by Liz Turner
“No, I don’t think so. We’ve got everything under control, don’t we Sakura?” Veronica glanced at her Sous Chef over her shoulder, and the young Japanese woman smiled and waved. “We’ll let you know if something changes, but we’re good for now.”
“Okay.” Julia took a moment to look over the menu. “I’d like to try one of those authentic meals. Do you recommend anything? Something small?”
“Well, it’s not on the menu, but I just finished baking a meat pastry. Would you like to try it?”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
Veronica returned to the cutting board with the remains of the pastry on it. She cut a fresh slice and put it on a small paper plate. Taking a few more steps to the opposite counter to grab a napkin and a plastic fork, Veronica then handed the small serving to Julia.
“This is a meat pastry, presumably served King Henry the Eighth,” she repeated her earlier words. “It has aged cheese, sausage, cream...”
“Wait, sausage?” Julia interrupted. She put the plate back on the front counter. “Sorry. I can’t have that.”
Veronica held back her startled jump. “Oh? Why not?”
“I have a special medication that means I can’t have anything like this,” she explained. “I have to watch my diet closely so I don’t have any negative side effects.”
“Oh! I understand. Sorry about that,” Veronica immediately took the food away and placed it on the prep table behind her. She hummed. “Well, then I’d have to say there probably aren’t many choices for authentic food you can eat. Most of the recipes contain things like sausage and cheeses, with the occasional lamb or pork.”
“I guess I’m not surprised,” Julia commented. “They didn’t care for their diet as much back then, did they?”
Veronica laughed. “I can imagine the nobles wanted to eat to their hearts’ desire, and the peasants just ate what they could get.”
“Point taken.” Julia glanced at the menu board again. “I’ll just have a simple chicken sandwich instead.”
“Coming right up!”
Sakura was able to put together the sandwich in no time, and Julia took it without complaint. She was nodding and humming in satisfaction as she walked away, clipboard under her arm, sandwich in her hand, and her mouth full. Sakura watched her go with a laugh.
“So much for authentic cuisine for her, huh?” she joked.
“Don’t tell her I said this, but she’s probably the least Renaissance authentic here,” Veronica jested back. She waved her hand to the rest of the Fair. “Can you recognize any other employees for this place?”
“Besides us, you mean?” Sakura thought for a bit, tapping her index finger against her nose and glancing around for herself. “Not one. Pretty much every one of them is dressed for their parts.”
“It would ruin the illusion of the Fair, I guess,” Veronica deduced.
“But Julia seems nice enough,” Sakura added. “Guess we’re lucky to have someone like her as Chairwoman of the Fair Committee, huh?”
Chapter 2
The next few hours went by relatively uneventful, other than Veronica and Sakura being busy with the food booth. The lunch rush came and went, with most people being interested in the modern-day food rather than the authentic Renaissance fare. This came as no surprise to either chef as not as many people were as adventurous when it came to their diet as they were. Occasionally someone asked for some lamb pie, sausage stew or leg of mutton, and one person inquired if they had any venison or rabbit.
“Sorry, sir, but we don’t have anything like that on our menu,” Veronica informed him sadly.
“Well that’s not very authentic, is it?” the man replied, the smile showing he wasn’t upset about this setback.
“I suppose not, but you’d have to go to a specialty butcher for those meats. I can recommend a few for you if you like and you can try them in your own home.”
The customer took the names of a few butchers with a thank you, and ordered a bit of Veronica’s experimental sausage and cheese pie instead.
The people who came by the food booth weren’t only Fair-going visitors either. Employees need to eat too, and Sakura talked about adding all the interesting characters to a book. There were a couple of jokers, archers, royalty, painters and peasants, along with people in various dancing costumes ranging from Celtic dresses to pirate style. The pirate costume seemed a little out of place for a Renaissance Fair, but Veronica wasn’t going to question it too much. Even a couple of people walking horses passed by, although they didn’t stop for anything to eat.
