Father's cooking

"Father, can I ask you something?"

"What is that little Ben? Aren't you promise me only watch me cooking?"

"You wrong father, I promise to sit still and not touch anything. And I still keep that promise"

"Hahahaha…..good answer! I never thought my son can be that smart although you only 9-year-old boy, Little Ben. Okay, what do you want to ask?"

Although my father is speaking with me, his hands never stop moving during his cook.

"What is that phoenix wings? Phoenix is only a beast on myths and legends, right? How do you serve something that not even exists?"

"Hahaha….not only smart, you also have sharp ears, Little Ben. The Phoenix wing is only the name of a menu in our restaurant, it's not the real wings from a Phoenix"

"Not real wings of phoenix? Then why are you naming that dish like that? Isn't that deceiving the customer?"

"Ugh, this kid…why you always ask something difficult? Alright…do you know what Phoenix is?"

"I know father, it a firebird in the legends and myths"

"Good, do you know how the fire feels in your hand or your body?"

"It's hot father"

"Good. Then I named that dish with phoenix wings is not because it made from the wings of a phoenix bird, but because of its hot taste. Customer who eats that dish will feel like there's fire within his mouth when he eats that dish"

"Oooohh…. I see. So it's not from the material but from its properties"

"Yes, something like that. Now since you know where the name comes from, don't say your father deceiving customer again, okay?"

"Yes, father. sorry…"

"It's okay son. That's also a trick in selling food, give the food an interesting name. Consider this as your father teach you how to doing restaurant business"

"Um…I will remember that father. Then what is that phoenix wings made from?"

"It's made from chicken or duck wings, cooked with spicy ingredients like chili and peppers"

While talking with me, my father takes two plates and put the food he just cooks in the plates. I look at the food that he just cooks, it's some chicken wings on that plates.

"Father, is that what called phoenix wings?"

"Yes, that's what your mother told me to make before"

My father takes two bowls and fills that bowls with rice. After that, he put the plate with chicken wings and rice bowls on the tray then shouting

"PHOENIX WINGS READY!!"

My mother enters the kitchen and takes the tray and brings it to the front for the customer who orders it. Since there's no more order to make, my father takes a break to drink some water.

"Hey little Ben, are you hungry?"

"Yes father, the aroma from your cooking always makes me hungry"

"Hahaha…okay, I'll make something for you"

My father starts to hold his knife and doing cut and slices on some ingredients, after that he put the ingredients on the frying pan while pouring some cooking oil on the pan. After scrambles the ingredient in the pan for a while, he breaks an egg in the pan, scrambled it again before taking a bowl of rice and pour it on the pan. After that, he pours some soy sauce and starts to stir all ingredients in the pan for a couple minutes. When he finish cooking it, he takes a plate and put what he just cook in there and handed the plate to me.

"Here little Ben, eat it. Be careful, it's still hot"

"What is this father?"

"Eh? Can't you see? This is obviously fried rice…what do you expect?"

"No great names like that phoenix wings, father?"

"Hahahaha….that names only for the customer. You're my son, not my customer, so fried rice is just fried rice. Come, eat and grow into a big and strong man like your father"

I start to eat the fried rice that my father just cooks for me. The faint smokes from the fried rice bring the richness from the ingredient that cooked within that fried rice. I always love eating my father cooking, it's the best food in the world for me.