Madrid, Espanha. 2018

POV Shura

Shura did not know when and how this love came about. But he knew that he felt since he was a child, when he saw his mother in that space of the house, working, creating art through spices, utensils, and food.

The kitchen was like a studio, and his dishes were his masterpieces.

What delighted Shura the most were the perfect cuts. Shura was a man who valued perfection, exactly, and the cutting tools helped him in that. From the onion cut in brunoise (1) to the premium cuts of beef, all of them should meticulously meet the perfection he demanded. For Shura, knives were like brushes in the hand of an artist, who is about to paint his greatest work on his paintings. And he was an artist, his brushes were his knives, his studio was his kitchen, and his artwork was his plate.

Shura's life was quiet and uneventful. He was born in Madrid, grew up in Madrid, lives in Madrid. He was a good student at school, known for being calm. Few have succeeded in making him angry to the point of generating discussion. And God knows, that Shura could be calm, but that did not mean he was an idiot: when it was needed, he could be firmer than a rock and more lethal than the sharpest sword that could exist.

At the age of 18 he got a scholarship and went to Le Cordon Bleu, one of the best and most famous culinary institutes in the world. He was a prodigy, graduated quickly and set up the restaurant Ropera, which had soon become a success in Madrid. He was young, but he already had a name and fame in the Spanish haute cuisine market.

He participated in an edition of Masterchef Spain, which he detested, because the idea of cooking under pressure always made him uncomfortable. In addition, he has already recorded videos for several YouTube channels and the restaurant was thinking of setting up its own channel, which showed a making of restaurant kitchens. He was also trying to launch a book, without a defined name yet, but which would aim to help people who, for various reasons, are unable to present beautiful dishes because they do not have the necessary skills with knives.

That is what he thought about while making a beef steak. The book was focused on simpler recipes, for beginners, but incredibly detailed and with photos demonstrating the step by step to cook at home as if you were a chef. And a beef steak was easy to make if the reader is not such a detailed person. But Shura is a lover of precision, especially when it comes to cooking.

The beef steak has to be wide. Enough so that it gets an interesting color on top, but without cooking too much internally. We do not want burnt meat, which has neither juiciness nor flavor. Shura uses cuts like T-bone, it is his favorite. Let the meat rest to reach room temperature. It is important that the meat rests. After that, iron skillet, two tablespoons of oil, let it warm up well. Meanwhile, season the meat, which should be at the perfect seasoning point, which is absolutely simple, but which can ruin or bring glory to the meat: salt and pepper. It is necessary to season well, as much of the seasoning is lost when cooking. Place the meat in the pan, which must be well heated with the oil. Two to three minutes on each side. Butter, garlic and rosemary. Wet the meat very well with the butter, for flavor and juiciness. Remove from the pan, put it on the plate and pour the butter over it. Simple, easy and ready. Everyone would love it.

But man does not live by cooking alone.

Of course, he had other loves, which would go beyond the kitchen. He was passionate about Real Madrid (thanks Cristiano Ronaldo (2), for existing) and liked to see series with medieval themes (thanks Game of Thrones, for existing).

But most of all, above all that was sacred to him, he loved his family.

He married Inez at a young age, aged 22. She was also a chef and together they ran the restaurant. He loved the woman, with her long, straight red hair and very green eyes, which emitted a bravery and sweetness that in any other person, would be irreconcilable, but in her, the feelings were married very well. She was a determined woman within her environment, ready to face any situation. And inside the kitchen, they were in perfect balance: there was no better or worse, just two cooks who were firm and convinced of their culinary skills and abilities.

However, she had to get away for a while, as they both had a small but delightful unforeseen event: the birth of their baby girl Mia. She was now a year and a few months old, her cheeks rosy and her face always smiling, taking her first little steps on her chubby little legs. For Shura, there was nothing better than to come home and see the girl running (or trying) towards him, with open arms, while he knelt on the floor to pick her up, hug her, and suspend her to up, while she laughed, laughed at her baby smile.

