Mei smiled warmly at her teammates as she finished speaking, hoping that they wouldn't notice the nervousness hidden behind that smile. She's not really used to be in teams especially with boys. She was glad that Siegfried and Kyoko were both with her, but she just couldn't ignore the two male strangers right? She didn't want to be labeled as rude. Good thing, A male with a golden blonde afro spoke up and agreed with her idea, or else she'll be forced to talk to them an make things awkward. "That sounds like a great idea" Mei agreed shyly, loving his suggestion to make noodles. To Mei's perspective, noodles were easy to cook, not time consuming and surprisingly delicious. Besides, everyone loves Chinese food right? So she's certain everyone will love their dish.
She was about to say something when the male with an afro told her his age, shocking her. "Really?" Mei asked the male, not believing his answer "You don't look like a 35 to me, more like a 28." she said honestly, hoping she isn't offending him. "But thank you for telling me your age, Mister Carl. I'm Mei by the way. Pleasure to meet you." Mei didn't know why but she's starting to warm up towards her team members as her nervousness and shyness slowly simmered down. Perhaps its because she's starting to feel comfortable around them and reminds her of home?
Mei was pulled out of her thoughts when Siegfried suggested to make a mocha expresso cake for dessert. She also loved the idea of serving tea with it. Oh, this lunch definitely reminds her of home. "Excellent! and I take back what I said about you not pleasing your lady. Baking a cake for someone special is always something that pleases everyone" she said with a warm smile before noting he's 26 years of age.
Kyoko then spoke up about her being incharge of the tea which made Mei smile even more. She was thankful that the team seems to work well together and that everyone is willing to win. She also noted that Kyoko is 23, only two years older than her.
"Well then, Siegfried will be in charge of the dessert while Kyoko will be in charge of the tea. For the main course, Mr. Carl and I will prepare them. She then followed Carl to the mini market as he offered her to joined him, leaving the rest of the team.
As Mei and Carl began their little walk towards the mini market, Mei tried to wrack her brain for an easy egg noodle recipe. It should be fresh and easy to make, something everyone would love and most of all, delicious. Finally coming up with the recipe, she turned to Carl with a huge smile on her face, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement "How about we make a spicy chicken noodle soup with lime and ginger? Of course, we can tone down the spicyness but its easy to do. Although it takes an hour to cook but I'm sure we can figure things out!" Mei said excitedly as she unconsciously pulled Carl towards the market, picking up a basket and quickly filling it with ingredients.
Suddenly Mei grabbed his hand, startling him; he preferred not to be touched without express permission. Thankfully she let go to move through the market, her hands a blur as she grabbed up plenty of ingredients with clear confidence. "My, you certainly seem to know what you want to make," he added, chuckling. "What if we added a starch to thicken the soup, so it's easier to eat over noodles? Flour or cornstarch will do the trick."
She grabbed boxes of chicken stock and chicken breasts, some smoked ham and a bunch of herbs: cilantro and mint. She also grabbed a couple of garlic, ginger, lemongrass, green and white scallions, yellow onion, carrots, napa cabbage, chilis, egg noodles, lime and some bottle of fish sauce, soy sauce and salt.
Mei looked at Carl for a minute, thinking thoughtfully before smiling. The soup should be creamy and smooth for everyone to enjoy. She knew that the traditional soup should be just a stock, but adjusting the recipe for everyone to enjoy isn't a bad thing to do. "Yeah. Cornstarch would do to the trick. I forgot that everyone around here is used to creamy soups. Sorry," she giggled, lightly smacking her forehead before taking the cornstarch and the entire basket towards their work bench. The basket was a bit heavy for her but she managed.
Carl gave a small snort, his version of a sincere laugh -- not that most people could tell -- and cracked a smile. The basket was looking awfully heavy, and he moved to pick it up for her, but before he knew it she was already carrying it back to their bench, barely struggling by the looks of it. Not only that, but she immediately started giving him orders. Goodness, what a girl.
