As promised when I posted my new story, here's number 4! :) Hotspot the 626th: Thanks :) Yeah, I always thought Izzy and Tai are such good friends. I think its their different personalities that sort of make it work.
Supershooter: Thank you. It's sort of been a slow progress as I've been concentrating a lot on 2.5
K-fanfics: haha yeah XD he thought he'd made a fool of himself but it got her attention!
Sweet Cari: Aww thank you :)
Pheonix Kamiya: yeah, Tai will probably take the credit for them getting together lol
Life's Little Adventures
4. East Meets West
Saturday 14th April, 2012
Davis watched with an eager eye as he brought the beef stock to a simmer. He then added two tablespoons of soy sauce and one table spoon of hoisin sauce to his creation.
His attention was broken briefly as the dimly lit apartment filled with light for a spilt second as another flash of lightning filled the sky outside; immediately followed by a booming rumble of thunder.
Davis usually hated days like this. Stormy days usually meant a whole day confined indoors unable to perfect his soccer skills, or hang out with his friends.
But today he didn't mind. Today he was actually thankful for the storm that was raging outside. It meant he could dedicate the whole day to working on his other passion in life; food.
It was no secret Davis liked to eat. Ever since he was young he'd never been afraid to try something new, and would eat almost anything that was put in front of him. Over the years as he grew older that had slowly transformed from simply eating food to actually enjoying it and learning more about flavours and combinations.
He was a sort of a closet chef. A secret he had inadvertently kept from his friends, which in turn came as a surprise to them when he announced eight years ago of his desire to one day open his own noodle cart.
That dream had come from his love for ramen. It was one of his favourite dishes and one of the first things he had learned to cook when he was younger. He was now an ace at making the noodle based dish, but had now grown a little bored of the simple recipes he had always followed.
He wanted to try something new. Something completely of his own creation and not out of a recipe book. If he wanted to fulfil his dream of owning his own noodle cart he had to create something that would grab people's attention and not blend in with the other noodle carts out there.
And after returning from his vacation to America last month he had finally made that breakthrough...
Davis placed the ramen into a large bowl before he added the pork he had cooked earlier, along with scallions and a few cucumber slices. He then immediately added the beef stock and allowed it to sit for a few moments before stirring it gently.
"Hey Veemon, come try this." He called to his partner Digimon as he added some chilli garlic paste before topping it with a poached egg.
"No thanks," was the rookie's immediate response from his positon on the sofa. "Last time I tried that dish it felt as if I had swallowed a firecracker…"
"That was only because I put two tablespoons of chilli garlic paste in instead of two teaspoons." Davis said as he sprinkled some sesame seeds and drizzled a little toasted sesame oil over the dish, finishing it off. He placed the bowl on the breakfast bar and looked over to his partner to see he still hadn't moved from the sofa. "C'mon, its okay this time I promise."
Veemon was a little reluctant at first. He cast a glance over to his human partner and saw the almost pleading look in his eyes as waited at the breakfast bar with his creation in front of him. "Alright," he eventually sighed jumping down from the sofa.
Davis smiled and pushed the bowl to the edge of the bar as Veemon climbed up onto one of the chairs.
The rookie Digimon picked up his chopsticks and looked down at the array of different colours that filled the bowl. He had to admit Davis' presentation skills weren't quite there yet, but as humans said 'the proof of the pudding was in the eating' so he wasn't going to judge him on that just yet.
Lowering his chopsticks into the bowl, he picked up a couple of pieces of pulled pork, trying his best to include the rest of the ingredients as well, which unfortunately included the chilli paste.
Unlike last time he hesitated placing the food straight into his mouth. He had still felt the scars of Davis' last attempt at this dish the following day so he was in no hurry to try it this time.
Davis sighed, growing a little impatient. "C'mon Veemon, I told you it's fine."
