Two chefs who won’t spoil the broth.

Posted on Saturday August 24th, 2024 @ 10:07pm by Cadet Junior Grade Ayumi Yamagou & Cadet Freshman Grade Nigel Raymond

979 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: The Grand Tour: Part Two
Location: Galley
Timeline: After 'Lessons of Being Ships Chef'
Tags: Grand Tour, 2395, Character Development

[ ON ]

-Galley-

So Nigel had made it , after all that had happened. They gave him a second chance and here he was. A newly qualified Chef but now he needed to sort out not only his shifts but menu. He had some ideas like maybe giving the crew a themed menu every Saturday. Like an Italian night Nigel could make them beef with herbs stuffed ravioli or spinach and ricotta camalonee.

He needed to speak with Yamagou so he tapped his comm badge.

=/\= Raymond to Yamagou come in please.=/\=

=A="This is Yamagou."=A= Came Ayumi's rather tired voice. =A="Is there something I can do for you, Raymond?"=A=

=/\= Sorry to disturb you. But we not only need to work out our shifts but also the menu. Could we meet in the Officers Lounge in an hour?=/\= Nigel asked

=A="I'm on my way..."=A= Ayumi responded.

Ayumi also had chefs' business to attend to; including informing Commodore Paladin of her lack of availability on Sundays, as she would be giving her Sunday sermons in the morning and then spend the rest of the day as the day of rest allotted to her by the lord.

The menu was lower on Ayumi's list of priorities, but she supposed it never hurt to consult with another chef: Ayumi's culinary strong suits lay in Asian cuisine, so that would be what she would default to making.

Ayumi took longer than she otherwise would have thanks to her baby on board, but she arrived at the Officer's lounge within the hour to meet with Cadet Raymond to discuss the menu.

Nigel knew the best thing was to keep the menu nice and simple Cadets usually ate when their stomachs thought their throats had been cut. So a tasty nutritious meal was the ticket. Macaroni cheese and anything incorporating the Terran Potato in its many forms was usually best. You could not go wrong with a jacket Potato.

“ Hello Chef Yamagou. I did not mean to pressure you , but we need to get the galley sorted. I am quite flexible to which shifts you want. Have you any ideas menu wise?” Nigel asked

"Well, having grown up in Japan, my specialties do lie in Asian cuisine:" Ayumi explained. "So, I would be preparing things like orange chicken, ramen, teriyaki, fried rice, the works. Maybe even some Korean Barbeque? I've been having lessons in preparing it..."

“ I love Asian cuisine as kid every Christmas Eve my family would descend on our local Chinese. I loved the noodle dishes but we never ventured towards Japanese dishes except Sushi. My mother loved Sushi probably the reason I veered away from learning to make it. She would have driven me insane with her demands. But that’s not why we are here. Do you think the crew would enjoy a varied menu or should we keep it simple?” Nigel asked.

"I'm of the opinion that variety is the spice of life." Ayumi responded. "So, mister Raymond, what kinds of dishes are you planning on bringing to the menu?"

“ Well baring in mind that half of our crew are Cadets we need to give them something wholesome and filling. I have a beef stew with chunky vegetables and dumplings it’s based on an old Jewish dish called Cholent. Then again they may be in the mood for something lighter like Macaroni and Cheese or perhaps a nice chicken and mushroom pie with boiled potatoes and a generous side portion of green vegetables. Then for our non human colleagues and Cadets. There’s a Gorn dish called Gruch it’s a kind of boiled cabbage like vegetable with crunchy insects. Not real of course but simulated obviously. Plus for our Vulcan friends a delicious green salad.” Nigel said

It wasn't Nigel's fault, but a few of the dishes he had described made Ayumi's stomach turn. Even her unborn child kicked a couple times out of protest.

"I'm sure that's all well and good, but..." She muttered, holding a hand to her mouth. "Perhaps we should take alternating shifts, at least until the little one here arrives." Ayumi stroked her belly. "Because quite frankly, a few of those dishes you just suggested sound absolutely revolting!"

Nigel blushed.

“ Sorry. I do think the idea of alternating shifts is best. Especially as your with child. When is the happy day?” He asked.

"The doctors say if all goes well, my due date should be sometime within the next couple of months." Ayumi explained, stroking her belly. "Depends on how eagerly the little one here wants to make his debut."

“ Then it is best that you start once the child is weened. This is a delicate time for you , I can handle the extra work until then.” Nigel said

"Thank you so much." Ayumi placed her hands together and bowed as was customary in Japan.

With the agreement in place to have Ayumi start once her son was weened, the junior grade cadet returned to her quarters to finalize it with Commodore Paladin:

[From: CDT(JR) Yamagou, Ayumi]

[To: COM Paladin, Gregory]

Commodore Paladin,

I don't believe I got the chance to mention this when we went through the paces of being ships chef, but with this certification coming so close to my due date, I shall require maternity leave very soon after starting. I've spoken with Cadet Raymond about potentially delaying me starting until after my son is weened. But, I wanted to run this past you so that this agreement may be set in stone.

If you wish to speak further on this matter, feel free to visit me in the chapel or we can hash out the details in further communications.

Regards,

Ayumi Yamagou

Posting by

Cadet Junior Grade Ayumi Yamagou
Assistant Chaplain
Chef
USS Poseidon

Cadet Freshman Grade Nigel Raymond
Engineering Officer
Chef
USS Poseidon

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