“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Sakura said to her boss, pointing to the decorated steeds. “Horses are so cool.”
“They are,” Veronica agreed. “I’ve never been on a horse before.”
“Maybe we can go see them,” Sakura suggested. She glanced around. No one else was lining up for food. “Think we’re going to have some free time to enjoy the festivities a bit?”
“I don’t see why not. We won’t be serving food the whole time we’re here,” Veronica concurred. “What’s the Fair offering this year anyway?”
Sakura gave her a wide smile, the type that Veronica had learned meant she was up to something. She watched as her Executive Sous Chef searched through her backpack and pulled out a brochure. She held it above her head in victory.
“Ta-da! Let’s have a look, shall we?” Sakura opened the pamphlet and read through a few of the beginning paragraphs. “There’s a list here somewhere.”
“And you don’t have it memorized already?” the elder chef teased.
Sakura shook her head, still smiling. “There’s a dancing contest, a jousting competition, a maypole carousel, face painting, tarot readings…You should do that last one. See if you’re destined to be with Max or not.”
Veronica frowned and punched her friend in the shoulder, perhaps a little harder than she normally did when she reacted to one of Sakura’s jokes. She didn’t want to hear that kind of thing about her boyfriend of a few weeks.
“Oh, there’s an archery contest later today!” Sakura declared. “That’d be cool to watch, huh?”
“More than a tarot reading at least,” Veronica replied. She tilted her head with a pause. “There isn’t a cooking contest this year?”
Sakura looked over the brochure again and frowned. “Looks like there isn’t. That’s a bummer.”
“Yeah, there’s always been a cooking content,” Veronica complained. “Maybe it has to do with those restrictions in budget Julia mentioned? The food budget she gave me was really tight.”
“Maybe. Still stinks, though.” Sakura put the pamphlet on the counter. “I kind of wanted to reminisce.”
Veronica grinned. “You’re really feeling nostalgic today, aren’t you?”
“Can you blame me?”
“Not really.”
“Excuse me.” Veronica and Sakura turned to see a pair of women waiting at the front counter. The shorter one smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No, no! I’m sorry!” Veronica immediately walked to the counter to greet them. “I shouldn’t have ignored you. How can I help you today?”
The younger woman was clearly of Asian descent. Although she had similarities to Sakura’s features, enough was different that Veronica could tell she was from somewhere other than Japan…possibly China? She didn’t want to assume anything. The young woman wore a pair of tight trousers and a jersey shirt, with a couple of pads on her shoulders. Braces were strapped to her wrists, extending partially up her fingers although this didn’t seem to affect her dexterity at all. She wore a small pack around her waist, with a zipper at the front.
“Do you have anything that’s energy packed?” she inquired. “Something to help with exhaustion?”
“Exhaustion? Shen, you're overdramatic,” the other woman protested weakly. “This really isn’t necessary.”
This woman was notably older than the first, but probably by no more than five or six years. Sh
e wore a deep navy blue dress that reached to her knees and long sleeves that stopped at a corner near her fingers. Drapes of fabric came from the shoulders and elbows, giving the dress a more voluminous appearance. The front of the bodice was a pale off-white and high-cut, leading to puffy shoulders and long blonde hair. On top of her head was a small blue headband to hold her hair out of her face, allowing her bright blue eyes to stare ahead. The one thing that ruined the image of a young Renaissance lady was the saggy bags under her eyes. Veronica wondered if this poor woman got any sleep the previous night.
“It is necessary, Sandra,” Shen proclaimed. “When was the last time you’ve eaten? I’m not going to let you starve yourself.”
“I’m not starving myself. I’ve just been really busy,” Sandra described. “I just need some coffee.”
“Actually, if you’re really tired and haven’t eaten, caffeine is the last thing you need,” Veronica explained to the arguing women. “If you need some sustained energy, what you’re looking for is a good source of protein. Do you eat fish?”