Siegfried jumped off the couch, running out to the market to grab ingredients for dessert. Having only an hour to make a delicious cake would be difficult enough, he didn't need to waste time waiting for the others to decide who does what. This was a team effort, sure, but they weren't going to get finished in time if they didn't start soon. Reaching the market, he quickly grabbed everything he'd need: eggs, flour, baking chocolate, cocoa powder, etc, and the secret ingredient to his cake, instant coffee. Carrying everything back, and having to stop twice to retrieve a few things he dropped, he got in the kitchen and started making the batter, soon looking like a cocoa covered madman with a mixer.
15 minutes later
As Mei arrived at the work bench, she immediately started working on the ingredients of the stock, chopping and prepping them. She then glanced at Carl and smiled warmly, trying to order him around. "Carl, could you please chop the vegetables and tend to the noodles while I do the stock?" she asked, taking a big pot and putting it on the stove, pouring the chicken stock and adding the ham, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, cilantro stems, mint stems, and scallion whites.
"Of course!" Carl swung around to another section of the bench, sweeping up the vegetables as he went. For the challenge, they'd been supplied with plenty of assorted knives; Carl chose a large one that fit nicely in his hands and started chopping everything up with expert finesse, pausing to stir the noodles every so often. The herbs smelled delicious as they heated up on Mei's side. "What next?" he asked; Mei seemed comfortable with being in control and Carl didn't want to step on her toes while things were going so smoothly.
Mei hummed as she got lost on seasoning the stock, only regaining her senses when Carl asked her what he would do next. "U-Uh.. um.. let's see.. Oh, We just have to wait for the stock to boil and wait for the chicken breasts to cook." she mumbled, realizing something "Oh gosh! The chicken breasts! I forgot about the chicken breasts!" she panicked, walking over to the basket to see if she picked it up or not. Seeing that she did, Mei quickly took it out of the basket and hugged it like a long lost sister, a relieved sigh escaping her. "Phew. I thought I lost you my dear chicken breasts! You are going to boil be boiled and shredded into pieces but don't worry, you'll be delicious." She then gave the chicken breasts to Carl, smiling sheepishly at her behavior before speaking. "Could you cut some of these into bite sized squares? Then toss it in the stock when you're done. We need to wait for it to simmer and boil before adding the veggies and noodles."
"Sounds good," said Carl, already starting on the task. He cut the chicken breasts up just as quickly as he'd done with the vegetables and added them to the soup. Things were moving smoothly, and they had some time to spare while waiting for the stock to simmer. He didn't mind the lull.
Once the batter was mixed, Siegfried found a set of cupcake tins and began pouring them in. Traditionally, this would be turned into a sheet cake, but those took too long to cook. With the late start they'd gotten, cupcakes would have to be the answer. Thankfully, they were easy enough to make. As he put them in the oven, he began the annoying task of mixing up the icing and glaze. He'd always hated the process of making an icing from scratch, but it would impress the judges a little more and make it a little more likely to make them win.
Upon hearing Cerena's question, Siegfried turned to address her. "Don't worry, Ms. Cerena, we won't lose to them. I just figured it is better to fully plan out a quick meal that's tasty, simple, and easy to make than it is to just jump into it half-cocked. Must be the scientist in me coming out." He said, giving his teammates an easy out. "I somehow convinced these guys to listen to me, so if it comes down to us losing because of time, I'll happily accept the punishment on their behalf. On that note, I think we're gonna kick their asses, don't you guys?"
Once the water on the stove was boiling, he mixed the coffee crystals into it, making an extra strong brew. After it was concentrated to his desire, he mixed it into the confections, giving them a rich brown color and a delectable mocha taste. Now all he needed to do was wait till the cakes were ready for everything. While he waited, he ran back to the male dorm, digging out his box of Remitto tea and bringing it back to the group. "If we mix a sachet or two of this stuff into our tea, it'll help put the judges at ease, and might make them a little more....generous with their scores." Cerena had said they were allowed to use whatever they desired, so long as it didn't affect the other team....
