After leaving my sister"s room, I"m heading to the kitchen after take the birds nest packs from my room. I hope the cooks are not angry because I take a long time with my father and sister.When I arrive in the castle kitchen, Mrs. Martina with all the castle cooks already waiting for me there. Surprisingly, they do not look tired waiting, but full with spirit and excited when seeing I arrive. They also look with curiosity about the packages that I bring with me but said nothing about that.
"Young master Henry, we already waiting for you. All the cooks already gather here, waiting for your instruction"
"Thanks, Mrs. Martina. Before I start talking about menu and recipe for welcoming party, I have something to say first for all the cooks in here"
I take a short look on the cooks that gather in the kitchen. There are maybe twenties cooks and that still added with their helper that also comes to the kitchen which makes the kitchen looks a bit crowded.
"Please, say it, young master"
"Alright, I will not beat around the bushes. I must say that your quality as a cook is somehow lacking"
I take a brief pause to make them learn my words and reacting
"Young master Henry, did our cooking is not good enough? Not delicious?"
One of the cooks is reacting and asking me about the reason why I say something like that.
"No, I"m not saying your cooking is not good or not delicious. I only saying you all lack something that important for a cook"
They only remain silent and look at me with confused eyes.
"For example, today"s breakfast…that frikadel"
"Is that something wrong with that frikadel, young master Henry? We make it like what you teach us"
"The taste is still the same, but that also your weakness…..alright, do you still have ingredient to make frikadel? I"ll show something to make you know your weakness"
"Yes, young master Henry, there"re ingredients that prepared for lunch"
"Okay, give me that mashed potato with other ingredients that I mention. I need 2 tablespoons milk, some Salt, some pepper, green onion, 3 eggs, flour, sifted dried breadcrumbs, and cooking oil"
They immediately prepared the ingredients that I ask. From 3 eggs, I take 2 egg yolk from it while beaten the other one. After that, I chopped the green onion. I put the mashed potato in the basin then Add milk, salt, pepper, chopped onion, beaten egg yolks and flour to mashed potatoes. Mix until they combined together then chill and then shape the dough into a spherical object. Dip in the beaten egg, and then roll through breadcrumbs. Fry the dough in shallow oil until brown on all sides, and after that, the dish is finished.
I make some of this dish for the sample, and let them try the taste of this dish. And the reaction from those who already try to taste:
"Gosh, it"s delicious, even without meat inside"
"From the same ingredient for frikadel…but, the taste is different and also good"
"I can"t believe this comes from the same ingredient for frikadel"
I don"t want to list all of their comments, I just raise my hand to get their attention again
"Gentlemen…calm down. Can you think something after tasting this dish? Can you think what lack from you?"
They become silent and look like thinking hard but so far no one has spoken their thinking.
"Alright, if you still can"t figure out what you lack, I will point it out. What lack from you are creativity and imagination. You don"t have the courage to improve, modified, or develop something new from what already created. You just follow the recipe without any intention to create something better from it. I already show you, from one ingredient, mashed potato, it can be made to another kind of dish"
I stare at the cooks face one by one. They look shocked by what I just said before. But it"s me that become shocked in the next turn because the cooks suddenly bow and cupped their fist in front of their chest together.
"Young master Henry is right! We indeed lack that spirit. Thank you for bringing a new direction for us! Young master"s words like a hammer that break the shackles which hold us to become better cooks"
Oh, this is a good development, I never thought that they will accept my words so quickly like that. And to encourage and motivate them to become better cooks, suddenly an idea crossed my mind.
"Gentlemen, I see your intention to become better cooks. Be ease, your hard works will not go in vain. After this, I will propose to my father to held cooking compet.i.tion between cooks in the castle once in a month or two months. There will be a reward or incentive for the winner of this compet.i.tion. But I must propose this first to my father and think about the format of the compet.i.tion"
"Hurray….Hurray…long live young master Henry"
Finally, the first step to change the kitchen is already taken. This will make a revolution in the castle kitchen from now on.