Reincarnated Chef: The Prequel

"Little Ben, what are you doing here? You not supposed to be here. Why don't you get out from the kitchen and play with other kids outside?"

A strict but gentle voice coming from a man that busy fried something in the frying pan over the stove.

"Can I watch you cooking, father?"

Yes, that man is my father, You Bing, he's a cook for his own restaurant in a bustling street on Commerce district at Shi Kingdom Capital.

"No, you can't little Ben. There're many dangerous and sharp objects in the kitchen. I don't want you to get hurt because of them. Just play with your peers outside, okay?"

"I don't want play with them, father. Watching you cooking is more interesting than playing with them. Can I watch you cooking, please?"

My father is about to answer when a woman comes into the kitchen bring the new order from the customer and dirty plates.

"Husband, there's another order, two serving for phoenix wings"

She says that while putting the dirty plates on the wash basin.

"Ah, you come in the right time, wife. Can you take our son out from the kitchen? It's dangerous for a kid to stay in the kitchen like this"

"I'm sorry husband. I already told little Ben not to enter the kitchen but he doesn't listen to me"

That woman is my mother, Lan Cia, she helps my father, her husband running this restaurant as the waitress. Her duty is to receive the order from the customer and deliver the finished order from the kitchen to the customer who orders it. She looks at me with her gentle and beautiful eyes.

"Little Ben, don't disturb your father works, okay? Come with me outside and help me take customer order. How about that?"

"Mother, I want to see how father cooking. I promise I will sit still and touch nothing in this kitchen if mother let me stay here and watching father cook"

My mother sighed and speak to my father,

"Husband, you know how stubborn little Ben is, right? Why don't you let him watch you working? He promises he will sit still and not touch anything"

My father thinking for a while with his hands still busy cook the food that customer order.

"Alright, but he must keep his promise. You hear that little Ben?"

"Yes, father. I hear and I will obey"

"Good. You can sit there and watch me cooking"

My father pointing at a chair near the table which usually used by my mother to sit when she help my father peeling ingredients like potato or onion. I walk and sit on that chair like what my father told me to do and start to watch him working.

"Isn't he cute, husband? He also seems to inherit your passion for cooking. Maybe you can pass him your cooking skill later"

"Hahaha…of course he is. He's my son, he will inherit everything I have including my skills. The last order is two phoenix wings, right? Coming right away"

"Um….Little Ben, be good in here okay?"

"Yes mother"

After saying that, my mother left the kitchen to attend the customer in the restaurant.

I watch my father cooking after my mother left. I see his muscles protruding from his arms when he lifts the big frying pan over the stove. After put the food that he just finished cook, he preparing ingredients that needed to make the other food order. I watch how fast he sliced leeks, chili and other ingredients using his kitchen knife. The sound 'clack…clack…clack' that made when his knife cuts ingredients in the cutting board, sounds like music in my ears. I silently watch my father working with eyes full of admiration.