Mei could smell the cupcakes and it made her stomach growl lightly. It seems like Siegfried is doing an excellent job attending to the desserts. Focusing her attention back to the stock and waiting for it patiently. She kind of hated it to wait for it to boil but there's nothing else she could do.
15 minutes later
While he waited for them to continue, Sieg could smell his cupcakes finishing up. As he took them out, he tried to figure out a way to make them cool faster without damaging their flavor. On a whim, he ran back out to the market, seeing if they might have something to help him. After a few minutes, he found a small canister, not unlike a can of air duster, labled 7N: Extremely Cold, HANDLE WITH CARE. They actually had liquid nitrogen! He ran back with the canister, ready to blast his cakes to perfection.
Getting back to the kitchen, he movedhis cupcakes to the cooling rack and drizzled them with the espresso glaze. While that was getting absorbed, he filled a pastry bag with his whipped icing and set it aside. Once he was sure it had absorbed properly, he took the confections outside, and carefully blasted each one with the compressed gas, chilling them so that they could be frosted. Once it was cool enough, he brought it back inside and started frosting each one carefully. Presentation was sure to count, after all.
The stock began to boil and Mei let out a squeal of excitement, quickly taking a small ceramic bowl and filling it with the stock for a taste. She slightly took a sip and let the stock settle on her tongue, trying to figure out if the balance is right. "There's something missing" she mumbled, trying to figure out what it is. She is certain that they placed everything on the stock so what's missing? salt? pepper? cilantro? more mint? At this point, Mei was starting to panic. She didn't want their team to lose because of a ruined main dish!
As she continued to freak out, Sieg snuck up behind her to taste the dish. When she wasn't looking, he tossed a small handful of fresh onion and a small pinch of garlic into the broth before going back to his treats. "Try it now, sweetie." he said politely.
Mei didn't see Sieg tossing anything so she was quite hesitant to taste the stock again, thinking her taste buds are getting messed up. Gulping and taking another spoonful of it before placing it in her small bowl, she gave it to Carl for a taste. "T-Taste it. I think I messed it up" she stated, her eyes getting a bit blurry. She knew it will be childish of her to cry but she just couldn't help it. Biting her lip to stop her from crying, she nervously fidgeted as she waits for Carl's comment, hoping he wouldn't blame her for messing up.
Carl could hear the catch in her voice, but he didn't say anything about it so as to not embarrass her. Instead he took another spoon and had a taste of the soup himself. "This is a fine soup," he said with a nod after pausing to let the flavor marinate on his tongue. "Bold and complex. It suits the calmer flavor of the chicken wonderfully. You've done an excellent job." He smiled at her, and then looked up at Siegfried. "Did you put something else in the stock? What was it?" He had definitely seen the blue-haired man put something in, but it was too quick for Carl to see what it was. "And might I ask how the dessert is moving along? It smells wonderful."
Mei was a bit startled by Carl's reaction, not really expecting it to taste that good. She thought she messed up and going to be punished for it but it seems like Sieg helped her and fixed it for her. "I..uh.." She didn't get to say what she wanted when Carl turned his attention to Siegfried, asking about the desserts. "Oh, yeah. How's the dessert? You're doing cupcakes right?"
As a final garnish, Sieg ground a handful of the coffee crystals together with a bit of sugar and dusted the top with the confection beforehanding each of them one of the cupcakes he'd made. Apparently he'd miscounted the batch and came to have too many. "Why don't you have a taste and find out?" As he saw them both bite into his cakes, Sieg turned to face Carl. "I've got no clue what you're talking about, my friend. I think the problem might have been that Mei tasted the stock just a little too early." He said, hoping Carl would take the hint. He wanted Mei to feel more confident in her cooking skills, she honestly looked like she needed the boost. "Sometimes, we act a little too quickly, before the true potential of a dish can emerge." He went around their station, busying himself with trying to set up a presentable tray for them to carry and serve their food to the judges.
