Limitless
last night
I sat at a table
for three
and was served
the best meal
I’ve ever ate
in my life
the chef is 14
and she is unafraid
of lengthy recipes
that require a certain level
of depth and detail
she is concise
and incredibly creative
in her thought process
and for years now
I’ve been fortunate
to dine at her table
without a reservation
and experience
one culinary creation
after another
but last night
was the first time
she ever prepared
a Korean dish
in the kitchen
she had quietly looked up recipes online
and asked me to take her to the Asian Market
and the grocery store
armed with her mask, her list and my debit card
she marched out with her buggy full of ingredients
not normally on hand
and glanced at the time, pleased with herself
for she was already ticking off the time it would take
to prepare everything and plate the meals
by the time her daddy came home
and when it was finally time to sit down
at the table
I held the tears in check
and just sat there stunned
looking at all the dishes
and then looking at her
and then looking at all the dishes
and then looking at her
this was a meal that requires marinating
and blanching
and chopping
and measuring
and timing
and frying
and grilling
and steaming
and boiling
and certain spices
and sauces
and seasoning
the filling for the dumplings
had like 7 ingredients
and she pinched the edges like
she does a pie
and each dish could have stood alone
as a meal
I looked at the table
at these four main dishes
and two side dishes
and really didn’t know what to say
but … “wow”
just wow
the flavor was authentic
and the presentation was beautiful
and the feeling was overwhelming
she could quite literally open up her own restaurant
right now
already she’s cooked American, French, Italian, Mexican, Korean, etc.
and all manner of desserts and appetizers
I would gladly be her dishwasher
her taste tester
her server
her shopper
her chauffer
her investor
but she says this is jest a hobby of hers
something she enjoys
doing
I’m like … ok …
so, what’s for dinner?
TL