Sandra’s frown gave way to a relieved sigh. “I love to eat fish.”
“I’ve got just the thing for you then. Wait here a moment please.”
Veronica headed to the back of the tent and started grilling up a piece of carp. Sakura got some vegetables and brown rice ready in the meantime, and once the fish was cooked Veronica slid it onto the plate. She took the food from her Sous Chef and returned to the counter.
“Here you go,” she said as she passed the plate and a fork to Sandra. “Grilled Carp with brown rice and veggies. Packed with protein. This should help you feel better.”
Sandra took the food from her hands and started to dig in. The moment the fish hit her tongue Sandra began to gobble it up as quickly as she could. The vegetables were left to last until the meat, and rice was mostly gone.
“Whoa, slow down there!” Shen yelped. “You don’t want to choke!”
“Yeah, that would reflect very badly on my food!” Veronica joked, and Sandra smiled with her mouth closed. “Seriously, though, what do you think?”
“It’s wonderful!” Sandra declared, taking another bite. “It’s the best thing I’ve eaten in ages!”
“Is that because it’s actually good or because you’re starving and would think anything tastes good?” Shen asked. She picked a piece of carp off the plate and tossed it into her mouth. She hummed loudly. “Wow! That is good!”
“Glad to hear it. Would it be something you’d have again?” Veronica said. “I’m gathering recipes for a cookbook, and I’d appreciate some feedback.”
“I’d absolutely have this again!” Sandra answered. Her plate was nearly empty by this point. “You can expect me here tonight for dinner.”
“If your boss lets you, you mean,” Shen commented. “She runs you ragged. When did you last eat? Last night?”
“Something like that,” Sandra whispered. “Stop bad-mouthing my employer.”
“A good boss doesn’t treat her employees this way!”
“Who’s your boss?” Sakura asked, walking over to join the conversation.
“Julia Palmer,” she replied. “She’s in charge of the Fair today.”
“Yeah, we’ve met her,” Veronica informed her. “She hired us too.”
“Who hired you?” Almost as if summoned, Julia appeared out of nowhere. She walked to the counter and placed her clipboard on top. “Sandra, I’ve been looking for you.”
“Sorry. I needed a lunch break,” Sandra responded. “I...”
“Didn’t I tell you I needed that paperwork on the jousting competition finished by tonight?” Julia interrupted her. “What are you doing here when you should be doing that? And why are you bothering Chef Koche? Surely she has other people to serve.”
“Not at the moment. There’s no one here,” Veronica said, although the empty area around the food booth should have given that away. “It’s no problem.”
“I’m very sorry she’s bothering you, Chef,” Julia addressed to Veronica genuinely. “It won’t happen again.”
“She’s not bothering me. Really.”
But Julia didn’t seem to hear her. “Sandra, we’re leaving. Let’s get back to my office tent.”
The Chairwoman took Sandra by the arm and pulled her away, giving the woman a split second to throw the paper plate and plastic fork in a nearby trash can. Shen watched this with a glare and a growl before turning to Veronica and Sakura. She gave them a strained smile and spun on her heel to follow her friend. The chefs kept their eyes on the three women until they were out of sight, with Sandra stumbling to keep up with her employer’s quick pace.
Sakura huffed. “Well, that’s not very nice. Maybe I was wrong.”
Veronica thinned her lips but didn’t respond. Trying to put the event out of her mind, she grabbed the small notebook out of her apron and jotted down a few details.
“That’s number four who liked the carp,” she noted. “I think it’ll go in the book after all.”
“How’s that going, by the way?” Sakura asked.
“Frustrating, actually.”
“Really? Why’s that? Don’t have enough recipes?”
“As if that would be a problem for me,” Veronica dismissed. “No, it’s the publishing process that’s annoying me. I haven’t had much luck with publishers.”
“Did the one from last week not pan out?” Sakura inquired with a furrowed brow.
