a junior, and um. I like everything? At least, I haven't met a food I didn't like, yet. But tacos are like, right up there I guess. There's nothing really specific I wanna learn how to make, I just wanna be more, uh. Self-sufficient, I guess? Is the word?"

Bobby's memories from his week or so as a penguin were hazy at best, or he'd at least be able to place where he'd seen this particular teacher before. As it was, he just found her to be kind of weirdly familiar.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Bobby Drake," Karla said, staring at him. "Hell's fire and Mother Night, I have a tiny Bobby Drake right here. Warren is never going to believe this."

Okay, Warren would be able to believe this quite easily. Because Fandom. But still...

"You're so tiny."

Re: Introductions

[reicicled]

"Ugh," Bobby made a face. "Of course you know him too." And then the rest of her statement caught up with him. "Wait, how do you know Warren?"

Nobody had mentioned the part where there had been a Warren Worthington III at Fandom as well, you see.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"I'm married to him," Karla said. Bluntly.

And a little incorrectly, since they'd never gotten around to formalizing it properly, but it was going to be a whole thing because she was Territory Queen and, honestly, neither of them could be bothered.

"Mother of his children, or so the wings assure me."

Re: Introductions

[reicicled]

Bobby narrowed his eyes at her. Suspiciously.

"So there was a Warren who went to school here too?" he guessed. "Because I think I'd know if either of the Warrens I know had decided to get married."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"This would be where I met him, yes," Karla said, a little impish. "A year ahead of me in school. Just like the Bobby we went to school with, too. I have pictures if you're really suspicious."

Most of them even safe to show her students!

Re: Introductions

[thegreatmanfredo]

"I'm Manfred," Manfred said, "and I'm a sophomore. I'm not really picky about food...I guess I like cheeseburgers a lot? I can't really cook because we didn't have much of a kitchen setup in our house--not one big enough for two people, anyway, so my grandma took care of most of that, but I guess I should learn to be more self-sufficient, so." He shrugged. "Here I am."

He held up his half-eaten nutcake and said, "These are really good, by the way."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"I can't take the credit for those," Karla said with a small laugh. "They're my cook's doing. I'm going to have to wow you all with my cooking next class."

Probably not the verb they were going to go for, Karla.

"But it's okay to get a late start on cooking. I never cooked for myself until I came to the island. And there was a lot of trial and error before I figured it out. Anything you want to learn to make first?"

Re: Introductions

[mylandmyrules]

"M'names Nell Ingram and I'm not rightly sure what grade I'm supposed to tell you since I just sorta showed up here Saturday." Nell wasn't sure of a lot of things here. "I guess maybe one of the best things I ever ate was Leah's apple ugly. Pretty much everyone agreed it was the best around."

She thought for a moment. "I've been cooking long as I can remember. All the young-uns do to help out the mothers and grandmothers. And I did all the cooking for my husband John and his other wife Leah for the past three years. But I'm sure there's lots of new recipes I could learn, so I'd like to do that."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

Karla's eyebrows were just going to shoot up to her hairline at the mention of a husband.

"Well, I guess the first thing to do is to ask how old you are," she said slowly. "That'll give us a general idea of your grade. How much schooling did you get before you arrived on Fandom?"

Re: Introductions

[mylandmyrules]

"I'm almost 15," Nell said. "I was homeschooled till I was twelve and then once I was married I kind of took care of my own schooling."

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

Almost fifteen. Cool cool cool. Fine fine fine.

"And your husband?" Karla asked. "Is he your age, too?"

She was just asking to find out if she had to murder someone. No big.

Re: Introductions

[mylandmyrules]

"John?" Nell asked,a little startled, "Oh no, he's much older. I'm his fourth wife."

Re: Introductions

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Ringo Noyamano!" Ringo chirped. Her bow of greeting wasn't even close to formal. It was a lazy, languid sort of motion. She'd come a long way from her first year.

"This is my fourth year here. Which, I guess, is like my last one?" She shook her head, finding that hard to believe. "Anyway, I don't know how it happened, but I've taken, like a ton of cooking classes since I got here, and I figured, why break a good streak, you know?"

She chewed on her lip. "As for favorite food. Hmmm. I don't know, I like a ton. But I guess, like, hotpot with your friends and family is always pretty awesome?"

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

"Hello, Ringo," Karla said with a smile. "I hope I'll be able to teach you something you haven't learned already."

Like how to use a fire extinguisher, maybe?

"What's hotpot?"

Re: Introductions

[soniaroadsqueen]

To be fair, Ringo hadn't quite managed to start a kitchen fire yet, so that would be a new skill!

"Hotpot's, like, the best!" Ringo enthused. "You get a big pot of soup stock, and then you cut up a bunch of uncooked ingredients; meat, vegetables, fishballs, and whatever else you can think of that sounds good. Once the soup stock is almost boiling, you toss in some of your ingredients and then get to argue over when they're cooked enough to take out and eat." She grinned. "You also get to yell at people for putting in too many things at once time because that cools down the pot too much, and how are you going to find the stuff you put in if someone just buried everything in cabbage?"

Hotpot involved a lot of criticism, apparently.

Re: Introductions

[glacial_queen]

It was one that Karla was quite proficient at!

"So it combines communal dining with arguments, huh?" Karla asked, laughing. "Sounds like something that would be quite the hit at my table over the winter."

Re: Introductions

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo beamed. "I can show you sometime!" she offered. "Because it is great in the winter. Especially if you all sit under the kotatsu!" Mmmm, Ringo looked super-nostalgic at that.