( mostly closed )

[ettersberg]

Who: Thomas Nightingale (ettersberg) & various
What: dinner dates, accidentally stumbling about questers, a month in the life of one (1) thomas nightingale
When: january
Where: olympia
Warning(s): n/a (will warn in subject lines if anything comes up)

[ starters in comments. hit me up via pm or at abiosis if you'd like to do something! ]

Comments

[apricitous]

[ That gets a chuckle out of him, because- ]

Honestly, I'm sure I'll love it. It already smells great from here.

[ettersberg]

I had a pasta the last time I came here, and liked it.

[ which is, of course, why they're here. back here, in thomas' case. the restaurant is small, tables and chairs mismatched in a way that manages to be charming, and a waiter bustles toward them immediately. ]

Ah. For two, please.

[apricitous]

It's kind of amazing, how some things maintain between different... [ they're out and about and while he's keeping his voice down, he doesn't want to break the rules, ] places. Noodles, or pasta... how you can find them where you're from, where I'm from, here...

[ettersberg]

I suppose food is as universal as it gets.

[ in all their variety, people do always need to eat. ]

[apricitous]

[ He'll walk along with Thomas to wherever they're guided to and there'll be an attempt to hold out a seat that he'll start to abort before looking to Thomas curiously.]

At least the need to eat. And flavor profiles, etc.

Though it does make me curious if there's anything like Indian food here.

[ettersberg]

There is a place in Wyver that reminded me of Indian food.

[ thomas doesn't know wyver well, but he did spend some time there back when they were all more or less forcibly relocated. ]

[apricitous]

I haven't found that place. I'll have to get the location from you some time.

[ He settles into his own seat with a bowing gesture to Thomas as thanks for finding them such a lovely place. It really is nice in here. ]

There's a rib place that my roommate and I tend to get take out from. Other than that, I usually just cook.

[ettersberg]

Of course.

[ thomas inclines his head. ]

I should probably do some more cooking, myself. [ or... any. no, he's not entirely hopeless. just very much not used to it. ]

[apricitous]

Not everyone has the time.

My... well, my friend who's still up in stasis, she'd get take out any time she could.

Her mind had other things to deal with.

[ He shrugs. ]

I just find cooking to be very soothing, personally.

[ettersberg]

I've only ever done it out of necessity, really.

[ he'd always been in institutions that had food prepared in some fashion— and then there'd been molly. ]

[apricitous]

It started that way, but I guess it became something of a ritual for me.

[ He offers a lopsided sort of smile. ]

Something useful, but also sort of meditative.

[ettersberg]

I'll have to try it, then.

[ thomas smiles back, after a moment. ] Perhaps you could share some recipes with me.

[apricitous]

Anything but my mother's apple pie recipe.

[ That comes with a conspiratorial lean in. ]

Otherwise, she'd never forgive me. The rest, though, you're welcome to.

[ettersberg]

I wouldn't want to be responsible for that family feud.

[ thomas leans in as well, a little. ] It may be wise to start me off simple, anyway.

[apricitous]

Well, I could always show you the recipe for the roast.

Since you like that particular dish so much.

[ Perhaps he leans in just a little bit more. ]

[ettersberg]

If it is something a beginner could manage, I would appreciate that very much.

( especially given the delicious smells currently filling his apartment. nightingale finds himself smiling, body angled toward clark. )

[apricitous]

It's definitely doable by a beginner, [ he's firm on that point ] but you do need a little bit of patience and a few best practices.

[ettersberg]

And you'd be willing to teach me those?

[apricitous]

[ That gets him a short laugh, soft and fond. ]

Yes, it would be part of the first lesson. I could give it to you now, if you wanted.

[ettersberg]

( for a moment, thomas hesitates — not out of worry, but thinking it over. lingering on that laugh, too. then he nods. )

I'd appreciate that.

[apricitous]

Then the first lesson is simple enough: high heat might cook things faster, but it will also cook them more unevenly.

Which isn't to say that high heat doesn't have it's place, certainly, but it's not the solution to wanting things to go 'faster' unless you also like them burnt on the outside.

[ettersberg]

That's good to know. How long would you say this will take?

( he gestures toward the kitchen, meaning the meat in the oven. )

[apricitous]

Roughly 15-20 minutes per pound, depending on how lean the meat looks. You can cook it a little longer if it's got some fat; that'll keep it moist.

Some folks would say to start high temperature and keep it going at about 375 Farenheit, after about twenty minutes, but I've found it works better when you sear the outside in a pan beforehand, like I did earlier and keep the heat consistent.

[ettersberg]

And how does one sear properly?

[apricitous]

Your best bet [ And he's gesturing with his hands, as if he's holding the pan and the tongs ] is to make sure you get a good brown sear on every part of the meat. Old wisdom would say that it seals the juice in, but that's not necessarily true.

Mostly, it just adds to the depth of the flavor more than anything.