I'm Guilty, My Beauty

The whole island was not so big that one can travel around it with any vehicle for just half a day. The beach has white sands that were not stony to touch or full of gravel or muddy under your feet but more of a soft-like cus.h.i.+on to soothe your aching bare feet walking on it. Relaxing crystal clear water which was not polluted that swimmers could see their feet underneath while swimming under the moonlight.

The place had no nightlife establishments(like the disco pub, & etc.). It was forbidden purposely to protect the peace and order. A clean sh.o.r.eline was well kept by the welcoming locals making tourists enjoy its environment and peacefulness.

A special project was made by the government to enhance tourism on some islands. Camotes Island was chosen as one of the major tourist destinations.

"I have a news for both you, ladies. As we all heard that Camotes Island was chosen as one of the tourists" destinations to be promoted. Two weeks from now, lots of tourists will come to our island for a week and...." Grand Daddy paused and looked at the two faces.

"Hey, just say it. Lots of nonsense." Grand Mommy complained.

"I"m trying here to be suspenseful. There will be no excitement if I"ll say it right away." He tried to joke a little to his beloved wife. Their granddaughter just giggled watching the two bickering.

"Fine, you win. Beauty, this will be a chance for you to s.h.i.+ne. I felt it, it"s seeping through my bones right now. The local government will allow us to rent a booth then we can sell there anything we like. I thought of opening a small eatery for you."

"YES, THIS IS GREAT. Oh, I need a lot of things. Can we not make it look like a small res...o...b..r? No, no, let"s make it a restaurant. . . hmm, let me see. . . yes, I know what to open. A buffet style food stall."

"What are the things you need? Just tell us and we"ll see what we can do." The elder man offered.

"I need meat, lots of pork, chicken, and goat meat. I also need a variety of vegetables and spices, big volume. We need tables and chairs."

"Just give me a list and I"ll see where and how to get them," said the grandfather.

The grandparents were so excited that they readied a lot of chicken, pigs, and goats in the farm primed to be butchered on the day to be cooked.

Grand Daddy also asked neighboring farmers for some spices and fruits that they could particularly buy at low prices to enhance the taste and her food presentation base on her plans. They, also, offered those farmers to display and sell their harvests in their booth for free. This made the farmers grateful and happy. They gave Beauty big discounts for the things she bought from them. They would just earn more from their display during the whole tourism week.

By the way, to set up booths one must register and pay in the local government office for a minimal price base on the length and width of the booth. The farmers skipped paying the fee by displaying their goods in Beauty"s area. Grand Daddy cunningly registered for the biggest size allotment of 20 sq. meter so that they can place tables, chairs, and the farmers" goods.

Beauty checked all her recipes then bought the necessary things to buy. She prepared menu sets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. High school students became her helpers. Their pay was only free food and some incentives Beauty prepared. A lot volunteered for experience and free tasty food and s.h.i.+rt. However, she paid the mothers and fathers whom she taught to help cook the meals and some as kitchen staff.

She planned to include some local delicacies as well. She asked a lady who was really good at making the native food on the island. It was not really a dish but one of the staple food there so when the rainy or dry season or sowing time come they can survive until harvest time. This was made of ca.s.sava and formed into b.a.l.l.s, could be made sweet, salty or bland. She offered the lady to sell in her booth as well.

. . . . . .

The day speedily came, Monday. The whole island was in a hubbub. It was more like a festival. Buses and buses of tourists came. Even celebrities, media, major and minor sponsors, and high ranking government officials were there.

There were multiple tents standing using bamboo poles and canvas, these were the booths. Most booths received customers and sold their products well. Some displayed non-consumable items. Some were selling grilled and barbecued meat and rice in woven coconut leaf called "puso".

In spite of the number of customers other food booths got, Beauty"s had the most. The menu set was rice, two kinds of meat of choice and vegetable dishes with fruit and a drink of choices such as coffee, chocolate drink or juice. A lot of tourists were delighted with her food presentation. Most of all, after tasting they kept coming back.

"Wow, this is a very nice plate they made. Look under the banana leaf. There"s a native woven plate made of coconut leaves" sticks."

"Uhum, really nice. This breakfast is also special. Look at how the food was arranged. It looks like a chrysanthemum or sunflower in bloom on a ground of rice."

"Why did the meat became yellowish?"

"The girl with a chef outfit said they placed turmeric paste to all meat making them yellowish."

"So artistic, look the meat was cut into long strips and arranged like petals of a flower. The green vegetables, just look closely… does it look like a stem or leaf?

"I like the spiciness and crunchiness of this veggie patty."

"What patty?"

"Veggie patty, that one in the middle."

"It does look like a chrysanthemum blooming. This is picture perfect, a new style and new innovation."

"Very creative indeed."

"The one who planned this has a good imagination. I like it."

"Hey, eat and taste it. It"s really great. All meat was seasoned well, very appetizing, delicious."

"The veggies complemented well with the meat. It has its own distinct taste."

"Can we buy more, Mom. I"m still hungry. I want to eat more."

"Yeah, same here. So delicious, let"s buy more."

Beauty"s area was full that some customers waited to be seated but a lot just bought take out and ate somewhere comfortable near the seash.o.r.e or in their hotel rooms. This made the others got envious. The lady and the farmers who had displayed in her booth benefited the most. They were happy they agreed with Beauty.

At lunch, she showed another new idea of hers. It was a one pay, one plate, 5 dishes buffet style. A customer will pay the price and be given a big plate. Then he could fill the plate as much as he wanted as long as the food would not spill out and be given a free gla.s.s of juice or a cola.

The same thing happened at dinner but the dishes were different from lunch. Compared with lunch, Grand Mommy"s marinated fish and pork steak were grilled in front of the customers. It became a special treat for everyone and lesser time for serving since it was self-service with two long tables full of food where four lines of customers could queue in.

The downside was a lot of leftovers were on the plate. Not because it was not delicious but the customers could not finish them all. They stuffed up their plate more than their stomach could take.

A new rule was set the next day. A notice board said One Pay, One Plate(medium or large), 5 Dishes Buffet style. Then there"s a big note under, PLEASE NO LEFTOVERS ALLOWED or pay more. The medium plate was lesser in price compared to a large one so those who could consume a little had a choice to pay less. This went on for three days.

Beauty and company were happy but some hotel owners were frustrated that only a few ate in their hotel restaurants and their income was affected. The problem was they stocked up a lot filling their food storage, unfortunately, only a few were taken out. When they heard about the local booth owners" envy they schemed to sabotage Beauty then place the blame on this poor people.