MehRya FF: Discovering the Magic Chapter28 pg148 (10/12) - Page 20

"This will be India's first full representation at the festival, and while we can say with a degree of certainty that we have just about shored up the non-veg options, it's the vegetarian selections that we are hoping for you to take care of for us," Chef Malik indicated.

Mehek nodded, mentally running through what she thought would be fitting menu items that would highlight the best of Indian cuisine, as wide and varied as it was. It was an awesome responsibility, but she was certain that she would eventually come up with something that would be representative of the flavors of her home. Inwardly, she sighed. This was exactly the sort of thing that she would have expected to run by KK; not so much seeking his guidance, but more like being able to bounce ideas off her Karela King. She doubted if she would even attempt such now though. It had been hard enough to answer with the few words she had this morning. Anything more seemed unfathomable right now.

"Karela King..."

"I beg your pardon, what did you say?"

Some shock must have shown on her face, when she looked up at her companion, as Chef Malik immediately sought to give an explanation of what he had uttered.

"Karela... Karela Rings: or some variation of the recipe might be a possibility as one of the snacks. Merely a suggestion, Mehek, but after watching you in action, I figured if anyone could temper that bitterness and make it so palatable that the public would be raving about it would be you." He smiled affably at the young woman, who now had a slightly sheepish expression on her face, but at least some colour had come back to her cheeks.

She hesitated for a while longer before speaking.

"I'm sorry, my mind was adrift, and I thought I had heard something else. Karela Rings: I will most definitely keep that in mind though... So how many hours would I be able to work at the kiosk?"

It was the professional's turn to be taken aback. "Mehek," he began gently, "You do realize that you were contracted to be more than a simple line cook, don't you?"

"Haan Chef, but I'm not ready to nor do I want to lose the connection to my customer eithers. The connection is just as important, not just the pushing out the food: delicious as it may be. Do you think it will a problem for me to do so?"

The Chef felt humbled by the young woman's attitude. Her simplicity, no, not just that: she truly was very special. It would be a real joy getting to know her better during her stay here. She was certain to be a success, and for sure a crowd favorite. There was unquestionably something about her. Hardly a couple hours in her company, and already, she had him hoping that she would decide to extend her tenure after her initial contract finished.