Orin Fenix Food Equals Love
Though Sayana laughed at Orin’s bumbling manner, Orin didn’t get the sense that she was being mean spirited about it. He knew his actions and his words came across as amusing, so Orin was used to it and it took quite a bit of teasing before he took offense. However, it was soon Orin’s turn to chuckle as Sayana popped a clove into her mouth and was surprised at its taste. Orin knew it was spicy from having tasted it himself. ”Well that’s why people put it in dishes as flavoring and don’t just eat it raw!” Orin grinned at Sayana, wondering if it was safe to tease her back. Orin didn’t really know where to draw the lines in terms of what was acceptable and what wasn’t, so he decided to err on the side of caution. ”It might seem spicy now but while its cooking it…” and Orin paused here as he searched for the right words to explain it. ”I guess you could say cooking spreads out the spiciness?”
As Sayana overdid the salt a little on the ham, Orin eyed it. She seemed to be trying to scrape it off and Orin decided to let her know it was fine. ”So, no need to worry about the salt, kind of like the garlic, it gets moved to the whole ham. That’s more because of the juices that will come leaking out though.” Running the last sentence through his brain, Orin realized how strange and potentially gross it sounded. ”It’s perfectly natural though I promise!”
Orin took the pan out of the fire and slid the fish out into one of the ceramic serving dishes Sayana had. He figured that there weren’t enough for everyone to get one, so people would just have to snag food as they went. It would probably be best to keep the ham in the pan staying warm on the hearth once it was fully cooked, and just carve out slices. Plain bread and cheese could go on one dish, melted cheese and bread on another, and melted cheese on bread with dill on yet another. However, that left them with one last dish, and Orion felt his eyes drift to the onions. Walking back to the table, he picked up a knife. Taking up one of the onions Orin began dicing the onions as finely as possible. When he had a nice pile going, he went to the aforementioned grapeseed oil, which he had missed somehow on his previous check through Sayana’s supplies. ”Thanks for mentioning this, it’s a huge help. And oil is definitely good for cooking, but since meats produce grease and fat anyway as they’re heated, why not save some time and money?” Orin grinned, incredibly happy he could impart some of his knowledge on a seemingly willing pupil. ”And it gives you more flavors to work with even if you’re not on a budget.”
Orin tossed a dash of the oil into pan, swirling it around to make sure the bottom was coated. He added the onions next, and put it all back on the coals. As he waited for the onions to cook, eyes tearing a little from the fumes caused both by him slicing them up and their cooking, Orin speared a piece of bread on a fork. He nodded in approval at Sayana’s preparations with the cheese. ”That’s perfect, it’ll help a lot.” He wanted to see how close he would have to get to the fire for it to toast. ”You might want to watch this part so you see how we’re going to make cheesy bread.” As he held it, he moved it closer and closer until he saw the first telltale signs of brown appear. At that point, it was almost in the actual flames, but not quite. Smiling, Orin kept it there for a bit longer. By that point, the onions were browning nicely as well, and Orin placed the bread on a dish. He picked up one of the slices of the cheese with the dill attached and put it on the bread. ”And that’s all there is to it. Simple, really.”
Orin pulled the pan out of the hearth and poured the onions into a bowl. ”If no one else wants them, I’ll eat them. They’ll go well with the fish or the ham. Speaking of ham, it’s time to get that started.” Taking it from Sayana, Orin put it in the pain. There was still enough leftover oil in it. And Orin hoped between the oil and the onions the fishy residue would be covered. He probably should’ve washed the pan in between each dish, but he didn’t think they had the time. Also, he didn’t know how Sayana would feel about that. And, if he was being completely honest with himself, he’d forgotten. As he slid the pan back onto his makeshift stove, Orin did some quick mental calculations. Typically it took a few bells for ham to cook, and since Orin didn’t have a real oven, he’d cook it for as long as he dared. Dusting his hands together in an attempt to get some of the grease off, Orin went to stand by Sayana. ”It’ll be a couple bells before its ready. The party we’ll be in full swing by then. You’ll want to scoop up some of the juice from the bottom of the pan and spread it over the top of the ham to keep it from drying out and make sure the flavor spreads over the whole thing.”
Orin had been operating under the assumption that once the food was done, he’d be done as well. However, when Sayana offered him the gold mizas along with an invitation Orin was flattered. ”Well I mean, I didn’t have plans for tonight and that’s awful kind of you.” Holding up the coins, Orin blushed, but grinned happily. ”You’re really too generous. I mean, I guess I’ll stay to keep an eye on the food then. I’m not really much of a party guy.” When Sayana mentioned the incident earlier, Orin blushed even harder, if that was possible. He bet even his ears were red. ”I think that, well it’d be awful rude for me to crash, and you’ve already been too nice and you will be busy with the guests and working as a hostess, and so I’m just going to be in the corner and staying out of your way, I really think that’s best.” And, true to his word, Orin retreated to the hearth, almost praying guests would arrive soon.
|
|