Veemon placed the food in his mouth and began to chew slowly; almost waiting for the chilli paste to attack the inside of his mouth… As he swallowed, there was defiant spice to it… but nowhere near as much as there was last time. It was just the right amount to give the dish a little kick and not overpower the rest of the flavours. "Hey this is actually pretty good," he said, helping himself to a second helping. "What's this dish called?"
Davis grinned confidently to himself. "It's called Spicy Pulled Pork Ramen." He said. "It's one of a range of dishes I've come up with. I got a burst of inspiration last month and since then the ideas have kept on flowing." He bragged.
"What are they?" Veemon asked as he helped himself to another bite.
"That's my little secret for now. Don't worry I'll reveal all when Ken and Yolei arrive later."
"Ken and Yolei are coming over?"
Davis nodded and he piled up a stack of dirty dishes and carried them over to the sink, which was already full, and placed them down to the side of it. "They're coming over to sample the other dishes I've created."
"Doesn't my opinion matter?"
"Of course it does buddy. But I need more than one opinion on my recipes. You know when a new movie is released and there are all those critics giving their opinions on it? Well it's the same with food. If I ever want to open my noodle cart, I need a good range of reviews. No one's become famous from just a single review."
The elevator opened on the seventh floor and Ken and Yolei stepped out both wearing their raincoats that were dripping wet as the storm was still raging. The couple walked the short distance to the front door of the Motomiya residence.
"I'm soaked," Yolei grumbled. "Davis had better prepared some decent food for making us come out in this storm."
Ken smiled. "C'mon Yolei, we can't deny him help in fulfilling his dream." He said as he pressed the doorbell.
"It's open!" they heard Davis' muffled voice yell from inside the apartment.
Ken opened the door and allowed Yolei to walk in before he too entered the apartment and closed the door behind him; shutting out the noise of thunder that had just rumbled across the city. They both removed their coats and hung them up on the coat rack as Davis popped his head around the corner.
"Hey guys." He greeted with a smile. "Perfect timing, I've just finished the last dish."
They headed down the hallway and around the corner where Davis had disappeared. Ken stopped at the edge of the kitchen, taken back a little by the sight that had greeted him. "It's a good job your parents are away for the weekend. Otherwise your mother would have a heart attack at the sight of her kitchen." He commented light heartedly.
The sink was full and all the work surfaces were littered with dirty plates, pots and pans and empty food packets showcasing all the hard work their friend had put in throughout the day.
Davis sheepishly grinned rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, they're away visiting my grandfather. He's been a little sick lately. They won't be back until tomorrow evening."
"This had better be good Davis. I didn't appreciate being dragged out into this storm just to be someone's guinea pig. I have an important test on Monday and if I end up failing because of food poisoning I'll hold you personally responsible." Yolei threatened him.
The maroon haired teenager held his hands up defensively. "Hey, relax. The food's fine. Veemon's been testing them for me… where's Wormmon and Hawkmon?"
"They're back at my place." Ken replied.
"Hawkmon doesn't like getting her feathers wet." Yolei added. She then noticed the dining table just behind where Davis was standing.
It was neatly laid out with four large bowls in the centre that were labelled one to four. Surrounding the bowls were a selection of various snacks and drinks to accompany the dishes. It was almost like a mini buffet.
"Is this what you've been cooking?" Yolei asked, a little in awe as she approached the table.
Davis nodded proudly. He took his position around the opposite side of the table to present his creations. "I call these East meets West." He proclaimed. "It's a fusion of Japanese and American cuisines. Bowl one is Spicy Pulled Pork, second is Thai Coconut Surf and Turf, third is Smoked Pork Rib and the fourth is Sloppy Joe."
"Sloppy Joe?" Yolei asked, raising an eyebrow.
"In America it's a sandwich consisting of ground beef, onions, ketchup and worcestershire sauce. Obviously I've ditched the hamburger bun and I've added a few Japanese touches to it." Davis explained eagerly. "You wouldn't believe the amount of different foods they have in America. I was brimming with inspiration! I have so much more I want to try out but I wanted to try these four dishes first to see what you think. If they're a success then I'll try out my other ideas."