Shura would do anything for the family. He was loyal to her until the end.

That is why, in recent times, he had dedicated himself to the more administrative activities of the restaurant, instead of staying in the kitchen. Only recently did he feel safe to return to his true workplace (at least, that is how he considered it) after much insistence from Inez and reassurance that they would look for day care centers and nannies, but that they would 100% keep up with the daughter's growth.

"Papi! Papi!"

The girl brought him out of his daydreams with her shrill screams, asking for her attention.

"What do you want, baby?"

And then she showed the toys, the doll, ready for another of her antics.

"It's late, isn't it, baby?"

Shura picked her up, and her plump little arms went close to the back of his neck. She stared at him with the dark, drawn eyes that she had inherited from him, and that they had the same calm and serenity that he did, but with his mother's red hair. She was beautiful, a radiant baby that won everyone's attention. He loved her with all her strength, and her daughter was the greatest gift that any higher being, if any, could have given him. Her love for the girl could not be described in words, could not be translated into any language, and could not even be expressed by any symbol. It could only be felt, and he considered himself the luckiest person in the world to be able to feel.

Shura must admit: the girl was a beautiful surprise, but it was a surprise. His life was so focused on cooking that he never thought of children. Inez was his first girlfriend and they decided to get married soon, but they did not think about having kids. In addition, Shura never had much attachment to children. It is true that he did not hate them, but before having Mia, it was easy to see Shura a little impatient with some child screaming inside his restaurant. Today, with a daughter to raise, he not only has patience with the child and the parents, but he also cannot imagine rolling his eyes to demonstrate his little skill with the little ones.

He also became too careful, more than he already was. Children lost in a park? My God, someone find the parents of that child! How are you letting the boy eat so many sweets? A child must eat healthy! Mia is crying, what does she have? But she still does not know how to speak properly, how are we going to know where her body hurts? We need to go to the doctor right away!

So, when he least realized it, he, who during Inez's pregnancy, thought he would be a distant and cold father, was reading self-help books for raising and developing children with non-violent strategies, as well as books on healthy eating for babies and purchase of various accessories to ensure the girl's safety.

He took the girl to bed and laid her down, hoping the girl fell asleep. When he was watching over his sleep, he felt his wife coming home after a hard night at the restaurant. He left the girl in the room and went to see her in the living room.

"Look, I'm glad tomorrow is your shift" she said, throwing the car keys on the coffee table "today the restaurant was particularly exhausting."

"Recipes are not easy to develop. I still couldn't find the right proportions for the seasoning of that steak with gorgonzola that I told you yesterday."

"You are a typical Capricorn, right? I could help you with one of these, but you never accept."

"Look who's talking, you're also a Capricorn. And I'm sorry if I'm proud" said Shura, hugging her from behind "it's because you're already very busy. I wanted to solve the confusions I get myself into."

"Speaking of doing things alone" began Inez "the Kido Corporation is scouting our restaurant for an event. More precisely, you, for their event."

"What?"

"A Graad Foundation representative came to the restaurant. Big, straight hair, he looked like he was Chinese. He said he wanted to talk to you in person, as Saori Kido would be hosting an event and wanted to have you as a chef. I told him to come back tomorrow because tomorrow is your shift."

Shura frowned.

"That's weird. Can it only be resolved with me? This situation can be easily resolved with our secretary."

"So it is. But the man was firm and demanding. He didn't want someone else, just you."

"Let's not think about it now" said Shura, kissing the side of your neck "you look very stressed to me... I could fix it."

"You have to deal with my hunger, that's what" said Inez, laughing "I need to eat, take a good shower and fall into bed."

"And in bed we do something?" Shura said, smiling.

"In bed we sleep! I want to see if you're going to be in that mood tomorrow night."

Shura laughed with his wife.

(1) Corte brunoise is a type of cut of raw vegetables from French cuisine, in small cubes.

(2) At the time of writing this chapter (2021), Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer at Real Madrid but at a "leave or not leave" Juventus. But at the beginning of 2018, he was still from Real Madrid.