Community Center Class: International Cuisine, Monday evening

[sharp_as_knives]

They met at Portalocity again today, and Hannibal waited until everybody was there. "Good evening. A good bit of what we now think of as Western gourmet cooking is based in French recipes. Since we didn't begin there, I thought we might end there." He waved toward the portal. "In Paris."

The portal dropped them off outside a restaurant; it was early evening. Hannibal ushered them all to the end of the colonnade. "These are the gardens of the Palais Royal, the royal palace. Those of you who aren't familiar with France, it hasn't been a monarchy for some time; the building now houses some government offices and a library. But as you can see, it is still a lovely view." He smiled. "Today we will be dining at Le Grand Véfour." He read it to them, since the French pronunciation might be strange to some of them. "This restaurant has been here in one form or another for centuries, and is currently helmed by chef Guy Martin. The food is a mixture of traditional and modern French. Please ask if you have questions."

And with that, he led them into the restaurant.

Comments

Sign in

[sharp_as_knives]

In French

Re: Sign in

[crimson_sister]

Lucille Sharpe

Re: Sign in

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan Jarrus

Re: Sign in

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

Mary Connell

Listen to the intro, enjoy the view of Paris

[sharp_as_knives]

Ogle the really gaudy decor you can see on Google street view through the window!

Re: Listen to the intro, enjoy the view of Paris

[crimson_sister]

The place looked like what Lucille had expected of a French restaurant. The city was different from her time obviously, and less recognisable from the prints she had seen in books.

As usual, the food would no doubt be delicious.

Re: Listen to the intro, enjoy the view of Paris

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

Mary had been to Paris the casino many times, but had never made it to the City of Lights. She was going to take a few moments to take it all in with a big smile on her face.

Re: Listen to the intro, enjoy the view of Paris

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal grinned at her. "Enjoying the view?"

Re: Listen to the intro, enjoy the view of Paris

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"I am! It's absolutely amazing. But even better than that, it's real!" said Mary.

Re: Listen to the intro, enjoy the view of Paris

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal laughed. "Not quite the same as Las Vegas?" he guessed. "Although nearly as bright."

Re: Listen to the intro, enjoy the view of Paris

[montecito-east.livejournal.com]

"But none of the landmarks have that fake quality that you get on The Strip," Mary pointed out. "This is the real thing, and you know it's not going to be torn down next week because someone wants to build an even newer casino."

Re: Listen to the intro, enjoy the view of Paris

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled. "Even the temporary landmarks last for centuries. Did you know the Eiffel Tower wasn't supposed to be permanent?"

Eat, ask questions

[sharp_as_knives]

The waiters probably speak English, even if they won't admit it. Also, Hannibal speaks fluent French. As usual, he's ordered a selection of things.

Re: Eat, ask questions

[crimson_sister]

Lucille knew a little bit of French, enough to read the menu, but when she tried to speak to the waiters, they didn't understand a word. Quite frustrating!

As Hannibal had ordered the food that hardly mattered though, and Lucille considered what to try first.

Re: Eat, ask questions

[sharp_as_knives]

"Your French isn't that bad," Hannibal murmured to her, "but you have a definite English accent. They're being deliberately obtuse. Don't worry about them. Try the duck liver."

Re: Eat, ask questions

[crimson_sister]

She followed the waiter with her gaze, then offered Hannibal a small smile. "I will trust your judgement."

Re: Eat, ask questions

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal debated getting the waiters' names for later, but he'd see how the rest of the meal went. He never condoned rudeness, but anybody could have an off moment.

"The duck is quite good," he said to Lucille. "Then again, most things here are. Try everything you've never had before - learn what you enjoy."

Re: Eat, ask questions

[crimson_sister]

Lucille had endured worse insults, which might be the reason she rarely tolerated them. The good food and company was enough to let this one pass though.

"I will," she said. "It all looks delicious."

She would alos be a little more careful about the number of glasses of wine she drank.

Re: Eat, ask questions

[uncertain_dume]

And once again, Kanan didn't know the first thing about much of what was put in front of him, but he found himself pleased to realize that he was starting to recognize different ingredients of many of the dishes. He tried to pick from those things that he didn't recognize anything from. If this was going to be the last class like it for a while, then he wanted to take full advantage of that fact.

Mostly, that meant that Kanan was trying the lobster. Chicken was pretty familiar by now.

Re: Eat, ask questions

[sharp_as_knives]

"Still enjoying our seafood?" Hannibal asked.

Re: Eat, ask questions

[uncertain_dume]

"Apparently so," Kanan chuckled, turning a grin toward Hannibal. "I suppose that's something I'm going to have to get used to, now that I'm living on an island that's meant to be parked on a planet that's mostly water, hm?"

He really had no intentions of staying longer than he needed to, but while he was here, he was going to appreciate the food, at least.

"I was trying to single out ingredients that I don't recognize right away, and... the chicken looks fantastic, but I know chicken."

Maybe he didn't know chicken that cost the same amount as a month of groceries. But he still knew chicken.

Re: Eat, ask questions

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled at him. "I'm pleased you're being adventurous. Yes, lobster is an aquatic crustacean. We have quite a few places on the planet in deserts or far inland, but even there, in the more metropolitan areas you're likely to find seafood. The only differences would be the price and freshness."

Re: Eat, ask questions

[uncertain_dume]

"Even on a planet with little in the way of space travel, you take your shipping seriously, huh?" Kanan smirked faintly. "I suppose, if there's a danger of spoilage, that's fair enough. And I'm not going to complain about the lobster. This stuff is pretty great."

Re: Eat, ask questions

[sharp_as_knives]

"We do still have airplanes and boats," Hannibal pointed out, amused. "And I'm pleased you enjoy it. We aren't on the shore here, but we aren't terribly far from it, either, and Paris is a major city."

OOC

[sharp_as_knives]

At least this class doesn't usually leave me hankering for French food.