The cupcake Siegfried handed to Carl was cold, as if it had been in the refrigerator for quite some time, but that couldn't be right. He gave the pastry a curious stare before biting into it. Just as bold as the soup, but still sweet. It would be a wonderful finisher to their meal. Siegfried's obvious denial didn't sit right with him, however. "Hrm. Well, the cupcake is delicious, good work." His relaxed demeanor had fallen back a bit; honesty went far with him and he had little interest in boosting any single person above the rest. Not that he realized what Sieg was trying to get at.
Still, he couldn't help but notice that Mei was still looking down, so he turned his attention back to her. "Are you alright, Mei? Your food is wonderful as well." He gave her another smile.
Mei took the cupcake from Siegfried and took a small nibble on it, savoring the flavors and just appreciating how perfect it is. The coffee flavor is strong, yet not overpowering either. The texture was just right and the fluffiness just perfect. Its been a long time since she ate something like this and she couldn't help but smile a little. "It's delicious. I think this dessert is our trump card for winning this little competition!" she said softly, trying to hide the little envy she's feeling. She just can't believe that the dessert is better than the main dish. Her blue orbs then looked at Carl as he noticed the change in her behavior. "Oh, um.. I'm fine. We should um.. turn off the stove for now so the dish won't get overcooked. No one likes a dry stringy chicken. Haha" She then went to the stove and turned it off, hoping no one will notice her oddness.
Mei reminded Carl so much of one of his younger brothers, who was always putting himself down despite his amazing talents in the arts; it nearly broke Carl's heart watching the same thing unfold here. He gently lifted her chin to look her square in the eyes, wearing his most sincere smile. "Trust me," he said. "You were great. I enjoyed working with you." Suddenly he remembered his daily challenge, to make someone a meal. He hadn't told anyone about it yet; he wondered if it would count if Mei helped him out again. "In fact..." he added, lowering his voice a tad, "would you like to join me for dinner tonight?"
Mei was a bit startled by his actions and couldn't help but to crane her neck so hard just to look back at him. She didn't realize that the man in front of her was a giant! How can she not notice that?! Trying to focus on the conversation at hand, she blushed a little as she heard his words. Her? Great? Its not everyday Mei receives compliments from guys so it really is enough to make her flustered. As Carl lowered his voice and invited her for dinner, she could feel her heart exploding and the butterflies in her stomach whirling a tornado. Is he asking her for a date? Mei didn't know what to do. This will be the first time she'll be going out with someone and the first time someone asked her out. Blushing like crazy and looking down to hide her blush, she replied "S-Sure.. I w-w-w-wouldn't mind.."
Sieg was noticeably irritated at his asking her to dinner, and couldn't help but try and find a way to derail it. "Mei, I was actually going to ask if you wanted to do the same with me after this whole contest is done with. I was thinking I might be able to talk Cerena into giving us some alone time to take some more amazing photographs together." He crouched down to her level, figuring having her look up at the both of them might hurt her neck. "Think about it, imagine what beautiful memories we can make together." Taking a risk, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead before standing up straight once more. Since the three of them were apaprently the only ones devoted to the contest, he felt it might be a good idea to start the final preparations. After all, they must surely be running low on time now.
Mei didn't know what to do anymore: two men asking her out at the same time? Just what is happening? Blushing even more as Sieg told her about them taking photographs and making memories, she looked back and forth from Carl and Siegfried, not really sure what to do or what to say "W-Well, I.. uh--" She was then suddenly cut off as she felt warm, soft lips on her forehead, enough to make her dizzy and feel fuzzy. Blushing furiously and quickly backing away, she responded "Uh.. uh.. I think the chicken's clucking in the pot... so..uh..e-e-excuse me!" She quickly left the two gorgeous men and went to attend to the soup, trying to calm herself down. "J-Just what happened back t-there?"
Moving back to the stove, Sieg grabbed the kettle full of water and began letting his special tea steep in a lovely cast iron teapot, the sweet smell of jasmine and mint wafting through the air as the sachets were drenched in the boiling water. By the time it was time to serve, their secret weapon would be perfect, and then he could worry more about trying to woo Mei... All Carl could do was sputter in surprise, floundering to summon his usual intimidation factor back up, before Cerena called time.
