Two days before Christmas arrived after countless adventures and working at the library, Lila's earned herself a day to herself. She's got a boiling cauldron of goodies cooking on the stove top and it's perfect for the unforgiving cold outside her windows. Since it's only her this year, Lila's opted to make an untraditional dinner to celebrate the holidays rather than fight for a frozen turkey that she couldn't defrost in a timely matter.
Her holiday dish's something that comes from her time as a navy brat moving between bases.
A dish she learnt to make during a short time she was in South Korea with her family with what they had around them in addition to specific ingredients of Korean origins.
Some she couldn't find easily, so what she couldn't get for her dish, she used Japanese flavors instead.
The dish's called 'Budae Jjigae' or in English, 'Army Stew.'
Traditionally, the dish's made with plenty of canned meat found on army bases on top of Korean additions, but Lila opted to do half-and-half, leaning mostly towards freshly cooked meats. Have to make some healthy choices before the end of the year, she thought.
She used spam for her dish, but she drew out excess salt from the low sodium version, so it wasn't too salty but still added to the dish before cutting them into thin slices.
Couldn't find Korean styled sausages, so Lila went with smoked kielbasa cut like the small sausages she would've used.
There wasn't watercress at the store, so Lila used green onions for her stew and for garnishing.
She wanted to celebrate this week, so she added some seasoned pull pork in lieu of hotdogs.
Bean curds, cut thinly, lightly fried to replicate the rice cakes that Lila couldn't find and thinly sliced silky tofu to add to the boiling cauldron.
Couldn't forget a handful of enoki and shiitake mushrooms to go along with the large block of chicken ramen and sweet potato noodles added later.
There's plenty of goodies in the bubbling cauldron of a deep pot, as Lila's carefully stirring them with her long chopsticks, making sure she doesn't accidentally break up the tofu as the porous pressed curd absorbed the broth.
For cheese, since she couldn't find the American styled cheese, Lila opted for the English version of sliced cheddar, a little sharp but she tempered it as she went.
Her 'flat' smelled heavily of the spices and peppers in her broth as it came to a boil, behind her, she's got white sticky rice prepared to eat the budae jjage with, as done when she ate it the first time.
Knowing her brothers, they'd add their own additions to the pot.
Billy adding oysters and Ethan putting some freshly shelled shrimp in with them, knowing her dad, he'd add some kimchi.
Always said kimchi's good for them and stood by the claim when he noted ever since he spent time in South Korea and consumed a large amount of kimchi during that time, their dad never gotten sick, at all.
Lila wasn't fond of the fermented dish, a little too strong for her taste, but their dad loves it. Always kept a jar of it on the ships he works on whenever he docks at the South Korean base. Never store bought, always from a local shop he knows. He claimed it tasted better, but Lila wasn't going to question him, as she had no frame of reference.
Elsewhere, Theodore's busied with his own plans. He absolutely didn't want to spend the day with Hammond, not that it'd matter as Hammond's doing what Hammond does best and that's working. Odette's busied finishing work of her own, while Hamon's taken a trip to Gallifrey.
Apparently, someone broke something important and needed his help fixing it, how and what the end results might've been, Lila doesn't want to begin guessing.
He promised his nephews and niece he'll be home for Christmas. Uncle's promise. Since it's the first Christmas without their dad, Hamon wanted to keep their spirits lifted by having a Christmas dinner with them.
What a traditional Time Lord dinner looked like, Lila doesn't know, but she didn't want to pry. Not her place and she'd figure they'd want to spend the holidays together in peace.
"Hm, boil my pretties, boil!" Lila heavily smelled the broth as it intertwined with the meats, vegetables, and noodles. Slowly, it permeated the tofu, turning it supple and giving it a red hue.
As she gently stirred it, the steam wafting upright, bringing the smell of the chilis to her nose, Lila hears a familiar voice in her head.
"Boo," she heard a familiar Nottinghamshire man in her head.
Sarcastically, Lila remarked, "Wrong season, Theo."
They don't celebrate Halloween here and that was two months ago. Shame they don't, Lila wouldn't mind going down blocks getting free candy from patrons.
"What're you doing?" Theodore pried for information as it'd seemed the humble giant's got time on his hands, shockingly considering, but Lila's just going to let him prattle.
Lila tells him, "I'm making myself something, what're you doing?"
Theodore replied that he's going through his kitchen looking for something to inspire him. Nothing's opened currently and that meant he couldn't order out. Too cold for that sort, it'd seem.
"Oh, what will our hungry giant do?" Lila remarked as she stirred her stew.
She heard Theodore asking her what she's making and she told him that he'd probably wouldn't like it.
"Try me," Theodore challenged her, causing her to sigh before she told him what she's making.
He's fascinated by the dish and Lila tells him that it's made with what's usually on American army bases. Sometimes they have baked beans, which Lila omitted from hers because she never liked them, and some other additions that Theodore probably wouldn't like.
"I'm interested," she heard the hungry giant tell her before she reminded him that it's spicy.
Not spicy that he'd tear up and breath fire from both ends, but it does pack some punch, something to help warm someone up in the frigid winter they're having.
Theodore wasn't deterred by the spiciness and Lila mentioned she used gutted dried anchovies for the broth, something that usually deterred people from partaking in the dish.
She shouldn't be shocked at this, but Theodore's not at all bothered about the dish as he reminded her that his mom worked as a second commander.
