Morning all and Happy Monday. I hope you had a fabulous weekend. Let’s just jump right into the first prompt of the week. Timers set for fifteen and off we go.
No clue who Dan is, but I kind of like him. I also don’t know what story the restaurant needs to go into, but I will find one.
Monday, September 9th: It was the signature dish.
It was the signature dish. Dan knew others loved it. Flocked to the restaurant to try it. He watched as they tasted and made comments about how delightfully unique it was, how unexpected. They all smiled at each other and he could fairly see them congratulating themselves on the sophistication of their palettes.
It never failed to amaze him. He watched and marveled. He too tried the dish on several different occasions. It was certainly unique and it was unexpected. He noticed no one ever claimed it was delicious. Quite simply, it wasn’t.
The chef was capable of making delicious food. Some of it so mouthwateringly addictive that Dan often wondered if he hadn’t slipped in some sort of addictive substance in it when no one was looking. But those were not the dishes people came for. They came for the unique offerings, things they could then brag about trying to others. They ordered the mouthwatering as well. To Dan it seemed almost like a reward.
They came for the unique and then having managed to eat it and pretend they enjoyed it, they were rewarded with delicious food that made them sigh with contentment.
In addition to wondering about addictive substances Dan also wondered if Chef Andre wasn’t trying some sort of experiment on the patrons in the dining room. Was he trying to create a punishment versus reward element to the dining experience. Did he simply want to see what he could get away with ass those unique dishes?
Dan smiled to himself. He knew his wonderings were useless. He knew the reason. Diners here were fickle. Serving delicious food was no longer the point of the business. A restaurant couldn’t run, at least not at this level without being seen to be innovative. Right now the diner’s quest was to push the envelope and that was what Andre did. If he merely served good food he would be considered too pedestrian. So he offered the good tasting items a a reward for trying the outré.
A few years back the restaurant had been all about a singular rock star ingredient. For a while it was truffles. They were in everything until people leaned towards non truffle items in order to get some relief. Squid ink was popular for a while and for a time it seemed as though every food item was died black. It had been a depressing look for the plates and Andre made several appitizers and desserts almost cartoonishly bright to make up for it.
Now they were in the trend of pushing the envelope. How bitter was too bitter. How sour, how sweet, how charred, could you take your food. There was no balance asked for or given. It was the extreme. Spice levels had to be hot enough to melt your insides or sweet enough to turn your stomach. No in between could be tolerated as diners went for the extremes.
Ten til Midnight 