Night 3: Gavial, Beast Leg Meat Barbeque, with Jalapeno and Lettuce
The Late Night Diner is a part of Rhodes Island's canteen. That goes without saying – to whom had anyone ever heard of a diner in the boiler room?
As the name implies, it opens around midnight. There are only a handful of customers at a time.
Drinks are in the cooler. Anyone burdened by their own thoughts could take one and chug it down, anytime.
Menu? No such thing exists. What the Chef prepares is what you get. It all depends on his mood of the day.
Welcome to the Rhodes Island Late Night Diner. In here, you might even meet a familiar face or two.
In the Late Night Diner, you could taste all that the land had to offer.
It's not just an empty boast. The Chef had made more dishes than the number of customers that came to this little establishment. No repeating dishes either. Some operators working with the ship's archive even mentioned that they once had some dishes of the yore. The kind that only supposed to appear in ancient texts.
Tonight, the Chef had set up the grill. With ease, he put the iron grate upon the stove, then brought out a gigantic bowl of beast leg meat from the fridge. The cutting board that had seen the creation of Laterano pastries just a few days ago, two meat cleavers were resting upon it. Raythean Induestry's exceptional craftsmanship was showing on the blades – they were gleaming with a distinctive silver shine, like the surface of an icy pool beneath the pale moonlight.
The gamey taste of the leg meat needs to be lessened. So the Chef soaked the meat in cold water, then added in some cooking wine, green onions and ginger root slices to reduce unwanted stink in the meat. After some waiting he poured out the blood water and added salt, black pepper and chopped onion to marinate and sealed the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. Finally, after waiting some more, the flavours from the seasoning had seeped into the meat. The Chef peeled off the sealing atop the bowl. A strong yet pleasant smell of seasoned meat instantly filled the kitchen.
The underlining flavour had been set. The Chef now only needed to add more complexity into it. He sprinkled a ladle-full of chilli powder into the bowl, then added a spoon of rosemary and a pinch of cumin seeds. Drops of Lungmen soy sauce were added to adjust the colour. In the end, a layer of oil was poured in so the meat could stay succulent.
"What are we having today boss? It smells great in here!" a spirited voice called out from across the room, "Got an emergency operation shafted into my schedule. Damn, I'm beat!"
It's hard to associated this energetic voice with the concept of tiredness. The Chef raised his head and glanced at the source of such voice, then realised there was never a surprise.
"I'll be...It's barbeque! You offer large servings, right?!" Gavial, the extraordinary Archosauria warrior, the "Reaper-in-Green" among the wounded, the model operator of the Medical Department, was currently staring at the succulent leg meat dyed crimson by the chilli powder. She beamed at the Chef, "Looks like good eatin'! Gimme some!"
"It's gong to be a bit of a wait," The Chef said while putting on a pair of gloves, "Why don't you find a place to sit down? I'll bring it to you when it's ready." Then he started massaging the meat in the bow, letting the seasoning spread evenly through every chunk, every slab and every parts. The meat now looked shiny and succulent. It was quite a temptation to someone with good appetite.
"Well well, thank you for the offering!" Gavial walked towards an empty table, then turned back midway. "Boss, got any vegetables to go with the meat?"
"There should be some unused from day time. Not too much left though." the Chef rummaged through the contents of the fridge, and produced a small basket of lettuce and a few jalapeno peppers, "Are these fine with you?"
"Certainly! Aren't lettuce and hot peppers just the best combo with barbeques?" Gavial nodded in satisfaction. "Hey you! You there! Didn't I see you in the examining room this morning?"
It gave a nearby operator quite a startle. He was holding a mug full of beer.
He turned towards her with a visible shiver. "Doctor G-G-Gavial! What a coincidence...heh..."
"Weren't you diagnosed with sleep deprivation? Why are you here drinking in the middle of the night?!" Gavial frowned. She rolled up her coat sleeves and headed straight towards him, "Why aren't you taking care of your own health? Wanna have an appointment for the Medbay!?"
The Chef, looking at the scene, shook his head and smiled. He placed a piece of thoroughly marinated meat on the cutting board and ready to chop it into smaller pieces.
"Ey boss, hold up!" Gavial turned her head. She was holding onto the unfortunate man by the collar of his shirt. She hollered to the Chef, "I want the whole leg!".
"Sure thing." the Chef put down his cleaver. He slathered some oil onto the grates, then put down a whole leg, bones and all. The meat sizzled loudly when it touched the metal, and not long after the kitchen was filled with the toasty aroma of the lightly charred grill. Barbeques are either char-broiled or grilled over open flame. The Chef often chose the latter – as it has the advantage of locking the juice in, making the meat charred outside yet tender on the inside. Though in the hands of a less capable cook, the meat could be easily burnt. It's the reason why most barbeque joints use charcoal or even electric grill.
The Chef, experienced as he was, never had to face such dilemma. He skilfully flipped the beast leg on the grill, pressed down on them once awhile with a pair of iron tongs. Melted fat and juices from the meat flowed through the grates and dripped down into the fire. As if answering a challenge, the flame below was goaded to rise even higher, licking the grates with bolstered ferocity. When both sides of the leg were done, the Chef sprinkled a pinch of chilli powder and cumin seeds, then held it vertically with tongs so the edges could be seared. And it was ready for plate.
Seared into a perfect golden brown, the marks of the grate was showing clearly on the outer crust. The succulent juices bubbled. Usually the Chef would cut it up into smaller pieces, and needed only a medium sized plate to fit in everything. But for Gavial, he had to used a large iron tray. He heated up the tray a little, then placed the sizzling leg along with some dips on the side and a small pile of chilli powder. In another plate, jalapeno peppers were cut into small rings and placed with a whole head of lettuce.
When the Chef brought the tray to Gavial, she was just about to finish lecturing the beer drinker about ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
"If I saw you wander about during your designated resting hours, I'll - " Gavial waved her fist in his face " I'll send you to the Medbay myself! You hear me?!"
"Y-Y-Yes..."he scurried away in a hurry. Gavial folded her arms and glanced around the room.
"Good. No one else needs a fixin'." She let out a relived sigh and sat down for her meal.
Everyone else in the Diner also collectively sighed in relief and went back to their meals.
Victorian nobilities would fined the choicest cuts from the meat, cook them then slice them into small, delicate strips to show off their supposed elegance while eating. Columbians, practical as ever, liked their meat steak medium-rare, with mashed potato and black pepper sauce on the side.
As for Sargonians...it is said that they would rip the flesh dripping with blood from fresh games they hunted, then roast them upon the open flame of the campfire.
Gavial cut into the grilled beast leg and tore off a piece. The crust was flame-licked brown, underneath was the light-grey of cooked flesh, yet beneath that was the tender colour of pink. She wrapped it with some jalapeno rings in a lettuce leaf and stuffed the whole thing into her mouth. With each act of chewing, warm juice flowed freely accompanied by the slight hint of lingering blood. The natural flavour of the meat enhanced by bold seasoning and chilli powder exploded in her mouth like a cherry bomb, yet all wrapped-up in the crisp of the lettuce. Salty, savoury, spicy hot – all carried forth in a single bite. It was truly an unforgettable experience.
"Boss, a plate of barbeque please! I'm starving." an operator who just came off the night shift yelled and rushed to the counter.
"Sure. Be ready in a moment."
"Wait...what is Gavial having?"
"Same as you. Barbeque." the Chef took out a large piece of marinated meat from the bowl.
The operator watched as Gavial, holding the entire leg, ripping and tearing into the meat. He swallowed hard with an audible gulp.
"Well...I'll just have a small portion. That's all."