Mrs. Smith was well-aware of the canned meat and processed foods that bases carried when they didn't have proper access to fresh food. She used to have to stomach them until she met Mr. Smith and left for a change in scenery.
"You're just fleecing me for food, aren't you?" Lila asked if this intrusion's just Theodore's way of getting a free meal from her.
He scoffed before reminding her that she's not exactly innocent, either, pointing out that on one adventure, her interest in hot chocolate nearly got them killed.
"Hey, not my fault I forgot they used it for currency!" Lila defended herself as Theodore recalled the adventure in which Lila nearly got them in trouble with a group of Aztecs because she couldn't stop drinking the hot chocolate, forgoing the knowledge she learnt in history class.
She then proceeded to remind Theodore how much of a fuss he caused when he accidentally destroyed jars of olive oil. How mighty upset the locals were with him and immediately the giant went on the offense, claiming it was an accident.
"An accident that almost had us fed to lions!" Lila remarked before Theodore pointed out her habit of drinking hot chocolate nearly got them sacrificed by wrathful Aztecs when they found out they couldn't pay it back.
They went back and forth before Lila checked her stew, finding it's ready for consuming.
"I'm hanging up, you have fun with whatever misadventure you get into in the kitchen," Lila's about to cut Theodore off and enjoy dinner, but the hungry giant wasn't finished and he asked her to describe the dish to him in detail.
He'd never heard of the dish before, his mom never had it, since she never stayed in a South Korean base.
Lila let out a exasperated sigh as she realizes the hungry giant wasn't going to let this go, easily, not without tasting this dish he never had before.
Has a TARDIS and traveled in it, couldn't use it to go get some himself, but the more Lila thinks about it, probably for the best considering the TARDIS' remained iffy.
Like mom always said, they all have to be difficult about getting help, because Theodore won't even go to Hamon for advice. Probably knows the answer, take it to Gallifrey.
Wasn't like they'd take it from him, Hamon would've had their heads faster than the Queen of Hearts!
Besides that, they planned to scrap it, so it's further from their interests. Likely, they'd probably want to help Theodore get it fixed up enough that won't fall apart just so he'd leave and they won't have to deal with him or Hamon.
Ah, well, the intricate world of weirdos.
"You're still in my head aren't you?" Lila asks and heard Theodore sheepishly tell her that he wasn't.
Since he wasn't leaving, Lila exhaled sharply as she realized it is the holidays and she won't see him until after New Years, assuming they don't get tossed into another adventure.
Knowing he'll use it as precedent for further incursions, Lila offered Theodore a seat at her table, to which he happily accepted.
Before Lila has a chance to get the bowls out, she felt a gust of cold air, and turned her head to see Theodore stepping out of the TARDIS with his four ferrets tagging along for the dinner, too.
Mad as a ferret, indeed!
"I'm not sure ferrets can have this stuff," Lila watched as they scurried up the kitchen island and sat in the stools, their little paws on the counter, waiting for their bowls.
Theodore assures her that they're able to eat it on account they're not normal ferrets.
Space ferrets.
Different dietary restrictions.
"Of course," Lila muttered under her breath as she watched him sit at the kitchen island with his ferrets.
Well, normality went out the window months ago, so that much's apparent, and the fact that Lila's feeding space ferrets, budae jjigae, should really sum up her experience.
She proceeded to get out multiple bowls for them, spooned in mounds of white sticky rice, before she proceeded to bring the pot to the kitchen island, resting it on a heater placed in the center.
Carefully, she sat it down, while Theodore smelled the bubbly cauldron from where he sat, and marveled at the smell.
"Hm, smells good to me," Theodore shrugged his wide shoulders.
Lila tells him that it wasn't the traditional version, just a mishmash of different cultures since she didn't have enough of the proper ingredients.
Theodore wasn't dissuaded and Lila gave him a set of utensils.
He scooped out the mound of food and placed it on the white rice before helping his ferrets as they clamored for their turns.
Lila grabbed hers, a little bit of everything before she rested them on top of the sticky rice, letting the broth run down the sides as it slowly changed from white to reddish.
Already, the hungry giant stuck the whole lot into his mouth accompanied by the sticky rice. He chewed and gave an approving nod before he gulped everything down with a swig of peppermint tea, because of course he's drinking it.
The ferrets happily ate from their bowls, some getting their cream furs covered in the broth.
It's a strange experience having dinner with ferrets, but that's what happened, and they're hungry devils, too, especially not helped by Theodore.
Theodore and Lila discussed whatever came to mind, their jobs, their adventures, and Lila had conversations with the ferrets.
Yes, that's a sentence, and no, Lila's not sure what to think of the fact one of them sounds like Audrey Hepburn.
It's better jus to go along with it, because Lila doesn't know what to think of everything happening, and she just winged it.
The dish's big since Lila wanted leftovers, but things didn't go according to plan, as is tradition with her that started when a spaceman broke into her 'flat.'
Suffice to say, any plans of leftovers went out the window, and the budae jjage became nothing more than a red puddle at the bottom of the bare pot. The sticky rice gone, only a few rices sticking inside the cooker.
"Hm, that was good," Theodore wiped down his mouth as he and the ferrets finished the dish much to Lila's amazement and befuddlement.
Lila, having no words, shrugs, and shocked when Theodore inquired, "What's for dessert?"
THE END