“No. They said I didn’t have enough ‘traditional’ recipes,” Veronica reported, making quotation marks with her fingers. “Ironic really, since here we are, making ‘authentic’ Renaissance dishes.”
“Well, traditional recipes are good, but they aren’t the only thing that should be in a cookbook,” Sakura argued.
“That’s what I said to the publisher,” Veronica concurred. “That’s why I’m marking how many people like a certain dish. I can use that data to prove they are worthwhile to include in the book. They can’t say no after that, right?”
“Not sure, but I can sympathize,” the younger chef added. “It’s not easy getting published, no matter what kind of book it is.”
“Speaking of which, when is your book coming out?” Veronica asked. “Your first mystery novel? I want to read it first chance I get.”
Sakura simply gave her friend a smile. “Soon.”
Chapter 3
“So when are we going for that break?” Sakura asked her friend and employer. “I thought we were going to look around when the last rush ended?”
Veronica glanced at the small clock on top of the ovens. “I think we can go now that lunch is over. Let’s close up shop for a bit and go for a walk.”
Sakura let out a holler of victory. “Yes! I thought I’d have to convince you!”
“Hey, no need to twist my arm,” Veronica jested. “I want to look at the Fair just as much as you do. I just don’t want to leave anyone waiting for food.”
“That’s your thing, isn’t it?” Sakura joked as she untied the canvas at the top of the tent so it covered the front counter.
“My thing?”
“Your feeding people thing. No one can go hungry while Veronica Koche is around!”
“You’ve got that right,” she agreed. Veronica made sure all the stoves and ovens were off before packing the ingredients in the coolers. “I hate the idea of someone going hungry.”
Once the booth was closed up, the two chefs made their way to the center of the Fairgrounds. Despite the rain from the previous night, the grass beneath their feet was gentle but firm. A couple of pathways had been made on the ground because of all the people walking through the Fair. With lunch out of the way, the afternoon activities seemed to be in full swing. Multiple canvas tents, similar to the food booth, were set up in rows. There was a swordsmith, a face painter, a dress shop, a jewelry shop, an artist creating portraits, a glass-blower, and a toy shop, to name a few.
People of various ages were present at the Fair that day. Families with
young children appeared to be the most common in attendance. There were also teenagers on dates, elderly couples with their middle-aged children, and a few people wearing suits that Sakura recognized as being professors at the local university.Sakura glanced around excitedly. “What should we do first?”
“What was in that brochure again?” Veronica inquired.
The younger woman pulled it from her bag and searched through it. As she waited for Sakura to make a decision, Veronica looked around to see if there was anything that immediately interested her. A family with two small daughters was at the face-painting station. The older daughter was already finished, with large blue wings painted around her eyes, forehead and cheeks. The younger girl was having green scales drawn along her nose, and small flames had already been painted around her nostrils and mouth.
Clearly a dragon, Veronica thought with a smile. Adorable.
Her eyes drifted from the face-painting booth to another group of passersby. Each person in the troupe of four wore typical Renaissance outfits, although the ladies’ dresses were a little shorter to allow them to walk more easily. The two men wore tights on their legs and tunics on their torsos. This gave them a stereotypical appearance of Robin Hood although with larger and sillier hats covered in feathers. They seemed to be a band of some sort, given the instruments they played as they walked. One man had a lute, and another a clarinet. The third member, a woman, slapped a tambourine against her opposite palm, making it jingle. There was a violinist at the front of the group, leading them down one of the pathways. Veronica spotted a sign to the left indicating the direction led to the concert area.
Veronica was never a music expert, but she could appreciate a good band when she heard one. This band was quite good, and the instruments seemed to compliment each other well. She listened as the troupe walked by, and during that time, she noticed that something sounded a little off. Three of the musicians were perfectly in sync, playing their notes in perfect time with the rest. The violinist, however, somehow was playing faster than the rest, and the musical coordination in the group was lost.