"They do look delicious." Ken commented approvingly.
Yolei nodded in agreement as she also admired the food laid out before her. "I've got to admit Davis I'm pleasantly surprised. You came up with these dishes all on your own?"
Davis nodded, grinning broadly. "Uh huh. I had to come up with something that will make me stand out from all the other noodle carts. I've still got a long way to go yet, but if these work then it's a start."
"Well, dig in then." Veemon urged the couple.
Ken and Yolei both picked up their chopsticks and began to sample each dish. They started with the Surf and Turf, which looked the most presentable out of the four.
The mix of sea food and red meat worked well, especially with the combination of flavours of the sauces and coconut.
The two pork dishes were just as good, especially the spicy pulled pork now that Davis had perfected his measurements, with Veemon now declaring that was his favourite out of the four. Despite both dishes having pork in, each one had its own unique flavour.
Now all that was left to try was the Sloppy Joe.
"I can see why they call it Sloppy Joe." Yolei commented a little apprehensive as she stirred her chopsticks in what she could only describe as a sloppy mess. She gathered up as much as she could, trying to include as much of the different ingredients as possible. Placing it in her mouth she was actually taken back at how delicious it tasted. "Wow, despite it looking like a mess in a bowl this is actually pretty good." She admitted.
"Yeah, I know my presentation needs some work," Davis said as he helped himself to a little of the pork rib ramen. "Once I've perfected the dishes I'm going to work on presenting them better."
"Well, I think you've done it." Ken smiled as he took another bite of the Surf and Turf. "These are delicious Davis. You should be proud of yourself. I don't think I've ever tasted anything like this before."
Davis grinned, high fiving his partner Digimon. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it…. You're not just saying that are you? I mean, they really are good aren't they?"
Yolei nodded, helping herself to another portion of the Sloppy Joe. "You know me Davis. I would never lie to your face. I'd tell you if they were gross."
"You know, if you do have more ideas you could hold a sort of dinner party for the rest of the group." Ken suggested. "You could lay out a sort of buffet then everyone can help themselves and give you their feedback."
"That's a great idea." Veemon agreed looking up at his partner. "You've worked really hard today. You deserve to show off your creations to the rest of our friends. I'm sure they'll all like it."
"Yeah…" Davis smiled a little modestly, as he cast a glance over to the kitchen where all his hard work was now sitting piled up all over the work surfaces. He turned to Ken and Yolei, who were still helping themselves to the food. "Hey guys… you couldn't do me one last favour could you?" he said with a sheepish smile. "Help me clean the kitchen?"
Yolei put her chopsticks down, shooting a glare across the table to the maroon haired teenager. "I knew it. You lured us over here with a free lunch just so you wouldn't have to clean the kitchen on your own."
"No way! I wouldn't do that… it's just I got a little carried away making these and didn't anticipate how much there would be to clean up after myself." Davis replied, which still earned him a glare from Yolei who folded her arms. "Ah c'mon please? It's still raining outside. You've just dried off so it wouldn't make much sense to go out and get wet all over again. If you help me I'll call Jun and she can give you a ride back to Tamachi."
"I knew there would be a catch." Yolei huffed.
Ken laughed. "Don't worry Davis, we'll help you. We didn't have anything planned for today anyway. Let's finish lunch then we'll get started."
As the four of them continued to enjoy the food, they failed to hear the front door open…
"We're back!"
Davis immediately froze, his chopsticks falling from his hand as he heard his mother's voice from the hallway.
"Your grandfather's fine. He's told us there was nothing to worry about so we came home early!" his father added, his voice growing closer which told Davis they were heading his way…
Ken and Yolei cast a glance at each other before they both looked across the table to their friend; seeing the sheer panic written all over his face…
Mrs Motomiya was the first to appear. "Oh hi kids," she greeted Ken and Yolei. "I didn't realise-" she stopped abruptly as it wasn't long before her eyes fell upon the kitchen.
The kitchen, which had been tidy and clean when she had left only yesterday morning...
"My kitchen!"