The dinner (2)

Today's dinner almost reaches its end after the main dish, curry rice is served.

The dish after the curry rice is vegetable salad and special for Earl Stamfort and his family, there's an additional dish of carved fruit and vegetables, which I specially made, just like on the lunch before. And for the dessert, it's the meringue that served with the tea to close tonight dinner.

"Hmm...Henry, isn't now time to give us an explanation about the menu of our dinner tonight?"

Earl Stamfort asking me that question while munching his salad. Well, since the dinner is considered already reach its end, there's no need to delay the explanation anyway.

"Oh…okay, let me introduce our menu for tonight's dinner. First from the appetizer, this one called croquette, made from potatoes. The cooking process is like frikkadel, but we added bread crumbs for coating before frying it in deep oil. Next is bird nest soup, as the name said, it made from bird nest. Not just common birds nest, but bird nest from certain species and only can be found in a certain place. Well, I can say this bird nest is currently a rare ingredient because I think this ingredient can't be found anywhere else, but here"

"Birds nest? Really birds nest? Nest where birds live? But… Aren't bird nest usually made from the twig, dry grass, and dry leaves?"

Ah, his reaction almost the same just like when I explain the birds nest soup for the first time to my father. It's quite understandable.

"Yes, that's common birds nest. But not this kind of bird, because they use their saliva to make their nest"

"Bird's saliva…..that whitish jelly like something in that soup is the bird's saliva? Unbelievable!"

"That's correct. By the right processing method, that birds nest is edible and actually, there're many benefits by consuming it. It enhances the body immune system, revitalizes the body and some says can rejuvenate the body and that makes life span longer. This bird nest is better consumed in the morning to give the body energy for day's activities or at night to relieve the body's fatigues after daily activities"

"WHATTT!!! This bird's saliva can have such benefit for bodies? Henry…this…this bird's nest can fetch for a high price when people know the benefit of consuming this bird nest"

Not only Earl Stamfort who surprised when I explain the benefit of consuming bird nest, but also his guard and most of the people in the dining hall.

"Yes, that's maybe true…but this bird nest is hard to get and excessive harvesting of this bird nest will make the bird transmigrated to other places. So, it's impossible to make it as a mass product yet"

"Henry…can you make Stamfort family as the exclusive distributor of this bird nest sale?"

Hohoho…somehow this conversation shifted into business talk.

"Well, …we can discuss this later, Sir. Can I explain the other menu first?"

"Ah..yes…please continue"

"The next dish is called Tacos, and as I said before, this dish is easy to make and didn't require complicated ingredients. The main ingredient called tortilla, that's the bread kind thing, can be made using flour from wheat or corn, and for filling can use meat, fish, or vegetable, which make this dish can turn into various kind of Tacos depend on the filling. After that is curry rice, it's a dish with rich spices combined with rice. This dish can also eat with bread to substitute rice if rice is not available. Like Tacos, this curry dish also can be made into various type depend on the ingredients. Fish curry, meat curry, or vegetables curry"

"Is that means we still can eat another kind of curry?"

"Yes, I can make different curries, varies enough for a week or a month maybe. So every day you can eat different curry. And after the curry dish, the next dish is vegetable salads with mayonnaise dressing and fruits to keep our body in a balanced diet. We can't eat only bread and meat, our body also needs vegetables and fruit to make it balanced, and keep us healthy. The last one, our dessert today is meringue, a cookie which made just by white of eggs and sugar. Since it has a high content of sugar, please restraint from consuming too many of meringues in a day because it would bring harm to your teeth. That's what we had for tonight's dinner"

Loud clapping sounds can be heard in the dining hall after I finished my explanation about today's dinner menu.

"Excellent! Today's dinner also gives me a pleasant surprise like lunch before. This sweet cookie accompanied with a slightly bitter tea is a good combination too. Good work, Henry"

Earl Stamfort praises me for the dinner menu. The other guests also show the pleased expression on their faces. The dinner tonight also a big success!!

"Don't forget that we still have something to discuss after this dinner, Henry"

"I'm not forgetting that, Uncle Edward. I'll be meet you soon"

Earl Stamfort, my father, my uncle, and Sir Anthony leave the dining hall together, just like when they arrived. While I will escort my fiance and my sister back to their room after the dinner is over.

"Henry...can I have this meringue again for the snack?"

Suddenly my fiance asks me for another meringue when we walk back to her room.

"Sure, no problem. I've ordered our cooks to make plenty of meringue already. Do you like it?"

"Yes! the texture is so soft and melts in my mouth when I eat it. And if possible, add that potato chips too"

"I also want another potato chips and meringue, Henry"

My sister also wanted the same thing as my fiance. Hmm....this kind of snack surely will be sold well if can mass produced and the girls seem to love it.

"No problem, sis. I'll ask the kitchen to send it to you too"

When we arrive at my fiance's room, my sister didn't go to her room but come with my fiance to her room. it seems they will have another conversation again like this afternoon. After saying goodnight to them, I excuse myself because I still have to meet with Earl Stamfort as I promised him before.